ill . 
 
ffilfifc 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Class 
 
FTHE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF 
 
Making a Soldier 
 
 BY 
 
 LIEUT. COLONEL A. C. SHARPE, 
 
 \ 
 
 U. S. ARMY 
 
 Gold Medal Life Member Military Service Institution, 
 Sometime Professor of Military Science and Tac- 
 tics, Acting Judge Advocate, U. S. A., Ass't 
 Adj't General and Inspector General, U. S. 
 V., Military Secretary, Umpire, Chief 
 Umpire and Chief of Staff Ma- 
 neuver Camps, late Member 
 General Staff Corps, Etc. 
 
 PUBLISHING Co. 
 3 WILLIAMSON BLDG. 
 
 CLEVELAND 
 
 1908 
 
COPYRIGHT 1908 
 
 BY 
 ALFRKD C. SHARPE 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 To all patriotic citizens who are proud to live under the 
 protection of the United States Flag and who believe 
 in "backing it up" with an adequate system of Na- 
 tional Defense these pages are respectfully dedicated. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 PREFACE 7 
 
 INTRODUCTION 14 
 
 I DISCIPLINE 19 
 
 II DRILL 28 
 
 III HEALTH 36 
 
 IV HABITS 44 
 
 V RECORDS 47 
 
 VI CONCLUSION 50 
 
 VII QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 57 
 
 190832 
 
1 ' Today the question is not so much whether a 
 nation is strong enough to make war as 
 whether its government is powerful enough 
 to prevent war. It is the sword alone which 
 
 keeps the sword in the scabbard" 
 
 Von Moltke. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The creation of an effective Army Reserve is one 
 of the most perplexing questions with which the 
 statesman has to deal. In Germany, Switzerland, 
 France and other European countries the problem is 
 solved by a system of conscription or compulsory 
 service. Every young man on arriving at proper age, 
 unless exempted for certain cause, is required to pass 
 thru a prescribed period of military training. In 
 England and the United States, on the contrary, no 
 such system exists, as compulsory service, even for 
 a short period, would be regarded by the people with 
 extreme aversion. Reliance is therefore placed on 
 volunteers. Neither of these methods, however, has 
 been found entirely satisfactory. Conscription, being 
 generally obnoxious, and especially so in time of 
 peace, the term of service is reduced below a safe 
 minimum and many exemptions are obtained. The 
 volunteer system, on the other hand, is found equally 
 defective. In peace it fails to secure sufficient men, 
 and in war it has to be kept alive by the payment of 
 enormous bounties. This has been the experience of 
 f he United States since the earliest days, and in the 
 great civil war of 1861 even the bounty system finally 
 broke down and gave place to the draft. If, however, 
 
8 PREFACE 
 
 in spite of its defects, we are resolved to adhere to 
 the volunteer system, it is all the more important that 
 our preparation should be sufficient to make our wars 
 short and decisive, for a protracted struggle wearies 
 the people, who then cease to enlist even for large 
 bounties, and we are thus forced back to the ob- 
 noxious conscription. 
 
 It is the theory of a republic that every citizen 
 must become a soldier if need be. A government by 
 all and for all is entitled to the services of all. But 
 to be of any value as a soldier in modern war a man 
 must have considerable preliminary training, and this 
 training in turn requires a certain irreducible amount 
 of time. It is manifestly too late to begin such train- 
 ing after war is declared. Therefore, if we are to 
 have any training at all the people, or, at least, such 
 portion of them as may be needed, must submit to 
 it in time of peace. This was the idea of the fathers 
 when they enacted the old Militia Law of 1795. Under 
 that law every able bodied male citizen between 18 
 and 45 was required to be enrolled and to appear for 
 drill on certain muster days each year. But while 
 this plan was reasonable and just, and in exact accord 
 with the theory of a government by the people, its 
 requirements were found to be exceedingly irksome. 
 
PREFACE 9 
 
 Being immensely unpopular it was. of course, ineffec- 
 tive, and even became ridiculous, so that in time the 
 whole system fell into contempt and finally disap- 
 peared. The law, however, was not repealed for over 
 a hundred years, and indeed it was not till 1903 that 
 it was superseded by the act now popularly known 
 as the Dick Law. This act practically recognizes 
 that conscription in time of peace has been abandoned, 
 and while it still retains its hold on all able bodied 
 male citizens of proper age as members of the Militia, 
 and therefore liable to be drawn into service in case 
 of necessity, it accepts the National Guard as the 
 only existing force which can be looked to as quickly 
 available to supplement the small standing army. 
 Now, the. present strength of the entire National 
 Guard does not aggregate much in excess of 100,000 
 men. Deducting non-combatants and those who for 
 physical unfitness or other cause might drop out, and 
 adding a percentage of re-enlistments and recruits who 
 might come in, we could not count, perhaps, on a final 
 "line-up' ' of more than 100,000 of all ranks and 
 grades. Some of these would not be available for 
 field service, as they would be required for coast de- 
 fense. Official reports of inspectors also show that 
 quite a number are not yet quite fully equipped or in 
 
10 PREFACE 
 
 a satisfactory state of instruction. This, then, is the 
 sum total of the reserve forces which we have thus 
 far provided, and for the maintenance of which the 
 federal government and the several states make more 
 or less hesitating appropriations. We recognize, of 
 course, that this force is entirely inadequate and the 
 appropriations for its support altogether too meager. 
 But as this is the only organization in the nature of 
 a reserve which we have developed it should be of 
 deep concern not only to the Militiaman but to every 
 other citizen under the flag to make it the best pos- 
 sible. Until some better scheme is thot out we should 
 bend our energies towards perfecting what we have, 
 and to this end we should strive to make its equip- 
 ment, its administration, its training and its discipline 
 as complete and thoro as a citizen-soldiery can hope 
 to attain. Anything short of this impairs public con- 
 fidence, excites ridicule, brings the company into 
 contempt, and saps the very foundations of efficiency. 
 If the National Guard would have proper financial 
 support it must win public esteem and to win public 
 esteem it must show that it deserves it. There is 
 here no royal road to favor. The American people 
 are discriminating and practical. In the matter of 
 military appropriations they are also disposed to be 
 specially economical. For every dollar which they 
 are willing to give they expect a return of one hun- 
 
PREFACE 11 
 
 dred cents in military effectiveness and proficiency. 
 We are therefore confronted with the question, 
 Can the organized Militia, laboring under the many 
 limitations which surround it, make such a return? 
 And if not 100 per cent., what score can they hope to 
 attain? Can they acquire sufficient cohesion and 
 discipline to be handled tactically in the field? Can 
 they under the existing and unchangeable system of 
 our government become a stable, effective and de- 
 pendable force in time of war? These certainly are 
 questions of vital concern to the people of this 
 country today. We know the history of the militia 
 in former wars. We remember that Washington 
 pronounced them "detestable," and in the war of 1812 
 their conduct was most wretched and inglorious. 
 Even in later conflicts some of them soon tired of the 
 dull round of camp life and begged to be brought 
 home. These and similar unsavory events have ex- 
 cited deep distrust, and many who are confronted 
 with these questions only put their tongues in their 
 'cheeks and gravely shake their heads. But I am 
 not prepared to share in this despairing view. I 
 have seen some few organizations in the State troops 
 which have already reached the high goal of military 
 efficiency ; and there are doubtless others equally good 
 which have not fallen under my personal observa- 
 
12 PREFACE 
 
 tion. True, they may not yet have scored 100 per 
 cent., and they never may. But they are well 
 officered, well equipped and well instructed, and they 
 have acquired a degree of unity and cohesion and re- 
 sponsive spirit sufficient for all practical purposes. 
 They have learned how to live properly in camp; 
 they can be handled tactically in the field ; with a few 
 practice marches they would be seasoned and ready 
 for war. What has thus been accomplished by these 
 few, often in the face of most adverse conditions, can 
 be accomplished by others perhaps by all. 
 
 Many valuable manuals have appeared in recent 
 years for the use of National Guard officers and men. 
 They have explained and elaborated almost every 
 phase of a soldier's duty, and their multiplied editions 
 indicate that they have been widely circulated. 
 Recent inspection reports, however, show that in many 
 organizations the vital quality is still lacking. Instead 
 of being military companies, thoroly knit together 
 and responsive to the will of their commander, 
 they are merely uniformed rifle clubs with military 
 incidents. Altho the men may shoot well, their 
 action in battle would be uncertain, unreliable, 
 and perhaps beyond control. Many have be- 
 come so charmed with maneuvers and rifle practice 
 
PREFACE 13 
 
 as to forget the elementary principles by which 
 alone a soldier can be made. Such companies 
 by their awkward appearance, their indifferent drill, 
 their inattention in ranks, their spreading feet, 
 the grotesque twist of their hats, their unsubdued 
 individual independence and general lack of cohesion 
 are little better than the old "corn-stalk" militia which 
 was laughed to death years ago. They are rendering 
 a questionable return for the people's support and 
 their general figure of merit is exceedingly low. 
 
