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

in squares forty .fce deep. just imagine
modern artillery firing into such masses J
The cavalry of Gustavus was in four
ranks, and that of the Austrians in eight
Later yet we find the lines of infantry
reduced to three ranks of musketeers,
aud one Of pikemen; and after the bayo-
net came into general use, infantry
adopted the present formation OF three
ranks, and cavalry that of two. In the
English service and ours, infantry is
formed in two ranks only.
1t is not one of the least curious facts
of military history, that between the fall
Of the Roman Empire and the beginning
of the last century, the art or practice Of
keeping the step in marching should have
been entirely lost. This must be owing
TO the neglect into which infantry fell
during the age of Chivalry. We find
Marshal dc SAKE about 1850, alluding to
the fact, and reminding his cotempora-
ries that the Greeks aud Romans used
the cadenced step, and that the purpose
Of military music was to enable the sol
diers to keep it better. Then he goes on
to show the inconvenience of not keeping
and locking the step. For example, the
impossibilty of battalion's keeping its
ranks and dress when marching to the
front, and the elongation of the line when
marching by flank. In this latter case,
the space occupied by company or bat
talon would be nearly double that which
they ought to occupy in line of battle
The cadenoed step came into use again
with the introduction of the Prussian
system of tactics.
Since the adoption of the present or
der of formation, the power OF fire arms
has not remained stationary. Successive
inventions have augmented the range aud
effects of proiectiles. Artillery has be-
come much more rapid, both in its firing
aud its evolutions, especially since the
creation of horse artillery by Frederick
the Great The introduction of the inn
proved field howitzer, by means of which,
a shell fillel with powder aud balls, can
produce the effects of grapeshot at dis
tance previously attainable only by solid
shot, and the Tightening Of the artillery
"materiel,' allowing the use of heavier
calibres for field pieces, make it impossi-
BILE to set limit to the loss of life which
a large aud we'll served battery may
cause in deep attacking column. Ma
poeon, great as he was in strategy, too
often neglected or under-estinated these
tactical details He exaggerated the use
of the deep order of attack. In many
instances, says Jomini, divisions of twelve
battalions deployed behind each other,
and presenting depth of hirty-sir ranks,
were exposed to the fire of those tremen
dous batteries, of fifty or hundred
pieces, which played so important part
in the battles of that period. The column
of Nc cDonald at Wagram, which marched
to the attack of the Austrian centre, 16,-
600 strong, and which numbered only
$4,000 after piercing that centre, showed
what awful havoc may be the consequence
of tae reckless use of deep masses under
the fire of modern artillery.
For long period, small arms were far
from keeping pace with the improve
ments in ordnance. Since the invention
Of the flint lock and the bayonct, the
musket had undergone no material alter
alton, except the substitution of the iron
for the wooden ramrod. OF late years,
the percussion lock has superseded the
flint, but the only effect of this, has been
to make the firing much more certain in
all kinds Of weather and to remove the
Inconvenience caused by the blowing of
the vent and the flashing and smoke of
tho powder in the pan, SO troublesome
when the frings were executed with
closed ranks. The inaccuracy Of the
musket, and the shortness of it's effective
range were not remedied. These defects
had long been felt by military men.--
Gen. Gassendi, a very distinguished ar
tilleiy officer, estimated, that Of 1000
shots fired by infantry, only one takes
effect; and Decker, one of the most erni-
nent military. writers o. Germany, says,
that it takes en- average of 10000 SHOTS
to kill one man. These estimates are not
matter of conjecture; they are deduced
from actual results, observed in large
number of campaigns. Take for exam
pie, the capture of Algiers by the French
in 1880. The army, in fifteen days, used
three millions of cartridges. Tho loss of
the Arabs was probably under five thou
sand men, and as the French artillery
played the principal part in the conflict,
it is very probable that the number OF
the Arabs killed or wounded by muskctry
was under three thousand This was
less than one man TO every thousand
shots, and if the campaign had continued
six months instead Of fifteen days, the
waste would have been still greater. Col.
Mitchell, an English officer of some dis
tinction, in work published nearly
twenty years ago, demonstrated very
clearly the ineiliciency of the musket as
projectile weapon, although he failed to
indicate good substitute. lie quotes
from Napier, an incident which took
place in Spain. "A French general came
down to the bank Of creek TO recon.
noitre the British positi-a. He advanced
on horseback within 200 yards to the BIZ
vouac Of company of grenadiers; an
English officer who was looking on, called
out to one of the men:
"B--, you are good shot--bring
down the Frenchmanp
The man took .alihorate ain, aud