The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-06
THE NEEDLE GUN.
What DON PIatt Thinks of ft-The Man
Behind the Gun Better tina Il the Cum
Value OF the Bayonet.
ponaence Cincinnati Commercial ]

correspondence ClnC!uHau CouWeTClai.I
The needle qua is to Europe what the mask-
ed batteries were to US IN the late war. fear
full mystery and humbug. 1t was the man
back of the needle gun who won for Prussia
her great victories, and they were won in spite
of the nsedle gun.
The cool precision OF well-trained man is
worth more in the hour OF peril to govern
ment than all the inventions Of Yapkeedom.
The deadlies. instrument known to the world
is the bayonet, that will not repeat, nor carry
beyond the arm that uses it. II infautry can
be go trained as to use The bayonet, that iu--
fantry is irresistible.
This was our trouble during the lats war.
Our men threw away their ammunition. 80
soon as ordered into action they Jegan 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, one OF the
coolest and cleares:-headed officers in our
service, sent me to Co!oLel Bohlen, then CON-
maudrng brigade, to order forward two or
three regiments to occupy q wood that crown
ed knoll the General thought important for
us to hold. II had been shelled to no purpose
apparently. delivered the order, and the
line was moved forward. The men began firing
as soon as the order was gwen. They were.
not within range. remarked this to Colonel
Bohlen, and he said: Certainly not; but wha
the devil can one do The command to cease
firing is OF no use while we. march toward the
enemy" And 80 the wild abuse OF smmum
ton continued. The enemy made no re
sponse. The wood being approached Dy our
troops was as silent as cemetery. When. az
last, our poor fellows we're within fifty yards OF
the fatal spot, the Confederates seemed to rise
out Of the earth, and, with Wild yell, deliver
ed one welI-dlrected fire. Some nineteen or
twenty Of our men and officers were killed on
the spot, three times the number wounded,
and the entire line retreated IN confusion. Inc
reason given, aud true one. was. tout OF am
munition."
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
men, no braver than the poor fellows VINO
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 nave
taught the foe lesson not easily forgotten.
do not believe that Te had real bayonet
charge during the entire war.
Many tell me that this implies superiority
in the Southern troops. beg pardon, / mean
nothing Of the sort. The Southern soldier was
no better trained than our own. But there did
exist q military spirit at the South we do not
and never duo possess, or attempt to cultivate.
We make few precious officers at West Point,
who, like General Boum, have immense spirit
and no army.
happened to be present one day when an
ingenious gentleman undertook to explain 10
Mr.. Stanton cunningly designed repeater.
"The best invention for kiilng," said Mr..
Stanton, "was made by God Almighty, when
he created man. / would rather have o,e
good soldier with single charge in hls gun,
determined 10 kill somebody, than new re-
cruit armed with repeater. and followed b. O
wagon load OF ammunition"
The question Of transportation Is grave
ono IN war, and man can have in battle as
much ammunition as he can conveniently
carry. II is therefore an error 10 suppose that
in repeater we double or quadruple the num-
ber OF men, il in 80 doing we weigh down The
soldier. or have to follow him with wagon
loa ! of ammunition. The true art Of war lies
10 the imaginary order OF old Putnam, of "Re-
serve your fire. boys, until you cln see the
whires OF their eyes,"
But We went crazy with the rest, aud had
our fine Spriugfeia les turned into reoeaters
at cost that would have bought us new ones,
some internal scoundrels pocketing the profits.