 But these defects are not the result of indifference 
 or lack of zeal. It may be safely assumed that every 
 officer and man who belongs to the National Guard 
 belongs there because he has the instinct of a soldier, 
 because he has a taste for military life, and because 
 he wants to be in the first line in case of a call to 
 arms. Such men are in earnest, and they need no 
 urging; they are more than anxious to develop their 
 commands to the highest possible degree. All they 
 need is intelligent direction in the right way. With 
 such direction they may go forward to the high 
 standard already achieved by the few. To assist in 
 this praiseworthy endeavor and thereby to lend a 
 helping hand in developing the organized militia into 
 an effective element of the national defense is the 
 author's apology for these brief pages. 
 
 Manila, P. L, November 4, 1907. A. C. S. 
 
Introduction. 
 
 WHATEVER Colonel Sharpe may write on 
 military matters is of special interest to 
 National Guardsmen, because for more 
 than a quarter of a century he has been 
 interested in the Guard, has been 
 closely associated with it, has comprehended its spe- 
 cial problems and the difficulties under which it la- 
 bors, and has been in hearty sympathy with all efforts 
 of the citizen soldiery of the country to improve in 
 military efficiency. He speaks with the authority of 
 one who knows, for few, if any, officers of the regular 
 army are better qualified or have entered more heartily 
 into the military life and experience of the state troops. 
 He has been professor of Military Science and Tactics 
 in colleges and universities, has lectured to National 
 Guard companies, has inspected them in armory and 
 in camp, has seen them on the maneuver field and in 
 active service, both at home and abroad. 
 
 No one can write understandingly about the making 
 of an American soldier who is not familiar with Amer- 
 ican history, who does not appreciate the patch-work 
 and make-shifts which make up our military history, 
 and who does not comprehend fully the peculiar atti- 
 
INTRODUCTION 15 
 
 tude of the American people toward things military. 
 We are an intensely martial people in time of war, 
 but in time of peace are disposed to quickly forget all 
 the lessons of experience and to trust to luck and the 
 goddess of Chance to help us out the next time the 
 nation gets into trouble. 
 
 We can all wish for the era of universal peace and 
 yet not bring the millennium any closer. We know 
 wars have waged in the past, and it is not unlikely 
 they will occur again. It is the part of prudence to be 
 prepared for such an emergency. The Father of his 
 Country never showed greater statesmanship and pre- 
 vision than in his declaration that we should in time of 
 peace prepare for war. Such preparation is the in- 
 surance the country pays for protection against inter- 
 national conflagation. No householder expects or de- 
 sires to see his house burn down, but the almost uni- 
 versal custom of protecting combustible possessions 
 by a fire insurance policy is an expression of the over- 
 whelming sentiment of the community that it is sound 
 business sense to so safeguard one's house and fur- 
 nishings. Under-insurance or inadequate insurance is 
 proportionately as bad policy as to carry no insurance 
 at all. 
 
 All that is necessary to cause the American people 
 to make adequate provision for war is to educate them 
 to the absolute necessity of such preparation. The 
 majority of enlistments in the Revolutionary War were 
 
16 INTRODUCTION 
 
 for a few days or a few months only. Armies were 
 assembled for a single campaign, and when the danger 
 was over the army melted away and the soldiers re- 
 turned to their homes. In those days, and even down 
 to a much later period, every man was familiar with 
 the use of fire-arms and had a certain amount of pro- 
 ficiency in their use. Discipline was much more easily 
 enforced in those days than today, and the need of 
 training was perhaps not so marked as at present. 
 Our regular army consists of but a handful of men 
 and will probably never be proportionately larger than 
 it is today. The regular army cannot even consti- 
 tute the first line of defense in case of foreign invasion, 
 for the regiments and companies are scattered all over 
 the United States, and besides doing service in this 
 country are now stationed in Cuba, Alaska, and the 
 Philippine Islands. 
 
 In reality the first line of defense of any considerable 
 number of men upon which the country must rely in 
 case of foreign war is the National Guard. Congress 
 has done much in the past few years for the National 
 Guard, and the states themselves have considerably 
 increased their appropriations for that purpose. Both 
 Congress and the states will do much more as they are 
 educated up to the need of increased appropriations 
 for that object and as they are assured that the money 
 thus appropriated is well expended. The people of 
 the United States are as patriotic today as ever and 
 
INTRODUCTION 17 
 
 would respond as quickly to their country's defense. 
 VVhat is needed is more education as to the necessity 
 of military preparedness. It is admitted that a modern 
 battleship cannot be constructed in less than two or 
 three years. The people should know that an efficient, 
 capable regiment of foot-soldiers cannot be made ready 
 for service in a day or a week or a month. The pres- 
 ent National Guard of the United States numbers 
 about one hundred thousand men. This number 
 should be doubled and made ready for immediate ser- 
 vice. With such a body of men, well drilled and 
 equipped and ready for instant service, the country 
 would be reasonably secure against invasion. Such a 
 body would give time for the organization and equip- 
 ment of levies of troops large enough to meet any 
 demands. 
 
 Numerous military books and pamphlets have been 
 published in late years, more or less similar in char- 
 acter to this work of Colonel Sharpe, and all have 
 served a good purpose. In many respects this work 
 is one of the very best of its kind, because it treats 
 of the subject of military preparedness in a large and 
 general way, while at the same time dealing with those 
 matters of detail which are of particular value to the 
 enlisted man. What impresses me as of particular 
 
18 INTRODUCTION 
 
 value in the work is the insistence with which the 
 author dwells upon the necessity of discipline. Ex- 
 cellence in rifle shooting is absolutely necessary, but 
 an untrained, undisciplined body of sharpshooters 
 would not make an army. Discipline must be learned 
 first. As has been well said, the three essential attri- 
 butes of a good soldier are discipline, discipline, disci- 
 pline. It is needed not only in the execution of tactics 
 and of strategy, but it is vitally necessary for the pres- 
 ervation of health. Our experience in war has been 
 that disease has carried off many more men than 
 wounds caused by bullets. This vital point is given 
 due prominence in the following pages, together with 
 the remedy. 
 
 I commend the book most heartily to the careful 
 study of every officer and enlisted man in the National 
 Guard, and also as a valuable medium for the educa- 
 tion of every American citizen in the necessity of mili- 
 t:.ry preparedness and of the only true way to accom- 
 plish that much desired result. 
 
 CHARLES DICK, 
 
 Major General, 
 Commanding Ohio National Guard. 
 
Making a Soldier. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Discipline. 
 
 "An army without discipline is useless in war and 
 dangerous in peace." Bismarck. 
 
 What is discipline and what is its function in an 
 army? Does it mean an inflexible system of iron clad 
 rules, severe, inexorable, sometimes even cruel? 
 Does it imply a draconian code of regulations so 
 harsh and exacting that a self-respecting man could 
 hardly comply with them and yet the slightest viola- 
 tion of which means swift and excessive punishment? 
 Is it enforced only under the spur and lash of fear, 
 with a court-martial ever in sight and the guard 
 house, on bread and water, ever impending? No, it 
 is none of these; and yet, strangely enough, this is 
 often found to be the popular idea, and many intel- 
 ligent citizens, otherwise well informed, have been 
 heard to say they would rather see their sons go to 
 jail than to go into the army. Judges also have been 
 known to turn young criminals loose on condition 
 that they would enlist in either the Navy or Army, 
 thereby stigmatizing service in these honorable em- 
 
20 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 ployments as an alternative to servitude in a peni- 
 tentiary! But unlike prison control the discipline 
 which distinguishes and adorns the profession of arms 
 is not acquired thru fear of punishment or hope of 
 reward. It is not like a garment which can be sud- 
 denly put on at the will of the wearer and as suddenly 
 laid aside. Military discipline is simply a habit, and 
 it is a habit of slow and sometimes imperceptible 
 growth. Moreover, once really acquired it can never 
 be laid aside. This is illustrated in old soldiers who 
 have learned to march. If a band is playing in pro- 
 per time they are unconsciously impelled to "take 
 step." Tho they may have been out of service many 
 years, if they meet one of their former superior 
 officers they involuntarily touch the cap. 
 
 Like all habits which men acquire, discipline is 
 learned by frequent repetition by doing certain 
 things over and over again until they finally become, 
 as it were, "second nature." The man himself may 
 not be aware that he is acquiring the habit in fact 
 it is usually less perceptible to him than to his friends. 
 But gradually, without knowing just when or how, 
 he loses his angular movements and awkward poses; 
 he forgets his hands and has no trouble in getting 
 along with his feet. He gets his head up, and chin 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 21 
 
 in, and takes on an air of alertness. He develops self- 
 reliance, and can be trusted to carry out an order. 
 In a word, he has become a soldier. Fortunate, in- 
 deed, is the youth who has opportunity to pass thru 
 such a course of training, and it would be a glad day 
 for the great Republic if every boy of the land, in the 
 formative period of his character, could be permitted, 
 nay, required, to pass thru such a rare school. 
 
