A non-combatant detachment (I do not remember of which regiment), under a quarter-master, came up to make good our losses of the preceding day. The men were placed in the trenches allotted to the reserves, and the officer stood looking at the road, and the piles of dead lying on it. I suggested to him that he should sit in the trench or stand close up under the almost perpendicular bank of the road. But the young fellow said he was not afraid of such missiles, pointing with his hand to an 11-inch shell which was hurtling away after having ricocheted off the ground; but just at that moment there was a terrific roar, and he was hidden in the black smoke from a large shell that had burst just where he stood. When the smoke had cleared away, he was no longer there.
A message came from the left breastwork to say that there was hardly a man there, and asking for at least a few reinforcements, as the Japanese were beginning to make a move. I sent up Second-Lieutenant Shakovskoi and twenty men with hand grenades. At about 12 noon the cannonade was so terrific that it was impossible to speak in an ordinary tone of voice, and one had to shout to be heard. Our lower road was swept by shell, but we had not many casualties. A new commandant arrived also—Major Veselevski, a brave and intelligent officer, who had more than once rendered me good service, and was always quick at carrying out my instructions.
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It is always good to see an officer calm and collected in a post of danger—one feels stronger somehow, both morally and physically. The commandant’s smiling face and his quiet orders made a forcible impression on the men. Such a commander always inspires them with unlimited faith—they look at him with a kind of superstitious awe, and feel that they must obey him, even in moments of extreme peril. I will even assert that, the greater the danger, the more blindly will the men submit to the will of a commander who has won their confidence and respect.
A good officer stands for much in battle, just as a bad one may cause irreparable harm.
Officers should be very carefully selected, and unreliable ones eliminated by every possible means. Expert knowledge of military science is not essential; what really matters is the spirit, the individuality, of a man; but it is difficult to define in exact language the characteristics required, and to recognize them in peace time is yet harder, for few men display them outwardly. Unfortunately, a commander does not himself choose his officers, but has them pitched at his head willy-nilly, and how, indeed, can one expect to have all officers of the best type? Still, governors and instructors at military academies and colleges can be of great assistance by judicious recommendation.
Honourable pride, nobility of thought, a sense of the high calling of an officer’s profession—this is what every military man should have ingrained into his nature from his youth upward. For this reason officers must be recruited from families bearing noble traditions.
Physical strength and health are also important factors; therefore, officers must be encouraged to indulge in sport of all kinds, in order to develop their quickness of movement and strength of limb.
An officer should enjoy a cultured and even fastidious life, and thus tone down the roughness of our average army officer. Officers should occupy a high position in society, but at the same time they should be trained to endure the hardships of a war willingly and with equanimity. And to this end they must always bear in mind that their profession, even in its smallest details, is one of great national, and even Imperial, importance.