Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-05-28


uliloa bosniblS, and wins anoEaastsdly. 4
was so espeeiAlly during the Fag With Mexi-
co, and we ihould mol bs stanfissd, from
what we know Of his past history, to find the
Southern army lying before Washington
for two or three weekseto come, and the
Northern people aceusins him of cORArdice,
and the Ptesident Of pasillaniulity. We
have litfle doubt, hewkyVr, Of he 6nal re-
sui, considering the relative resources of the
eOuleRdlhg parties thGbasis Of thelr opera
tom, and above Gii, the -eanaes Ia which
they pre enbarked,v Remain tie chances of
war, but for how much those count IN This
stEuggle time alone can tell. Fa
9fisA ts;s7 ~ :. =, q e..
The Richmond Examiner says the chief
valuop infantry & The bayonsts ghose in
fantry are mosg formidable who are most
fieros In charge. 4 When heavy and impor-
tant work Is to bs done. by infantry, the Off
Gers deprive them Of eaFtridFes and knock
of tAeir osPs D eints The cartridge Is q
secondary affair to this arm Of the service,
Il is only intended toFskirmishing, and the
mere by play of battle. When the fight
grows hot, and thetugof war comes on, then
everything is forgotten but the bayonet. The
French, under Napoleon, won as many bat
ties with the bayonet as with the artillery
II was here that they exceIled the phlegmatic
German, the unstable Cossack, aud the irreso-
lutte Italian. They met no enemy IN tue
continent that could resist their headlong and
dsspeTate charge with the bayOnet. It was
not until they found amatch in this enconn.
ter that they began to lose every battle. The
English, Scotch and Irish regiments proved
match, more than q match, for them, with
their own wespon. Equally as brave and
impetuous, these men were of larger frames
and heavier ayoirdupois. They beat them in
the charge. q :. 1,iza....s 10. ia. ..IssssH
at is to forget the true function of inlan.
y, and to subordinate them 10 the secondary
duties Of skirmishers anu scouts, to rely
upon the long range Of their muskets and
their excellence as marksmen. For the
main duties Rppertaihing to infantry proper
they are as well armed with hint-locks and
smoothbore muskets with good bayopets
attached, as they would be with the best
Enfield rifles. The percussion lock, the
rifled barrel and the elongated ball, are only
additional means Of assault given to the in
fantry soldier; and are intended TO afford him
only the same advantages at long range
which side pistol and bowie-kni'e afford
him at close quarters. The true military man
who understands the real purpose of an in
fIntry soldier, stripes him of his bowie knife
and revolver, and thinks more Of the bay onet
than of his rife bore and his long bullet.
The improved arms are much to be
desired, and not to be rejected; but it is q
dangerous policy 70 accustom infantry sOldieis
TO rely alone upon the ball. and to ignore
the grand uses ofthe bayonet The Mexican
war was fought in nchiei part with hint-locks.
The city and provinces of Mexico were con-
quered with gun that we are now prone to
think Of no value. Let US not grow so
enamoured of new things az to forget the
sterling value OF things not so new. If the
bayonet be the real weapon, and the charge
the chief function of infantry regiments, let
Us arm the brsvest Of our troops who can
/ procure no better weapon, with the long flint
lock mpsket, and the same bsyonet which
wrought such havoc at Wa,srloo."