Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-24
DRILL AND TACTICS.
THE GREAT CHANGES IN MODERN
METHODS or WARFARE.
Magazine Rifles to Supersede Breech
Leaders as Breeeh Leaders Superseded
MuZZle Loaders-SmolxeIess Powder.
The Charge-Use of Cavalry. ~.

Leaders as Breeeh Leaders Superseded
Muzzle Loaders-smokeIess Powder.
The Charge-Use of Cavalry. ~.
To those who knew him il is almost incon-
ceivable that Gen. Sko5eleff could have be-
come a strategist, but he was born tao
tician. On the other hand, the lieutenant in
the United States army who lays his plans so
that he surprises and captures band OF hos
tile Indians is pro tantO, a strategist. The
line between strategy and tactics cannot be
drawn easily or exactly; but tie line between
6ill and tactics il SO clear that it is passing
strange how any confusion between them car
syer have arisen. The band Of farmers who,
the other day, hunted down and surrounded
the lar of family Of murderers, knew, prob
ably, nothing Of drill, but they brought tac-
tics into play.
There is q danger lest our officers fail TO
study tactics such as they would require
every day and hour If they we're opposed 10
regularly organized force. The fact that
they have to handle troops mainly against
Indians and rarely against MODS in cities, IS
apt to induce them - ignore field tactics as
understood and practicet ia other countries.
We are apparently on the eve Of a mighty
struggle, in which magazine rifles viii super
sede breech leaders, as breech leaders, in 1866
and $50 superseded muZzle leaders. Not
only VIII more shots q minute be available
for the defense Of a position, but those shots
viii be more effective on account Of the lower
trajectory Of the bullets. 4 bullet fred point
blank viii henceforth hit anywhere up to 800
yards instead Of falling far short Of that
range At any rate, this VIII be so with the
new Enfield Lee-Burlon rifles and with Tie
Lebel rife in France, and we may be sure tie
other nations wiz not be long in rear OF tha
French and the English.
~ COMING WARS.
The new number Of Whitaker'5 Alnarack,
il may be interesting To say, contains a very
well written and instructive article on the
present status OF the nations Of Europe IN
this respect. But not only viii magazine
rifles play their part il coming wars; maya .
zine guns also viii add enormously to the
effectiveness Of both attack and defense,
though probably more to the later than TO
the former MitrailleUses were indeed used
in 1870, but, for mechanical reasons, they
were not very effective, and, IN any case, the
french had not enough Of them, and did not
know well enough how to handle them TO get
the best work out of them It VIII be very
different next time, when these machine guns
viii 10 q considerable extent take the place
Of light artillery, and, in some respects, Of
half sittalions Of infantry. 1t is, therefore,
obvious, that every operation Of war viii be
largely affected by the change IN the rifles
and in the habitual Use Of machine guns.
Strategy itself viii have TO take the progress
into account, and it viii profoundly modify
end, in a sense, revoIutionize tactics; how
II. III l. n
thousands Of men have fallen through blum
dering. But that is no reason why we should
wait for such an eZperimentum crucis.
Each year sees so many changes in the
armament OF nation that the tactics OF to
day are in some respects Anticipated this day
twelvemonth. Suppose il is true that the
French and English have got srnokeless pow
der in their new cartridges, as is more than
suggested in the almanac above mentioned.
That in itself must materially modify tactics
employed by or against them We do not
indeed believe that the heat waves arising
from smokeless powder will sometimes fail
10 deceive as well those using II as their adj
verSaries, or that this powder VIII DO found
aS well adapted as blacl, powder for transport
and for keeping purposes. But its disadvan-
tages viii in any case be outweighed by its
advantages. and when the war cloud rolling
dun las disappeared many movements now
possible under its curtain viii then be i'm
practicable.
CHARGING THE WORKS.
Gen Skobeleff said to Capt. Green, United 4
States engineers: Thu only formation in
which troops can successfully assault in
trenched positions is in successive lines Of
sllrnisherS" And that VIII probably now
-emain true IN some senses as long as war
astS~ But against magazines guns and ma
Shine guns the lines OF skirmisherS viii have
% be far more open than they were against
breech leaders. 1t is even doubtful whether
they viii be, strictly speaking, lines al ALL or
whether they will not have to be turned into
rather what is called the cloud formation.
The trouble with this VIII be. except with
troops of the very highest training, TO bring
enough men together and well in hand to
make the final assault against the serried
line of the defenders holding all the advan-
tage of the cover Of the trenches. And here,
again. as any soldier must see, comes in the
question Of the support to be given TO the
skirnishers by machine guns or artillery
seeking to keep down the fire from the in
trenchmentS In fact, the whole problem is
altered by the shifting of what might appear
but minor factor of it.
We recently pointed out the coming change
in the use OF cavalry, when each squadron
shall have attached to it a galiop;ng gun-a
machine sun-such as Col. Hasb-ouca sew
one or two English cavalry regiments with
on his recent visit to AlierShot Infantry
viii cease 70 deSpiSe cavalry so much as they
ere now taught To do, when they haveIhad 3
few lessons from cavalry dropped behind
q bank or hill crest and their lying down fire
by d storm Of bullets from gallop-
ing guns Cavalrv, on the other hand, VIII
not charge for tie suns" quite 50 readily
when field batteries are lanked BY machine
guns. And artillery VIII not open 1T 1000
or 100 yards, as they have done, when the
men serving the guns can be moved down at
2 800 or 1000 yards by Il storm OF bullets pro-
iected by the agency Of only one or two men.
II must never be forgotten that 70 get the
greatest amount Of he-oiSm displayed by the
average man he must have at least fair
chance OF coming out unscathed Take away
that chance and you take away the courage
OF nine men cut Of tan--New York Times.
Tho Origin of Love