East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-02-25

Us acceplaoie 10 tue BeueIai IeaueI as the
following:
One Of the most irresistible propensi-
ties of the human character, is that
which Phrenologists designate by the
name of Combativeness." Man, in his
actual condition, is a fighting animal ;
and whatever may be the lucubrations of
vegetarians and Peace societies, his pug
nacious disposition is likely to endure, at
least until that millennial period, in
which he shall turn his swords into
ploughsharcs and his spears into prun-
ing hooks. Casting glance at tho still
smoking ruins of Sebastopol, around
which and for which half million Of
lives have been sacrificed, we can hardly
admit that the blessed time is at hand !;
it is unfortunately more probable that
for.several centuries yet, the nations of
the earth will have recourse to those
gentle persuaders, cold steel and villain
Gus saltpetre.
1t is indeed sad to think, that history
is little else but the record of sanguinary
strife. If the human blood shed on our
planet, in mortal combat, from Abel to
this day, had impaired to it permanent
stain, perhaps the whole earth would be
clothed in crimson robe, and old ocean
himself would be dyed with the CORY
hue. What region of the Old World has
not furnished its many battle6elds? And
even in this new and virgin continent,
who knows how many dusky warriors
the old primeval oaks of the wilderness
have seen perish in general conflicts or in
single combats, of which neither history
nor tradition has preserved the memory
Perhaps there is not single dell in our
now peaceful woods which has not been
the scene of some desperate struggle
1t may be that this Western world had
also it's Alexanders and Caesars, cotempo-
rary with or even anterior to those of old
Europe, and not inferior to them in
genius or achievements.
But deplorable as are the evils Of war,
it must be confessed, even by the most
tender-hearted philanthropists, that they
have not been unmixed with good. War
may Justly be ranked among the most
powerful civilizing agents that ever ope-
rated to bring the world to its present
condition.; and it is the cultivation and
perfection of the science of war which
ensures the existence of modern civiliza-
ton. At the present day, all the savage
hordes that ever poured from Scandina-
via or Scythia, would be utterly unable
to sweep over Western Europe as they
did over the Roman Empire; and the
larger their numbers, the more certain
would be their destruction.
We propose in this article, briefly to
pass in review some of the changes which
have taken place in the art of war, from
the earliest day to the present time; and
especially to discuss the notifications
which have been produced in the tactics
of armies by the improvementsin in Artillery,
embracing under this generic term all
the weapons the purpose Of which is to
throw projectiles.
The word Artllery," according to
Webster, is connected 'etymologically y
with art, artist-indicating Instruments
formed by art. According to another
author, it is derived from "aroas" and
"tehma." 1t is certain that the term ar
tllere was applied to bows and arrows
long before the invention of gunpowder.
The first weapons used by men were
probably clubs, and stakes sharpened at
one end, and hardened by fire. Stones
and darts were employed as projectiles,
and at first thrown by hand, but their
very limited range when thus used, sug-
gested the advantage of artificial means
very moderate degree of ingenuity
would produce the sling and the bow
These were the weapons Of the light
armed troops among the ancients. In
deed, the bow kept its place until CON-
paratively modern period; ard it is said
to be used, oonjointly with fire arms, by
the Circassans to this day. The artil.
lery of the ancients consisted in balistic
machines, of two kinds. Those having
but one arm were derived from the sling,
and those having two arms from the
bow.
There is great deal of confusion in
the terms used by ancient authors to
designate the machines then in use. The
terms ball,sta and catapnlta are employed