Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-01
HOW INDIANS SHOOT,
They Compare UnfavOrably as Marks.
men With White Troops.

Reports received at the War Department
OF recent small-arms competitions among
the troops in the far west show conclusively
that the noble red man as represented in
Uncle Sans military service does not COM
pare very favorably with his pale-face
brother in the matter of sharp shooting.
There Is a popular idea, gained from Coop
er's Leather Stocking tales and even more
modern literature about the "dusky deni-
Zens of the forest. that all warriors are su-
perior marksmen. Army statistics prove
that this is romantic delusion, SO far as
the Indian soldier Is concerned.
In recent competitions the Indians who
have been enlisted in the army of the Col
orado 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 being enlisted, but 1t also says that
the sights on the rifles are still tncompre-
hensibie to them, and that much patience
has been necessary on the part of the off,
GERS TO bring them to any understanding
at all of the principles of craftsmanship.
Troop l. of the second cavalry, that being
an Indian company, showed an individual
average figure of merit of 42.22, while the
average figure of merit of the company
was 1888.
In collective firing the Indian average
was 31.oi, while the men of the other
lTOOpS TIldue an average or UZ.IU The In
dams in the eleventh infantry made for
their company O the average individual
figure of merit of 25U5, while the figure of
the other troops was 62.S7. In the sixteenth
infantry there is one company of Indians
Their hgure OF merit by individual claSsifi-
cation 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 29.39, as compared with
the white average of 10.47.
A pistol firing the Indians do better
There is a separate report on this sort of
nrtng for the same troops, and troop l. of
the second cavalry, being composed exclu-
Siyely Of Indians, made a record of which
the men should be proud IL they ever learn
about It. At dismounted practice they
made an average of .SS, as compared with
the general average for the command of
66.1O; at mounted practice their average
was far ahead of that of the white troops
and their average per cent for all firing was
65.72, as compared with 94S for the whole
command. The Indians stood first in order
of merit for revolver firing for the deDart-
ment. There were some other interesting
statistics obtained by this practice The
natives of the United States stood eleventh
in order of merit among nationalities. Nor
way, Austria, Switzerland. ireland, France
Denmark, Scotland, Germany, Canada and
Belgium 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 that the percentage made by the In
dians at revolver practice was greater than
the percentage made by the winners of the
gold medals in the revolver matches at the
cavalry competitions of the department for
the years 1872 and 1893. 1t was also the
highest record made under existing regula-
tions by any troop in the depart nent