INVASION (Lat. invasio, attack, from in vadere, to invade, from in, in -I- to go, connected with 01-1G. (ratan, Ger. acaten. AS. u ado n, Eng. wade). The act of entry into an enemy's territory during time of war, In an cient and medieval times, when an army invaded a country, pillage, devastation, and slaughter were the rule. It was not until the War of the Spanish Suecession that Marlborough and Villars, by a system of contribution, introduced compara tive humanity into the conduct of armies. The Prussians and Austrians during the wars of Fred erick the Great were generally dependent upon regularly levied supplies. During the Revolution ary War, the British Government declared it to be a right of war: (1) to demand provisions and raise contributions, enforceable, if neces•sary, by the sword; (2) to ravage territory where there was no other way to bring an enemy to engage ment or terms; (3) to treat all rebels as enemies. The right to ravage has not been asserted or acted upon since by either country, except in the ease of the burning of the Capitol and other buildings at Washington by the British in 1814, which was a gross and unjustified violation of the rules of war. Napoleon enforced the principle that war must pay for war; and after the battle of Jena, the exaction required of Prussia was more than a hundred million francs, while a like contribu tion was levied upon Spain in the course of the Peninsular War.
The rights of an invader toward the country overrun by him are large and important, but these rights of belligerent occupation held as confined to the districts actually dominated by the invading force must be carefully distin guished from those of conquest. The invaders' military rule in general supersedes the civil authority. In relation to property, a sharp dis tinction must be drawn between public and pri vate property. As to the former also the invad er's rights are held to differ with its character.
Thus the contents of the Palatine libraries were carried off to Rome during the Thirty Years' War, and Napoleon filled the Louvre Galleries from every capital of Europe: but the rule is now well established that public money, mili tary stores, and public buildings are lawful sources of plunder: public estates may be oc cupied. and the rents and profits therefrom ap propriated; telegraph and railway property pressed into service, and piddle edifices interfer ing with military operations destroyed; but property not contributing to the uses of war must remain intact. The removal by the I:er loans of the astr al instillment, from the litpservatory of Peking during the recent expedi tion of the Allies against the Chinese capital seas 11 of this rule.
The attitude of an invader toward private persons and 'property has been clearly defined: but. though 'Pillage is strictly forbidden, this restrietion does not insure absolute sceurity for an enemy's property. Private persons taking no part in the conflict :pre to remain unmolested, lint inhabitants of an invaded district aiding their country forfeit protection. and are subject to military exemil ion, though the interests of hu manity are conserved by this distinction between soldier and non-combatant. Property movable and immovable is to remain uninjured. If needed by the hostile army, the invading general may require its sale at prices fixed by himself, or even On occasions require their contribution with out payment : hut marauding must be checked by discipline and penalties. Such forced con tributions of food, forage, labor, wagons. rail road rolling-stock. or othe• means of transporta tion are called requisitions. See CON 11111UTIJJN ; CONQUEST: and also INTERNaTioNm, LAW 111111 t he authorities there referred to.