Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-02-14
VS.. T
From Land and Water,

vOS .0ss0
There are certain first principles running
sA through military history which it is
the business OF soldiers to study and
practice. 1t is the business also Of meTe
students to maste: these elementary prin-
cip>cs. for if they 10 rot they cannot fol-
low military histnr.? a,,d understand it.
either In the past or IL the present. Those
PRINCIPLES are simple enough. II is their
execution in detail aud N practice which
~ difficult. Ard the man of genius In
this Is iut the man who sees obvious
things. still less the man who contrives
inseni"us ores. 1t is the man who COM
hi'cs the powrr Ia make a good plan
rani,i'y wiih the power to exe"lt- it With
tire 'naterial with which he has 10 deal.
I, j" all sutni...l mp i'm SaInl"o.,'S .laSim
thai an. fool can draw ~, . st'atc2ica.
plar, and tlat the test OF military power
Is i'm it, execution.
There has been llits l~ec"n'iy in ths
press and on the platform a rorfec, Orgy
cf amateur advice Upon tine war. which
h:ic Tor its main rha;ac:e, almost for IT,
only ch2rarter--a perfectly amazing i:n"f-
ancc al these elementary principles. There
are by this time. without tNaeserction
tens OF thousands OF men who have herm
fausilt such elementary things since lol4.
Thesr Thousands are in uniform ana
neither write no. speak. 1t would 40 80
harm il a few of them We're spared I"
give som" s!ilp!. lectures to civilians vino
attempt to set the soldiers right in their
tfed". There is ha,h!r anyone upon scrN-
ice. Tor example. who does not know al
least what is meant b" "snpp,y.' and H,t
Oh: amateur StrAtee!sts leave out that
factor IN strategy as airiIH Ms though
movement UPON The globe were like the
moving of a pencil ,ipua = map.
BY way y. a counter offensive against
this deiuge. which always comes afier an
u:eNpscted ,cvrrse, arc which. was let
N.,s. t. A.,-: -. man -l:t
clans during what may re called 1.-The
1talian foriaisht.' II few wcishty and
soiorr articles have appeared. most af
t'.ein fran gae pens of soldiers.
The first leading principle is this: No
on" can Judge OF a military situation ,n-
Yes. he is possessed of four kinds Of knowl-
edge relat!ng TO il:
TN. nature OF the ground.
TIE numerical disposition of his own
And the enemy's forces.
The conditions Of supply for his own
and the cnemy's forces.
The moral of his own and the
eneir.S forces.
Now ground" foes not only mean A
knowledge OF the map-and yet a knowl-
edge of the map, even in its largest lines
IL rot 8 thing which, most people easily
acquirc-it means also an appreciation OF
the state OF the soil in various weathere:
. good guess AT the rate at which II will
dry: of the effect snow will nave upon it.:
of what will happen to watercourses after
q thaw or exceptional rain: and. in gen.
eral. a whole volume OF knowledge which
men concentrated upon their profession
eau. when they are eXceptiO',al men. &C.
quire with a certain degree OF rapidity.
but which most men do not attempt to
acquire: and which most men. II. they
tried ITO acquire It. would fail to acquire.
u II IL difficult to master ground, IL
10 In a xense. even more difficult to mas
ter numbers and disposition. Thu politi-
clan may he told in the way OF business.
the journalist may he told by an indiscre-
ton the numbers and the order Of forces
upon either SIDE liz any part of the field.
That either will remember these under
the strain OF public advertisement and
forced excitement il doubtful, but at any
rate, that kind of knowledge is at least
available. When IT. comes to the meaning
OF such humble, and of such dispositions
neither Of theee two kinds of critics has
test OF excellence In 4 commander thu
he should he able 10 read even partially
the riddle presented by ccncentration ano
dispersion OF forces. II he has III excel
lent chief Of staff. aad therefore an ex-
ce'lent bureau plecins together intelligence
sHd reporting accurately what there is in
troEf OF him and how II changes-even 80
nc has to interpret the will hat il behind
sUcn grouping. what part Of It may be
Intended to deceive. what part may be
used. and Why. The greatest mastefs Of
var have, II you viii fssA their n,elnoirx,
particularly :snsss6ersE Nj they did