The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-04-02
10 AS a GUNNER.
He Can't Shoot with a Rifle So
Well as with Revolver.
War Department. Reports Give Some In
teresting Statistics, Showing the
Indian to Be an Expert Pis-
toI Shot.

.
Reports received at the war depart
ment of recent small arms competi-
tions among the troops in the far west
show conclusively that the noble red
man, as represented in Uncle Sans
military service, does not compare
favorably with his pale face brother
in the matter of sharpshooting. There
is popular idea, gained from Cooper's
Leather Stocking tales, and even more
modern literature, about the ''dusl1y
denizens of the forest" that all war
riors are superior. marksmen. Army
statistics, examined by the Washing
ton Star. prove that this is a romantic
delusion, so far as the Indian soldier is
concerned. In recent competitions the
Indians who have been enlisted in the
army of the Colorado have had a chance
to show what they could do side by
side with white men. The best that
can be said of them in the report IS
that they have made progress since be-
ing enlisted, but it also says that the
sights on the rifles are still incompre-
hensib1e to them, and that much
patience has been necessary on the
part of the officers to, bring them to
any understanding at all of the plin-
ciples of craftsmanship. Troop E of
the Second cavalry, that being an In
dian company, showed an individual
average figure of merit of 1922. while
the average figure of merit of the com
pany was 1888.
In collective firing the Indian aver
age was 3157, while the men of the
other troops made an average of 62.70.
The Indians in the Eleventh infantry
made for their company D the average
individual figure of merit of 25.05,
while the figure of the other troops
was 62S7. In the Sixteenth infantry
there is one company of Indians. Their
figure of merit by individual clasSifica-
tion was an average of 27.14, while the
figure of the white troops was the high
average of 93.16. In collective firing
the Indian average was $3.50, as com
pared with the white average of T0.47.
At pistol firing the Indians do bet
ter. There is a separate report on this
sort of firing for the same troops, and
troop L of the Second cavalry, being
composed exclusively of Indians, made
a record of which the men should be
proud, if they ever learn about it. AT
dismounted practice they made an
average of 73 IS, as compared with the
general. average for the command of
&c. 20; at mounted practice their aver
age was far ahead of that of the white
troops. and their average per cent. for
all firing was 65.72, as compared with
59.4S for the whole command. The In
dians stood first in order of merit for
revolver firing for the department.
There were some other interesting
statistics obtained by this practice.
The natives of the United States stood
eleventh in order of merit among
nationalities, Norway, Austria, Swift
Zerland, Ireland, France, Denmark,
Scotland, Germany, Canada and Bel
gium coming in order before the United
States. The men of six feet in height
and over were also highest in order OF
merit as sharpshooters and the shortest
men were the lowest. The men of light
blue eyes were the best marksmen
with those of dark blue next. Even the
light blue eyed men were the best
marksmen among the negroes. The
report calls attention to the fact thai
the percentage made by the Indians
at revolver practice was greater thar
the percentage made by the winners o.
| the gold medals in the revolver matche:
at the cavalry competitions of the de
partment fer the years 1892 and 1898
1t was also the highest record mad,
under existing regula tions by an!
troop in the department.