The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-27
POWER OF ARTILLERY.
ITS RAPID DEVELOPMENT AS A
MEANS OF WARFARE.
The Necessity OF Being Trained in
Gunnery-How Artillery Should Be
Employed to Aid Infantry.

Since the days Of Austerlitz, jena, Fried
land and B lrodino, when Lenormont and
Denot demonstrated what artillery won Id
accomplish in the field, the value of this in
strument of destruction has been recog-
nized by all military nations, but by none
more SO thanGermany. The long peace which
followed Waterloo gave little opportunity
for Continental Europe to make use of the
lessons set by the great Crosican, while in
England the warlike spirit had so COM
pletely ebbed that a few years before the
Crimean war it would have been difficult to
collect moro than half dozen batteries for
any expedition abroad.
With the opening Of hostilities in Crsmea
1T was at once seen that the Russians were
employing Napoleon's tactics in massing
batteries, and had it not been for the deter
mined way in which the English set about
doing likewise, the results of many OF the
engagements in that war might have been
different. The formidable power of artil-
lery was demonstrated SO clearly in the
Crimea that its attending results were seen
In the after operations of the English in India
and China, the French in Italy. and the COM
mencement of an unparalleled series of
artillery experiments in all great countries.
Between 1866 and 1870 the strides made by
Germany in the development of its artii-
lery arm were phenomenal All the en-
ergies of the war department appeared to
bend to this one achievement. When the
whole force of the empire took the field in
1870, accompanying each brigade, division
and corps were batteries really magnificent
to look upon.
OF all the German artillerists none. per-
haps, stands higher in the profession than
Prince Kraft. This distinguished officer. IN
der whose direction SO many of the German
guns were served during the war with
France, has furnished vouminous reports
on the operations of the German artillery.
and throughout these reports are found
numerous instances of way being opened
Tor successful attacks by other arms, of in
fantry and cavalry attacks being stopped or
repulsed, of buildings and other obstacles
beng broken through or destroyed, of
Held artillery or machine guns being an
initiated, silenced, or driven off by the fire
of artillery, and it should be needless to saw
that moral effect could hardly have accom-
Plished such things without a considerable
amount also of destructive effect. Sedan.
says Boguslawski, seems to have been the
greatest artillery battle of the Franco
German war. The effects of the fire
were awful, as proved by 10000
dead and 10000 wounded ON
the French side. The French, who endeav-
.ored to advance their infantry against
those masses Of artillery at different points,
were brought to a standstill over and over
again, generally at about 2 900 PAGES. Facts
may be produced to prove the maneuvering
powers of the German artillery at Grave
lotte; later at Metz, before Paris. and at
orleans, at all which places it adhered to
the same system of tactics
With the artillery of the present dav to
contend against, and all that is to be learned
In its use if it is to be brought into action
on this side of the water, there is little use
in having powerful guns if officers and men
are not thoroughly trained in gunnery. SO
Z as to employ them in the most efficient way,
IAN artillery" says Gen. Owen of the
Royal Artillery, shat goes into the field at
the present time without the requisite gun
merry training, will be very soon knocked to
pieces by an opponent who has acquired the
art of shooting, Notwithstanding any supe-
rlor1ty IN armament the former may DOS
sess." To give an idea how the Germans
will in future employ artillery to aid in
fantry in an attack across open ground.
Prince Kraft advocates something like the
the following, which might as well be
termed authoritative, beginning, however,
by comparing the material effect of in
fantry with that of artillery. In this COM
parison he dwells on the point that the re-
suits OF target practice in peace may lead
to very false conclusions, for the conditions
of war are very different In the, first place
the uncertainty as to range naturally re-
duces the effect of fire, especially that of
infantry, at distances where the ira
Jectory rises above mans hight SIT
is true" said Prince Kraft, ''that trial
shots may be fired, but it is very
difficult at certain distances, even at prac-
tice in peace, to observe where rifle bullets
strike. and in war perfectly impossible, if
the enemy is firing, on account of the
smoke. The assailants of place are. as a
rule, unacquainted with the distances, I'M
less, as in the case of LIE Bourget, the place
is we'll known. But even then your cannot
be sure of the effect of your fire. the
strength of powder differing according to
the degree of moisture in the air. This
does not affect artillery as much as in
fantry, because the bursting shells are
much easier to see, and give the best indi-
cation how one should aim, the question of
distance, and of the variation of powder
strength being equally cleared up by OBJ
servation of their light.
1.-THE conclusion to which / have come. -
be says, sis that we are guilty of a gross
waste of ammunition if we allow infantry to
fire up to 1000 or /, 100 meters when artil-
lery.is available From this and other
reasons Prince Kraft says that he does not
think he errs in fixing the distance at which
we may, as rule, allow infantry attack
ing o. village in combination with artillery
to open fire upon its outskirts at 500 meters.
1t is very important that infantry should
not commence firing too early, lest it run
the risk of being left without ammunition
just at the most critical moment. The artil-
lery will therefore unhmber at from 800
to 1000 meters from the village and
open fire upon its border. The infantry
will meanwhile approach to within 500
meters of it taking care not to mask the
fire of the guns, thereby losing the ad-
vantage of their support. The line of
skirmishers will add their fire to that of
the artillery, which will next move on, I'M
der cover of the infantry, to the decisive
range of from 1000 to L. 100 meters, whence
its effects will be crushing. If there be
more than one battery in action, the guns
will advancein echelon, accompanying the
infantry. upto its last position before the
assault hall of them keeping up their fire
while the o6her half move forward, There
WILDE nolntermission to the cannonade.
st msy be objected continues the
prince, shat artillery will no longer be
able to approach within 1000 or LOO
meters Il village occupied by the enemy,
for infahtrymen, who are firm believers in
the powers Of their arm, feel confident that
at such distances they can annihilate bat
teriesI But can state from experience
that infantry fire is not annihilating at
1,000br L, 100 meters. though | have recon-
mented heretofore that batteries take posi-
tionout of the range of rifle fire. The we'll