The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-05-27
Pcculiarlties OF the War..Battles
Lasting Several Days.
From the Cincinnati Commercial.

from the Cincinnati COmmerciai.
The popularity of the battles in this
country, in being protracted for several
days, does not arise entirely, as seems to
be commonly supposed, from the extraor-
binary bravery and pertinacity of the troops
engaged. That the men of the opposing
armies possess those qualities in a high de-
gree, is unquestionable; but the two and
three days, and seven and eight days COM
bats may be charged chiefly to the nature
of the country in which the fighting is
done. Nearly oil the considerable battles
in this war, have been fought on broken
and wooded ground. The party acting on
the defensive, invariably posts itself in the
woods or on range of hills, and generally
on wooded hills, intersected by ravines,
with open fields in front The extensive
woods affords ambuscades for armies, and
the long range muskets and artillery en-
ployed, sweeps with consuming effect, over
the open ground, whitening the advancing
columns. the attacking armies also seek
the shelter of woods and undulating
ground, that men moving to the assault
may be covered from the long range fire,
and come to close quarters with little ex-
pOsure. So much of the country where
military operations are conducted is COW
cred by trees and underbrush, and is billy
or mountainous, that one party or the
other almost always has the opportunity
Of making rugged ranges or thickets, the
scenes of conflict. So our battles resemble
in many respects those of the Aboriginees
The battles of Thursday and Friday, the
9Th and 9th of May, Gin the wilderness -
of Spotsylvania, were simply enormous
bushwhacking affairs, very deadly but in
conclusive, and only few brigades were
under the eye of any one officer at any
one time. Lees movements were those
of willy savage-his tactics consisting in
hiding large force in the thickets and
making grand rush, his troops in gen.
uine Indian fashion striving to keep up
their courage and intimidate thier oppo-
nents, by a prodigious screeching and Yell
ing. Grant, with the finest artillery in
tie world. could not use one out of hun
dred of his guns, and the fight was man
to man in the bushes with the musket
When Lee retreated it was of course to
another wooded region, but here the coun-
try being more open, owing to an absence
of underbrush, our artillery was made USE
full, and the fighting was more in the Eu-
ropean style. The difficulties of conquer
ing the rebels are immeasurably enhanced
by the facilities the country they occupy
affords for ambuscades. Virginia is vast
fertilization, Saragossa of thickets and
ravines, woods and swamps, mountains
and streams. If it had been an open cul-
tivated plain, our armies would long ago
have swept through it in triumph.
No well-infOrmed person doubts that if
a general engagement could be brought
on in clear field, large enough for both
armies, where they could be in full view of
each other, that the Army of the Potomac
would rout the rebel army of Northern
Virginia and make an end of it. As it is,
Virginia must be won mile at time,
and the fighting persevered in from day to
day. The best men and superior resources
will be victorious at last, az always; but
the process is necessarily tedious.
1t was believed, before the long range
arms had beer tried, in the American war,
that they would have tendency to short
en- battles and make them more decisive.
Experience shows that they do exactly the
reverse. The officers have much difficulty
in restraining the disposition of the men to
waste their cartridges in distant firing:
batteries get out of ammunition at long
range, having accomplished little beyond
splintering trees. Volleys from the Spring.
field and Enfield rifles are only in rare
instances more effective than those of the
old smooth bore musket. The rihed musket
is, however, a terrible weapon in the hands
of sharpshooter, and the immense num-
Der of officers killed is testimony on this
point. The long range arms tend to keep
masses of troops at long range, and one
side or the other almost invariably gives
way at distance from the enemy, SO that
advantage cannot be instantly taken of
their disorder, and the fugitives have time
to escape or rally.
The rebels for while expressed de-
cided preference for the smooth bore mus
ket, and chuck and ball" cartridge, argu-
ing that buck shot struck great numbers,
who though not seriously hurt, were yet
incapacitated for the time for active effort
and put out of the way. We do not know
that the rebels have even yet given up
their partially for "buck and ball."
Many of our officers entertained similar
ideas as to the comparative effectiveness
of the old and new fashioned infantry
weapons Our volunteers have had per-
feet passion for the rifle that would do ex-
ecution afar, and whatever may be the
merits of the weapon, it has been necessa-
ny to humor them. The effect of Napole-
on's rified cannon at Solferino, in demor-
alizing the Austrian left wing, spread
through the world an exaggerated idea Of
the power of long range artillery. 1t is
extraordinarily efficient
in reducing strong Notifications or
sweeping great plain, such as the
left wing of the Austrian army
stood upon Solferino, but on such battle
fields as we have in America, the smooth
bore and grape and canister are much bet
ter. Shell firing from long range artille-
~ is found to have but little effect upon
steady infantry well posted. Burnsiles
one hundred aud twenty riied pieces, en-
the Stafford Hills, could not drive one
brigade of rebels out of Fredericksburg;
and Lee expended his artillery ammuni-
lion in vain, at Gettysburg, in an effort to
clear the way for his advancing columns.