The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-04

piled corpses to get to the front. lie
Marchand was instantly killed and many
of his officers, but the infantry was brok-
en- and their position carried. The PENN
sula campaigns furnish repeated proofs
OF the fact that infantry will not stand
against well-handled cavalry. Prince
Frederick Charles, one of the greatest of
modern warriors, was a steady believer
in the efficacy of cavalry, and so, too, was
Won Wrangel
The opponents of the trooper arm and
prophets of its utter effacement are used
to instancing the failure of the brilliant
Austrian cavalry at Sadowa when sent
against breechloaders. These were troop
ers seasoned by long service and so drill
ed that, thirty squadrons of them We're
maneuvered in mass with the ease and
certainty of one. They We're however, led
over ground that sloped up three degrees.
1t was sodden with rain. The horses were
so wearied that many of them fell down
from exhaustion when the charge began.
The infantrymen who received them had
been selected by five hours of savage and
continuous fighting. All faint hearts had
gone to the rear. Ii is safe to say that
there was not a Prussian on the west
ridge of Chlum that day who did not wish
10 be there Even under these conditions
the charge came very close to success,
though all Europe was shouting that cav
airy was useless against breechloading
fire.
The French got their chassepots in 1868
and 1869 No German officer believed that
| his troop would be of any good against
them. Yet at Vionvile the first line of the
German cavalry halted under heavy fire
on the plateau, took intervals by passag-
ms, went off the plateau at walk and
wheeled up to front again as steadily as If
on the dress parade. This, too, was mag
nificent and it was war. il was done to en-
courage the young troops, cost only sew
enty men and horses, though the chase
pots were barking in thousands, and it
was worth what it cost. Again at Vionville
Bredow's six squadrons went over two
lines of 'unshaken' infantry as If they
were paper. In another charge the troopers
went over the French cannon, losing only
fifty men. They came so fast that the ar
tillerymen found il impossible to depress
their pieces with sufficient rapidity and ac-
curacy. In this battle thirty-siX squadrons
of German horse proved that the French
line of foot lacked the strength of cob
webs, yet this same French infantry was
so good that two days later it took an en-
| tire division of the German fooImen three
| hours to go through them, at cost of A.,
coo lives, or 80 per cent, of the attacking
| force. There will never be any finer or
steadier or more "unshaken" infantry than
these French. They were privates and nom
| commissioned officers who, to quote Won
| AlOlthes sought. 10 IeQGEHl WIN tllclI NE
blood the errors for which they were in no
wise responsible. The Franco-Prussian
war was thick with similar instances,
which are carefully eschewed in the writ
| ings of anti-cavalry doctrinaires.
In the old days troops We're safe when
| held in reserve 800 yards back of the fight
| ing line. Now for $500 yards behind this
| line the ground is torn by bullets. Conse-
| quently troops are held 5000 yards back,
| and even at this distance there will be oc-
| casioned casualties. To take part in an en-
| igagement the reserve force must be moved
entirely through this wide and dangerous
zone. Infantry cannot do it in less than
| twenty-five minutes, and another ten min
I utes win be used in getting them into line.
| Cavalry can cover the distance In six min
| utes. The rapidity with which their range
| alters makes them a difficult target and
| the moral effect of their laundering and
swift advance is great 1t is estimated that
| the cavalry loss in a charge should not eX-
coed one-third of the infantry loss. Amer
| lean military men of the more advanced
| kind expect service of the highest value
| in heavy engagements from the splendidly
| composed and equipped volunteer cavalry
| that has gone to the front. OF their worth
| in scouting reconnaissance and as media OF
| communication there can be no question.