Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1874-08-20

firing ri the small-arms and field-guns of to-
day have seriously affected the uses and mode
Of employing the different arms of service.
The employment of large masses of cavalry
on the field of battle will probably not again
occur, unless under some very exceptional
circumstances. for where the ground is suffi-
ciently open for them to form and act they
will be fully exposed to such fire as will
prevent their advancing or even retaining
their position. The experience of the war OF
1870 II. as far as it went, proved that caval-
~ could not attack good infantry armed with
brccch-loa,irrs without incurrinS certain de-
structun. .\-ain. in reference to the other
duties of the cav;iry, such as escort and pa
trol duty it is quite certain that the brcech-
loader will enable very small parties Of infan-
try to at lcas: annoy cavalry parties so much
as tn hamper them exceedingly in their oper-
atior>. The fact tha, small parties of the
German cavalry ranged so far aud freely in
France. will not serve as a rule for other
cases In a moderately broken or wooded
country two or three good men with breech-
leaders could. with entire safety to them
selves. very soon put IN end to the move
men,s Of ordinary cavalry patrols. 1t is
uuite probable that the future changes in the
cavalry organization will be in the direction
Of assimiatin- a large part Of ii to mounted
infantry.
While the cavalry has lost something of its
importance. the artillery. on the other hand,
has gained in power and independence. The
rcech-loading ticld-guns can bc so readily
placed under cover and fired so rapidly
that it is possible to place them in positions
that the old m,,zzle~:oadcrs could never have
held, and also to trust them to themselves
with slight infantry supports. In 1901,
especially in the latter part OF the war, the
German artillery was usually in advance of
the: infantry line, and often really decided
the battle when practically or entirely without
theiI infantry supports The changes now
being made in Europe seem to bc i'll the di'
rection Of small calibres, heavey charges, flat
ira jectories and long ranges all this accom-.
plshed by means at u material SO light that
it can pass over rough ground, and find posi-
ton almost anywhere. a consequence Of all
this will probably be large increase OF the
relative strength of the artillery. In regard
to the mitraillcuse and similar inventions fol
the rapid and concentrated discharge Ot small
arm bullets. opinions vary exceedingly
There is reason to believe that the last wal
| did not impress the Germans with q ver,
high idea of the value of such weapons, bu
| that they have reached the conclusion that il
face of active and accurate and Ion. range
artillery the mitrailleuse can accomplish very
little. There seems good ground for believ
, ing, however, that for the defense of works
of defles, or of position of limited extent
the utraileuse, or, still better, the Gatling
gun, will prove very valuable adjunct.
The effect of the modern improvement:
upon the infantry has been no less marked
than upon the other arms of the service. If
on the one hand. their new weapon has frect
/ them from all danger from the Once-drea(le(
cavalry, on the other hand the new artillery
is so formidable as to render resort to new
formations and new methods of attack obi
gatory for the dense columns and successive
parallel lines of former years cannot with
stand the distant, rapid and accurate fire OF
modern guns. Neither can those old forma
| tions possibly succeed in the attack of posi-
tions held by good infantry armed will
breech-lOaders. Destruction and wild disor
der must he the result of any such attempt
| Uarpers Mdgozine.