WHAT WE MUST DO
As to Words.
1. Every geographical name must be printed in capitals, thus,—
WEST POINT, MARNE RIVER, PARIS.
This rule does not mean that the names must be printed, merely, but that every letter must be capitalized legibly.
If the place be not pronounced as it is spelled, it should appear thus,—XENIA (Zē′-nĭ-ä), POUGHKEEPSIE (Pṓ-kĭp′-sĭ), CHIHUAHUA (Chḗ-wä′-wä).
A road must be designated by enough points to make it unmistakable along the entire course considered; thus:—
BIGLERVILLE—582—CENTER MILLS. (See map, A-8 and 7.) The 582 inserted in this case keeps the course from being confused with the turn-off toward GUERNSEY. If the course were intended to lie through GUERNSEY, the road would appear thus,—
BIGLERVILLE—GUERNSEY—CENTER MILLS.
2. Use the words of one syllable preferably. You will find that the longer words come to you more readily but are usually more hazy in meaning. You will gain vigor and clearness by the cultivation of Anglo-Saxon.
3. Do not connect two sentences by a comma; for example:—
The phrase does not imply motion, thus it would mean nothing to say that the battery is advancing on the line Twins-Concrete Ford.
The error here is not so much one of punctuation as of sentence idea. Somehow, the thought does not run smoothly. We find that two separate thoughts without much relationship have been compressed into a single sentence—into something which should be a complete whole, and go from capital to period without break. Oftentimes, by showing this relationship, we may bring the idea within bounds of a single sentence; for example:—
Since the phrase does not imply motion, it would mean nothing to say that the battery is advancing on the line, etc.
4. Watch the position of your adverbs. When you mean,—
We captured almost all the ammunition,
Do not say,—
We almost captured all the ammunition.
The first means that we captured at least a part of the ammunition; the second means that we were close to success, but failed to capture ammunition.
5. Use the words head and tail when speaking of a column of troops. The head is the leading element and the tail is the other end, no matter in which direction the column happens to be facing.
6. In the newspaper or book that you are reading, every time you meet a new word make it yours. Look up the meaning in the dictionary until you are sure that you know how to use the word.
At the first opportunity, employ it in your conversation or writing. Sooner or later “dope” and the eternal “damn” will have ceased to fill in endless crevices in your talk and their places will have been taken by incisive words. You will awake to find that you are expressing yourself more easily and plainly. On the other hand, every word you pass over or for which you merely consult the dictionary, is a tool cast aside in your building of an officer. Every bit of slang or profanity which now crowds out the appropriate word will later rise up and clog your thought at a time when you are making your utmost endeavor to put into clear, forceful English your plan of action or your order.
As to Phrases and Clauses.
Remember to place phrases and clauses nearest the words they modify.
Captain George will divide the tools equally among the battalions which are fit for felling timber.
The change of the italicized clause to its proper position next the word tools, gives the intended meaning.
As to Sentences.
1. Use the short complex sentence; such as:—
An attack is expected tomorrow from strong hostile forces whose advanced troops are near FORT MONTGOMERY.
The enemy’s infantry disappeared to the south as soon as our advance cavalry came over the hill.
The use of when, since, because, where, whenever, although, after, till, until, as, so long as, now that, whence, whither, inasmuch as, that, in order that, so that, and lest, with the finite form of the verb is a good construction to practice.
Notice how compact and explicit is the following:—
Lest the enemy should turn your flank, keep veering to the east.
Try to put this same thought into twelve words by means of a different construction.
2. When you start with one kind of construction, keep it up unless there be some good reason to change it. If you begin with the past tense and third person, have the past tense and third person continue throughout the sentence or sentences.
It is reported that extensive preparations are being made in the vicinity of CAMBRAI and the enemy has stored railroad material there.
It is reported that the enemy has made extensive preparations at CAMBRAI and has stored railroad material there.
Which sentence reads along with less break?
Again,
It is advisable to advance part of the ammunition columns and that the division should follow at 200 yards.
Better,
It is advisable to advance part of the ammunition columns and to have the division follow at 200 yards.
Now that specific guides have been posted near the grammatical turns of the road, let us look at two general rules covering everything we do.
