Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-07
Only Needed Practice in Lead
ing Large Bodies of Men,
Which Was Quickly Gained
, on Arrival in Europe.
OFFENSIVE SPIRIT
HIGHLY CULTIVATED
Discipline of West Point Is
Readily Acknowledged by
Recruits American Dis
cipIine Becomes Proverbial.
(By Lieutenant Colonel RcpinetOn.)
Copyright, 1913, by the Press Publish.
10

CThe New York WORLDLY
Especial Gable to the World and Albu-
0uerque Journal)
In France Oct. G.-When we point
the finger Of scorn at the Germans for
not understanding America, | mag
Inc we conveniently forget We were,
most of us, ignorant about that mod
est, unassuming. but most competent
individual, the American regular Off
Ger who really has been the main
spring Of all the military machines
created since American came in.
We saw lit:lc Cr nothing of him in
London. He was away. out of sight
doing his job I'm distant and scattered
garrisons tenanted bv the old army OF
America. But he was the true scion
of the West Point officer who shone in
the civil war. Fl q was 4 gentleman,
very highly trained and as well ac-
quainted with the theory Of war Or
sanitation strategy and operations as
the trained officers Of any other army
He has, by his competence and SUI
pre1ne good sense completely domi-
mated the United States army in its
modern national form and has in
stilled into It tho discipline and high
serse OF oublic duty which the hall
marks Of West Point, Lost would the
national army have l@en without him.
vii. Practice All II" Needed.
He lacked nothing but the practice
OF leading ard directing masses of
men in battle. hut as the direction OF
thess masses had not come the way
OF the officers of other armies before
this war began, there was much less
dtffAFhnAa 1aEr 7
ether armies than most people i'm
asine.
suppose every American regular
officer who had eighteen months SER
vice when America entered the war is
now a major Nearly all the higher
posts arc held hy the regular nation
al gu%fd and national army officers.
and tho whole 3rnrv is now one and
beef,s the same distinctive badges. The
various states no longer possess their
opee cherished forces. t.r.
II Is the, American nation q nation
~ rrms, that is being welded under
fh- lis '1mer strokes OF war lis req
rlar Officers, with the assistance Of
their british and French comrades.
have organized and now conduct ali
the v9st training schools in America
other than those for artillery, are new
concentrated in what was originally
one of the training areas and these
schools have been completely given Nm
to advanced courses of instruction
=. still Training Cadets.
There is an army general staff col
lege. a line school machine gun
school candida e's school in the ma
tnra Of q cadet corps school for spe-
cialists and many others for ayia-
ton, tanks. engineers and the other
services ! found an army of Officers
and cadets there and the whole is un-
der a single command, and so regu-
lated that II will eventually provide
sufficient trained cadets for The vast
: armies America is assembling in
Fr~res
We have every reason to be proud
OF the part played by our officers anl
non-commissioned officers in direct
Ing this training on sound lines. Bu
the point of importance is that Ameri
can regular officers are now dissent
mating their knowledge Throughout
the new national army. and that. al
q year already has been spent in thi
process in France alone, --,"h ha
been done. Much more will be dom
ard In one of the above schools NJ
fewer than 1900 officers will soon b.
under instruction and the course will
continue and will be developed whil
the war lasts
The Americans, as ] have men
tioned, are intent upon having thei
own code of tactics and | do no
blame them. Everything has to be
and 50 is, American. They find tina
onr British and Froncr theories an,
practices differ great deal and S,
+ have determined to take the best O
The two theories and practices an,
create their own codes of instruction
this. has been done and very complet
Instructions now exist that cover tn
whole field Of modern war.
sf lf u s. Envors Infantry.
The offensive spirit is cultivated il
the highest degree. and, while no
negleeting the accessory arms ant
the machinery Of war, the Americans
regard the infantry as the arm of de
cision, devote most of their attention
to st and fight with it more than tn,
older armies are In the habit of doinj
now. The Americans keep up full
battalions, thanks to the drafting for