New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-05-24
RIFLES AND RIFLE PRACTICE.

Proficiency in the use Of the rife can only be 40
quired By diigent and systematic practice. IL is not
ordinarily found in those regiments recruited about
our great cities from who never before banded
gun, but in thoee made up of young men from the
woods, who, from the daily Of the rifle know ia
power. This knowledge, when combined with thor
ough discipline, makes them nvincible Hence school
of practice established by Government, are indispen
cable and should be organized in this country. Tie
French have such at Vincennes, Toulouse, st. One'
and Grenoble whence officers and men well instructed
in the principles of firing sent out into the army
large aud impar to it the same system anc encleney
An attempt was made 70 establish such school at fod
Monroe for artillery practice, but schools for inin
are far more pressingly needed The value Of ue
bayouet in battle is well understood; but the Ach
now incontestibe that the efficiency Of body Of IN
fnntry resides essentially in it's accuracy Of fire. iad
made more apparent from the recent improvements %
firearms. A col wel!.drected fire from body Of nea
armed with the best modern rifle or rlhemusAet, SUI
toient 10 stop the advance Of almost any body Of
troope but the very best disciplined men will, IN nns
Of battle, fire with precipaney and at too great a|
lance. The thoroughness Of practice, also, should
in proportion the efficiency Of the troops to be sn
countered In one OF Col. Steptoes encounters VIE
the Indians of Washington Territory, bis men wes
armed with the old musket, and they soon exPendsa
their ammunition in Intellectual firing against eneua
mounted on fleet horses armed partly with rifles parry
with bows and arrows, wbose deadly shaft w~ sh@
with astonishing accuracy, and rate exceeding the
rapidly Of an expert hand with Ii revolver Charge
OF cavalry against them failed, and our men retrese<
to avoid humiliation. Some weeks subsequently ta
81 In lima Ipf hur ip In
interval procured the rifle instead Of the muske ns
Indians We're totally routed.
In the successful and oftrepeated repulse Of cava
charges by squares of infantry the main dependence
not on the use of the bayonet but in the close, well
directed fire, delivered as the horsemen aPposen
This breaking their formation, and disorganzng 1hs'
ranks leaves them at the end of their charge Win
wall of bayonets in 'front.' against which horses cams
be forced unless at full speed and supported 10y nan0
behind. II is this injury, before the shock takes pAS
which pTeyents cavalry from breaking squares
infantry. So accurate and fatal has tbe ri'e oo''
by modern Improvement, that il has been cus'omH'
uuderrate the artillery arm on the held oil Ua''e'
the assertion is frequently made that the use OF tne
will entirely supeisede the use of heldPisees 10 Wa
since their fire has greater range and mere aeeuf'
than the feld-pieces now in use. But able m'"'
writers doubt ths. Others insist that artier!"'
will be shot down AT such distance from Their gus
TO make il impossible to serve them IN tie lace :"
fantry that sayones will not be crossed 50 o'en W
nersonal conflicts, such as line against line, or oO"'
a,nipst column. will cease altogether, ana iu'u" y"
bats be decided by the effectsof rapid ana desp''
fire. ON the precision of which, rather than I'd
ao,,oo, and extensive combinations, the result WIZ
depend. In India Hsvelock moved down Wv
Columns of advancing insurgents 10y Mime rnes ''''
worked dreadful havoc 10 the Austrans Al haee'
andSolferno GaIibald reiIeated before thel w.H~
inc fire AT Rome At the battle of Ilstedt, ooo!
| skirmishers. armed with rifles, dscharginS ou.
balls. made an attack on the Danes at distance
wards Artillery replied 10 them, cavalry h"s'
heated charges at them, and infantry adVaooeD
they could not be moved. la less than an noa'
killed seventy men, with several officers OF nien 49,
and ninety horses. This havoc gives color W VIZ
of the improved rifle supersedng held-arti"eiJ'
The fire of the ordinary musket is uncertain v. u
900 wards bat when troops are in eomPac' p'' =, *
ia still very effective beyond that diS'an,', ~
wards the musket ball is still deadly, anu "A
known to kill &C even greater distances. Inc ea
range Of the raed spherical ball is over loo ,sE
oblopc rifle ball is effective at 900 yards OF n~ ,eI
half a mile. The rifle was in use as carry = III
Almost every European army has adopted "e IA VI
of rifle essentially differing from each o'ns'. vel
small German States they use bullets Oh ai"o" -
conceivable ahspe and size. The principal sr~