Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1859-06-02
Notifications in the mode of Conducting
Battles, Improved Arms. &c.

Notifications in the mode of CONDUCTING
Battles, Improved Arms, &c.
There have been many curious speculations
as to the notifications which the improve
ments in the arts of war. and the invention Of
more destructive weapons would produce in the
method of conducting battles civilized nations
possessed OF these means ofkiliing each other
4 writer in the last number of tue Edinburcl
Review thus discourses upon this subject
iFis much easier to describe :he impression
ments than tits to estimate what their probable
effects may be on the science of war when they
are brought to the test Of actual experience
though it cannot be doubted but that very gres
changes IN the manmuvering of troops and the
mode OF fighting battles must result from then
and that the general who first appreciates thei
efforts will be the master of the situation.
AS battles have been hitherto fought. the usu.
al practice has been for the opposing armies to
arrange themselves in battle array at distances
varying from 600 to 800 yards from one anoth.
er. At Waterloo the armies were about | .20C
yards apart. At such distances musketry fire
was out of the question, as the fire of grape OF
/
and even that so uncertain and innocuous
agains bodies of men, that no decisive result
could be obtained from it. It was necessary.
therefore that one of the armies should cross
the intervening space to get at the other. This
they could do ia any formation that suited them
and the assailents advanced TO within 200 or 300
yards Of their opponents without suffering any
yards minnie, with two three minutes at
the utmost frcn the time the army are under
fire they We're upon their opponents, and either
forced them to retire were beaten bach, with a
loss that was wonderfully small, considering
what it ought TO be under such circumstances
All this must now be al tered. II will be i'm
possible to range troops At less than 1000 yards
or thoy would be able to shoot each other down
with their rifles even without reference to ar
tillery shells with time fuses at that distance
will certainly be rs destructive as grape shot
was in the olden time at 800 yards and to avoid
their effect the men must lie down on the ground
or hide themselves behind some undulatiou Of
Of the country. But battles are not won by
cannonading, and the question still remains
= p
posing that at 2,0l) yards very little damage
can be done by rife practice, still whenever a
column or body of troops advance within 900
yards of division drawn up to receive it, they
will be torn to pieces before the ten minutes that
must clapse before they can close, and it will
scarcely encourage them to know thar, if repul
sed they must be ten minutes more within
no roo,ro Of :, -
One obvious suggestion for getting over at
least portion ofthe difficulty, would be to ad-
vance the men as skirmishers, in such loose for
nation that artillery would have little or no cf-
feet on them, and even the rifle practice be We
ny harmless considering the unsteadines of aim
incident to the heat and excitement Of battle
field. This, no doubt would be practicable |
vancouver there were no cavalry on the field |
but if infantry do advance far from their sup
ports, and in such loose formation that they cam
not collect ana form squares at very short not
ice, it will require better and steadier troops
than we have seen to prevent themselves being
ridden over and cut to peices. Even abstract
ing the element OF cavalry from the question |
it is evident that, as both armies can throw out |
skirmishers, and i'll that respect be equal, no
decisive result can be expected from such a !
mode of fighting. .....
In the Crmea the Generals seem to have felt
this though the ms then employed were not
what they have since become and their effects
were not appreciated as they now are At the
Alma the allies rushed at the Russians the mo-
ment they came within reach, without much
maneuvriug and still less formation and at
lnkermann the Russians evidently droading the |
passage IN the gull by daylight. stole upon the
British in the dark, aud the fight became a |
hand to-hand struggle. THIS difficulty will fire.
qusntly be felt in the future, if one army can
not steal on the other unawares to take it at a
disadvantage. AS far as we can 40 present
judge, the fight probably will be between the
two arilleries tillthe one gains a superiority,
and is then enabled to tnrn its attent ION TO the
infantry; and when once it has dccimated
them and rendered them unsteady, one army
viii then rush as rapidly as possible at the 9th
err, and hand-tohand fght3 decide the day
In whatever manner battles will in future be
fought, it seems folerabe evident that close
formation and heavy infantry drills are out of
date, and that light infantry movements are
essential, not only to enable the soldier to use
with the greatest possible effect the improved
weapons which have been put into his hands
but also to prevent his presenting such tar
get to the fire Of tic enemy as battallions in
close formation and with slow movements must
do.