The Washington herald., 1916-07-31
Allies WARLlKE
OUR own OF 81
Europe Only Has -Rediscov'
cred Tactics Of Grant and
\ Lee, Says Briton.
By JOHN l.. BALDERsTON.
tcopyright, Iels.)


,Iondon. July l6-As the war OF attri-
ton drags its weary length along and
the best blood of England is poured out
3 on the Somme without results appearing
that loom large on the map, the parallel
Of the American civil war Is IN every
ones mouth. Wars of the past in Europe,
Il is said, afford no lessons for the pres
ent, but the war between the North and
South was a miniature edition OF TINS
struggle, a conflict economic as well as
military. which must continue until Ger
many Is crushed as was the Conted-
eracy.
The problem Of the North was in most
respects, the problem Of the allies
write John Buchan, the military author
ity In an analysis of the similarities ap-
pearing in the conduct of the American
and European wars. Mr.. Buchan's views
which will appear In the forthcoming
volume of his History of the War l
am privileged to quote. He continues:
Given greater wealth and more men,
how could these be used to crush the
enemy? The North had to levy armies
beyond its widest dreams. 1t had to
summon the whole of its available man
power, and for this purpose it had to use
the legal imperative. 1t had to learn
how to train them, so that self-reliance
OF the volunteer should be preserved
under the discipline of the corporate unit
enemy and to starve and cripple that
enemy.
Lesson of Civil War.
TT had to find men TO lead its armies
who could get the full value out OF us
greater numbers and better equipment.
1t had to md the right strategtcal plan
and stick to it, disregarding all divergent
operations and brilliant sideshows. And
when all this had been done II had to
night hard for success, to deliver hammer
blow after hammer blow until the armed
might of the South Crumbled to pieces in
the field
potential strength was not enough; it
had to be made real. Real strength was
not enough: it had to be correctly used.
Nothing less than a complete and whole
hearted national effort availed. But when
that effort was made there was victory.
Mr.. BuChan sees many important
parallels between the two wars, which
may sCothe the feelings Of Americans
who resent the sneers cast at Uncle Sam
In some quarters in Europe for his
peaceful disposition and unpreparedness.
In our civil war. the writer says, we de-
veloped most of the features of warfare
which Europe has now adopted or redis-
covered.
Trench fighting. he declares. is Ameri-
can in origin The allied war of en-
trenchments," he writes. may be paral-
leled by the trench hghting in the Wilder
ness campaign. Being unable to turn
Lees flank. Grant was driven to frontal
alta cks. and he failed, the allies failed
repeatedly. from lack of reserves. The
American cavalry troops were the fore
runners Of the British mounted infantry
men. Like our own cavalry. they could
dght on foot or on horseback as occa-
sion demanded. The attack by successive
lines in open order and by successive
rushes was perfected. if Il was not in
vented by the Americans. and the whole
Of their minor tactics are worth studying
as examples Of the devices adapted owing
to the novel necessities of the case. like
so many of the minor tactics in the pres
ent war
Was War of Science.
1T was also a highly scientific war.
BreechlOaders and repeating rifles were
sirst employed in it. 1t was, like the
present war. very largely one of en-
xineerinE. for the existing cOmmunica
lions had all to he remOdeled. Transport
md supply questions bulked largely, and
on the side Of the North became toward
he end amazingly efficient. Grant in
The last two years OF the war could
make the highest demands on his auxil
airy services. with the certainty that they
would be faifilled."
The parallel of cOnscription is dwelt
IpOn Dy Ar. BQH0d0. ne NOrJn naO
he greater man power, but it had to
earn how to use it," he writes. The
North drew by far the greater part of
IS armies from men engaged in civil life,
md had to learn how to train them.
Discipline was at first rated too low
As is the case with all new levies, there
vas a tendency to create new units
-ather th1n to keep old units up to
itrength, a tendency from which Britain
not bppO pXpT0Dt
Political Situations Similar.
The political situation in the North in
1851 and in England in 1914 were most
similar. Mr.. Buchan declares in an argu-
ment which for Englishmen contains the
comforting inference that because the
North won England can win too. The
North was not a military power" Mr..
Buchan says in developing this theme
and the men at its head had no ex-
perience of war. Since It was the strug-
gle Of a nation for existence. It was
not enough to ind a good general and
give him a free hand.
The whole national strength, military
naval and economic, had to be used and
therefore the supreme direction of the
campaign was in the hands of the
civilian cabinet This cabinet was not
united within itself, and Congress behind
{ was an incumbrance rather than n
selp. The press, too, wasted much time
n futile criticism. Finally, there was
no general staff at Washington to give
axpert advice. Hence, until the rise of
Grant, there was no continuity of policy
and no cohesion in the strategic plan.
As always happens with improvised
armies, the stafT work was bad. There
we're not sufficient good staT officers to
go around, and consequently there was
an inclination to neglect the thinking
part OF the army Almost every battle
Of the civil war provides examples Of
faulty stan work
The strategic scheme of the North
was very much that of the allies in
the present war-to use its superior
strength in men. wealth and position
70 crush its opponent 1t had COM
Dletely to invest the Confederacy and
hen press in the sides of the quadri-
.ateral so as to leave the armies of
he South with less and less ground to
naneuyer in and draw their supplies
rom. The naval part was well done
rom the first.
The South was vigorously blockaded
md in the blockade the North Gre
tied new precedents. The result was
hat the South was pinched from the
nd