New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-10-11
The French Soldier at Home.


The CAMP AT CHALoSs-Changes in The Aamy.
In the French army there is constant improve
ment going on, and experience is turned into ac-
count. No doubt there is red tape enough in the
French as in any other army, but still somehow or
other the progress takes place. 1t was the ease
under the Orleansts, and has been the case much
more under the presents Emperor, who takes great
personal interest in the subject, and has besides
the power of the Frat" Thus, after appearing
with the first iron clad ships at kinburn, attention
was turned to the guns, and when most people had
scarcely gone beyond an experiment in the mat
ter, the French appeared in the Italian war with
their whole field artillery metamorphosed into
rifed guns, which both in mobility, range and ac-
curaey, proved superior to anything until then
known, and have since served model to almost
all the armies of the continent.
Since the war in Italy an almost entire change
has been made in equipment and drill. The zOuaye
breeches, the leather leggings, reaching little
above the white linen gaiter, have been uniVer-
sally adopted for the infantry soldier. About the
convenience of this there can be no more question
than about the snartness of it.. 1t does away with
braces, which are no small Inconvenience to the
heavily laden soldier; it enables the soldier to lie
down and sleep without being obliged to go
through all kinds of processes, or get up next
morning more tired than ever. The light Logging
is support to the leg and to the gaiter,
The old tunc has likewise changed, but in an
opposite direction; it has taken the shape of the
short tunic of the Chasseurs-a-Pied de Ia Garde.
This change was necessary account of the first;
it is decidedly smarterratherle less convenient but
great coat is adopted, this does not matter.
Another more important change is the universal
adoption of the rife. Sights are abolished with
the exception of the rifles of the ChasseuFs, who
keep their old weapon as it was. The explanation
is, that only troops delte will use sights with dis
elimination, and that one can scarcely rely. on
250 900 proving :; besides which, it is main
tanned that the great mass of soldiers will learn
better to their weapons by practice, like sports
men at different distances, without going through
the double process of first judging the distances,
and then adjusting the sights, which, above all,
under the fire of the enemy requires considerable
sang f1oid.
With the abandonment of the smooth bore and
the adoption of the rifle came consequent change
| in field exercise. commission was appointed to
| draw up regulations and after a labor of
| more than year. its project was sanctioned in
| February last 1t changes the very formation,
| which was hitherto the basis of all eYolutions. 1t
| was three deep, and has become two deep now
Which of the two is the better was long contro-
| yerted the adversares Of the former arguing the
necessity of the third rank an element of solid
| ity, while the supporters OF the second insisted
upon the uselessness of the third rank for firing, its
exposure to the fire of the enemy, and the benefit
which might be derived from its being used for the
prolongation of the line. The English and Swiss
armies, were the only ones who adopted the latter
| view, and lately the Sardinians.
| Had the French army remained unchanged in its
composition it would have been probably long be-
| fore the formation two deep would have been
adopted. But great modification has been TAX
|
was very rare to find soldiers r&enlisting after
having served their time now great numbers do
it, so that the proportion Of old soldiers IS growing
at a great rate. The reason is the advantage
offered now which did not exist before. First, the
| price of remplacant has been raised to 2G0Of The
term of service emitting the soldier to pension
| mas been lowered to twenty-five years. Ihe pen
sion itself has been almost doubled considering,
besides, that for every years campaigning counts
for two years service, and that almost every
steady soldier arrives after long service to the
rank of ncn-commissioned officer, or at least gets
the medaille which gives pension OF 1O0f; the
soldier has a chance after less than twenty years
of servce.to retire with a competence of 800 tC
700 francs year. Besides this, there is the Impe
rial Guard, which likewise oilers chance of bet
tering the soldiers position.
No wonder that the proportion of old soldiers i;
daily increasing, and, if it continues it will change
altogether the French army. 1t is scarcely neces
sary to say what help this is in the lighter forma
tion which has now been introduced,
She formation now introduced in the line Of bat
tls is almost identical with that in the English anG
Swiss armies the leading idea being to supply the
and sergeants. This, together with the distribution
Of the rest of the officers on tht
1anks of the section keeps the whole together,
Il CHANGES IN DElLL"--Slow step Is altogether cont
away with, the pas ordtH0l'e being liked at K
the minute, double quick to ITO in a minute, be
sides which the pas gy1lnastiqle of the Chasseur
has been introduced in the line, wisely meeting
want which showed itself every moment. Formerl
TO get quicker luto pace lne souel LOON w llle
! gular running; now this running has been regC
lated.
! Indeed, the chief Improvement in the new evolJ
tons is the adaptation OF many things which wer
7 already in use with the Chasseurs-a Pied. A.
cordiug 10 the old regulations, light infantry exc
else aud skirmishing was properly the duty Of Il
r light infantry regiments, and later, when the:
:. were done away WITH Of the aank compane
s The eihers, although now and then put throus
f the movements, were scarcely regularly iustructe
f hence il most cases the soldier had to do it as be
0 he could. Now almost the identical mOvemen
h in square by the Chasseurs- a. Pied have been
trodQced as part of the education Of each indvi
:, ual soldier; nay, it forms prominent part Of it
j The formation by fours is the basis Of it toG
II movement. The group has the Darne OF e0atgl
e s4oNs 6'alNleS, destined, as they are, to act
l. gether, Minute regulations are laid Gown, lot