Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-05-07
THESABER I S E
CAVALRY MEN SELDOM EN-
PLoY 1T IN BATTLE.
''strack with the ssber" Is "a Familiar
Expression. but It Rarely Hap
psns-HOw a SILK Hand.
kerehiet Saved a Life.

on the peninsula it was drill! drill!
drill with the saber. A corporal
would take half dozen-the captain
the whole company. and for an hour
and u half we would so through the
cuts and thrusts and parties There
was the front cut the down cut the
savage thrust the back-hand cut and
a dozen others and we were told that
lives depended on knowing how 10
give and receive each particular one.
II was good exercize. perhaps but on
the very first day we went into q fight
as cavalry all Of US came to see the
absurdity Of it.
l was in thirty cavalry fights dur.
ing the war aud in none OF them did I
witness or have use for anything like
the saber exercise. declares n writer
In the Detroit Free Press Not thai |
did not see men struck with the saber.
but they were struck during the con
fusion and melee when the other party
could claim no credit For instance,
our regiment drove full tilt into about
600 confederate cavalry az Brandy
Station. | used my revolver until II
was empty and then gripped my saber.
The smoke was very thick and men
and horses were greatly excited In
the mad whtrl a confederate rode upon
me and made q savage slash with mis-
gaber. II missed my mead and cut the
pommel OF my saddle Before he could
get away I 'swiped' at him and /
know the edge % the saber struck his
face. may have knocked out some
OF his teeth but the edge was as blunt
as q hoe and coGld no; have cut tho
skin.
AT Shepardstown we were charged
about the same way. There we're u
great many sabers flashing as they
came on. but by the time tho shock
came the revolvers and carbiucs we're
doing the hctt 81 tho work. | had a
fair show in that fight to give athrusL
and il was a lamentable failure. I
| got the point Of the saber in under tho
enemy's appraised right arm but I
doubt II I drew blood; | simply pushed
him half out Of his saddle. and hc ro-
taliated with a side cut which uncov-
cred my head and did no further dam,
age.
There were probably more men hit
with the sabcr no Gettysburg than any.
where else during the war Tho main
reason for this was the equality Of
numbers together with the fact that
very few Of the un.On cavalry had
rcvolvers. We charged with our car.
bines slung to our backs. and ii was
snber or nothing | had a heavy silk
| huwAtrRwuhfaf fVtmtNW V-g. Rgnrss NywN NEaR
day as n preventive OF sunstroke. IL
prevented q confederate cavAiryman
from splitting my head open had
a young. green horse. and ho gave
me no end Of trouble. While I was
trying 10 prevent him from going out
Of the fight backwards a confederate
approached me from the rear and nd.
ministered the down cut. II dazsd me
for q moment but the heavy hat and
handkerchief backed up 5y a thick
growth Of hair. saved my head. He
drew blood. and had n sore head for
q week after, but he had wasted his
blow.
After the FIRST ten minutes Of that
cavalry encounter nothing but sabers
were used. We thrust, hacked and
cut hitting both horse and man. but /
doubt IL any one was killed outright
on either side with tho steel. To
make a sabcr effective il must carry d
keen edge. During my three years
in the army I did not see above d
dozen sharpeued saber5. We had no
orders TO grind them. and SO 10 car.
ried them with q hoe.edge.
TLa, - f,J,g o., sty-w,- .uu-J .-.-
to WELD a common cavalry saber 50
as to strike an effective blow. His
horse must be reasonably steady. SO
he can control him with tho bride
arm. and there must be plenty Of mus.
Gle In the arm TO give weight q the
blow. With "a sharp saber % mar
weighing 100 pounds might split o
mans skull, but 81 mar Weighing thirty
pounds less. with II dull weapon.
would only make play towards It, IN
fact, realizing his incapacity In that
direction. lie wouldn't try II.
In a cavalry at Kelly.
Ford | struck q confederate fair or
tho neck with my saber. and struck
as hard a5 | could. He tumbled from
his saddle and was captured. l did
not even draw blood. | gave hin
such a blow as TO stun him for a few
minutes the same az II / had struck
him with u club but aside from {
stiH neck he was all right. Big.
strong men with koen.e1ged saberi
would do some awful cutting. nnt
they would inspire fear wherever they
charged. but average men and aver
a.. sea A.a-..IsaL Fw..s. IG#aI.
outside Of the moral effect.
Quantrell proved that there wa.
something far more effective thai tn,
saber. Each Of his men was armed
with at least two reyolvers. Eacl
ono could shoot right and left handed
A squad Of thirty OF them thus armet
never hesitated to charge a hundred
regular cavalry. and they neve
: charged without inaicting terrible de
~stFuction.