The National tribune., 1889-01-24

then armed with rihed guns were as few in
proportion rs were those that in 1864 had the
Spencer seven shot repeating rife issued them.
The Regular Army, horse and foot, was
armed with smOOth-bOre arms although few
muskets, ali Of caliber Sc. had been riied and
issued IN small numbers for testing.
The fact was that the Regular Army officers
themselves knew nothing about the arms in
the hands Of the troops under them, and as
there was no system Of testing their capacity
10 inflct injury upon an armed foe, they were
ineapactated from ignorance TO instruct the
raw levies that focked so grandly to the sup
port Of the Union cause.
Prior TO the war Of the rebellion, during It.
and for almost half dozen years after its close,
the only experience the men who carried rifle
or carbine had at target practice was when
they were released from a days tour of picket
or guard duty. The retiring Officer of the
Day marched his old guard out beyond the
limits OF the camp or garrison, and each man
il ranks bred his loaded gun At rude target
set up at 100 or 200 yards away. If bullet
struck the target, IL was duly recorded and re-
ported to the Post Adjutant in an obscure cor
ner Of his official report Of his tour of duty.
This i know was the case as late as 1868, when
left the service.
Now, to the honor Of the service. the case is
different and our toy army Of $4,000 contains
ia It's ranks body Of men-in rank and file
that could be pitted to-day against any equal
number Of men throughout the armies of the
civilized nations Of the world for marksman-
ship.
Late in the COS thoughtful officers began to
understand that the new Springfield rife of
reduced calibeF, and loaded at the breech with
metallic cartridges, was capable of producing
better results than had ever been dreamed Of
before. Some OF these thinking men began by
individually experimenting with the men of
their own commands, and at the same time
writing out their own conclusions and plans
IN the form OF official reports to their imme-
date superiOrs.
These reports accumulated until they attract
ed the attention Of the superiors, and mean
time, the Franco-German war Of 1870, II
showed the added value Of trained use Of arms
Of precision when combined with training in
the individual use Of such arms.
Along about that time a group Of New York
militiamen-Nationa Guarls-began 10 test
each others skill in Workmanship, and be-
fore long selected team Of rifemen went to
England and defeated the picked rifemen of
ali Great Britain. Another team went TO Ire
land and defeated the best rifemen of the
island that has produced soldiers that have
won victories ali over the world under every
flag but its own"
These victories abroad BY the National
Guardsmen stimulated our little army to make
score for itself, but as almost each separate
company or troop commander had theory of
his own for target work. there was no system
at al until Col Laidley, OF the Ordnance
Corps, Y. 5. Army, formulated a system which
was officially adopted for the instruction Of the
Army. Gen. Wingate, New York officer. who
was Captain Of the FIRST American team that
lowered the British cOlors at the Wimbledon
competition, published a little work that was
the basis Of the present system of the target
use Of the rife and carbine. Gen. John C. KeI-
ten, Assistant Adjntant General, U. S. Army,
who is famous rife and pistol shot himself
followed with a monograph of " Information
for Rlfemen on the Range and the Battlefield {"
A dozen other writers followed in monographs
most Of them following the same lines Of treat
ment Of the use Of military arms of precision,
but each one advancing some new and valu-
able method.
Col. Laidley's system was followed for several
years, but bright young officer Of the Ord
nance Department, who was then on the staff
Of Gen. Alfred ii. Terry, made a study Of the
subject, and straightWay evolved a system oil
his own, which is now the authorized tactics
for target work in the service. and has also
been adopted by the National Guard forces in
the several States Of the Union that nav any
attention 10 such matters.
The young officer i speak Of is Col Stanbone
E. Blunt who is now Captain in the ord.
nance Department, u. S. Army, and who was
recently Colonel and Aid-de-C Camp on the STAFF
Of the lamented Gen. Sheridan, the General
in-Chief Of the Army. Col. Blunt was then
under Sheridanl, as he is under the new Gen.
eral-in-C Chief, the Chief Inspector of Rife
Practice Of the Army"
When Blunt was at St Paul on Gen. Terry.
staff he made such study Of rifle work thai
he was designated in 1883, on the recommends
ton Of Gen. Stephen V. Benet, Chief of Ord,
nance, to prepare a book of instructions in
Rife and Carbine Firing" and the work he
prepared is now the Army Regulation for tia
work
When the war Of the rebellion broke out Oul