The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-08-18
VOLUME e---No. 8.
The Needle Gun.

The needle gun is to Europe what the mask
ed batteries were to us in the late war, a fears
full mystery and a humbug. 1t was the man
back of the needle gun who won for Prussia
her great victories, and they were won in spite
of theneedle gun.
The cool precision of well trained man is
worth more in the hour of peril to Govern
ment than all the inventions of Yankeedom.
The deadliest instrument known to the world
is the bayonet, that will not repeat, nor carry
beyond the arm that uses it. If infantry can
be so trained as to use the bayonet, that infan-
try is irresistible.
This was our trouble during the late war.
Our men threw away their ammunition. So
soon as ordered into action they began firing at
random, rapidly as they could under intense
excitement and to little or no purpose.
Let me illustrate. At the bloody little battle
of Cross Keys, General Fremont sent me to
Colonel Bohlen, then commanding brigade,
to order forward two or three regiments to oc-
cupy woods that crowned knoll the General
thought important for us to hold. 1t had been
shelled to no purpose apparently. delivered
the order and the line was moved forward.
The men began firing soon as the order was
given. They were not within range. re-
marked this to Colonel Bohlen, and he said,
Certainly not but what the devil can one do;
the command to cease firing is of no use willis
we march toward the enemy" And so the
wild abuse of ammunition continued. The
enemy made no response. The wood being ap-
preached by our troops was silent as a cemete-
ry. When, at last our poor fellows were within
fifty yards of the fatal spot, the Confederates
seemed to rise out of the earth, and, with
wild yell, delivered one we'll directed fire.
Some nineteen or twenty of our men and Off
GERS were killed on the spot, three times the
number wounded and the entire line retreated
in confusion. The reason given, and true
one, was "out of ammunition"
There is not an officer in our service who saw
actual fighting, who will not sustain me in this,
by "reminiscences of like sort.
Had that line been made up of well-trained
men, no braver than the poor fellows who
fought and suffered, and had they advanced on
the wood with fixed bayonets, the twenty would
have been killed and as many wounded, but we
could have cleared the wood and taught the foe
lesson not easily forgotten.
do not believe that we had real bayonet
charge during the entire war.
Many tell me that this implies q superiority
nothing of the sort The Southern soldier was
no better trained than our own. But there did
exist military spirit at the South we do not
and never did possess, or attempt to cultivate.
We make few precious officers at West Point,
who, like General Baum, have immense spirit
and no army.
I happened to be present one day when an
ingenious gentleman undertook to explain to
Mr. Stanton cunningly designed repeater.
'The best invention for killing" said MIR.
Stanton, "was made by God Almighty, when
he created man. I would rather have one
good soldier with a single charge in his gun de-
termined to kill somebody that a new recruit
armed with repeater, and followed by wagon
load of ammunition"
The question of transportation is grave one
in war, and man can have in battle as much
ammunition as he can conveniently carry. 1t
is therefore an error to suppose that in re-
peater we double or quadruple the number of
men, if in so doing we weigh down the soldier,
or have to follow him with a wagon-load of am
muniton The true art of war lies in the i'm
aginary order of old Putnam, of reserve your
fire, boys, until you can see the whites of their
eyes,"
But we went crazy with the rest and had
our fine Springfield rifles turned into repeaters
at cost that would have bought US new ones,
some internal scoundrels pocketing the profits.
Cincinnati Commercial.