The Arkansas advocate., 1831-08-24

.
 rather, fought during our last America
 war ih Upper Canada, furnish ampl proof of the disadvantage under wlnc mere tactical soldiers fight when cor : tending against men who, however info flof in every essential military quality happen to be individually superior il
 the use oi arms. Owing to our firmnes
 and discipline, we were generally yicto { flolls ifs tiiiose actions; but as tue actu
 al fighting took place with arms in ust
 of which VIC were far, and needlessh
 inferior, our success, was.always attend
 cd with q greater proportioHate los, fthan what we suffered wl,en contendine
 against the disciplined armies of Eu. ropes q loss much greater too than what should have been experienced from en-
 emies who, however brave and superior
 la point of numbers were yet far from .belng our equals as soldiers.
 One of tho actions of this ill-conduct- ed war* is too strikingIy illustrative of the eiiectsaf tactical training 10 be here 1 omitted.
 sAn American army, that in Europe an warlarc would have tbecn called a corps, was surprised by the 18th and 50 rglinents, at q place called Stoney Creek. The attack was nude by night5 the sentincls were cut down before they could give the alarm, and so well was. every part of the onset conducted, that the cnerhy were literally found fast asleepin their tents and bivoai,es: the victory was actually gained before q 'siuglesinan had beenslosi. But the cYi! genius of modern tactics.
 ",.hat pagod thing ofsabre sway,
 With front of brass and feet of clay. - granted 20 bloodless victories, and was not to be defrauded by either party Of its usual share of slaughter. The men, totally unused to the bayonet as all arm of personal contest, began to fire, tt.lc lsnlcricaps sPrahg to their arms, a desul- tory night action commenced in the woods, al the aayantt tt;.;seso tic tii surprise were completely frustrated, and the British, though as usual victorious, lest by friends and foes, nearly as many men as their defeated adyersalics.
 The skill of the Anericails-iin the use of tlle rifle vas very conspicuous during the late war, and, as brave men, tht J natarallysuHtde the most of the atiyah- tagc. But the tales Of wonder related of that skill, prove how ignorant men generally are of the real power Of fire arms; for no arms ever constructed by humanhands. could, if fixed and lcvelled with mathematical precision eome.with- in fifty degrees of what is told of every Kentucky rifle. Nothing can give q more striking proof of this iian the fact, that inall the actions fought on open ground where the fire of both parties could tell, thc fire of the common Eng fish shots invariably produced a greater effect than thatof the most stiltul Ane- ricans. This assertion is not.to be turn ed against us; fo1 1t mus be recollected, that owing to the many advantages We possessed over the Americans; we should, in spite of their superior num- bcrs, have inflicted heavy loss on them with iittie risk to ourselves, had we.been at all thcir equals in the use of arms.
 In both our wars with America we have suffered from their superior skill with the rifle, not so as to influence ul- innate results certainly for i'll as those wars were conducted on our part 1t was only a E,ctious press and opposition that forced the Government to make peace when success was actually within their grasp; but the fall of every soldier who Is lost owing to the superior skill of the enemy, in the use of arms, is reproach to the system under which he is trained, and which leaves him inferior to those against whom he is calico. upon te con tend. 1t is q double reproach upon us, because Englishmen arc particularly apt at learning ali military and athletic exercises; and there is certainly no witehcrattin good rifle or musket shoot ing: it is an art that all men of ordinary nerve and powers of vision may easily acquire. but is our soldiers are not like 1 the back-woodmch, of America, and l the foresters ef Germany, trained to the
 practice from infancy, good instruction
 must make up forthat disadvantage
 but he'prescnt mode of drill only tends
 fo make men bad shots, as Fromm, 1T
 his .ssDirection for the Instruction of the
 Infantry in the use of fire arms" yer, i clearly proves. We have as yet deriv
 ed no benefit from the experience ss