The sun., 1918-10-13
A West Pointers Book

IN these times every well read Ameri-
i lean is bound to know something
about strategy and tactics: and, now that
We are putting an army of millions into
Che field something about the means Of
educating the officers who are to command
them. On these subjects Major-Gen.
Greene's little book on Oar First Year in
Che Great War is full of valuable informa-
tion more readily accessible than any
where else.
The author represents the best type of
American Regular Army officer educated
at the West Point Military Academy. As
the military atsache Of the United States
assigned to our legation in Russia he
witnessed the great battles in the~war be-
tween Russia and Turkey in 1s77-7S, when
he was Captain of Engineers. Later he
served as general officer in Cuba in the
Spanish war; and altogether
his attainments, experience and tastes
have admirably fitted him TO be military
critic.
Much confusion of thought prevails in
discussion concerning the present war in
the use of the term strategy and tactics.
Every one knows that it is a compliment
to say of a General that he is a great
strategist or an able tactician, but many
persons who speak thus would be puzzled
if called upon to explain precisely what
they mean. Gen. Greene puts the matter
In a nutshell:
STRATEGY is the art of bringing troops
to the field of battle in such manner that
at the point where the decision is to be
made there shall be superiority of num-
bers; or, as the artillery corporal told his
instructor at Fort Monroe years ago,
'Stratagee is how to get there fustest with
the mostest men, Tactics is the art of
handling troops in battle"
We have heard the definition of strategy
which Gen. Greene assigns to the artil-
lery corporal often attributed to Gen.
Forrest, the famous Confederate cavalry
leader, whose English was unique and
whose written report of the capture Of
Fort Pillow read: eve busted the fort at
miner clock and scattered the niggers. The
men is still cillaneTp killing theml in the
woods"
Strategy, or the art Of bringing troops
to the battlefield in superior numbers,
being dependent upon the topography of
the country which is the scene of war
the lay of the land, so to speak-the prin-
eiples do not change with time, but re
main to-day the same as they were in the
days of Julius Cesar or Napoleon. Tao
ties, on the other hand, are dependent
upon the arms of combat, which are ever
changing. Consequently tactics are
never the same in any two succeeding
wars. The greatest master of the art,
Napoleon, laid down in his maxims that
the tactical drill book should be changed
at least once in every five years in order
to keep pace with new inventions in
weapons"
The tactics of three arms, infantry,
cavalry and artillery, which prevailed in
the NapoleOnic wars, have now given place
to the tactics Of five arms, engineers and
aviation having been added to the former
three. The cavalry, formerly known as
the eyes of the army, have been replaced
by the airmen in searching out the posi-
tions of the enemy; and "the engineers
have come into the front rank as fighting
men, laying out thousands of miles of
trenches under the hottest of fire from
bullets, shells, gas, aerial bombs and hand
grenades; and under direction of the en-
gineers the infantry have become trench