The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-10
CAVALRY IN MODERN WAREARE

CAVALRY IN MODERN WARFARE
Tho Firearms of To-Day Have Made It's
Utility q Question to BE Solved Anew.
From ns ChiedOO TTmes-Htraid
Agood man on q good horse is the superior
as an attacking force OF three good men on the
ground. This is q matter Of common kno%l-
edge in the European capitals. wherein mobs
are dispersed by cavalry using the fiat Of the
sabre only more quickly than they are scat
tered by the bullets OF militia in America.
There IL something In the speed. weight. and
size OF a charging man and horse that shakes
the nerve Of the most stout-hearted Pc
destrian. The uncomfortable instinct OF the
footman is to get out Of the way. Acavalryman
learns to love his horse with q love SURPRISING
that Of woman. He learns to depend upon
him. He absorbs confidence from every swell
OF the giant muscles between his knees. The
man and the beast conjoined furnish a mutual
support that is admirable. and In battle Of in
calculable value. Dismounted cavalry are the
most difficult OF troops to dislodge. for the rea-
son that the riders, deprived Of their horses, do
not know when or how to run.
Military experts believe that the invasion Of
Cuba by the American army will furnish excep-
tional opportunities for the use OF cavalry. It'll
for the most part. a good horse country, OF wide
uelub dlu loNSl bpuCSb. ~ lie DolcNeu. 100, UnuJ
this picturesque arm Of the service will demon
strate that its usefulness Is not ended by mod
ern arms and projectiles, though many theo-
rists incline to the opinion that the days Of cav
airy as cavalry were ended In the times
OF Gravelotte and Sedan. The celebrated
and ~fruitless charge OF the French cui-
rassiers. where men and steeds went
down In heaps and the watching VIII
holm said. 1t is magnificent. but It Ia not
war" sticks In their memories. That charge
was Balaklnva over again. Somebody blum
dered. The general efficiency Of cavalry under
proper conditions is not discredited by It. nor is
the centuries-old record OF a remarkably valu-
able arm to be stained by an individual failure:
Men who remember what the cavalry. was and
what the cavalry did In the war between the
crumpling OF one column before they surrender
The Naroie9nic maxim that cavalry cannot
charge mistaken infantry was due to Napo-
mounted men were badly drilled and his horse
campaigns give many Instances OF the value OF
achievements Of the troopers. Even in the
T EFoSsSt Bs .Re Ttt52H|s sss f shs t actual oat d q page
value Of the fear they produced was I'm
e pr1s'sdd against afnst0S the ~s steaqi ssR' Of fve Fren neR
l gards from n tse i hne hG TSe rear tslI II fln sS dfS s ttS 9
chase Iqqmping over piled corpses to Gst TO the
mann; q fds't oniesr SAi but iH't the lnf kl1tsy' % W%s
broken and the position carried. The Peninsula
CAMPAIGNS furnish repeated proofs q the fact
%caSal iniA"Pff Prince se.' Fred ferPI CRATES Ia Se one e& Of the
greatest Of modern warriors. was q steady be-
lever IN the eflcacy OF cavalry. and so. too. was
The opponents OF the trooper arm and
stancing the failure Of the brilliant Austrian
cavalry az, Sadowa when sent against breech-
i Lenders o6 Th s6 d THrs tt1SO s 2 f6ir 4eas soMsdf By long q
and certainty OF one. They were, however, led
S %as s soddea ' Wiz s'G fain. u Rh 1nr sers assF SeTe Sc 50
wcaried that many OF them fell from exhnus-
Who reeeived them. had been Selected BY live
hours OF savage and continuous fighting. All
faint hearts had gone to the rear. 1t Is safe to
fIafsSe " q SHiTS T that fS DAY Ti%Ss aid not SP F ShS to SSbb &c
there. Even under these conditions the charge
bbreeGRSIoadlng Are,
1863. No German officer believed, that his
tfoTT {o w THIS t pc q ars any IyI go of tS SGaHin ns11 them 1svo H 81
intervals BY IppssSsinG.i vent ut OF the plateau a
a walk and wheeled UP to the front again as
magnificent. and It was war. It was done to en-,
courage the young troops. costonly seventy mel
ing in thousands. and It was worth what It cost
Again at Hionvllle Bred9w,s sig squadTons wen
s e9s went SetS oE PsPs she f Fre anEsh ean Sns5ef lo shs srS Saf,
fifty men. They came so fast that the artillery
men found It impossible TO depress their pieces
battle thirty.six- sausdrons Of dermap hors'
proved that the French line OF foot lacked thu
strength h Of i. obbwToeb yet5his same FTc1eh IN
an entire division Of the, German footmei
th6ree e ,i RoSr s. q q GO 60 o through u : H. them tTac CT q cost f%tc 9
more "unshaken" infantry than these French
They were priyates end non:commisslSnG,
redeem With their life blood the ,eTToFs 70
which they were in nowise responsible, TIL,
EranSo:PrpssiaP war was thick with sImlllSS
writings Of antl-cavalry doctrinqlres. 80,
In the Old days troops were safe when held Il
reserye 5q0 yards back Of the fighting line
IS torn with bullets. Consequently, troops ar
held 3,0QO, yards back. and even at this dlstanc
there will be occasional casualties. To take par
moved entirely through this wide and dan
gerous zone. Infantry cannot do IT in les
Than twenty-five minutes. and a19ther te
sIR minutes GisTs,Fy f ffH rSS GIiGGFit WI Nth 'aW sfieR0f the /
t tRRef %o alsfe efre @tk 81 t theIp Z t6 S1fidfelf sa aSS s& %ni
advance IL great, 1t is estimated that tn
cavalry loss In a charge should moi, exceed one
men Of the more advanced kind expect serylc
Of the, highest value In heavy engagement
from the splendidly composed and equippe
volunteer cavalry that has gone to the from
OF their worth in scouting, reconnaissance an
as media OF communication there can be n
question.
Entirely Free to Go.