Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-12-22


The most formidable Of the cchOading small arms
which have been employed IL the present bostlte1, is
the Spencer rife. The rapdity with which it may be
fired, without the least change of position, makes it
very Cfecva and with very little hazard to him who
uses it, if under The stock Of The gun is
hollow, and is m9gazue Of cartridges The action OF
the lock in dis charging md re-cCckng brings the mex
cartridge into poItlOu and on until the supply is
exhausted The maguz ne is then Tepenshed III u half
minute and the process Is repeated.
The objection TO the OF b9eech loading small arms
is that the men, excitement fire their amIuuni-
zion without proper consideration or DO1dug ell
feet There IL grett deal Of uOjsC great aDidlty Of
firing, with but little execution. Before battle is
fairly Joined the cartridges exhausted. The use OF
brtech IOade-s has beal pretty much ccnned to cava
rymen because Of the facilities they possefs OF carrying
abundance of ammunition, thus heetIDg one OF the dill
cutes in the use of bltecA-loader5 by the Infantry
Hence with the cavalry, and particularly with the
n.y. the use of breech leaders is almost universal
OF these the Spencer rifle is now most extensively
pIoyed.
embrace large number Of these Spencer rifles. 1t
would be em;nenty desirable to arm cavalry with
them, and thus that inequality between the op-
posing lines which told heavily against in the
cavalry encounters of the past campaigp practical
difficulty exists, however which are informed has
not yet been removed. We Cali to it the attention of
ordnance department. ta the ingenuity which has
won so many triImpbs in Obvating other difficulties
may perform q sima; service D this The Spen
|
ed 10 our soldiers. Ih5 cartridges put up in cop
! per cases Of peculiar m2cnanism Whicn have not
yet undertaken to make. Hence valuable captures
are stacked away IL OF aImores, as 80 much dead
weight The thing needed iJ The mann@ctute OF car
trdges for the Spencer rifle. u surrey cannot be long
before they will De made, and 10 abundance
Has not familiarity with war yet given sufficient cool
ness very many Of veterans 10 ensure an adVsn
tageous use OF these rapid shooters 10 the hands Of
iniantrymeD, in regular battle? We should think go
and if 30, there is estimating the effectiveness Of
company OF thus armed, every regiment, evan
in every brigade. Each man, if the enemy be uOcOV-
cred, might fire with equally careful am, often
ten muzzeloaders and without tenth OF the exposure
Of bis parsOn. O0co uuder sheltCr nothing would re-
main but to select his successive obects aim, pull the
trigger, aim, pull the trigger, and oB almost nde
niteIy, without any change OF bis own position. The
value of such in repei!ing a charge, Is almost
beyond estimation. Ga the part Of the attacking par
y, the obec is to hasten to the taLd encounter with
the utmost celerity, to receive tew voleys as
possible The endeaVOg the other side, s 10 pour
in the utmost number OF well aimed shots.
The Spencer rife w9ad be The exact thing fer this
latter 1h5Ee would be no x waiting till
the enemy was 10 close range lyr these Tln-a would
easy deliver ten yoys before The assaiants could adj
vance hfty yards O4ce within ihot distance ths enc
my would ba annnlIatcd before they c'0d e'ther ap-
pOach retreat. The 5apldiy ana a1iural OF taese
gus illustrated when our foFc' we're Norm OF
the Chickahomioy. A nnKee s2arPaHooter' rom d
tree ton onaned HCOn Jnfcderate officer, who showed
hmapf ward TWO out Of the trenches, and before
the latter could without unbacomng precipitation,
regain cover three successive balls w9!:cd near hn,
one of which pierced his garments.
Whether these guns no ever, can be introduced ad-
vanageousy into the Infantry service no there is
no controversy as the expediency Of putting breach
leaders into the hands OF cayalrymen. If we use them
at ALL we should use the best get aud large
number Of the bsst the world has yet produced are In
possession, but idle for of ar.ridges 80 we
informed by caVarymen-Will the odn ince depart
ment please 10 take notice ?-k1ch. Sentinel.
La Renaissance "L9aisiaaais," is the te oi a paper
pu .ished IL New Orleans. IL IS re organ 0! tne
French-American population Of the SUN, snd IS US
intensely southern any paper IL 1ne o0hea'r@c7-
OF course, it will shortly be suppressed.