The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-01-21
Progress inthe Art or war.

The prize offered hy the Military Service
Institute, which has its headquarters on Governors
Island Tor the best essay 'tImportaut Improve.
ueuts in the Art OF War During the Past Twenty
Years, has been won 10y Lieut.. Col. Henry NJ
inaee. eommandont Of cadets and Instructor Of tao.
ties at West Point, The essay Is Published In the
Journal OF the Institute, aud win he read with great
Interest not only by military men, but by everybody
who cares to keep abreast OF tho world progress ia
the art Of killing ueu rapidly and In large masses
AS sketch OF oil that pertains to Held operations in
Guiding arms, equipment detenses, and maumuvres,
It satisfactorily thorough, though necessarily brief
~ organization " SAYS scarcely anything. This
omission reshlia In part from the condition OF our ser
vice Any discussion Of the relation OF the vnfous
parts " our little Army to each other OF the system
o. mo9ill'aton, provisioning, equipment, recruit
chlrooter, But there can bo no cues
tlon that one OF the most important OF
improvements In the art OF Is the system Of
almost perfect organization so generally adopted
the Continent but seen In Its highest development In
Germany where the S assembling aud equipment Of the
precision that tho army corps are ready 10 move to
the front on the ninth or tenth day after the receipt
Ivy their commanders OF tho simmons from the War
Minister. Against any adversary not equally alert
this marvellous quickness In getting Into lighting trim
mcansa series ot disasters eliminating In speedy and
utter overthrow. In our own country the most com
srlCuous improvements have been In arms, and II Is
interesting study to follow ont the consequences Of
the successive mechanical Inventions by which our
artillery and small have been given their prcs.
cnt enormous range and deadly accuracy. In the
beginning Of the century, when the British were at
tempting TO wrest the Peninsula from the CRASH OF
Napoleon they had TO nre 600 bullets from their
smooth. bore, ntntock muskets FOR every FtenChman
they hit, aud It was estimated that to Kill man with
that rude arm required the expenditure Of his weight
In lead But we do not need TO go far back to md
points for an effective contrast with the weapon OF To-.
day, Lieut.. COL Lazelle thus sums up the work OF
the past two decades In Improving the infantry
weapon!
in aggregate results on range, penetration, ac-
cutaCy and rapldlty Of FIRE, the gain OF power in
snail arms In the last twenty years may be safely
asserted rs eight times greater In accuracy, two.
thirds greater In range and penetration, and Ave
times greater IN rapdity OF aimed hro; while the
weight OF cartridges per man has been diminished
and the number that may be carried Increased. Con.
sdetlng the relative OF effective FIRE,
upon Increased range, It will he found that that OF the
modern hrecchloa Is thirty-two times greater
than that OF the old smoOthbore, and that the au an
uty OF aimed Are Is Ave times GREATER
The strides that have been taken In improving
heavy guns are less notable. THE terrible power Of
the ioo-ton and I.ton guns OF Italy and England Is
well known, but Ktupp makes guns OF p.lnch cali.
hre and is tons weight which send ball through 20
inches Of solid iron aud sope OF his field guns can be
depended on at range OF more than mile and n
half to put every prolectile In space less than
feet square. Counting allimportant improvements.
bteech loading riding, better powder and proectlles
OF greater penetrating and destructive power stronger
and lighter carriages Of steel devices for quickly nnd
ing the range, etc. the science OF artillery has
reyoutonlzcd In the last twenty years, and even
when badly handled battery Of to-day
would he match for q dozen like
those Napoleon used with such skin and decisive
effect. We have also machine guns discharglng
from 200 to 500 shots per minute with great range
aud precision, and tho llotchkiss revolving gun,
shells Mt The rate Of So minute continuous ana
]
deadly FIRE OF IS pounds OF metal, l. 200 hits, ~
every 10 seconds. Ten machine guns worth 400
men In defending given point, aud six uotchkisS
guns at ., 900 or g. 900 yards are nine times as
effective as as battery of six S-inch rned guns.
The behavior of armies In the field has been greatly
modified by these vast improvements. The posses
sion OF his hieech loading or repeating rife with
abundance OF convenient ammunition, makes the
soldier far more self-rellant He knows that he Is
formidable adversary and Is less liable to panlcs
than when lie had nothing better than the muzzle-
loader. As the soldier with the breech loader Tres
1--WE times faster and Ave times as effectively, one
man may now take the space occupied by Mt least
| -FOUR armed with the old weapons, more open
order and more extended lines arc possible. This
rule applies also to Notifications, the exterior side
being heightened In proportion to the Increased
range and power Of the Infantry arm In cross fire.
with rifed cannon, Calling guns and IIoChkiss
guns, and the Improved title, the defense OF perma-
/ nent field works or trenches can he made much more
effective, and the battle must bs fought out
at longer range. Cavalry can no longer he safely
used for charges III mass, nor Is the baYOnet any
| longer a formidable weapon, since any charging
mile In width and under conditions fairly favora-
BILE for the defense would he cut to pieces before Il
reached the enemy line. But In pursuit, In
Ing advancing armies In sudden attacks In unex-
reCted places aud upon stores and Conveys cavalry
Is still useful The choice Of position is
J now much moro important matter than formerly,
must lie secured In front to give the improved arms
n chance to do their deadly work. The intTenching
tool too. becomes an essential part OF the soldiers
/ OUTFIT ms he must be able In few moments to throw
up shelter against these dreadful missiles In short,
army tactics have undergone material changes at
every point to meet the advance IN the art OF throw
Ing proectile for II Is rule of warfare that the de-
fensive and offensive must march side by side. II
some competent authority would attempt to trace out
the effect of all these wonderful changes upon the
morale OF the common solder, the result would he OF
interest. Their tendency would to he to reduce
the rank and file to q Of machines to work
n nj nj no N