 The object of military discipline, however, is not 
 merely to develop the individual soldier for the 
 separate or individual action. While there are many 
 occasions where he must act alone, such as sentinel 
 duty, scouting, etc., where his soldierly habit will be 
 highly valuable, the great test of his training will 
 come in the troop, battery or company where he is to 
 work in accord with others, all guided and controlled 
 by a single directing mind. No matter how well dis- 
 ciplined every other man may have become, if he has 
 not acquired the habit he may compromise and pos- 
 sibly ruin the whole command. I remember once 
 seeing a beautiful company at a competitive drill. It 
 had about finished its program and by the marks 
 of all the judges had the laurels well within its grasp, 
 when suddenly a man right in the center of the front 
 rank was seen to spit! And the handsome prize was 
 
22 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 swept away! The history of war furnishes many 
 bloody examples of disaster due to the failure of a 
 single organization to do its allotted part. These 
 failures have resulted almost invariably from lack of 
 discipline and cohesion, or the ability to work together 
 and do things in the manner and at the time specified. 
 At the first battle of Bull Run the Union forces were 
 composed of as patriotic and brave young men as 
 ever went to war, but they were not soldiers; they 
 had not had time to acquire the military habit; they 
 were simply a crowd, an aggregation of civilians in 
 uniform with guns in their hands. And so they 
 wandered along the Centerville road with little 
 semblance of formation, stopping now and then to 
 pick blackberries, and also pick their steps in a 
 gingerly way around mud puddles ! When spoken 
 to by their officers and urged to press on they "talked 
 back" or greeted their admonitions with cat-calls and 
 laughter. On the night when Gen. McDowell decided 
 to send a portion of his troops around by Sudley 
 Springs so as to strike the Confederate left about day- 
 light the whole movement failed largely because one 
 of the brigades blocked the road, fell into confusion, 
 and could not be handled in its allotted time. The 
 same thing has been frequently seen at our maneuvers 
 where many National Guard organizations got utterly 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 23 
 
 out of hand, especially after the conclusion of the 
 exercise, and wandered back to their camps in great 
 disorder. But it is not necessary to dwell on our de- 
 fects. Every intelligent officer knows that if we would 
 handle regiments and brigades and divisions, we must 
 first be able to handle battalions and companies and 
 squads, and the whole system therefore upon which 
 military operation is based relates back to the ele- 
 mentary training and depends for its effectiveness 
 upon the thoroness with which the soldier in the 
 ranks, as well as the officer over him, has acquired 
 this indispensable habit which we call discipline. 
 
 Now, as already stated, discipline is of slow 
 growth. It is not acquired in a day; it cannot be 
 learned by reading books, or listening to lectures, 
 nor even by watching others who have acquired it. 
 It is not learned at maneuvers, nor on outpost duty, 
 nor in a sham battle. On the contrary it is the ten- 
 dency of field duty to relax the bands of discipline. 
 Street parades and target practice, guard duty and 
 practice marches these and other like features of 
 instruction have their distinct value and proper place, 
 but none of them furnishes the school in which to lay 
 the foundation of military character and acquire the 
 military habit which we call discipline. 
 
24 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 It is natural, then, that a feature of such vital con- 
 cern in the making of a soldier should have received 
 the best thought of the best soldiers in all ages, and 
 that a special system of education or training should 
 have been devised for its development. This system 
 is essentially the same in all armies and is what we 
 know as Drill. As already intimated, this drill is the 
 only method ever devised by the wisdom of man 
 whereby a recruit can be transformed into a soldier. 
 
 Strange as it may appear, and unfortunate as it 
 may some day prove to be, there are - thousands of 
 good people today who have no appreciation of this 
 truth, and who actually believe that any man who is 
 brave and in good health can be transformed into a 
 soldier by the mere oath of enlistment! Even in 
 some National Guard organizations which have come 
 under my observation this dangerous error prevails 
 to such an extent that men have had rifles thrust into 
 their hands and been even put on guard before they 
 had had half a dozen drills! To allow such a man 
 to make a spectacle of himself in such a way is not 
 only unfair to the man himself, but betrays a curious 
 lack of pride in the company commander who is 
 willing to permit it. I remember on one occasion of 
 this kind overhearing a group of colored waiters near 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 25 
 
 the Headquarters mess commenting with explosive 
 laughter on the grotesque appearance of some men at 
 guard-mounting. Some of these unfortunates had 
 their collars turned up, a button or two open, their 
 hats bearing fancy metal ornaments with the brim 
 turned up at the side: some wore the hat in a peak 
 after the fashion of Mother Goose ! Several had 
 quids of tobacco or chewing gum in their mouths and 
 were occasionally seen to spit. No effort had been 
 made to shave or clean up, and the shoes were 
 covered with mud. These conditions and fantastic 
 decorations had apparently not been noticed by the 
 ist Sergeants before marching out. At least the men 
 informed me that they had not corrected them, and 
 they were not aware that anything was wrong. As if 
 to accentuate the ludicrous spectacle, a dog, playing 
 about, frequently ran between the legs of a man in 
 the front rank who accommodatingly stood with his 
 feet nearly a yard apart! Meanwhile, the band 
 (which happily knew its part all right) played on to 
 the delight of the waiters, to whose eyes the whole 
 thing was a precious bit of opera bouffe but to the 
 military eye it foreshadowed a tragedy. 
 
 What a contrast to this picture was presented by 
 another command from the same state, which, with 
 
26 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 no better opportunities and in the face of great ob- 
 stacles, had perfected itself in almost every detail of 
 uniform, equipment and drill, and therefore in dis- 
 cipline, to a point beyond criticism. Following is an 
 extract from the official report : 
 
 "The equipments are complete, in excellent con- 
 dition and all properly marked. * * * * Hats were 
 all worn properly and every one had its cord, this 
 being the first organization I have seen here of which 
 this could be said. * * * * The interior of the tents 
 and the grounds adjacent presented a very neat and 
 orderly appearance. * * * * In assembling for all 
 duties the men are prompt * * * * and showed snap, 
 alertness and understanding." Referring further to 
 the drill and spirit of this organization the report 
 says : "It illustrates in a striking way the possibilities 
 of an organization of this kind under an energetic 
 commander. The excellent condition of the equip- 
 ment, the discipline and esprit of the men, and the 
 fine drill under such conditions reflect great credit 
 on the captain." And again, after describing the 
 work which this organization carries on in its armory, 
 "The effect of this patient and persistent work in the 
 armory was manifest in the field not only in the exe- 
 cution at drill but at all times in the bearing of the 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 27 
 
 men and especially in the cohesion, alacrity and con- 
 fidence of their movements. * * * * There was never 
 any lagging or delay, no tardy ones crawling sleepily 
 out after the roll-call had begun. The punctuality, 
 the 'go' in everything was most admirable." The 
 Inspector's report also showed that these men were 
 able to. do some fine shooting. 
 
 Manifestly here is a militia organization which 
 in spite of great discouragements and difficulties has 
 qualified itself for war. When the tocsin sounds it 
 need make no excuses, nor ask for any odds. It can 
 answer "ready." Why may not every other troop, 
 battery and company aspire to reach the same high 
 plane ? 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Drill. 
 
 We have tried in the preceding pages to indicate 
 the importance of acquiring the military habit which 
 we call discipline, and we have pointed out that the 
 only way of acquiring this habit is thru the system 
 of exercises which we designate by the name of drill. 
 
 Drill, especially in its elementary stages, is not 
 very agreeable. In fact, it is hard work, and unless 
 the drillmaster is capable and wise it may become 
 very irksome. A committee of congress many years 
 ago was charged with preparing a system of popular 
 military training and in submitting their report de- 
 clared their opinion that there was "nothing more 
 disgusting to the grown man" than the elementary 
 training of military drill. This is undoubtedly true 
 if it is not conducted wisely. If a new man becomes 
 weary and dispirited it will be difficult to hold his 
 attention, and without attention nothing can be ac- 
 complished. While the chief end of drill is to knit 
 or unify a command together into an intelligent 
 machine, instantly responsive to a directing will, it 
 is well to take advantage of every occasion which 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 29 
 
 may contribute to esprit de corps or win public com- 
 mendation or applause. This does not mean that we 
 should return to the precise execution of former 
 days when great competitive drills were held and 
 great money prizes were won or lost by the mathe- 
 matical position of a man's thumb. Those fine exhi- 
 bitions were as extreme in their hair-splitting 
 refinements as some of the fancy shooting which is 
 now absorbing too much attention. Whatever will 
 be of value on the field of battle should be assiduously 
 cultivated; beyond that we need not go, unless, as 
 above suggested, we can thereby sustain interest. 
 Therefore an occasional exhibition drill before an 
 appreciative audience will be found helpful. 
 
