The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-08-13


And Does Not Attempt to Give
Binding Rules And Directions.
(LeSSon IL
Iour Post of Honor.
You are called to serve as Il soldier
in the National Army, because that
is one OF your obligations as a citi-
zen OF the United States. The citi-
zens OF Il republic must always be
ready in the hour of need to leave
their own homes and take up arms
in defense of their rights and prin-
ciples. Otherwise the Republic could
not long continue to exist. The men
who now enter military service de-
serve the gratitude and respect OF
! their fellow citizens.
You are doubtless making u hea-
w sacrifice III order to perform this
duty to your country. Hundreds of
thousands Of other young men and
their families are face to face with
similar sacrifices. All our citizens
! will sooner or later be called upon,
/ each to bear his or her share of the
. burden. Men and women, rich and
poor, all alike must do whatever is
necessary. For no personal interests
| or feelings can be permitted to stand
/ in the way at a time when the safe
ty and honor of the country are at
: stake.
As citizen soldier you are chos-
! Ell for a post of special distinction.
America is justly proud of the sol
/ diers of the past who have won for
us the rights today denied and put
! in serious danger by the highland
ed attacks of the German Govern
ment. America will be no less proud
! of you. as you fight to uphold those
! rights.
Your personal responsibility is
/ great. AS warfare is today conduc-
/ ted. the individual soldier counts for
I more than ever before. Your own
/ skill and bravery, no matter how
. humble your rank, may easily be i'm
portant factors in deciding whether
an engagement is to be Won or lost.
! Gou can not depend upon dnyoe else
/ TO carry this personal responsibility
/ for you: you must depend upon your
self.
/ Some American Soldiers.
| Americans are Well-fitted to meet
! this test. During the Civil War, at
the battle of Antietam. the 1th Maine
/ Infantry lay, hugging the ground,
under a furious storm of shot and
/ shell. Private Knox, who was Won
! derful shot, asked leave to move
| nearer the enemy. For an hour af
| terWards his companions heard his
rifle crack every few minutes. His
! commanding officer finally, from curl
osity. "crept forward to see what he
was doing, and found that he had
driven every man away from one sec
tion of a Confederate battery, tumb
ling over gunner after gunner as
they came forward to fire. At the
end of an hour or so. a piece of she'll
took off the breech of his pet rifle,
and he returned disconsolate; but
AFTER few minutes he gathered
three rifles that were left by wound
ed men and went back again
In the Confederate armies individ
ual soldiers were no less Skillful, cool
and brave On both sides they were
Americans.
Here are few cases quoted from
! official records. You must read be-
tween the lines to get the full bene
fit of the stories they tell of resour-
cefulness and courage.
On June 9, 1862, Private John
Gray, 5th Ohio Infantry, mounted
on an artillery horse of the enemy,
and captured a brass 6-pound piece,
in the face of the enemy's fire, and
brought it to the rear"
On October u, 1868, Private
| Michael Dougherty, 18th Pennsylva-
MIA Cavalry, ''at the head of a de-
| tachment of his company, dashed
across an open field. exposed to
deadly fire from the enemy, and sue
ceeded in dislodging them from an
unoccupied house, which he and his
comrades defended for several hours
against repeated attacks, thus pre-
venting the enemy from thanking the
position of the Union forces"
From May 8 to IL, 1864 Private
John B. Lynch, 3rd Indiana Cavalry,
| carried important dispatches from
the President to General Grant pass
ing through the enemy's country, eS
Gaping capture, delivered his mes
sages and returned to Washington
with replies thereto"
On April q, 1899, Private Edward
| White. Goth Kansas Infantry, during
a fight with insurgents in the Philip
pine Islands, swan the Rio Grande
de Pampanga in face of the enemy'S
fire and fastened a rope to the unoc-
cupied trenches, thereby enabling the
crossing of the river and the driving
of the enemy from his fortified posi-
! ton
On May 6, 1900, Private William
| p. Maclay, 43rd Z. S. Volunteer In
| fantry, charged an occupied bastion,
saving the life of an officer in
! hand-to-hand combat and destroying
! the enemy"
In all these cases medals of honor
were granted. The incidents, how
ever, are typical of the army Thou
ands of similar stories might be told.
| They represent the spirit that will in
spire the National Army when the
| time comes to show the stuff of
which it is made.
! Tales of heroic courage can be
found in the annals of all armies and
of all nations. But the American
| Army has its own special tradition,
which these incidents illustrate. 1t
! is the tradition of intelligence, self
! reliance, and individual daring on
/ the part of men serving in the ranks
The Individual Soldier Counts.
! Other things being equal, an army
made up of self-reliant, thinking
men has great advantage over
I Iitle ely hdculut-iihe ARMY, anu lulS
is especially true in present-day war
fare. Maj, Gen. Hugh l.. Scott,
Chief of Staff, L. S. A. remarks on
this point:
The conditions under which mod
ern wars are fought are ever making
/ increasing demands on the individual
soldier. The individual soldier must
/ know how to interpret accurately or
ders and signals, for the enemys fire
/ may often so isolate him fro mhis
( leader and comrades, perhaps only
/ step away, that he may be thrown on