New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-06-10
MODERN WARFARE.

been writing book about naval warfare with steam
in which he pretty conclusively shows that as Ger
| tainly as England has been forced to convert hel
sailing navy into steam propelled ships, SO certainly
will she be forced to protect her steamships by cover
ing them with an invulnerabe armor of metal plates
| France is building lot of ships to be clad in i'm
penetrable mail, and one Of these il not combatte6
with like, armed with the improved artillery, could
steam into feet of English men.oEwar and destroy
ing the whole Of them sail away unscathed, to de-
stroy another fleet, to boldly into an English
naval station, though defended by batteries of O
| thousand guns, and burn everything combustible
| within mile or two by means of the diabolical
missiles which have lately been invented. The Gen
erai thinks that the only way in which the English
| seaports and dock-yards could be saved in a war
with France would be by guarding them with float
ing batteries of great steam power, and encased in
invulnerable cuirasses of metal so that they could
run down, and run over, board or in some way pre-.
vent the approach Of their pestilent antagonists.
With the present improved artillery is dangerous
for armies or ornaments to within several miles
OF each other, and, armed with rifles only opposing
forces could annihilate each other at a thousand
yards distant so it would seem that in the present
and in future wars the best ingenuity Of commanders
should be devoted to keeping their armies out of each
others way, as in the attempt to bring them TO &C.
ton an incredible proportion both sides would be
moved down after they came within gun shot and
before they came to close quarters so long would be
the charge they would have to make under fire. No
troops could be brought to advance through such
hail Of death, and the problem how to bring modern
armies into action is really Of most puzzling de-
scrpton for as tactics and eqnppngs now are there
would be few soldiers of them left by the time they
got together. The puzzle is to devise measures of
protection until forces arrive within good killing dis
tance that q summary decision might conclude the
action, and some sort of solution is afforded by DR..
Sc oern, Of London, who has just written book all
about " new resources Of warfare" etc., which is
quoted as authority. His idea is to do away with
heavy and compact infantry battalion tactics, and
scatter the about in skrmsher fashion, each one
fighting on his own account and shielding himself
behind any protection which may Offer
DR.. s. also says something about troops being
provided with movable breastworks, to be trans.
ported in pieces and Immediately set up and COM
bined when the work should be SO hot as to render
such intrenchment desirable. By such plan the
whole exposed front of an army could in few
seconds forty itself against rifle shots and cavalry,
though artillery would, of course, knock its tempo
rary breastworks to pieces. STILL sheet of bullet
proof breastwork would be comfortable and conf
denceinspirng article of equipment for soldier to
have at command, that he might stand or kneel in
safety behind it when those terrible rifles were crack
ing away at him with deadly accuracy SO far off that
the report could scarcely reach his ear though the
bullet could his BRAIN Fire arms drove shields out of
fashion, and it is possible that they may bring them
into fashion again in sort of shape. If battles
are to be fought at long-taw, in open diminishing
order, it would be feasible for the small squads to
carry about with them in their frequent changes of
position the pieces of steel bullet proof breast work
to be pitched in combination in few seconds time,
when they had to take an exposed post and the
great number and frequent changes Of these little
Notifications would give them comparative protec.
ton against artillery which their far shooting rifles
would prevent from coming into such proximity that
practice range could be readily obtained when the
range was secured the riemen could pull up stakes
quick step for little distance and entrench again.
Cavalry will not avail in modern warfare for in |
C barge upon rife armed infantry half the men and
horses would be umbled over before they got within
striking distance long would be the advance under
fire. On this account we rejoice in the improvement
of the mechanism for killing, for men may now
make war and Stay each other without the necessity
of involving in the same fate and in great numbers
the most noble of beasts. 1t is in reality horrible
thing for thousands of horses to be slaughtered in
BATTLE but the item of brute blood is not considered
when placed side by side with the far greater euson
of human blood which always accompanies it.
SAD RESULT OF IGSoRANcE.-At Detroit, recently
killed because he could not understand the
rench language. The team, consisting of one Eng
lish and one French OK, drawing heavy load, and
driven by French driver, was crossing the track
" hen the express train made its appearance. The