 Notwithstanding its dull monotony the elementary 
 training or school of the soldier is the most import- 
 ant part of the drill book. It should therefore be 
 intrusted to the most skillful instructors and always 
 supervised by an officer. It is a bad plan to let a new 
 corporal practice on a recruit. He will probably give 
 him a very erroneous idea of drill which it will take 
 a good instructor a long time to remove. While the 
 course should be progressive and the man be advanced 
 as rapidly as he becomes thoroly grounded, yet it is 
 more important not to go too fast. It is wise at this 
 
30 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 stage to "make haste slowly." Bear in mind also 
 that drill does not consist merely in learning how to 
 do an exercise. It means also such a repetition as 
 will produce the habit of doing it "without thinking." 
 Thus, for instance, a man is taught to stand in the 
 position of the soldier. It is simple and easily under- 
 stood. Any man can learn how to do it with absolute 
 correctness and yet he may go out to guard mounting, 
 be thinking of something else, and forget to keep his 
 heels together. But if you have drilled, that is, cor- 
 rected and admonished him often enough he will in 
 time so acquire the habit of keeping his heels together 
 that he can't forget. He stands correctly without 
 trying. In fact, he would feel that something was 
 out of place if he were standing otherwise. 
 
 Officers of the organized militia upon whom I 
 have sought to impress the importance of drill have 
 reminded me of the limited time available to them and 
 of the many other obstacles which beset their path 
 in carrying out any systematic course of training. 
 But with all due allowance for these adverse condi- 
 tions and I know that in some states they are cer- 
 tainly discouraging I yet believe that a better 
 adjustment or division of time could be arranged 
 whereby more work can be devoted to drill and still 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 31 
 
 leave a fair proportion to other lines of instruction. 
 Twenty years ago, before maneuvers and target prac- 
 tice were introduced, drills and ceremonies absorbed 
 a large share of the time. Today the pendulum 
 seems to have swung to the other extreme, con- 
 centrating most of our energies on fine shooting and 
 maneuvers to the great neglect of drill. Neither ex- 
 treme is desirable, and we should endeavor to get 
 back to a golden mean, neglecting nothing, but giving 
 all features their proper share of time. In making 
 this apportionment, if any favors are to be shown, I 
 would advise the National Guardsman to give the 
 "Lion's Share" to drill. This does not mean that 
 other lines of instruction are to be slighted. Target 
 practice is certainly to be fostered in every proper 
 way. A man who cannot shoot will be of little use on 
 the firing line. Also the lessons which we learn at 
 maneuvers cannot be overestimated. But in urging 
 the extension of target practice and the institution of 
 maneuvers it was never intended that the drill, which 
 is 'the only school in which men can be made fit to go 
 to the rifle range and maneuvers, should be relaxed 
 or neglected. 
 
 It is sometimes erroneously supposed that drill 
 means merely the formal positions and movements 
 
32 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 laid down in the book. These of course should be 
 thoroly learned, and as the book itself says, "fre- 
 quently recurred to." But in addition to these exer- 
 cises there should be a quick inspection at every 
 formation, and if there is anything out of place it 
 should be pointed out and corrected on the spot. 
 Opportunity should be given every drill night for 
 some "orderly duty," such as carrying messages, etc. 
 Every man should be placed on post as often as pos- 
 sible and practiced in "turning out the guard," re- 
 peating calls, "turning over his orders," etc. There 
 are very few men who know much about the duties 
 of an orderly, and yet there is probably no position 
 in which a well instructed man can "show off" to 
 better advantage. Every visitor to camp sees him, 
 every one who calls to pay his respects to the Com- 
 manding officer is met by him and escorted in. He 
 above all others has opportunity to make a favorable 
 impression on the public and win friends by his 
 courtesy, by little polite attentions, answering ques- 
 tions, assisting visitors to alight from carriages, 
 offering a camp stool, etc. These courtesies should be 
 practiced in the armory. American boys know that 
 they should be observed but unless practically trained 
 they are very liable to neglect them. In all these 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 33 
 
 details, of course, the commissioned officers should 
 set the example. They thus help the soldier to get 
 accustomed to doing the right thing with ease and as 
 a matter of course. Officers who see omissions and 
 errors of this kind sometimes hesitate to correct them 
 for fear of giving offense. But it is a well established 
 fact that the man in ranks has a great deal more 
 respect for the man who is constantly trying to teach 
 him than for the one who is apparently indifferent 
 and neglecting him. It is a sheer waste of time to 
 go thru a drill without correcting an error, and the 
 old soldier knows it. He knows that mistakes are 
 constantly being made by the less instructed men and 
 that either the officer can't see them or is too timid 
 to correct them. In either case the time is being 
 wasted. Nobody is learning or improving. 
 
 Another feature of elementary training which 
 seems to have become almost a "lost art" is the setting 
 up exercise. Every company drill should begin with 
 it,^ tho the men have had it a thousand times. The 
 drill master should also never tire of teaching his men 
 to salute not hoiv to salute they all know how, 
 perhaps, but teach them by constant repetition to do 
 it. Some men salute fairly well all officers of their 
 own regiment, but should they meet an officer from 
 
34 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 some other camp, or from the Army or Navy, they 
 forget to be courteous. Practice the men in rising 
 and standing at attention when an officer enters, not 
 confining the instruction merely to an admonition 
 and to the first arrival, but making it the subject of 
 repeated exercise. Good non-commissioned officers 
 can be relied on to perfect a company in these details, 
 but they must be given frequent opportunity. The 
 more attention you give to the individual soldier in 
 the early part of his career the better your progress, 
 and the better your discipline and cohesion will be 
 later on. I believe the greatest difficulty which the 
 drill master in a National Guard organization has to 
 contend with is the restless eagerness to push on to 
 advanced instruction. This is too often yielded to, 
 and then their company commanders wonder why the 
 Inspector does not grade them very high. 
 
 Finally, I would admonish every drill master to 
 lay out in his own mind, before he goes to his squad 
 or company, just what he is going to do the pro- 
 gram he intends to follow, and he should be careful 
 not to lay out too much. This is the only way in 
 which we can make rational progress, and the only 
 way to develop good commanders. Every corporal 
 should be required to drill his own squad at least a 
 few minutes each drill with an outline of the course 
 that is to be pursued. The officers and sergeants 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 35 
 
 should supervise them and see that they do not get 
 in advance of the program. All non-commissioned 
 officers should be given occasional opportunity to act 
 in the next higher grades. 
 
 These and many other details which will occur to 
 company commanders will go far towards keeping 
 up interest in drill. They are so obvious and simple 
 as to seem not worth mentioning, yet I have dwelt 
 on them here because there are hundreds of officers 
 who do not practice them and who therefore probably 
 do not appreciate their value. They have excellent 
 men, well equipped, and some of them enjoy very 
 good armories. Yet they come year after year to 
 the maneuvers or camps of instruction with no ade- 
 quate preparation for such advanced work. To such 
 officers we appeal to establish some rational course 
 for the training of their men, at home, in the armory, 
 remembering that once launched into the field, either 
 in active service or in mimic warfare at maneuvers, 
 it is too late to try to make soldiers. That should be 
 done as far as possible before you come. The 
 maneuvers are a school for officers, in which they are 
 to move the battalions and squadrons and batteries in 
 the great game like chessmen on the board. If the 
 drill has been neglected, if the units lack discipline 
 and cohesion, you are defeated before you begin. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Soldier's Health. 
 
 It has generally been found difficult to interest 
 soldiers in proper measures for the care of their 
 health. The National Guardsman or volunteer is 
 willing to take his chances in battle, and if wounded, 
 knows that the surgeon and hospital corps men will 
 be at hand to care for him. But he makes little cal- 
 culation on the ravages of disease and, unless he is 
 well disciplined, often disregards the regulations 
 prescribed for his protection. He should bear in mind, 
 however, that in all our wars disease has killed more 
 than twice as many men as bullets. In the great con- 
 flict of 1861-5 the Union Armies lost in round num- 
 bers about 100,000 killed or died of wounds while 
 over 200,000 died of disease. And in our brief war 
 with Spain the disproportion was even much greater. 
 Campaigns have failed and the general's best laid 
 plans have had to be abandoned because of a large sick 
 report. A sick man not only drops out of ranks him- 
 self but he requires some other man to drop out to 
 care for him, and he fills a place in the ambulance 
 or hospital which should be reserved for the wounded. 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 37 
 
 It will therefore be seen that it is of the utmost 
 importance to preserve the health of the men. Pre- 
 ponderance of fire is the great desideratum in battle 
 and the captain must therefore strive to bring to the 
 firing line every rifle in his company. If the com- 
 pany is so reduced by disease and by details caring for 
 the sick that it cannot fill its allotted space, its 
 effectiveness is destroyed. Weak and demoralized 
 companies are left at the rear to guard the trains. 
 
 Company commanders sometimes seem to think 
 that they are not responsible for the health of their 
 men. They say the Medical Department is charged 
 with all matters relating to disease ; if the men fall 
 sick it is the doctor's business to cure them. But this 
 is a very mistaken notion, calculated to do infinite 
 harm. Every company or detachment commander 
 is quite as responsible as the surgeon, in fact, more 
 so, and it is a grave reflection on his fitness for his 
 position if he habitually has a large sick list. It in- 
 dicates that something is wrong and he is not correct- 
 ing it. The experience of late wars shows that the 
 diseases which most commonly attack soldiers, such 
 as typhoid fever and bowel disorders, are preventable. 
 Therefore it is the commanding officer's business to 
 do his utmost to prevent their appearance. If they 
 
38 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 prevail to any extent in camp it indicates that some- 
 body is neglecting his duty. Company commanders 
 should therefore instruct their men in the simple 
 elements of hygiene before going to camp. If there 
 is a medical officer available invite him to give the 
 company a few brief talks. If not, perhaps some 
 physician of the city would be willing to lend his 
 assistance. 
 
