Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-08-21
Nine Soldierly Qualities

breeding Lessons: /. Your Post
OF Honor; 3. Making Good as q
Soldier.)
h three basic qualities, Loyalty,
Obedience ana Physical Fitness. were
treated in the preceding lesson. There
is another group of three soldierly
qualities that are especially needed
during the periods of training, march
ing, n waiting between combats.
They are:
Intelligence,
Cleanliness.
~Cheerfulness.
Although these qualities are asso-
ciated chiefly with camp life. they are,
Of course. scarcely less helpful in. all
other phases of military service.
Intelligence.
Intelligence does not necessarily
mean education, but rather quick OBJ
~servation and willingness to learn.
There is plenty of need for intelli-
uonal Army will be forced to absorb
within a few months a training which
would ordinarily extend over a Pc
Rod OF two or three years. Those who
intend to At themselves for promotion
should study thoroughly the manuals
and the drill regulations which affect
their duties. In time they should
learn something about map-making
and map-reading. the construction OF
field entertainments, training and care
of horses, signalling. the handling Of
complex pieces of machinery, and
many other subjects.
Any practical knowledge that you
may nov possess will surely be useful
and helpful to you in the army. Capt.
Ian Hay Beth, of the English. Army.
points out that in the first British
trade or training Of every soldier was
sooner OF later utilized.
Cleanliness.
Cleanliness is important every
where, but most Of all in the army
where large bodies Of men are brought
together. In its true sense, it includes
not only keeping your body clean, but
also your mind and your actions. For
tunately, 1t Is a virtue in which Amer
leans generally rank high. There
should be little difficulty in setting a
satisfactory standard in the new army.
This is a subject more fully treated
later in this course
Cheerfulness.
Cheerfulness is always a prominent
trait Of good soldiers. Here again
Americans may be counted upon to
AAIdhC d SplcilQlU w EVEN III ZIG
face of any unexpected h%ardships or
difficulties that may be ahead Of us.
There are numerous episodes in Amer
lean military history to justify this
confidence.
In January. 1863, the Union army
lay in camp at Falmouth. Va. About
a month before had occurred the ais
astrous and bloody defeat of Fred
erickburg. In The north it was the
darkest hour Of the war. Everywhere
outside the army there was depression
and fear. On January FL. n COM
manding general ordered the troops
to break camp and move forward. AT
the same time "a cold drizzling ram
set in; the ground speedily became
like a sea Of glue; everything upon
wheels sunk into the bottomless mud;
it took twenty horses to start a single
caisson; hundreds Of them died in
harness; but still the general persist
ed. But the rain persisted also, and
It soon became a simple impossibility
to 90 forward" After two days OF
effort 1t was necessary to have the
men struggle and founder through
the wilderness OF mud back to their
Ecamp." N
Picture the situation: Recent defeat
with heavy losses; retreat: a cherries
mtd-winter camp; rain; cold; mud;
disbursement at home; a lone
march under the most trying condi.
tons ending in a return to the same
camping ground from which the
troops had started. A little grumblinE
might reasonably have been expected