The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-09-30
FIGHTING CIVILIANS

of the Man Of Galilee' in its advo-
cacy Of peace
1t has never maintained large
standing army and has never had a
compulsory military training law
Yet in all the wars in which the
United States has been engaged she
has been quite successful.
Her lighting civilians have meas
ured fairly up to those of military
training and in number of instances
have not only measured up to them
but have gone over the top have
outclassed them.
With our raw militia and unframed
recruits we have not only done fairly
we'll but have achieved military tri-
umphs that will measure up to those
of the most noted military chieftains
Of all times.
In our Indian wars the slim rem
nant of that race tells its own story.
In our conflict with the mother
country cur ragged and unframed
Continentals won signal victories over
trained and well-disciplined armies.
So it was in the war of 1872, and
in our war with Mexico 1t was one
series of victories after another from
Vera Cruz until our flag was planted
in the vary halls of the Montezumas.
In the war between the states
those unframed and undisciplined in
military schools seemed by intuition
to comprehend the science of tactics
and strategy in the placement of ar
mics to win decisive victories on
equal terms with those from military
academies.
General Forrest read with difficulty
and did not know how to give a mil
itary command according to the books
on military tactics.
When asked after the war to what
he attributed his success in SO many
actions, ne replied: Il got there first
with the most men,
General Dick Taylor says that JONI
mi could not have stated the key to
the art Of war more concisely.
Forrest fought the battle of Ok
aloha on an open plain with no adj
vantage of position to compensate for
the great inferiority of numbers, and
it is remarkable, says the same crit
ic, that he employed the same tactics
of Frederick at Luthern and Zorn-
drof, though he had never heard those
names. His tactics deserve the clos
est study of military men. His word
OF command was unique: Forward
men and mix with EN-.
The same story may be told of
General Dickson in his Florida cam
paigns. While he was in many en-
gagements, killed and took great
many of the enemy prisoners, he
lost but one man of his command and
that was his own son.
He was entirely without military
training.
In this regard the United States is
not exceptional. The same thing is
the story told of the mother coun-
try"
In his History of England, Lord
Macaulay, speaking of the conduct of
the civil war in England of 1912, says:
1t is remarkable circumstance
that the officers who had studied tao
tics In what were considered the best
chools, under We're in the Netherlands.
and under Gustavus Adolphus in Ger
many, displayed far less skill than
those commanders who had been bred
to peaceful employments, and who
never saw a skirmish until civil war
broke out.
An unlearned person might hence
be inclined to suspect that the mill
tary art is no very profound mystery:
that its principles are the principles of
plain good sense, and that a quick
eye, a cool head, and stout heart.
will do more to make a general than
all the diagrams of Jomini. This.
however, is certain that Hampden
showed himself far better officer
than Essex, and Cromwell than Les
lie.''
Then, again, the same historian
says:
THE military errors of Essex were
probably, in some degree, produced
by political timidity. He was honestly,
but not warmly attached to the cause
of parliament; and next to a great
defeat he dreaded a great victory.
Hampden, on the other hand, was
for vigorous and decisive measures.
He had shown that he knew, better
than any other public man of his time.