 Immediately upon arrival in camp (and before, if 
 possible) see that proper latrines are provided. Form 
 the company and warn them against polluting the 
 ground. Indeed, it would be safer to do this before 
 they are allowed to break ranks. Explain to them 
 again, what the surgeon has probably told them be- 
 fore, how flies carry infection and why they should 
 all help to keep the excreta covered and the camp 
 clean. Let every man see that you are relying on him 
 individually to do his part to preserve the health and 
 the reputation of the command. Do not fail to inspect 
 the latrines and kitchens and quarters every day. 
 These inspections are prescribed by Army Regulations 
 but in some National Guard camps they are very 
 little observed. If there is a speck of food, a potato 
 skin, an egg shell, a lemon peel, a scrap of meat, a 
 crumb of bread, a spoonful of coffee grounds any- 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 39 
 
 thing, in short, which can attract a fly or create an 
 odor, or offend the sight, call the kitchen police or 
 fatigue detail and have it attended to on the spot. 
 Take no chances. Do not leave the spot till you see 
 it done. You may remain only a few days or a week 
 in camp, but do not neglect it on that account. The 
 camp is a camp of instruction and no lesson is more 
 important than this. 
 
 It would be well for the Commanding Officer to 
 instruct the Officer of the Day and one of his sur- 
 geons to go over the entire camp at least once every 
 day. The Officer of the Day should require every 
 delinquent to clean up his grounds immediately. The 
 surgeon should be directed to make a written report 
 of unsatisfactory conditions and this should be re- 
 ferred to the offending company commander for such 
 explanation as he may wish to submit. A repeated 
 offense or habitual negligence should receive drastic 
 treatment. 
 
 Official inspection reports show in some states a 
 'remarkable inattention to the personal appearance and 
 habits of the men. It would be advisable just before 
 going to camp to see that every man has his hair cut. 
 Army Regulations require that the hair and beard be 
 kept neatly trimmed, and yet men are sometimes seen 
 
40 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 at guard mounting and other ceremonies who look 
 as tho they had not seen a razor for a month. First 
 Sergeants have been seen to march a detail out to 
 guard mounting in very unkempt condition, some 
 with blouses unbuttoned, a collar turned up or orna- 
 ments missing, tobacco in the mouth, the hat cocked 
 into a grotesque shape, perhaps a fancy badge or 
 decoration pinning up one side. These are little de- 
 tails which may not seem important but they catch 
 the eye of an Inspector and mark the difference 
 between a soldier and a bumpkin. If the man is 
 careful to observe orders in these apparently trifling 
 matters, being neat in person, having his clothing and 
 shoes clean, and the grounds about his tent properly 
 policed, the chances are that he can be relied on in 
 other details and will do his part to maintain the 
 health and efficiency of the command. 
 
 National Guard officers often grow discouraged 
 when they contemplate the innumerable requirements 
 essential to the making of a soldier, but whatever else 
 they may be tempted to omit they should ever bear 
 in mind that without health their effectiveness is 
 gone, and no matter how excellent their equipment, 
 how perfect their drill, how accurate their shooting 
 or fine their maneuvers, if, when the hour of action ar- 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 41 
 
 rives, half their men are sick and half the remainder 
 engaged in taking care of the sick, as was the case 
 with some of the regiments in 1898, they are of no 
 value in the field. In fact they are an impediment, as 
 they have to be fed and clothed and paid, and yet 
 render no service in return. 
 
 It hardly seems necessary in these days of physical 
 culture to suggest the military value of athletic sports 
 and games. Nothing contributes more to the con- 
 tentment (and therefore the health) of soldiers than a 
 rational intermixture of duty and amusement. It is 
 an old saying that "All work and no play makes Jack 
 a dull boy." Every encouragement should therefore 
 be given to such games as base-ball, foot-ball, polo, 
 etc., and where troops are to be located in semi- 
 permanent camps they should be allowed liberal 
 opportunity to hunt and fish. To promote athletic 
 training Field Days should be instituted and competi- 
 tion aroused among the companies in such events as 
 running, jumping, relay racing, wall scaling, tent 
 pitching, rescue racing, etc. 
 
 Care should be taken in rainy or cold weather to 
 see that men do not remain indoors too much. Card 
 playing and other sedentary games help to while 
 away the hours, but if soldiers neglect to get out and 
 
42 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 move about a portion of each day they cannot be kept 
 in prime physical condition. 
 
 Every one appreciates the stirring inspiration of 
 good music, especially of the war songs of one's 
 country. In some foreign armies the influence of 
 music is so highly valued that certain men are de- 
 tailed in each company to lead the singing, and all 
 soldiers are taught and required to join in singing the 
 patriotic and martial airs of the land. Frequent band 
 concerts should be given wherever there is a band 
 available, and the men should also be encouraged to 
 form glee clubs. Sometimes there is a funny man 
 who can sing a side splitting song, or tell a good 
 story, or make a humorous speech. He is worth much 
 to the company. Sometimes one will give an exhibi- 
 tion in the "black art," or possibly a clever group can 
 be organized to give open air theatricals. 
 
 All these and similar amusements are valuable in 
 their effect on the spirits of the men, and go far 
 towards promoting good feeling and therefore good 
 health. 
 
 Let us repeat, then, that it must ever be the ambi- 
 tion of the company commander to bring every 
 possible rifle to the firing line. To do this he must 
 preserve the health of his men; and to preserve the 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 43 
 
 health of his men requires intelligent and unremitting 
 attention to sanitary details. He is not only respon- 
 sible for the cooking and regularity of his company's 
 meals, the proper use of their clothing and bedding, 
 the ventilation of their quarters or tents, the cleanli- 
 ness of their habits, and the daily exercise of their 
 bodies, but also for the contentment of their minds. 
 If after he has done his utmost there is still sickness, 
 discontent, and lack of efficiency, he cannot be held to 
 blame. But this will seldom happen, for while it is 
 no easy matter to be a competent company commander 
 the captain will nevertheless find that just in propor- 
 tion as he approaches the requirements of good health 
 and good discipline will his company be found ready, 
 reliable and responsive to his will. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Soldier's Habits. 
 
 Intemperate language, like immoderate drinking 
 or other vicious habits, is liable to injure a soldier 
 more than other men. The soldier is looked upon in 
 a special sense as the guardian of the people's lib- 
 erties and the defender of the flag. If he is seen in 
 an intoxicated condition, or if his language is coarse 
 and obscene, public confidence is shaken and respect 
 for the uniform is liable to be impaired. Members of 
 the legislature have been known to refuse their sup- 
 port to appropriations for the National Guard be- 
 cause they believed the camps were mere picnic occa- 
 sions where the men received a modicum of drill and 
 spent most of their time in drinking and carousing. 
 They doubtless were led to this erroneous idea by hav- 
 ing seen or heard of some rowdy conduct in some par- 
 ticular camps and thus formed a sweeping opinion that 
 all military camps must be of the same bad character. 
 Any gross conduct or rough language by a soldier in 
 uniform thus not only compromises himself but tends 
 also to bring his company and regiment, and indeed the 
 entire army, into disrepute. In the middle ages the 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 45 
 
 boisterous conduct of soldiers often so disgusted and 
 terrorized the people that they dreaded to have them 
 even pass through the country, and their forbidding 
 appearance and coarse profanity became proverbial. 
 Shakespeare reflects this sentiment where he speaks 
 of 
 
 "The soldier, full of strange oaths, 
 And bearded like the pard." 
 
 This distrust of the soldier has come down to the 
 present day, as we find it manifest in the reluctance 
 of farmers to rent their lands for the use of maneu- 
 vers, fearing the soldiers may commit depredations. 
 Happily, however, for the knightly profession of arms 
 today, the soldier is no longer permitted to be a ruf- 
 fian, and any officer who is convicted of conduct un- 
 becoming a gentleman is dismissed from the service. 
 Officers and men should strive in every way by the 
 excellence of their conduct to overcome these unfor- 
 tunate prejudices. 
 
 Bringing liquor into camp is prohibited by existing 
 orders in the army, but under the statutes of some 
 of the states the militia may be permitted to maintain 
 a respectable canteen. Under such circumstances 
 there will be no temptation to go outside, and under 
 no circumstances should men be permitted to patron- 
 
46 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 ize the "joints" which usually infest the outskirts. 
 Let every captain remind his men, and not weary in 
 reiterating, that however much freedom of language 
 or habit they may indulge while in citizen's clothes, 
 the moment they put on the uniform they assume new 
 obligations to society, and the eyes of the people are 
 on them. So long as they remain in uniform their 
 conduct must be such as to excite no reproach. And 
 let every soldier remember that his uniform is the 
 livery of his country, that it is an honor to be per- 
 mitted to wear it, and that, like the flag, it should be 
 held too sacred to be compromised by conduct offen- 
 sive to the just sentiment of the people. 
 
