Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-23
Mode of Conducting Battles.

There have been many curious specula-
tons as to the notifications which the i'm
proyements in the art of war, and the inven-
ton of more destructive weapons, would pro-
duce in the method Of conducting battles
between civilized nations possessing these In
creased means of killing each other. A
writer in the last number of the Edinburgh
Review, thus discourses upon the subject:
LAS battles have been hitherto fought. the
usual practice has been for the opposing ar
mics to arrange themselves in battle array
ut distances varying from GOO to 800 yards
from one another. At Waterloo, the armies
were about 1900 yards apart. At such dis
tances musketry fire was out OF the question,
as was the fire of grape, or any other, except
round shot, from the field guns, and even
that was So uncertain and innocuous against
bodies of men, that no decisive result could
be obtained from it. 1t was necessary, there
fore, that one of the armies should cross the
intervening space to get at the other. This
they could DO in any formation that suited
them, and the ASSISTANTS advanced to within
200 or 800 yards Of their opponents, without
suffering any serious damage. AS troops
can easily pass over 100 yards in minute,
within two or three minutes at the utmost
from the time Of the army coming under hre,
they were upon their opponents, and either
forced them to retire, or were beaten back,
with a loss that WAS wonderfully small, con-
siderng what it ought theoretically to be I'M
der such circumstances.
All this must now be altered. 1t will be
impossible TO range troops at less than 1000
wards. or they would be able to shoot each
..h 81 .,A
reference to artillery; shells with time fuses,
at that distance, will certainly be as destruc-
tive as grapeshot was in the olden time at
300 wards, and To avoid their effect, the men
must lie down on the ground, or hide them
selves behind some undulation of the coun-
try. But battles are not won by cannona-
ding, and the question still remains how ar
mics are To get ut one another; tor, even
surprising that at 1000 yards very little
damage can be done by rifle practice, still,
whenever column or body of troops advan-
ces within 1000 yards of q division drawn
up to receive it, they will be torn to pieces
during the ten minutes that must elapse be-
fore they can close, and it will scarcely en-
courage them to know that, if repulsed, they
must be for ten minutes more within the
range of their enemies rifles.
AS far as we can ut present Judge, the
fight probably will be between the two artil-
leries till the one gains superiority, and is
then enabled to turn its attention to the in
fantry; and when it has decimated them.
and rendered them unsteady one army will
then rush as rapidly as possible at the other
and a hand-to-hand fight decide the day. In
whatever manner battles will in future be
fought. il seems tolerably 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 target to the fire of the enemy as bat
tallions in close formation, and with slow
movements, must do