Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-11-20

tained q just best oval rewards
and puni ents il q yiital element ofs

success.
III equipment, General Hazen would
have the soldier freed fromeveryounc6
OF necessary weight 1Yhenin Louie.
vile, IN 1862, a new regiment, the
Tenth Illinois, overa thousand strong.
| Joined his brigade It had sseyery.
thing in the way Of equipment. In
Guiding the old-fash ioned knapsack.
In less than three weeks sir hundred
otits men bro edown on the marches,
and few of them were ever able to re-
turn. The general would discard en-
tirely the knapsack, cartridge.box
and bayonet. The cartridges should
be carried in a looped belt, which dis
tributes the weight evenly around
the body, The overcoat or blanket
and waterproof ponchos ought to be
all the covering that is carried, ID adj
dition to the ordinary dress. The
bayonet proved so useless in the late
war that in the last year Gen. Hazen
did not replace those that were lost
in his command. Haversacks should
be made Of the best cotton duck, which
can be often washed, and yet willshed
rain. !. The present tin canteen, with
flannel covering, is satisfactory. Each
soldier should carry O. light cup and
girddle. Tents are not necessity
not even the shelter tents, a poncho
being sufficient. Ii a blanket is car
ried, the overcoatis superAuous. The
intrenching spade should be light and
strongly made, to be slung to the belt
with the canteen opposite the haver-
sack by a spring hook at the handle
to be finished on one edge as cutting
tool and On the other for driving. It
should have no relation to the gun.
In battle a great amount of ammuni-
ton can be saved and the execution
increased by each Colonel having
absolute control OF the fire of his regi-
ment. Firing by volleys General Hazen
found to be rem arkably effective on the
enemy advancing at the charge. De-
tails OF fighting men for non-combat-
ant duties should be stopped. The
pioneer corps should be specially re-
cruited, and not be a drain upon the
best enlisted fighting material. Gen
eral Hazen says our armies had too
much llghJ artillery, since casualties
seldom occur from it's use He did
not use artillery at Fort McAllister,
as he did not wish TO advertise his in
tentions by the usual canonade. The
great range OF the latest small arms
places light artillery at still greater
disadvantage. "a solid shot at short
range can only cut through it's breadth,
and a musket ball does the same No
careful commander will expose his
masses to either" General Hazen like
the late English General Gordon, ia.
vors long firing with the rifle. Adrop-
ping fire OF this kind cause q small but
constant loss to the enemy. While in
front Of Atlanta General Hazen' pick
cts kept up a slow but regular fire at
about twelve hundred yards range,
with pieces elevated to carry into the
ca afederate camp. About five thou
sand bullets a day We're thus fired for
about three weeks. After the war
General Hazen learned that each regi-
ment of the enemy in his front lost
from three to five men day by rife
wound. About one shot in FIVE hundred
took effect. Field hospitals alone
should be used. Gen. Hazen is total
~ opposed to the issue of awhiskyra-
ton. Three-fourths of the trouble in
the service arose from the use ofliquor.
He would discard its use, both in and
out OF the army, except as a medicine.
;Who does not remember some pecu-
liarly happy period during the war;"
be asks, "when he was stationed where
no whisky could be obtainedY Gcner-
al Hazen would not exclude from an
army regularly accredited newspaper
war correspondents, but would attach
them to the several headquarters I'M
der proper regulations. Finally, the
U. S. army needs a general staff, such
as Germany's headed by Won Moltke
and Blumenthal to serve the whole
army by turns rs inspectors, to pre-
pare plans and control the military
archives.
TIE manly tone, strong good sense
and historical and military value Of
General Hazen's book will be conceded
by every reader. It is freely illustrate
ed with portraits and special maps.
"a Narrative Of Military Service"
BY General W. B. Hazen, $50 PIP. So.
:Ncknor & Co., Boston. Cincinnati,
RObt. Clark e. Co,