 It is related that an officer at Gen. Grant's head- 
 quarters once proposed to tell a story, but before be- 
 ginning asked if there were any ladies within hearing. 
 Gen. Grant replied that there were no ladies near, but 
 if the story was not fit to be told in the presence of 
 ladies he did not care to hear it himself. 
 
 Soldiers, perhaps, cannot all be expected to reach 
 this high plane, but while in uniform at least they 
 would do well to bear in mind the great captain's ex- 
 ample. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 Records. 
 
 It may not appear at first thought that the correct 
 keeping of company records can have much bearing 
 on the making of a soldier. But if we recall the old 
 saying that "an army moves on its belly" we shall un- 
 derstand the importance of keeping our ration returns 
 right and of seeing that a strict account is kept of the 
 company fund. Likewise the duty roster is of most 
 vital concern to insure that every man is given fair 
 treatment and not required to do more than his share 
 nor permitted to escape his regular turn. The Morn- 
 ing Report, showing the exact status of the organiza- 
 tion each day, giving the names of those who have 
 "gone sick," those who are absent, those who have 
 returned to duty, the gains and losses, is the basis 
 upon which all details are made, and in its aggregate 
 in the higher commands may determine the place of a 
 regiment in march or battle. A regiment whose morn- 
 ing report shows a large percentage sick or absent 
 would not likely be chosen for service at the front. 
 
 Notwithstanding the importance of these records, 
 official inspections of the organized militia reveal the 
 
48 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 fact that they are frequently full of errors. Indeed, 
 in some organizations they seem to be much neg- 
 lected or not in use at all; even the muster rolls are 
 often carelessly prepared. In one regiment which fell 
 under my notice at a maneuver camp the muster rolls 
 were sent back no less than twelve times by the Pay- 
 master, thus delaying payment for several days. In 
 other regiments certain men were carried "sick" with- 
 out the knowledge of the surgeon, and even in disre- 
 gard of the fact that he had marked,. them "duty;" 
 some were put on "special duty" without the author- 
 ity of the commanding officer and in some companies 
 it was observed that the morning reports had not 
 been signed, and, in fact, bore no evidence of having 
 been even seen by the company commander. These 
 matters may not seem to be of much moment in a 
 camp of instruction, but if not learned and practiced 
 there they will bring a rich harvest of trouble when 
 war comes. 
 
 Army Regulations prescribe what records shall be 
 kept and the service manuals and printed models and 
 instructions show in detail how they are to be posted 
 from day to day. If every soldier knows that an 
 accurate account is being kept of his clothing and ra- 
 tions and tours of duty ; that no favoritism is possible 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 49 
 
 because the duty roster gives every man credit for his 
 guard, his fatigue, his detached service, his kitchen 
 police, or other special duty, and likewise charges 
 every man with his furloughs, his absence without 
 leave, his confinement in the guard house, or other 
 escape or evasion of duty; if he knows, in short, that 
 every man will get just treatment "without partiality, 
 favor or affection" as the law expresses it, he will be 
 satisfied, there will be a spirit of contentment in the 
 company, and this will help measurably in discipline 
 and efficiency. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 Conclusion. 
 
 It has been my endeavor in the foregoing pages to 
 emphasize the paramount importance of discipline. In- 
 dispensable as this quality has always been in the mak- 
 ing of a soldier, even in the long ago when men fought 
 with clubs and spears, it is a thousandfold more so 
 today with our rapid loading rifles and far reach- 
 ing guns. So long as men could be held together in 
 close order and therefore within the grasp of their 
 commander their action could be directed and their 
 fire controlled. The enemy could be seen and his de- 
 ployments observed long before he could be hit. But 
 under modern fire, masses are compelled to break up 
 and pass into dispersed or extended order at great 
 distances. Thus they get "out of hand/' and the task 
 of direction and control becomes infinitely difficult. 
 Greatly increased responsibility therefore has fallen 
 upon the commanders of smaller units, and even the 
 squad leader will have opportunity to put into practice 
 all the military skill he has acquired. Recent wars 
 furnish many striking illustrations. Observers in the 
 Russo-Japanese conflict report that the artillery fire 
 was so searching and so overwhelming as to dominate 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 51 
 
 the entire field. To escape this sweeping hail storm, 
 opposing troops were not only compelled to keep out 
 of sight but to execute all of their principal movements 
 under cover of night.* 
 
 Now this necessity of marching by night and keep- 
 ing under cover by day, of suffering losses from an 
 unseen foe without being able to reply, of breaking 
 up and losing cohesion long before coming into action 
 disintegrating as it were just at the moment when 
 cohesion and mutual support are most needed all im- 
 pose a nervous strain on officers and men never before 
 known in war. It is well recognized that nothing is so 
 exhausting to troops as a long night march, and where 
 such marches are of frequent occurrence, and culmi- 
 nate as they so often did in Manchuria in bloody night 
 assaults, it requires the best attainable discipline to 
 hold men together. If the soldier in our next war is 
 
 *Gen. de Negrier, who is recognized as one of the highest 
 living military authorities, in his description of the battle at 
 Tashishan, says: "In the meanwhile the ist Russian Corps 
 ^held the enemy the whole day on its front with six batteries, 
 supported on the outer wing by two additional batteries. 
 * * Not a single Russian infantry soldier was engaged, 
 and yet the Japanese were unable to push their own infantry 
 nearer to the Russian guns than a distance of i^ miles. As 
 the war went on it became quite clear that artillery was the 
 dominant factor by day, while infantry could seldom act 
 effectively except by night." 
 
52 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 as little prepared as were the boys who fell out to 
 pick blackberries on the way to Bull Run how many 
 will ever return to tell the story of the resulting 
 debacle! Let us not shut our eyes and refuse to see 
 the facts. This is no fantastic speculation. It is the 
 teaching of our own history. Gen. Sherman said that 
 it was not until after both Vicksburg and Gettysburg 
 that the northern armies could be handled profession- 
 ally. It took two years of constant training, accented 
 by not a few humiliating defeats, to learn the habit of 
 the soldier. And this history will repeat itself with 
 far greater humiliation if ever again we commit the 
 crime of sending untrained, unsuspecting, helpless 
 boys to the field of battle as we did in 1861. 
 
 In urging the National Guard and, thru them, the 
 people of the United States to aid in the development 
 of an effective Reserve, the professional soldier is lia- 
 ble to be misunderstood. He will perhaps be sus- 
 pected of seeking to magnify the power of the sword. 
 Educators have been known to discountenance military 
 training in schools because they discover in the mili- 
 tary spirit the seeds of imperialism and a menace to 
 our cherished democratic institutions. The tendency 
 of military organization is towards strong government, 
 and ultimately, they tell us, towards a militant nation. 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 53 
 
 But, turning again to our own history, we find that no 
 American commander has ever yet lost touch with 
 the people. The American soldier springs from the 
 people and to the people he feels accountable. So long 
 as he remains a volunteer and not a conscript or a 
 hireling, his service will be a service of love. He 
 deplores the havoc of war as only the intelligent, the 
 brave, the noble hearted can. He does not wage war 
 for the love of carnage or the glory of conquest, but 
 for the love of liberty, in the cause of humanity and 
 for the succor of the down trodden and oppressed. 
 This was so in 1812, in 1846, in 1898. And where 
 his countrymen have become involved in bitter interne- 
 cine strife he has been seen to cling tenaciously to his 
 people and cast his lot with the place of his birth. 
 Preeminently the American soldier is one of the peo- 
 ple and not of any caste or class. 
 
 Moreover, he realizes as fully perhaps as other 
 citizens of the Republic that the desolating effects 
 of war do not stop with the field of battle 
 but are projected far into the future, imposing 
 blights and burdens on posterity for genera- 
 tions to come. He probably appreciates quite as 
 clearly as any soldier before him the truth of the 
 philosopher's indictment that "the essential feature 
 
54 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 of war is the slaughter of the young, the brave, the 
 ambitious, the hopeful, leaving the weak, the sickly, 
 the discouraged, to perpetuate the race."* And it is 
 just because of his intelligent understanding of these 
 facts, because of his devotion to the people, to the sa- 
 cred institutions of his country, to the cause of hu- 
 manity, to human freedom and justice and fair play, 
 and because of his keen apprehension of the melan- 
 choly effects which follow in the train of war that he 
 pleads with his countrymen to prepare in order that 
 these evil days may be postponed and if possible 
 pushed far into the distant future. 
 
