New-York daily tribune., 1861-09-05
TEE scvsooY. Ox y VE SOLDIER

| French Army, tho lRht-infantry dt. " "'"'''
entirely displaced that OF heavy infa4 Wy, ahO
now, instead Of compelling men to march ;" we
most fatiguing way, with arms at the left sdo,N
der--ths old "csrry" Of the iniantry-tbe mus.
ket is held comfortably & the right shoulder,
with the arm extended, or at The :" shift upon
the same shoulder, tho easiest and least fatguiog
| mode Of carrying the musket. In place OF the
| slow battalion movements Of Scots Tactics, we
have also the substitution Of orders 10 accom-
plish the samo formations in double quick time.
These are tue improvements introduced appa-
| rGnty by Hardee, but in reality BY the Fr5nch
Army, the tactics Of which Hardoe mersly trans
lated and appropriated. The substantial part OF
the change is the movement Of battalion in its
various formations in steps Of lGj or l60 TO the
minute, instead of 10 10 the q1ica time. A
mere novice in military matters can see the ad-
vantage Of this change: a battalion may be
formed ia line of battle, deployed in column, aud
formed in squares to resist cavalry, in half the
time ordinarily occupied. TIE movement for an
emergency, whatever it may be. is to be executed
in the space of few seconds instead OF az many
minutes. IL il Obvicus that Ga improvement
which substitutes quick f9F slow movements npst
commend it,eif 10 military authorities; hence we
ind the drill Of the United States army changed
to correspond with the FRESH syytem. IL B G.
curious fact however, that good portion Of tho
so-caed Zouaye drill was in practice among our
uniformed militia more than thirty years since,
at time when the light infantry trit was con-
sidered necessary part Of Instruction 10 the
school Of the soldier. The manual was very
much tho same except in tho loading aud firing,
and the movements ia dOUble-quick time in the
skirmshers drill were practced BY every we'll
disciplined company. Doubling the ranks IN
marching by the flank, which $50 omitted 10
mention as part VI tie Hardee drill 10 about
tbe only new iestur, in the school of tie com
Dany BOstOu company visited New-York in |
1896, and went through series Of evOlrtiOns in !
the Park. embracing nearly all of tho drill now |
practced by the army, except the fourrank |
formation. BY degrees the LIGHT infantrg drll |
wac abandoned, and until the visit Of the famous
Chicago ZOuayes, under the iamented Ellsworth, |
it seems to have been ignored by tue militia, If |
not by the regular army. IT, restoration now |
with the improvements of TIE French, cannot be ,
too highly ccmmonded; but j: serves at the saae /
time to chow Row sadly tae military spirit oftho
nation bad been allowed to degenerate when fUr
mort than twenty years the slow movements Of
heavy infantry have constituted our only school OF
practice.
Yery erroneous ideas of the French system Of
drill have been entertained by cur civilians, and
probably % some extent by oar volunteer odi-
Gers. The ffte sad easy march Of the ZOusyes
for example, we End introduced IN military crit-
csns to prove thst the parade crder-tbe touch
of the elbow, and the preservation Of company
and platoon hnes in columns IN exploded sys- |
ten. This 10 very great mossse. The supe-
Tiority OF the French army coassto in the thor
Ough instruction Of the individual soldier "a the
indispensable foundation Of the efficiency OF tue
coTps to which ho belongs. She recruit Is not
only required % learn the ordinary drill OF the
solder, but be 10 instructed carefully IN tue use
of his wespon, and especially in the bay
enet exercise. The result "a that every
soldier becomes "a for midable with the bay
onet opposed 10. forces unsklle4 in ITS use,
As accomplished swordsm en- are against men VINO
know nothing Of thri st, luOge and parry.
Every man conscious of skill, sad confident oi
suecess is thus prepa red fOF the battlefield.
Gymnastic exercises are also very Important
part of the system, and there Is careful attention
throughout, 20 make ;as much Of man ID his
individual stG.e as p0 5sible, before combining
force thus thoroughly educated. IL must not be
supposed, howeyer D lst any less. attention is
paid 60 the great p incipe of adherence, and
a
merely an armed mob. Tie inevitable elbow
touch is as much in practice w ever, and tho
Zouayes wAo narch carefully in the route step
through Paris, are perfectly capable of forming
in parade order. The si.satsge Of tine system
is, that men are thoroughly taught tie use Oi
their weapons and 70 m0ye with rapdlty.
Whatever ia to be done, is done in the best and
tho onickest way, and mare phyicd strength is
overcome by tho combination Of activity and skin.
Men thus carefully trained become the most
daphBg soldiers in ths world. If Gen. McClel-
Ian bad 80, 900 OF our soldiers under his cOm-
mand, as well drilled and prepared as the F'rench
Zouhvcs, the Confederate army near Washington
would Do driven from its pcs,tioa in day.
Whilo forming campo oil instruction, IS it not
Of .he frs! importance that We should have the
most skllful and competent inssractors-lhat our
soldiers may be 40 thoroughly prepared as the
time will permit why not send 70 France,
then, for o corqa Of such teachers, aud distribute
them through our Csmpsi a division Of 10000
men, properly trained and drilled in the use Of
tho bayOnet, might turn tse tide Of moinentOa'
battles. We have good mel-stEOng Grms and
= Wn hau