The evening times., 1898-06-15
TROOPS In BATTLE.

The Civil War reyolutionized the tactics
of the world. II taught the attack in
thin lines of skirmishers. and established
the value of hastily constructed intrench-
rnents. The lessons learned by hard ex-
perience during the first years of the war
are the common lessons Of instruction of
our troops who will invade Cuba today.
STAND up and fight like man" is no
longer the false maxim Of war. Hunt
your hole and lie low is its less heroic
substitute. Battles are won by meeting
the enemy with a stronger force at the
time and place of actual conflict. The
ground over which the attack advances
Is combed by teeth of fire and man
cannot live in 1t if he remains upon his
men must crawl. plunge forward with
successive rushes, spring from tree to
tree-anything to maintain cover from
the enemy's fire-but advance, always
advance. 1t was the Indian who taught
the American how to wage war: 1t was
the American who taught the world.
Yet all natural devices to maintain COW
er must fail when the lines come closer.
Men cannot be held under fire unless in
trenched- They will either rush forward
or fly in panic. Hence the intrenching
tool.
The line cannot advance as 1t Is pre-
pairing for attack. The soldier must COW
er himself from fire! Fiinging himself up
on his stomach he cuts out the earth
with his bayonet or hunting knife and
filings it out in front Of him with his meat
can In ten to twenty minutes he has
sunk into the hole, with his rifle resting
upon the bank OF earth in front of him.
Only the top of his head and the rifle
along which he aims are visible from a
point in front. The bullet which strikes
in the earth will be DETECTED or will lose
its speed and probably its killing prop
critics. The soldier is protected by his
hasty intrenchment or his rifle pit.
The pit which the soldier digs for this
purpose is six feet in length. four inches
deep in front, ten inches deep at the
rear. while his breastwork is one foot
high and thirty inches thick at the top.
His work is done with fhe hunting knife,
sometimes assisted by the meat can
The hunting-knife is an ax-knife thir-
teen inches in length. weighing one
pound two ounces and is carried in the
cartridge belt. from which II is never
allowed TO be detached. The soldier is
taught that his life depends as much
upon his intrenching tool as upon his
rinc. and 1t takes hut one experience to
confirm the belief.
With this simple instrument it Is won-
derful TO see what the soldier can do,
A line under arms may be halted in the
midst OF a thicket of small trees and or
dered to intrench to repel an attack.
Within twenty minutes the men are un-
der cover. An hour later the brush wood
within so yards of the front may be
hewn down and the original intrench
men, may be deep enough for men to
kneel behind its parapet- In one day
the intrenchments may become Il field
work and the felled brush-wood may be
converted into an abaiis. To make an
abatis the limbs of the trees are trimmed
and sharpened and thrown with the
points toward the enemy. The. limbs are
then interlaced and bound together while
the whole is pegged down to the ground.
This almost impregnable barrier is
thrown across the front with the most
effective range of infantry fire and when
the attack reaches it the lines struggling
through the abatis are cut to pieces.
The abatis is placed in a depression IL
possible. SO that the attack comes upon
it as surprise and in such cases there
the tragedy usually eliminates. All
these preparations for defense may be
made by the soldier with the intrench-
ing tool alone. although he is usually as
sisted by axes if they can be obtained.
With it he covers himself from the enemy.
chops down small trees. cracks open his
canned meat, mends broken utensils.
drives his tent pegs. opens-his sox of
ammunition. turns his meat or kills, a pig.
In hand-to-hand encounter 1t would be
dangerous. either as club or as knife
and the soldier justly regards it with
affection next only to his rife. In con-
structing his shelter trench the soldier is
required TO look TO the future. All great
intrenchments begin as rifle pits. They
are extended laterally. thus making a
continuous line. The line may thus be
deepened under protection of the slight
parapet until depth enough is attained TO
fire kneeling. Farther to the rear sec
ond detachment may then deepen pit
for line of men standing. This gives
protection to men moving behind the
parapet while being perfectly protected
from fire. Should it be desired still fur
ther to strengthen the work the dirt is
thrown from ditch in front but this oc-
ours only when the enemy is not upon
the ground.
Most important among the means of de-
fense is the wire enlargement. This is
made by driving strong stakes into the
ground and then connecting them By a
strong network of wires. The wire en-
tanglement may be concealed in the grass
and when cavalry or infantry encounter
it in a charge, disaster is almost sure to
follow. One can readily imagine the ef-
feet of stopping line of men like flies
in spiders web. while expert niarksmen
pour shots into their ranks at the rate of
ten per minute at range of not more
than 500 yards.
When behind parapets the soldier may
still further protect himself by filling
bags with sand. placing them on top OF
the parapet. with loop hole through
which he may fire. A single bag OF heavy
sand will stop any rifle bullet.
Should our small army of invasion go
to Cuba it will be placed upon the defen-
sive and all the arts of war will be called
into play to fortify and hold a position
against such tremendous odds. 1t is prob
able that the position will be enveloped
in lines of works similar to those de-
scribed and over them the great tragedy
of the Spanish American war will be en-
acted.
CavnIry Shies at Infantry.
From the Memphis Scinitar.)
You can never induce a horse to de-
liberia ely run over a man, even in the
heat and excitement of battle" remarked
Gen. A ]. Vaughan yesterday.