 The American soldier is familiar enough with the 
 trend of events to recognize that conditions may sud- 
 denly arise, even in this refined age, when a rash ap- 
 peal to arms can only be averted by the persuasive 
 appearance of a battle ship ; and no matter how right- 
 eous our cause or long-suffering our forbearance the 
 only means in such instance of securing a respectful 
 hearing in the halls of diplomacy is through readiness 
 to strike. But readiness to strike means also readi- 
 ness to defend. The offensive and defensive are so 
 interdependent that they can not be separated. There- 
 
 *The Philosophy of Hope, by President Jordan of Stanford 
 University. 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 55 
 
 fore, again we say, he pleads with his countrymen 
 to prepare, and he asks that our little army, wholly 
 inadequate as it is even for the requirements of peace, 
 be put on a proper basis, and that it be supported by a 
 thoroly qualified Reserve. He urges that this be done 
 now, while yet there is time, while the dogs of war are 
 sleeping. "Modern War/' Lord Roberts warns us, 
 "moves fast, and time lost in peace can never be made 
 up during the stress of the Campaign." So, we in- 
 sist, there should be no further delay, and a promising 
 place to begin certainly seems to be in the National 
 Guard. Every intelligent National Guardsman recog- 
 nizes the necessity of enough regular soldiers to give 
 a reasonable relief on foreign stations, and at least 
 one relief at our sea coast guns. They should also 
 endeavor to expand their own organization to at least 
 double its present size. 
 
 But before very material development can be hoped 
 for there must be a great change in the attitude of the 
 people. Instead of employers refusing to spare their 
 men for a few short days in camp, as many now do, 
 there should be such an enlightenment of public senti- 
 ment, that any man who seeks, for fear of a losing 
 few paltry dollars, to evade or compel others to evade, 
 this paramount obligation of citizenship, shall be 
 
56 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 branded as an unpatriotic citizen, and held up to the 
 reprobation of the community in which he lives. 
 
 For the creation of such a sentiment and for the 
 development of a suitable and effective reserve the 
 American soldier will continue to labor, and he ap- 
 peals to all National Guardsmen to join him in this 
 worthy endeavor. In this effort, as I have suggested 
 in the preceding pages, the Guardsmen should ever 
 bear in mind that the best and perhaps only effective 
 way of educating the people is by object lessons; to be 
 not only in name and appearance but -in training, in 
 deportment, in spirit, soldiers. In a word, to become 
 disciplined. Having thus disarmed the people of ridi- 
 cule and distrust and won their respect and esteem, it 
 will then be easy to save them from the dreams of 
 visionaries and the sophisms of doctrinaires. 
 
 "War," wrote Napier in his great history, "is the 
 condition of this world." Peace conferences and in- 
 ternational conventions may seek to mitigate its hard- 
 ships, but only adequate preparation can hope to hold 
 it at bay. 
 
 Sincerely, devoutly, we may unite with Bishop 
 Potter in the beautiful prayer of his church, "Give 
 peace in our time, Oh Lord," yet as sincerely and con- 
 sistently may we agree with him when he says, "Not 
 in your day or mine, nor as long as the world lasts 
 will there be cessation of war." 
 
CHAPTER VIL 
 
 Questions and Answers. 
 
 Introduction . 
 
 1 Q. What is a National Army Reserve? 
 
 A. It is an organized body of men, uniformed, 
 armed, equipped and trained for the purpose 
 of reinforcing the Regular or Standing Army 
 in case of war. 
 
 2 Q. Of what should it consist? 
 
 A. It should consist of proper proportions of all 
 branches of the service, including Staff Corps, 
 such as Adjutants and Inspectors General, 
 Quartermasters, Subsistence Officers, Judge 
 Advocates, Medical officers & Hospital Corp 
 men, Paymaster and Signal Corps. Also regi- 
 ments of Engineers, Field Artillery, Cavalry 
 and Infantry. 
 
 3 Q. Do all great nations maintain an Army Re- 
 
 serve ? 
 A. Yes, all except the United States. 
 
 4 Q. How does it come that we have none? 
 
 A. Our grandfathers tried to create one by pass- 
 ing a law in 1795 requiring every able bodied 
 man between 18 and 45 to be enrolled and 
 
58 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 drill, but the system was unpopular and grad- 
 ually fell into disuse. 
 
 5 Q. How do the European Nations maintain their 
 
 Reserves ? 
 
 A. By conscription or compulsory service, simi- 
 lar to our law of 1795. 
 
 6 Q. What system does the United States depend 
 
 upon when soldiers are needed? 
 A. Ever since the old law of 1795 fell into disuse 
 we have depended on volunteers. 
 
 7 Q. Has the volunteer system proved satisfactory? 
 A. No, it might do for a single campaign but in 
 
 a long war it fails. 
 
 8 Q. Do you mean to say that it was a failure in 
 
 the great Civil War between the North and 
 the South which was fought out by volun- 
 teers ? 
 
 A. Yes. As the war progressed the people grew 
 tired and men ceased to enlist. Soldiers then 
 had to be obtained by the payment of big 
 bounties. This also failed, and finally resort 
 was had to the "Draft." 
 
 9 Q. Is there any other defect in the volunteer sys- 
 
 tem? 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 59 
 
 A. Yes; it allows the unpatriotic, the shirks and 
 cowards to stay at home, while the brave and 
 heroic go to the front to fight their country's 
 battles. 
 
 10 Q. Has any effort been made in the United 
 
 States to prepare a Reserve since the old law 
 of 1795 failed? 
 
 A. Yes; the Dick Militia Law, passed in 1903, 
 recognizes the National Guard as the organ- 
 ized Militia, and is intended to encourage and 
 assist them in their equipment and training. 
 
 11 Q. Why should we seek to develop reserve troops 
 
 in time of Peace when they are intended for 
 service only in war? 
 
 A. Because it requires considerable time to make 
 a soldier, and modern wars rise so suddenly 
 that we have no time to prepare after the 
 storm has burst. 
 
 12 Q. Under our present system is it possible for a 
 
 militia company to attain a satisfactory state 
 of preparation for war? 
 
 A. Yes ; inspection reports show some organiza- 
 tions excellent in every respect. 
 
 *3 Q- What appear to be the principal defects indi- 
 cated by Inspecting officers? 
 
60 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 A. Lack of discipline. Many companies appear to 
 be merely uniformed rifle clubs, with military 
 incidents. 
 
 14 Q. What are the causes of this? 
 
 A. Various, but chiefly due to neglect of drill. 
 
 Discipline. 
 
 15 Q. What is discipline? 
 A. Discipline is a habit. 
 
 16 Q. Is this habit easily and quickly acquired? 
 
 A. No; it is of slow growth, especially among 
 Americans. 
 
 17 Q. Why is its growth specially slow among Amer- 
 
 icans ? 
 
 A. Because of the great personal liberty which 
 they enjoy, their strong individuality and inde- 
 pendence, the absence of caste or class dis- 
 tinctions and the light restraints they are un- 
 der in childhood.* 
 
 ^Referring to the differences between American and Eng- 
 lish character "The Grand Old Man," Gladstone, once said, 
 "The English people are not believers in equality; they do not, 
 with the famous Declaration of July 4th, 1776, think it to be 
 a self-evident truth that all men are born equal. They hold, 
 rather, the reverse of that proposition. * * Their nat- 
 ural tendency, from the very base of British society, and 
 through all its strongly built gradations, is to look upward." 
 This remark applies with equal force to the people of all 
 European nations. They begin to acquire the habit of disci- 
 pline long before they enter the army. A. C. S. 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 61 
 
 18 Q. Do these conditions render them less capable 
 
 of becoming good soldiers ? 
 
 A. On the contrary, when once thoroly trained 
 the American becomes the best soldier in the 
 world. 
 
 19 Q. On what do you base this opinion? 
 
 A. This is the testimony of many competent mili- 
 tary critics who have observed and compared 
 the soldiery of all the great Nations of the 
 world. 
 
 20 Q. Then we may feel quite secure against for- 
 
 eign armies seeing that military experts recog- 
 nize the great superiority of our soldiers? 
 
 A. By no means. Our raw material is fine but 
 without effective training it is worse than use- 
 less. 
 
 21 Q. Why worse than useless? 
 
 A. Because, as Bismark once said, "an army 
 without discipline is not only useless in war, 
 but dangerous in peace." 
 
 22 Q. Then as discipline is of slow growth, espe- 
 
 cially among Americans, what should we do 
 in order to be ready for war? 
 
62 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 A. We should have a large reserve in time of 
 peace, and it should not only be fully uniform- 
 ed, equipped and armed, but thoroly drilled. 
 
 23 Q. Then you think that a company suddenly re- 
 
 cruited at the outbreak of war and not having 
 acquired the habit which we call discipline, 
 would not be of much military value? 
 
 A. It would not be available for any military use 
 at all. It would be merely a uniformed as- 
 sembly of men with a military name. To al- 
 low such a body of men to go to the front 
 would be not only cruel to them but might be 
 disastrous to the army. History furnishes 
 many sad examples of this. 
 
 24 Q. Explain more fully what is meant by this habit 
 
 which is so slowly learned and which we call 
 discipline. 
 
 A. Discipline means primarily respect for author- 
 ity: not merely in theory or because we per- 
 sonally like the man in authority, but in un- 
 conscious or spontaneous action. 
 
