The Red Cloud chief., 1889-10-11
NEW WAR ELEMENTS.
The Repeating Rife and Germany
~SmOkeless 0Wder

The Repeating Riae and Germany
Smokeless Powder
Baron Beck. the Chief of Stan of the
Austrian army. had an opportunity Of
noting a very interesting novelty at
the sham fight which the German En-
peror ordered to be held out ear
Spandau in honor of his illustrious
guest. the Emperor of Austria. The
troops engaged. constituting a large
portion of the Guard Corps. were
formed into two pretty equal bodies.
whereof one, named the East army.
had advanced from Berlin on purpose
to reduce the fortress aud citadel of
Spandau. to which the approach was
defended by a West army. Into the
details OF this battle. the most inter-
esting OF its kind. for several reasons,
which has been fought for long in
Germany. it would be superfluOus for
me to 60; but there were two main in
cidents that must be mentioned. be-
cause they attracted the special atten-
ton of the Emperor Frances Joseph
and his Chief of the staff.
1t had been the aim of the defenders
to outfiank the invading corps (Which.
by the way. was under the command
of the EmperOr's brother-in-law. Ma
jOr-General the Hereditary Prince of
Saxe-Meiningen). and for this purpose
it began to mass and deploy a large
force on its right flank. This force. in
beautifully developed order. according
to the latest rules of fire discipline,
had been for some time engaged in
pouring a steady fire into the enemy's
lines. when all of a sudden it was
commanded to face about and meet the
charge of a regiment OF Lancers CON-
ing on like a thunderbolt in extended
array. Nothing could have been
mOr admirable than the prompt way
In which the skirmishing compa-
MES faced about to meet the un-
expected danger. and the cool and
rapid manner in which a body of their
supports formed up in line at right
angles to the menaced rifemen, thus
inclOsing the advancing lancers in a
murderOus parallelOgram of front and
entilading magazine fire. 1t is only in
such emergencies as these that the
troops are allowed to use their rifles
as repeaters. and certainly nothing
could have been more awfully and
swiftly destructive than the mus
kerry volleys with which these rashly
daring hOrsemen received. and
which in real warfare must have emp
tied every single n of their saddles.
But in real war they probably would
not have been half so bold.
Having thus disposed of this dan
ger. the defenders again resumed their
fianking advance. We could observe
little or no attempt at returning Our
rifle fire on the part of the foe. But
this was a delusion. The umpires
decided that in spite of the appa-
rent success OF our brilliant flanking
movement. We must face to the right
about and fall back. and with all the
more aiacrity, too. seeing that We our
selves, the Outfankers. had been most
skillfully outflanked by a large body
of the enemy. which, creeping through
a wood. threatened to fall upon our
rear. The fact of the matter was that
We had been lured to II destruction
by thinking that the invader had lost
heart. whereas in this particular part
of the field he had only been firing
with powder which emitted no smoke
and comparatively little sound.
Smokeless pOwder-that was the
latest innovation in the equipment of
the German army which its young
commander had to show to his Impe-
rial Austrian ally. and the latter was
charmed with the result Berlin Cor.
London Times.