Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-06-07
WATERFOWL, WIS, FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1861
Sharpshooting.

According to accounts of firing kept in
the late Italian war, it is said to require
not less than two hundred and seventy
pounds of lead to kill man in battle
And yet, into the regiment of crack rife
shots which it is proposed to raise in this
city, no man viii be admitted who cannot
bit an enemy at least once in three times
at a distance of half mile f; and so thor
oughly are English light infantry troops
now practised IN the use of the MIME and
Enfield rifles, that party of thirty skirm-
ishers will be able to destroy battery of
light artillery at eight hundred yards dis
tance (nearly half mile) in one minute
The battles Of the revolution were gain
ed by the rife; and American TROOPS have
always retained name among the armies
of the world for excellent craftsmanship.
In the Italian war each man killed cost
four thousand two hundred rounds of ball
cartridge. At the battle of Vittoria, in
the Peninsular war, eight hundred balls
were fred for each man killed. st the
battle of Cherubusco the Mexicans killed
one Of our men for every eight hundred
rounds they fred, while the Americans
killed one for every one hundred and TWEEN
ty-fvs rounds.
What proportion of sharp there
are IN our present volunteer army, it is not
easy to say. Probaly more than is gener
ally thought. Target shooting has been
practice growing in favor for some years
among the military companies in all our
large cities; and the troops from the coun-
try-especially the western men-are prob
ably even mora practised marksman than
our city regiments.
The value of good shooting in action
cannot be oyerrated; and every general
who has commanded in battle has felt the
benefit of large parties of skirmishers,
picked men, who hover on the outskirts OF
battle, and with unerring aim pick off the
enemy in detail. The mere knowledge
that they are thus marked by men who
have only to aim to make death certain is
often quite sufficient to make the enemy's
force waver, in an important position and
with MIME or Enfield rifles regiment of
dead shots would be quite able to cope
with and render useless the enemy's field
artillery.
We allude to this because we desire to
impress upon those who superintend the
of reserve corps in various
States, the Importance of establishing ev-
erywhere company target practice; and
encouraging by every means citizens of all
ages to make themselves expert in the use
of the rife In less than two years the
English have become a nation of marks
men: and setting aside the immense in
crease in effectiveness which they have
thus gained in case Of war, the mere feel
ing of confidence with which troops thus
practised will 90 into battle is in itself
moral force which cannot be overrated.
We are not likely to lack men to main
tain the Union against all enemies that
may come; but everybody desires that
this war may be so useful as to have every
man dead shot, and every regiment
regiment Of sharpshooters. Those who
are now in the field will have to perfect
their practice in battle but for those Tho
remain at home and await further call,
there is time still to make themselves more
effective for their country's service Let
US have rife galleries and shooting match
es in every city, town, village and country
neighborhood throughout the country; and
with proper encouragement We shall soon
be nation Of crack shots-N. 7. Ere
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