The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-10-04
ITALIAN LEADER
GREAT GENERAL
Intimate Sketch Of the Man Who
Has Beaten His Enemy's
Military Machine.
LUIGI CAO0RNA'S BIG RECORD
He Has Nodded an Army That Drives
Austrisns Out Of Alps Mountains
In Hardest Campaign Of World
Conflict During Summer.

I
Rome.--It is said In the little Italian
water town OF Pallanza on the border
of the Lago Maggiore, away up toward
the Swiss Alps, where Lombardy and
/ Piedmont meet, that some years ago
a learned German with particular in
terest In heraldry paused nj some
4 length before weather-beaten crest
embossed in quaint old-faShioned
! doorway, and observed to those in his
company:
The composition of this coat Of arms
points to line of fate running In the
1 same family from father to son, and
/ to tremendous achievements 10 crown
the family tree. wouldn't care to be
/ pitted against the star of that fam
/ ily."
And he marched himself off, growl-
ing:
Remarkable, most remarkable ~
| But ii never occurred to him 10 ask the
| name of the family who had once gone
through the deserted gateway, nor, at
the time, did his reflection strike his
Italian host as anything but a freak
of 'kultur."
Tire has proved that the German
was right for once, The star and the
oak tree and what not that had struck
his fancy so are the crest of the Ca
dorna, who come from poor but I'M
sullied provincial nobility, with two
chief ideals running in the family:
Faith In God and devotion TO Italy.
The present General Cadorna's grand
father was minister to King Carlo Al
berto, who led the movement for Ital-
Ian independence, granted the constitu-
ton 10 his kingdom (then restricted to
Piedmont and Sardinia), ahdicated in
favor of his son when he thought that
such course of action would help the
formation of new Italy, and died an
exile at Oporto. General Cadorna's IA
Their, Gen. Count Raffaele Cadorna, led
In 1866 the Italian advance on the
1sonzo, which was cut short by dplo-
matte interference and the subsequent
granting to Austria of the Italian lands
beyond that same IsonZo and the Adri-
attic; an unjust and therefore unwise
move which ultimately resulted in the
war of today.
The Zine Of fate running in the fam
lily from father to son" is evident now.
when Gen. Count Luigi CadOrna takes
up the reshaping of history left I'M
finished by his father, as all Italy of
today takes up the strand of fate Ill
twined and distorted by the unfortun-
ate events Of 1866.
Luigi Cadorna himself was born In
Pallanza on September 4, 1850, and
he was barely Is years old when he
entered the military academy, gradu-
ating therefrom as full-fedged lieu
tenant in 1870, and receiving his cap
tains commission in 1875 in an artil-
lery regiment. Opportunity for expert
ence in infantry work was afforded
him by his appointment as a major in
the Sixty-second infantry regiment In
1888; but since 1892, when he got his
colonelcy, he has been identified with
the Bersaglieri the "wideawakes" of
the Italian army.
All these years were spent by him
In active study Of general military |
problems, as well as Of Italy's partic-
ular characteristics in the military |
line. To this day his essay on the
FrancO-German war of 1870 and his
pamphlet about tactics and the proper
use Of infantry in legitimate warfare
are consulted by the experts to advan-
tage, as are his studies on the Italian
boundary lands. These he knows TO
perfection, so that he hardly ever
needs to resort to charts and maps for
his plans; he has it all mapped out in
his head, and the facility with which
he draws from his memory the names
and positions of intricate passes, val
|eys, mule paths and roads is nothing
short Of marvellous.
When he took command of the Tenth
regiment Of the Bersaglieri, he started
TO work on 1t after his own mind, and
brought it out In the grand maneuvers
Of 1895 in splendid form, practicing,
IN fact, on the adversary forces that
same type Of outfianking and sur
move that works so capltally
On the Carso today. Again, In 1911,
The had attained his generalship then
since some years., he led In the
'grandes maneuvers." the Blue party
against the Red, with all the strategic
odds against his party. and astOnished
Ill experts by the working out OF
.apital plan first; and when this fell
through on unforeseen circumstances,
~ the promptness with which he sized
lp the new situation and turned II
'nce more to his advantage.
But nothing then seemed to point
,ut the magnificent heights to which
he was called. In fact, the breaking
tut Of the European war In 1914 still
ound him a general on the list for the
command OF an army In case OF war.
Ind the Italian chief OF staff was Cen
raj Polio. who, by the way, was
,lessed with an Austrian wife. His