 2 5 Q- What is meant by unconscious or spontaneous 
 
 action ? 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 63 
 
 A. Doing a thing "without thinking/' Thus a 
 man throws out his hand to balance himself 
 when his foot slips. 
 
 26 Q. How would this apply to a soldier's duty? 
 
 A. His hand should spring to his hat or cap on 
 meeting an officer as instantly and smartly as 
 if he were slipping. 
 
 27 Q. But suppose the officer neglects to return the 
 
 salute ? 
 
 A. That makes no difference to the soldier. He 
 is not responsible for the conduct of the offi- 
 cer. 
 
 28 Q. In what other ways does discipline develop a 
 
 soldier? 
 
 A. In many ways. For instance he should be so 
 thoroly grounded in the "position of the sol- 
 dier" as unconsciously to bring his heels to- 
 gether in ranks or when he speaks or is spoken 
 to by an officer. 
 
 2 Q. Inspectors often criticise companies because 
 men have been seen to spit in ranks, or raise 
 their hands, or gaze about. Why are these 
 little things considered so serious as to call 
 for remark in an official report ? 
 
64 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 A. These and many similar faults, such as slow- 
 ness in falling in, talking, chewing, laughing 
 or even smiling, all betray inattention and lack 
 of training. They show that there is little or 
 no discipline and that the men therefore have 
 not yet become soldiers. 
 
 30 Q. Can a well disciplined soldier be distinguished 
 
 from other persons even when he is in citizen's 
 clothes ? 
 
 A. Yes, by his military bearing, his erect carriage, 
 his alert air, his courtesy and especially by 
 the natural way he stands and moves. 
 
 31 Q. The position of the soldier is rather strained 
 
 and difficult, is it not? 
 
 A. No, it is the natural position. A relaxed and 
 slouching position is unnatural and unsightly. 
 It contracts the chest, undermines the health 
 and weakens the resolution. 
 
 32 Q. Describe the appearance of the two organiza- 
 
 tions mentioned in the text, showing the dif- 
 ference between a company that is disciplined 
 and one that is not. (See text.) 
 
 Drill 
 
 33 Q. What is drill? 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 65 
 
 A. It is a system of exercises whereby men are 
 taught to act together at the will of the com- 
 mander. 
 
 34 Q. What is the most important part of the drill ? 
 A. The school of the soldier, because it inculcates 
 
 the military habit called discipline. 
 
 35 Q. Does drill consist in merely learning how to 
 
 do an exercise ? 
 
 A. No ; it means such a repetition of it that finally 
 a man stands and moves and acts in a sol- 
 dierly way "without thinking." 
 
 36 Q. Give some illustration. (See chapter on Drill.) 
 
 37 Q. Should drill be confined strictly to the move- 
 
 ments laid down in the book? 
 A. No. It is liable to become monotonous, and 
 effort should therefore be made to vary it by 
 brief inspections, orderly duty, guard duty, 
 etc. 
 
 38 Q. Describe what this brief inspection should be. 
 
 (See Drill.) 
 
 39 Q. Describe how orderly duty should be taught. 
 
 (See Drill.) 
 
 40 Q. Describe how you would teach sentinels' duty. 
 
 (See Drill.) 
 
66 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 41 Q. Should we devote much attention to fine 
 
 points in drilling? 
 
 A. No, but exactness and precision with prompt- 
 ness are as important as ever. The tendency 
 at present is towards too much relaxation. 
 
 42 Q. What is said in the text about setting up exer- 
 
 cises? (See Drill.) 
 
 43 Q. How should saluting be taught ? 
 
 A. By constant practice, and by constant correc- 
 tion. 
 
 44 Q. Is saluting hard to learn ? 
 
 A. Yes, some men never learn it. They go thru 
 awkward and hesitating motions, but never 
 get any "snap." 
 
 45 Q- What is the best method of teaching a man to 
 
 salute? 
 
 A. After he has learned the motions at drill, send 
 him to deliver a message to some officer. 
 
 46 Q. Describe how you would proceed in this. 
 
 A. I would say to the man. "Present my com- 
 pliments to Captain B, and ask him if he will 
 please tell me at what hour recall will sound," 
 etc. (Giving any message suited to the occa- 
 sion.) Then I would explain to him just how 
 he was to halt and salute and the words he 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 67 
 
 was to use thus : "Lieut. A presents his com- 
 pliments to Captain B, and asks if he will 
 please tell him when recall will sound/' etc. 
 I would then instruct the man to salute, after 
 receiving the Captain's answer, make an about 
 face, and return and deliver the reply in the 
 same manner. I would have him rehearse 
 this several times with me before going to the 
 Captain. This exercise should be repeated 
 every drill night with every man for at least 
 one year. 
 
 47 Q- Why is this instruction so important? 
 
 A. It makes the man self reliant, cultivates mili- 
 tary bearing, and thus helps discipline. 
 
 48 Q. Should corporals be given frequent command 
 
 of their squads? 
 
 A. Yes, the more the better. Every corporal 
 should be required to drill his own squad a 
 few minutes at each drill. All non-commis- 
 sioned officers should be given opportunity to 
 command. 
 
 49 Q- What is the tendency in drill in the National 
 
 Guard ? 
 
 A. To go too fast. There is so much ground to 
 get over and such short time to cover it that 
 tfce drill is slighted. 
 
68 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 50 Q. What is the effect? 
 
 A. Men who hurry over the drill do not acquire 
 discipline. When they come to the maneuvers 
 they "go to pieces ;" they are not fit for ad- 
 vanced instruction. To send poorly drilled 
 troops to maneuvers is a waste of both time 
 and money. 
 
 Health. 
 
 51 Q. Why should soldiers be taught to care for 
 
 their health? 
 
 A. Because camp diseases generally kill many 
 more men than bullets. 
 
 52 Q. What was the proportion in the great civil 
 
 war? 
 
 A. The Union Armies lost in round numbers 
 100,000 killed and wounded while over 200,- 
 ooo died of disease. 
 
 53 Q- What other effect besides the loss of men 
 
 does disease entail? 
 
 A. The sick man not only drops out himself but 
 he requires some one to care for him, and he 
 fills a place in the ambulance or hospital which 
 should be reserved for the wounded. 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER. 69 
 
 54 Q. Is the company commander responsible for 
 
 the health of his men? 
 
 A. Yes, it is his business to do everything in his 
 power to keep his men well. Therefore he 
 watches over their habits and food and sleep- 
 ing places, with great care. 
 
 55 Q. What precautions should be taken? 
 
 A. All men should be instructed as far as possible 
 before going to camp. After arrival in camp 
 the first thing to be done is to construct la- 
 trines, and again caution the men not to pol- 
 lute the ground. 
 
 56 Q. Why should men not be permitted to throw 
 
 scraps of food about ? 
 
 A. Because they attract flies, and flies carry dis- 
 ease. 
 
 57 Q. What has been the history of American troops 
 
 in regard to this matter? 
 
 A. In nearly all our camps there has been too lit- 
 tle attention paid to it, and in some of them 
 the percentage of sickness has been very high. 
 
 58 Q. Does a large sick report indicate a good state 
 
 of discipline? 
 
70 MAKING A SOLDIER. 
 
 A. No. It indicates that the discipline is lax, 
 that the men are not soldiers, and have not 
 learned how to obey orders. 
 
 59 Q- What is the best method of teaching men how 
 
 to preserve their health? 
 
 A. By requiring- them to practice personal clean- 
 liness, to keep their hair cut and beard trim- 
 med, to bathe frequently and wash their 
 clothes, to clean their shoes, and keep their 
 buttons on, the collar turned down, their hat 
 in proper shape, etc. After, a man acquires 
 these personal habits it will be more natural 
 for him to keep his tent clean, and not to litter 
 or soil the ground. 
 
 60 Q. What is 'said in the text of the value of ath- 
 
 letic sports? (See III. The Soldier's Health.) 
 
 61 Q. What is said of music and amusements ? 
 
 (See III. The Soldier's Health.) 
 
 Habits. 
 
 62 Q. Why should a soldier in uniform be more 
 
 particular about his habits than other men ? 
 (See VI. The Soldier's Habits.) 
 
 63 Q. What was the character of soldiers in the 
 
 Middle Ages? (See Text.) 
 
MAKING A SOLDIER, 71 
 
 64 Q. Is the conduct of military men better today 
 
 than it was then? (See Text.) 
 
 65 Q. What is the difference between gross conduct 
 
 by a soldier in uniform and by a citizen. 
 A. The misconduct of a citizen probably injures 
 nobody but himself, whereas the bad conduct 
 of a soldier not only injures himself, but ex- 
 cites the apprehension and resentment of the 
 public against all other soldiers. It makes the 
 military unpopular and people become unwill- 
 ing to have troops camp near them. 
 
 NOTE. The foregoing questions can be extended at the 
 discretion of the Instructor. It is suggested that a class be 
 formed in each company of non-commissioned officers and 
 selected privates. One chapter should be read aloud and 
 briefly commented on by the Instructor. At the next meeting 
 it should be reviewed and the men called upon to answer the 
 questions. After completing all the chapters in this way a 
 general review should be had just before going to camp. 
 
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