The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-05-07
For the Union.


For the Union.
The Light Artillery.
The efficiency of this arm OF service is well known to
military history and to military men, We need go no
farther back than the late events on the Rio Grande to
prove ITS efficiency to the more skeptcal The great
strength OF our army is undoubtedly in its infantry This
must ever constitute the body of army; but
OF the auxiliary arms necessary complete the parts of
an army, no one can doubt the necessity of artillery,
OF the increased efficiency and value of this when
organized as hight artillery But artillery is OF
unless well instructed Men must be taught to serve
then pieces wl accuracy and activity and the horses
must be as well drilled as the There is no branch
of service which requires as long and aborous drill
ling as the light artillery There regiment of light
artillery IN service during the of 1872; but at the
close OF the war u was reduced to regiment of post
hllery, and was finally disbonded
Now so long as nations are exposed to the vicisstudes
tiona honor and to national defence, that nations
should be prepared TO meet such vicssudes and the only
way OF being 20 prepared is 10 have in service and under
constant drill specific number of well organized troops.
The proportions OF these troops, reference to the
ganlzahon for an army in the ield should undoubtedly
be for peace establishment greater than for army in
time OF war OF those branches which require the
longest drill, where officers and alike ignorant
Of their duty, il is difficult TO say what time would be
necessary before troops could be trusted in the field
against enemy. But with instructed officers, infantry
may be put in order in about six months post artillery in
about six months cavalry in about IL months, but it is
doubted if the efficiency Of light artillery can be consd
cred probable to be thoroughly accomplished in less
than about Is months.
In peace establishment, therefore, the neces-
sty OF dspoporon OF cavalry and of light artillery
These last should alweys be maintained al full numbers,
while the infantry and post artillery could, without pre-
JUDGE TO the service be reduced to skeleton regiments
Our army now, with all its authorized numbers, is
extensive maritime and inland frontier, and is also es
scntialy defective in reference TO that extremely eff
cient arm-the light artillery:
artillery which existed disbanded after the war
of 1912. But in the law of March D. 1921 an effort was
made to correct this by direction that one CON-
Of If ha
and equipped as light artillery"
In ISL the regiment of light artillery. had been dis
mounted and was doing duty as post artillery Mr. ca,
houn, who was then Secretary OF War, recommended
that this regiment, doing the duty OF post ar
tlery, should be made regiment Of foot artillery and
o Ths sI pan would have s
five companies Of light artillery in addition to the flve
regiments of artillery But the law OF March 2, 1884,
reduced the artillery to four regiments and, instead OF
adding TO each regiment company for light artillery, re,
CURED that of the companies OF each regiment should
be designated and equipped as light artillery"
But this provision OF the law remained Tor many years
dead letter. owing, understand, to difficulties in
relation to the expense of mounting end equpping the
companies as light artillery.
of the War Department. find this efficient arm again
restored to the service He says, in his report OF that
year. 81 have caused one company of artillery to be
very desirable that the intentions Of this provision of the
law uhe provision for mounting company OF each regl-
ment OF artillery which have been SO long postponed
recommend that this description OF force so important IN
the composition of army, and efficient in the held
be increased by separating two companies from each reg
mcnt of artillery, and forming with them two baalions OF
light artillery, to be stationed in the western and the
other in the eastern division OF the army"
This, recommendation was not. however, carried INTO
effect but in the OF time, two companles-namely
kmggod's and Duncan's-were mounted and equipped as
light artillery.
The services of these two companies upon the Rio
Grande the best compliment to the foresight and de-
termination OF Mr.. Poinsett in having them mounted
and equipped Light artillery upon paper is no force
whatever II must be mounted and equipped it must be
suitably armed and adequately disciplined, or its eff
cheney cannot be tested There be no doubt, even
these two companies had been full to war establish
much greater, and the battles sooner terminated But il
the two baalions of four companies each, as recon-
mended by Mr. Ponsett in his report of 1885, had been
fully equipped-and but one OF these had been under
Gen. Taylor-how still more glorious and decisive would
have been the result
With these evidences, however, of the efficiency OF
light artillery, ought any doubt exist of the necessity
and advantages OF increasing and properly equpg this
branch OF service
adequately equipped, and should be kept in continued
drill and activity, whether the war with Mexico lasts or
not
Light artillery is rapidly moving battery, which, in
addition to its efficiency with troops in the field is capa
Bile OF presenting itself suddenly points the coast
threatened with attack or with predatory excursions and
become in that way formidable travelling forication
We know of no arm of service capable Of being made
efficient generally useful and we hope that
Congress will place 1t upon proper footing, by which
the country would not only be highly benefited but
opportunity be presented Of rewarding by suitable pro-
motion, the many meritorous officers whose services
have lately added SO much us,re to our arms 80
The first treatise upon the drill of light artillery pub
shed in country was drawn up by the celebrated
Koscuisko at Paris, in 1900 at the request OF General
Dave, of South Carolina. 1t translated by Colonel
Williams of the corps of engineers, and printed in New
York in 1908. Other editions of the same work have
since appeared. A.
NEAR HENDERSON, Granville county, N. c.,
MAY