The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-11-05
A Veterans Theory on the True use
Of Field Artillery.


the War in the Federal Army Of the
Potomac, criticises some of the er
rors and plumbers of the War, and
offers some practical suggestions,
from which, if they had been follow
ed, very different results might have
been attained. We give some of his
observations on the use of Field Ar
tillery:
/ firmly believe that there was not
a general officer in either army that
understood the use of artillery. They
knew how to mass it, to try to pro-
duce some effect with it, to handle it
as they were taught from books it
should be handled. But never saw
or heard of chief of artillery who
really understood the arm. If the ar
mics are not intrenched it is the deci-
sive arm of the service. With it, pro-
perly handled, battles that are almost
lost can be gained. With it, improp-
erly handled, battles that are won can
be lost. There were many privates in
the Potomac Army who knew more Of
artillery than the officers, and we all
laughed to see light artillery put to do
the work of shovel in battering down
earthworks. We who served the Ma
poleon guns when the lines of gray
charged knew just what gun could
do. We who rode on the timber and
caisson chests, while moving rapidly
under fire, knew the slight danger
there was of being hit by hostile balls.
The battle of Gettysburg will serve
to illustrate my meaning. 1t is said
that the Confederate Chief of Artillery,
Armstrong, l think, intended to send
the artillery into the charge with Long
streets corps. But he wisely changed
his mind and kept it out. With rifles,
instead of smooth bore muskets, in the
hands of cool infantry, artillery cannot
60 with charging column. No longer
can one hundred guns head u column,
as Napoleon formed Macdonald's col.
umn at Wagram. But let us suppose
that Armstrong had massed but sixty
guns, under cover Of the woods, and
when Longstreet's corps moved for
ward on their desperate charge he had
watched the advancing column, and
seeing that it was to succeed, as it did,
in breaking our life, he had advanced
at the full run; that two batteries of
thirty guns each, fully manned and
ably differed, had rushed to the front
of their exhausted infantry, and had
taken position on the ridge, not in line
for the accidental position of Meade's
men to enflade, but had swung one
half into line on "action left" the 9TH
er into line on faction right what
would have been the RESULT Ask any
man of the Second Corps who was in
that battle what would have been the
result. 1fsixty or even forty guns had
opened on the Second Corps with can
mister. the men could not have faced
it. They would have been driven
from the field or annihilated, and we
would have lost the battle of Gettys-
burg, and the Southern Confectionery
wonld to-day I've an accomplished fact.
Infantry charging where the enemy
has no earthworks should always he
followed by artillery. 1t should be
pushed to the front under the cover of
the smoke, and then it would speedily
decide the result.
Only once can remember of an in
telligent use being made of artillery on
either side, and that was at Clancel-
louisville by Gen. Pleasonton. With
few guns, without any infantry sup
port he broke the charge of the best
body of men who ever formed q corps.
| claim that Stonewall Jackson's corps
was the best infantry that has ever
marched on the earth. They, flushed
with the success of driving the Ele-
ventlI Corps from their stacked mus
kets and lager beer kegs, rushed on
Pleasonten, who, with great difficulty
and the loss of a regiment, had gained
time to mass few guns. The result
was, as all artillery men knew it must
be, that Jackson's corps could rot ad-
vance in the face of the fire. They
were driven from the field. Pleasou-
ton saved HooFer's army.
No; our Generals did not know how
to use artillery. They did not know
how to pus!, infantry to murderous as.
saults against earthworks, and they
did it, and our country went into
after each senseless and
wastefal assault
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