第 91 节
作者:猫王      更新:2022-07-12 16:19      字数:9322
  s each。
  These companies should habitually be about a hundred one men strong; giving twelve hundred to a regiment; which in practice would settle down to about one thousand men。
  Three such regiments would compose a brigade; three brigades a division; and three divisions a corps。  Then; by allowing to an infantry corps a brigade of cavalry and six batteries of field…artillery; we would have an efficient  corps d'armee of thirty thousand men; whose organization would be simple and most efficient; and whose strength should never be allowed to fall below twenty…five thousand men。
  The corps is the true unit for grand campaigns and battle; should have a full and perfect staff; and every thing requisite for separate action; ready at all times to be detached and sent off for any nature of service。  The general in command should have the rank of lieutenant…general; and should be; by experience and education; equal to any thing in war。  Habitually with us he was a major… general; specially selected and assigned to the command by an order of the President; constituting; in fact; a separate grade。
  The division is the unit of administration; and is the legitimate command of a major general。
  The brigade is the next subdivision; and is commanded by a brigadier…general。
  The regiment is the family。  The colonel; as the father; should have a personal acquaintance with every officer and man; and should instill a feeling of pride and affection for himself; so that his officers and men would naturally look to him for personal advice and instruction。  In war the regiment should never be subdivided; but should always be maintained entire。  In peace this is impossible。
  The company is the true unit of discipline; and the captain is the company。  A good captain makes a good company; and he should have the power to reward as well as punish。  The fact that soldiers world naturally like to have a good fellow for their captain is the best reason why he should be appointed by the colonel; or by some superior authority; instead of being elected by the men。
  In the United States the people are the 〃sovereign;〃 all power originally proceeds from them; and therefore the election of officers by the men is the common rule。  This is wrong; because an army is not a popular organization; but an animated machine; an
  instrument in the hands of the Executive for enforcing the law; and maintaining the honor and dignity of the nation; and the President; as the constitutional commander…in…chief of the army and navy; should exercise the power of appointment (subject to the confirmation of the Senate) of the officers of 〃volunteers;〃 as well as of 〃regulars。〃
  No army can be efficient unless it be a unit for action; and the power must come from above; not from below: the President usually delegates his power to the commander…in…chief; and he to the next; and so on down to the lowest actual commander of troops; however small the detachment。  No matter how troops come together; when once united; the highest officer in rank is held responsible; and should be consequently armed with the fullest power of the Executive; subject only to law and existing orders。  The more simple the principle; the greater the likelihood of determined action; and the less a commanding officer is circumscribed by bounds or by precedent; the greater is the probability that he will make the best use of his command and achieve the best results。
  The Regular Army and the Military Academy at West Point have in the past provided; and doubtless will in the future provide an ample supply of good officers for future wars; but; should their numbers be insufficient; we can always safely rely on the great number of young men of education and force of character throughout the country; to supplement them。  At the close of our civil war; lasting four years; some of our best corps and division generals; as well as staff…officers; were from civil life; but I cannot recall any of the most successful who did not express a regret that he had not received in early life instruction in the elementary principles of the art of war; instead of being forced to acquire this knowledge in the dangerous and expensive school of actual war。
  But the vital difficulty was; and will be again; to obtain an adequate number of good soldiers。  We tried almost every system known to modern nations; all with more or less successvoluntary enlistments; the draft; and bought substitutes…and I think that all officers of experience will confirm my assertion that the men who voluntarily enlisted at the outbreak of the war were the best; better than the conscript; and far better than the bought substitute。  When a regiment is once organized in a State; and mustered into the service of the United States; the officers and men become subject to the same laws of discipline and government as the regular troops。  They are in no sense 〃militia;〃 but compose apart of the Army of the United States; only retain their State title for convenience; and yet may be principally recruited from the neighborhood of their original organization: Once。  organized; the regiment should be kept full by recruits; and when it becomes difficult to obtain more recruits the pay should be raised by Congress; instead of tempting new men by exaggerated bounties。  I believe it would have been more economical to have raised the pay of the soldier to thirty or even fifty dollars a month than to have held out the promise of three hundred and even six hundred dollars in the form of bounty。  Toward the close of the war; I have often heard the soldiers complain that the 〃stay at…home〃 men got better pay; bounties; and food; than they who were exposed to all the dangers and vicissitudes of the battles and marches at the front。 The feeling of the soldier should be that; in every event; the sympathy and preference of his government is for him who fights; rather than for him who is on provost or guard duty to the rear; and; like most men; he measures this by the amount of pay。  Of course; the soldier must be trained to obedience; and should be 〃content with his wages;〃 but whoever has commanded an army in the field knows the difference between a willing; contented mass of men; and one that feels a cause of grievance。  There is a soul to an army as well as to the individual man; and no general can accomplish the full work of his army unless he commands the soul of his men; as well as their bodies and legs。
  The greatest mistake made in our civil war was in the mode of recruitment and promotion。  When a regiment became reduced by the necessary wear and tear of service; instead of being filled up at the bottom; and the vacancies among the officers filled from the best noncommissioned officers and men; the habit was to raise new regiments; with new colonels; captains; and men; leaving the old and experienced battalions to dwindle away into mere skeleton organizations。  I believe with the volunteers this matter was left to the States exclusively; and I remember that Wisconsin kept her regiments filled with recruits; whereas other States generally filled their quotas by new regiments; and the result was that we estimated a Wisconsin regiment equal to an ordinary brigade。  I believe that five hundred new men added to an old and experienced regiment were more valuable than a thousand men in the form of a new regiment; for the former by association with good; experienced captains; lieutenants; and non…commissioned officers; soon became veterans; whereas the latter were generally unavailable for a year。 The German method of recruitment is simply perfect; and there is no good reason why we should not follow it substantially。
  On a road; marching by the flank; it would be considered 〃good order〃 to have five thousand men to a mile; so that a full corps of thirty thousand men would extend six miles; but with the average trains and batteries of artillery the probabilities are that it would draw out to ten miles。  On a long and regular march the divisions and brigades should alternate in the lead; the leading division should be on the road by the earliest dawn; and march at the rate of about two miles; or; at most; two and a half miles an hour; so as to reach camp by noon。  Even then the rear divisions and trains will hardly reach camp much before night。 Theoretically; a marching column should preserve such order that by simply halting and facing to the right or left; it would be in line of battle; but this is rarely the case; and generally deployments are made 〃forward;〃 by conducting each brigade by the flank obliquely to the right or left to its approximate position in line of battle; and there deployed。  In such a line of battle; a brigade of three thousand infantry would oconpy a mile of 〃front;〃 but for a strong line of battle five…thousand men with two batteries should be allowed to each mile; or a division would habitually constitute a double line with skirmishers and a reserve on a mile of 〃front。〃
  The 〃feeding〃 of an army is a matter of the most vital importance; and demands the earliest attention of the general intrusted with a campaign。  To be strong; healthy; and capable of the largest measure of physical effort; the soldier needs about three pounds gross of food per