1. Write legibly.—Rain, wear in the pocket, dim and fading lights, and crumpled paper are going to make havoc of your orders and messages in war time. Your commanding officer must be able to make out your script as well as your meaning. Now is the moment to make your handwriting a size or two larger and noticeably plainer.
2. Inspect the form. After you have written your ideas legibly, look at them searchingly to see that they mean only what you intend.
You cannot be too cold-blooded about this act for two reasons.
In the first place, there is a habit which is strong upon us. We have all been too prone to state a thing haphazardly, and then to exclaim, “You know what I mean!” The person addressed, of course, is not going to acknowledge that he has not the brains to understand; so the jumble is never smoothed out. Thus in nine-tenths of our off-hand moments we have been accustomed to say what we do not mean. The habit is so strong that when we find ourselves dealing with matters of life and death, we are still liable to whisper to ourselves, “O, well, he’ll get it.” The result is that the part of the order, message, or report, which struck us as having our usual clearness, is a puzzle to the recipient.
In the second place, the impression has grown up in the minds of many that substance, no matter how it is mixed, is all that is necessary. There has come about a certain proud disregard of the manner in which a thing is expressed. Too many technical books have failed of their purpose because the writer, although he was an expert in his line, did not know how to present his subject in an attractive form. In the same way explanations have failed upon the drill ground, and lectures have made excellent tacticians appear like school-boys. The very manner of communication has not only spoiled the taste for the subject matter but has hindered its absorption. His audience has not understood his explanation.
In inspecting your work, take the attitude that the recipient is skeptical of everything you have said.
It is assumed that you wish to fasten in your mind everything in this chapter. The following method is suggested as the best short-cut:
1. Make an outline of the whole chapter, expressing the main idea of each paragraph and sub-paragraph in two or three words.
2. Close your books.
3. With the aid of your outline see whether you can call to your mind everything the paragraph or sub-paragraph means.
CHAPTER II
MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS
The following are the various types of military communication:
Field messages convey verbal or written information by messenger or wire.
Reports are written accounts of some enterprise, undertaking, or event, such as a reconnaissance, march, or battle.
War diaries are daily records of events kept during campaign by each battalion and higher organization. From the entries in these diaries the facts of our military history are obtained.
Letters of instruction, issued by higher commanders, regulate in a general way movements covering much time and space. Army and Corps commanders may, by visits and conferences, often communicate verbally the substance of letters of instruction.
Field orders, issued verbally or in writing by commanders of tactical units, regulate the tactical actions of troops, and such strategical actions as are not covered by letters of instruction.
General orders are written directions having to do with the general administration of a command. They contain the necessary details for carrying out injunctions from higher authority, for keeping up standing instructions, and for publishing results of special and general courts-martial.
Orders (when not used as a general term) refer to the instructions communicated to troops by commanders of divisions and of separate brigades in regard to combat, field, ammunition, supply, sanitary, and engineer trains.
Special orders cover such matters in regard to individuals as are not necessary to be communicated to the entire command.
Operation orders, as we now use the term in reference to trench warfare, are the orders governing a certain enterprise along a given sector of the front. Although they are even more precise than field orders, they contain more details on account of the wide difference between trench and open warfare.
Circulars are printed from time to time by various bureaus and departments of the War Department, and by purchasing officers, for the publication of data pertaining to the business of a bureau or department.
Bulletins publish, usually in pamphlet form, information for the military service.
Both circulars and bulletins have the force of orders.
Memoranda are published from time to time by commanding officers to embody directions not vital or sweeping enough for general or special orders. Memoranda have the force of orders.
Official correspondence consists of official letters, returns, rolls, estimates, requisitions, and certain routine reports.
These types of communication have been defined in order to give a general survey of the many kinds of written and oral expression of which military men should become masters. Although the task appears huge, proficiency can be gained by attention to the hints suggested in [Chapter I].
In order to apply those suggestions in a practical way, we must now sort out from all of the above types those which should press themselves most upon our attention. Certainly all these types cannot be equally necessary for our immediate study. Possibly if we classify them from the point of view of the occasion for their use, we may see more clearly how to treat them.