The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1861-12-21
Accuracy of Infantry Fire.

.liucu, So Snlall Il NUMBER OF cO0lOatantS
have been killed or disabled. 1t seems
to be the popular idea that every cannon
shot must kill is dozens, or that every
rife shot must be fatal. But the noun
tains of shot and shell which are now
being manufactured, of themselves ex-
plode such an idea. If but half of them
occasioned wounds or death, war would
be an infinitely more murderous business
than it ever has been. 1t has been
asccrtained by the best Prussan mill
tary authority, that during the long con-
.inucd wars of Napoleon, it required
rams own weight in lead 10 be expended
in disabling a single individual by infan-
try, and ten times his weight in iron
when discharged by artillery.
The most conclusive evidence exists
establishing the truth of this statement.
The details of all of Napolcon's battles
have been inves igated the quantity of
ammunition used by each belligerent
ascer aimed ; comparisons instituted as to
the weight Of metal fired and the number
of men disabled and the result, of this
most elabora examination is stated
above. 1t constitu es a table of mortality
on the battlefield whose trustworthiness,
at least when no other arms are taken
in:o account than those in use thirty
years ago, cannot be impeached. On
the morning of the ba tie of Vittoria,
every British infantry soldier had in his
cartouch-box GO ball-cartridges, alto
gethcr 100000 rounds. In addition
TO these, l,3OO, 900 more were issued by
the field train to the troops. AS near
as could be ascertained, .3,675,O00 of
these cartridges were consumed in the
action. On that occasion the Bri ish
encountered an army of 90, 900 men, into
whose ranks this astonishing number of
balls was fired, while 90 pieces of artil-
lery fired 73 rounds each of shot or shell j.,
total Of $50 rounds. Only 5000 of
che enemy were killed and wounded,
showing that only one musket shot in
400 took etfec', and counting the artil-
lery, there was not, on that occasion,
above one musket ball in 800 which was
not ut erly thrown away. On one occa-
sion in 1881, Il patrolling party at the
Cape of Good Hope expended $4,000
ball cartridges in killing and disabling
% native savages, or 5000 rounds to
each kafTir.
No European military authori csti-
mates less han 5000 cartridges as neccs-
sary to be expended for every man disa-
blcd. Some 60 even as high as 10000.
When the French attacked the Algicrs
in 1880, they consumed 100000 car
tridges in two weeks, and occasioncd a
compara lively small amount of slaugh er.
Coming down still later, the French Army
in the Crimca expended 23,OOO,U 900 car
tridges without having disabled $4,000
Russians. Yet on this occasion they
used The Mimic ball exclusively, a missile
which is alleged TO have doubled the
effectiveness of the musket of Napoleon s
time Even in our own experience the
strangcst discrepancies are discoverable.
A the ba tie OF Churubusco the Amer-
cans disabled Mexican for every 125
cartridges fired, while it required 500
Mexican shots to disable an American.
No such sharp shooting as this is on
record i'll European experience; but,
striking as it is, when compared with
such a standard, il is not equal to the
magnificent firing made by the Americans
at Bunker Hill. Judging by the Rebel
account of the capture of Col. Mulligan
at Lexington, that gallant officer, though
fighting five days behind intrenchmcn, s,
must have expended many thousand car
tridges for every disabled Rebel, though
delivered from rifed muskets.
Military men find no difficulty in ac-
counting for the small effect produced
by the expenditure of such vast amounts
of ammunition. Governments have
sought to discover the cause, as we'll as
to lessen expenses in he supply Of ammu-
milton self, as in the business of trans
porting it from place to place. 1t con-
sists IN rapid firing, erroneous estimate
of distances, long ranges, and insufficient
target practice. All these indespensa-
bic clemens are taught to every Euro
pean recruit, in schools Of practice estab-
lshe9 for The purpose of making infantry
fire effective. AS to rapid y of firing,
it is held that the word rapid, in that
connection, ought to be expunged from
the soldiers vocabulary. With proper
aim and delibcration, four to five rounds
may be fired in two mimi es. So far
from urging men to fire rapidly, they
should be urgently cautioned against it.
1t is this excessive has e which causes
much of the useless expenditure of car
tridges. Col. Wilcox of the United
Sta es Army says that the want of accu-
racy of fire has ever been reproach to
infantry. He recies many causes as
consprng 20 render it ,uoffective-ex-
cessive rapidity, the excl ement incident
to the strife, the difficulty of aiming
properly in consequence of the dust and
smoke, the necesi y of firing By command,
the uns eadiness rosul ing from the pres
sure of files to the right or lief, or in
front and rear. TO these he adds firing
beyond The elfcc i've range of the musket.
In this country VIC have no schools for rifle
practice but the forests and tile praircs. 1t
~ there our markamcn are cfcated; and OF