Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-04-14
War a New Art Now.

According to army experts, the
art of war on the battlefield is now
largely a matter of theory and eX-
pertinent, owing 10 the improve
ments in weapons and ammunition
since the last war between great
nations. Nothing short of actual
experience will develop the style Of
tactics most effective Artillery of
the approved modern kind is i'm
measurably superior to either the
old snooth-bore weapon or the
muzzle loading rided cannon. Rap
id-fring. breech- loading guns com.
pose field batteries now. Their
range and accuracy are a matter of
scientific determination. Their de-
structiveness is fearful. Temporary
Notifications and field entrench-
ments of the old style are of less
protection now against the solid
balls or shrspnel shells. Artillery
will, as formerly, play an important
part in battle.
~ In small arms the Improvement
is propeFtionately greater. The
army rifles of most large nations
now are repeating weapons of the
accuracy of a sporting arm and
with a range of two miles or more.
Sharpshooting will be a particular
feature of battles, and marksman-
ship prime qualification of the
efficient private soldier. Small cal
ibers are favored,-30 three tenths
of an inch in diameter) or less. The
United States standard army rifle
is of 80 caliber. The bullet Is a
lead coated, oval pointed steel cyl
Under weighing 200 grains, or a lit
tie over a half ounce avoirdupois.
The powder charge is 40 grains of
black or its equivalent in smokeless
powder. The Government has re-
Gently contracted for these car
tridges at $3.50 per thousand. The
velocity and penetration are i'm
mense. and a shot through the hu-
man body, homes and all, would be
a straight continuation of the line
of the bullets fight. Perhaps at
short range it would pass through
the bodies of a dozen men ranged
in a row one behind the other. The
effect on the feshy tissues around
the wound is fearful also, tearing
and disintegrating them for some
inches.
The range, the accuracy, and the
repeating feature of these rifles
render the old form of bayonet or
cavalry charge practically obsolete.
Infantry in line of battle, with
reasonably good craftsmanship, US
ing smokeless powder. could NOW
down a bayonet charge or cavalry
charge in almost leisurely way.
Hence, according To experts, actual
experience must yet determine the
style of tactics necessary to meet
the modern conditions. 1t is said
that battles now must largely de-
pend on the squad officer and on
the individual soldiers general eff
ficiency. thus returning somewhat
to the neutrality-suspicious. style of
fighting employed by the Indians
and learned from them and adopt
ed by the white Indian fighters of
the West in the old days.
The veteran of the Civil War
would find the most of his experI-
-nce on the battlefield of no value
now. He would have to learn an
entirely new set of tricks. Then a
fence-rail, a chunk or little pile
of dirt was accounted a fair pro-
lection against the leaden balls
fired from the clumsy. kicking old
musket that seldom hit what it was
aimed at. Such cover now would
he almost as slight MS a thickness
Of paper against the steel messen-
gers of death fred from "a weapon
rs accurate as the old fashioned
squirrel rife and with a range as far
as a man could be distinctly seen.
The machine gun is another for
midable weapon, that will figure
importantly on the battlefield. The
Fsderals at Gettysburg at pickett's