THE NAVAL WAR COLLEGE.

BY HENRY WILSON.

[Henry Wilson, naval expert, is the author of many articles on the history of naval tactics and strategy and has written criticisms and expositions of naval engagements and naval wars. He has been a warm advocate of the Naval War college and with his pen has urged its support by congress.]

Problems of naval warfare are solved in times of peace by the officers of the United States navy at the naval war college at Newport, an institution which has had an important part in recent years in the perfecting of American naval officers in the

Here are planned possible campaigns for use in attack on any power with whom war is possible and methods of defense are devised for the protection of our sea coast against the world's greatest fleets.

"The unique feature of the course here is what is known as the war game," explained Captain Chadwick in an address opening the session of the college a few years ago. "Here one finds out empirically into what sort of a situation he is likely to be precipitated in the event that war shall suddenly come upon us. It sets a man to thinking what he had better do

about it.

"The sinking of Cervera's fleet was not the execution of a plan suddenly inspired. On the contrary, that memorable July forenoon saw wrought out that which in its beginnings, at least, was rehearsed, so to speak, in these halls. An incident that occurred not long after the close of the war serves to illustrate my meaning. Rear Admiral Sampson, happening to be here, saw suspended on the wall a large chart of the Cuban coast. It bore certain marks that denoted the movement of war vessels.

"The admiral took it to be a chart that had recently been prepared for the purpose of illustrating certain features of the Spanish war. It turned out, as a matter of fact, that he was looking at a working model that had been put to use two years

before the war, in the study of an imaginary campaign against Spain."

The game at the naval war college is conducted on that fallacious theory that all men are equal in courage and skill, and that God is on the side of the heaviest battalions. But every feature of actual war enters into the game, except blood and bullets and smoke, and it furnishes a valuable training which an officer can not obtain on board a ship.

The character and progress of the play is kept a secret for military reasons and to prevent misunderstandings, for sometimes the fleets of the United States are engaged with those of England, and again those of Spain; sometimes they win and sometimes they lose, and it would not be proper to let the public know how either happened.

For an example, the United States fleet may be engaged some day in protecting the north Atlantic coast from an attack from the fleet of Zanzibar. Certain officers represent the new sultan of that enterprising country, and direct the movements of the cruisers and battleships and torpedo boats just as if they meant business. Certain other officers represent the admiral of our navy, and direct the defense, while the president and the rest of the faculty of the war college are umpires.

It is assumed that when a cruiser or a battleship is caught by a vessel of greater tonnage and heavier guns she is whipped, and off she comes from the map that represents the seat of war. The speed of a vessel is also taken into consideration, and if the umpires think she has a chance to run away they let her go, and she seeks a harbor of refuge and is there laid up for such a time as is deemed necessary or sufficient for repairs.

The geographical location, the depth of water, the protection of land fortifications, the convenience of coal and such other circumstances as enter into modern warfare are all taken into consideration; for when a commander takes his ship into a harbor that is unprotected or has not a sufficient depth of water for his draught, the umpires take him off the board as they would a pawn that had been overtaken by a queen in a game of chess. In fact, the war games are very much like chess and are played in a similar manner, except that the men

are ships of different strength and the board is a map of the world.

These games were invented by the famous general, Von Moltke, of the German army, and have been used in the military schools of that empire for a long time. It is believed that the success of the German generals in the war with France was largely due to their training in this particular, for they had fought and refought over every inch of ground that lay between Berlin and Paris for years before the declaration of war.

Admiral Luce of our navy founded the American war college, and, having secured a set of the Von Moltke war games, adapted them for naval science and taught our officers how to play. When he was placed upon the retired list Capt. Mahan succeeded him, and he in turn was followed by a succession of the ablest and most scholarly men in the service.

In addition to the games of war, the students have the benefit of courses of lectures each term upon allied topics, such as geographical and political science, international law, history, tactics, gunnery and so on. The main features of the present administration are tactical and strategic games. Competent judges say that they have done more to bring the officers of the navy to a knowledge of the serious and important side of their profession than any thing that has happened since the Civil war, and the games, which were ridiculed when Admiral Luce first proposed them, are now becoming recognized as essential to the proper education of the commanders of ships.

The United States naval war college was founded practically in 1881, when Admiral Luce took formal possession, in the name of the United States, of Coaster's Harbor island, till then within the corporate limits of Newport and still connected with that beautiful pleasure city by a short wooden bridge. that time this island had been used as a refuge for the city's poor, but it was then ceded to the national government by the state of Rhode Island, that a training school might there be established for naval apprentices.

Before

The training school still exists, but it has been developed into one of the most important places of naval instruction in the world. The youngsters learn how to handle a vessel by

practicing on the wooden hulk of the old Constellation, which is moored alongside the dock. Close by is the torpedo station, established later than the training school. There all sorts of practice and experiments are gone through with the torpedo boats Cushing and Stiletto, and there guncotton, smokeless powder and the fulminate of mercury for fuses are manufactured, and the steel used in new warships is tested.

The war college proper was founded in 1884, and Admiral Luce was its first president. Two years later he was succeeded by Captain Alfred T. Mahan. During his presidency the college made wonderful strides, and his book, Sea Power in History, termed by Gladstone the greatest work of modern times, was based upon his first course of lectures at the naval war college. After Captain Mahan was detached from the college to do duty in Europe, the institution was placed in charge of Commodore Francis M. Ramsay, and during his presidency it languished somewhat, not perhaps because of any personal remissness on the part of the commodore, but because of an opposition to the college among many influential naval officers.

But better times were coming for the Newport college. Assistant Secretary of the Navy James R. Soley became interested in it, and as a result the old Newport poorhouse which had hitherto been its domicile was abandoned and the present handsome college building was erected. This structure was formally opened in 1892 with great ceremony, but during the following summer the institution again languished, no orders were issued for summer lectures and the building was largely occupied for other purposes than that for which it was designed. Then Admiral Luce, the real founder of the college, came to its rescue, personally pleading with Secretary Herbert and Assistant Secretary McAdoo that the college should not be allowed to go down. Assisted by Captain H. C. Taylor, who afterwards was made president, the admiral prepared a scheme of study and maneuvers which were submitted to the secretary and his assistant. It was held by the admiral that some special instruction of the officers of Uncle Sam's navy was absolutely necessary if they were to be fitted for actual service in case of war. For 30 years, it was pointed out, the United

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States had been at peace with all the world. During much of that time the navy had been much neglected. Within more recent years it had been greatly improved and its officers and men carefully drilled and instructed. But during all the 30 years, the admiral further pointed out, these officers had had no practice and but little tactical instruction, such as they could receive at the naval war college. There was much opposition to the scheme for the institution's revival, chiefly from the older and more conservative elements in the navy, but Admiral Luce was well backed by the younger and more progressive element, and success finally rewarded his efforts.