MILITARY CHARACTER 1

YATES STIRLING

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[Captain Yates Stirling, United States Navy (1872cated at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and has served in the navy since his graduation in 1892. He participated in the SpanishAmerican War, served in the Philippines during the insurrection, and in 1913 commanded the submarine flotilla of the Atlantic Fleet. He has written many technical articles on the navy and several books for boys ("A United States Midshipman in the Philippines," etc.). The present selection discusses those moral qualities which from a military and naval standpoint may be considered the chief aims of education not only at West Point and Annapolis but in any educational program of the present day.]

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"A high moral courage capable of great resolutions. physical courage which takes no account of danger. A man who is gallant, just, firm, upright, capable of esteeming merit in others without jealousy," - this is Jomini's definition of a leader of men.

The great leaders each possessed moral power and intellectual power to a high degree. Of the two, moral power is by far the more important. Moral power, or strength of character, is usually a product of heredity and early training.

For a military leader qualities of character that have the greatest weight are decision and good sense. He must have clearness in conception and energy in execution. History offers many examples to show that after decision one of the qualities of leadership which contributes the most to success is stubbornness.

Napoleon was fond of declaring to his less decisive commanders: "Before conceding the victory let us wait until

1 From "Fundamentals of Naval Service." Copyright, 1917, by J. B. Lippincott Company. Reprinted by permission.

it is snatched from us. Before retiring let us wait until we are forced to do so."

John Paul Jones on board the sinking Bon Homme Richard, engaged in a death struggle with the Serapis, when asked if he had struck, stubbornly answered: "I have not yet begun to fight." Moral power won for him the victory.

General Grant betrayed this important characteristic of military character when he announced, "We will fight it out on this line if it takes us all summer.”

A leader, to be able correctly to use his natural moral power, must be thoroughly versed in his profession, and thus obtain the necessary confidence in his ability to succeed in any undertaking. Knowledge alone is not enough; he must have frequently applied his knowledge to cases; in other words, solved and executed problems dealing with the elements and principles of his profession.

Napoleon, before his campaign in Italy, had thoroughly trained his mind for war, yet he had not acquired that supreme self-confidence which afterwards made him the boldest leader of history. This boldness came to him gradually through the practical experience of handling armies in the field. It was not until the great victory at the bridge of Lodi that he fully realized his great ability as a general, and gained a self-confidence that seemed impossible of resistance.

"The Articles for the Government of the Navy," popularly known as the "Articles of War," define the standard of character of a "Gentleman and a Naval Officer" in the following words:

"The Commanders of all fleets, squadrons, naval stations, and vessels belonging to the Navy are required to show in themselves a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism and subordination."

Possessing these four cardinal qualities of character will not assuredly produce a leader, yet they are necessary ingredients in leadership. No man can be a truly great leader without all of them.

VIRTUE signifies the quality of manliness, manly strength or valor, courage, bravery. Can any one doubt that Cæsar, Hannibal, Alexander, Nelson, Napoleon, St. Vincent, Farragut, John Paul Jones, Sampson, or Dewey lacked these?

"Add to your faith virtue and to your virtue knowledge" is an excellent receipt for military character. Also bear in mind that "The brave man is not he who feels no fear, but he whose noble mind its fears subdues."

A famous military leader when going into battle could not control his legs, which shivered so as to make him fear others would observe them and believe he was afraid. He is said to have been overheard saying: "Tremble, legs, but if you only knew where I am about to take you, you would give way under me."

Virtue demands strong spirit and precludes the weak and vicious; it produces the kind of men that command respect and attention everywhere and at all times. With virtue as a foundation honor erects a high sense of duty. It gives the possessor a subconscious understanding of what is right and just. From honor, loyalty, fair dealing, and faithfulness to trust naturally flow. Honor causes a person in the performance of a duty not to look for reward or punishment, but to scrupulously execute the task for the task's sake.

PATRIOTISM is the motive binding us all together in one great cause. It gives unity to action. The virtue in the civil administrators, the heroism and self-sacrifice of the soldiers and sailors, flow from a custom acquired by men of considering their nation as an entity. They delight to identify themselves with its fortunes, share in its triumphs, and mourn in its disasters; ever looking to a future when the nation's destiny will be fulfilled. This noble idea of "Country" represents a heritage of sentiments, of traditions, of thoughts, of common interests. Patriotism is fundamental. We must learn in our childhood to cherish and defend this most sacred of all national ideals.

A nation in whose citizens the virtue of patriotism is securely implanted is of consequence strong, vigorous, progressive.

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Without this ideal, a nation will be weak and spineless traits of national character which inevitably lead to national death. Patriotism becomes a passion which burns undiminished. It exerts the strongest influence for unity; it is the moving force in war; it is the ideal for which sailors and soldiers cheerfully die, their beloved national anthem upon their lips.

All great leaders understood the power of patriotism and seldom missed an opportunity to arouse it in their followers. If an army or a fleet is blessed with a true leader, patriotism often centers around the personal magnetism of that leader. He becomes the embodiment of the ideal of patriotism. It is said that Napoleon's presence upon the battle field, in the effect it had upon the morale of his soldiers, was worth 30,000 men. Nelson was given the value of three ships of the line.

SUBORDINATION, the quality or habit of obedience, is indispensable in a military service. Subordination is an essential quality to regulate the relations of subordinates to their leaders. Without subordination in a community chaos will reign supreme.

Burke glorifies this attribute of good citizenship in words so stirring as to appeal to every patriot: "That generous loyalty to rank and sex; that proud submission; that dignified obedience; that subordination of the heart which kept alive, even in servitude itself, the spirit of an exalted freedom."

Virtue, honor, patriotism, subordination, will, self-confidence, all go to make up military character. Yet there is another and most important attribute for leadership; it is the "willingness to take responsibility."

The courage of responsibility is a glorious and divine gift, which alone enables a high-placed general to achieve great results; for, if his experience and intelligence are not sufficient, he finds shrewd helpers to supply his deficiency. Courage of responsibility is born of a certain magnanimity which must be inherent in the general, and which ennobles his whole nature. It is a feeling of superiority which elevates without making presumptuous. It is moral

courage and strength of mind in high development, schooled to endure the severest trials without unsettlement of the power to reason clearly, and without swerving from the great end in view. Thorough knowledge enhances security, steels self-confidence, and so gives calmness under responsibility. Ignorance and uncertainty undermine it, destroying the power to act with decision under stress. VON DER GOLTZ.

Every leader worthy of the name must be prepared to accept responsibility for the acts of his subordinates.

AMBITION, the soldier's virtue, is a valuable military attribute. It is the desire to excel, to be first, and with it there will be continuous and unflinching effort to succeed. "Great deeds are impossible without ambition."

Other contributing attributes to leadership are patience and resolution in order to "meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.'

IMAGINATION puts the crowning glory upon the head of a leader. It is the creative force. Napoleon attributed his inspirations to memories called up by his imagination.

Will, ambition, and a love of fame, blended with creative powers (a trained and imaginative mind), result in an irresistible activity.

Military history teaches that in nearly every battle, character, morale has been the determining factor. We accept the statement readily. But the remarkable fact is that in spite of the known determining value of superior morale, of superior military character, and especially of the value of superior military character in those who command, no systematic and continued effort has been made in our service to examine the ways of creating superior morale, of creating a high average of military character in the service.

We understand academically the several attributes which go to make a leader of men, but we seem to take for granted that these factors are innate and cannot be developed. That this is not true has been shown by many writers on military history.