The Waiĸato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. TUESDAY, JULY 8,1890

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2806, 8 July 1890, Page 2

The Waiĸato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

TUESDAY, JULY 8,1890

Equal and exact justico to all men. Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or politic.il.

Captain W. du R. Bakclav, late of Her Majesty's 24th Rrinmenr, 13, we believe, at present a settler in Tauranga. How long he has been in New Zealand we do not know, but he has written in the Monthly Review some of the best articles on the defences of the colony which we have yet seen. The Review is published in Wellington, and ono of the articles (No. 7) has been reprinted and circulated among the members of the Assembly. A copy has been sent to us, and we gladly bring it to the notice of our reader. l - , . The article is well written, and marked by a clearness and force, indicating that the writer is thoroughly master of the question that ho Ins taken in hand.

Captain Barclay's text in the present paper is the Easter volunteer encampment and shatnfight at Wellington last Easter. He has nothing but praise to give of the general appearance and bearing of the men on parade, but takes* exception to tho shamfight that followed us exhibiting a total misconception of the elements of strategy and the exigencies of active warfare at the present day. The system pursued by us ho holds to be still savouring too much of tho traditions inherited from the times of Frederick the Great. Ho points out that the solid masses in which men then moved were only possible in face of inferior fire arms ineffective except at short distances. The new arms of precision and the new artillery have quite altered the conditions of warfare, and none have been so ready to change their tactics to suit their conditions as the Germans, guided by the successors of the great monarch who consolidated the kingdom that has since grown so powerful. Captain Barclay points out these facts, and lays stress on the causes which have so entirely changed the art of war. Rifles that are effective at 1,500 yards, and cannon that can mow clown a column while very much more distant, are not to be faced by men formed in the old close order. They would bo mowed clown like grass before the scythe, and destruction could bo their only fate, however brave and hardy the men might be. J n fact, the more brave and more persevering, tho more grave the inevitable disaster and the more complete their destruction as an organised body. Hence the necessity of fighting in small bodies formed in open order. This may appear simple enough in the writing, but in action it becomes impracticable to men trained only to feel their right hand man, to preserve tho touch, and to dread separation. The more rigid the drill the stronger will be the habit that grows into an instinct that cannot be crossed without creating doubt and confusion. It is told of Frederick the Great tiiat one of his columns hesitated to advance against a fort which they were ordered to attack. He rode up and shouted imperiously, " Scoundrels, do you want to live for ever V Tho mm: rushed on with a cheer and took the fort. The thing excited great admiration at

the time and was talked of in every Prussian camp for years after. Were it done now the column would have simply disappeared and :i field of dead and dying men have been the only possible result , . Of what avail for active warfare now is the drill that thus enabled a general to lead his men in older days to victory ? The charge at Halhicluvu was as gallant, the men were as brave, as strong and. as enduring as any of Frederick's heroeu. They obisyed orders and threw themselves with admirable drill, perfect order, and great impetuosity upon the enemy. Isut he swept them down mercilessly before they could get within striking distance, and a disastrous defeat was the sad record of this gallant charge. It gave, us a glorious page in history purchased at a terrible cost. Tt gave us also a lesson, but the lesson must now bo learnt anew, firearms and cannon are infinitely more effective than they were in the Crimean days, and smokeless powder gives additional force to their already deadly power. Even greater nerve, grcatersieadiness, and a calmer, cooler courage, will bo required on the part of the men exposed to its action, without the noise and excitement, or even tha knowledge whence tho blow may come. The little puffs of smoke, the sharp sound of the rifle, and the loud roar of the cannon, will give place to the stillness, emphatically deathlike, which must hereafter be a characteristic of the iield of battle. Capt. Barclay's little essay deals with these last points very clearly. He shows that practice, in other words drill, and the discipline and habit that comes from drill, are as essential as ever. But the drill that gives pleasure to the civilian onlooker, and is an agreeable displny to the soldier himself, must form a minor part of

the training that is to lit him for the field. Men must he taught to separate into small bodies. Tho (jcrnians divide their forcc into zugs or sections not exceeding IG files at any time. Tlx; men composing those sections must fight separately in their turn, yet keep the line, and not fall into the irregularity that breeds confusion and forebodes defeat. They must learn to take advantage of every cover, yet not lose the old dash that constitutes the essence of a successful attack. Their officers must no longer be merely remarkable for an over-ready cry of forward, and

gallantry in bning foremost with their men. ') hoy must be vigilant, skilful, iinrl lient on saving the lives entru.st.orl to them as ono of the first necessities of victory. They must for all that preserve the continuity which will be a substitute for the old " touch," and enable them readily to mass their raen on any given point if that should be required. This involves skill on the officers and non-commissioned officers, and a perfect drill, with great intelligence, on the part of the men. Strategy will still be the iiffiiir of the General-in-Command, but the tactics of the general fighting will depend on the scattered bodies to which the general must trust for final success. Captain Barclay asks the people of Now Zealand to consider these things, and to resolve that they shall have an. armed force, small, but supplied with the best weapons, and ever ready for the field. He is confident that our volunteers, with their intelligence, and with the love for soldiering that takes them into the ranks, could be as effectively and as cheaply trained in the new tactics as in the old. His arguments are remarkably strong, and well put, and worth making as widely known as possible.