The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-02
PASSING OF CAVALRY.
Mounted Infantry Likely to Succeed the
Glittering Pageantry of Lancers and
Hussars.
Chicago Evening Post. J

There is a well-defned feeling in the
army that that this war will mark the
passing of the cavalry with all it's daring
exploits and will leave in its stead moth
ing but a body of mounted infantry
which, while more effective, will rob war
of many romantic and exciting charges
and incidents From the time of the IA
nous charge of the Light Brigade at Bal
aklava down to the present time history
has teemed with the exploits Of the caval-
ry. The bard has especially honored this
branch of the military servi ce and few
songs of heroic fights are to be found in
which there is no mention of the trooper
Is romantic warfare to be abandoned
and the heroic cayalryman with all his
dash and bravery to be relegated to the
background while science pushes to the
front the prosaic infantryman to make
the charge at long range? So it would
seem from the preparations of the troops
now being sent into the field. In the ex-
petition sent to Santiago de Cuba under
cavalry troops, but they were a disap-
pointed lot They did not like the idea
Of being deprived of their horses and
sent to Cuba to act as mere "dough-
boys" as the cavalrymen on foot are re-
garded in the army. But while the ex-
cuse was given that the government
could not find transports enough to per.
NIT the cavalry to take horses, it is only
one of number of similar incidents
tending to prove that the cavalry, armed
and equipped as that arm of the service
has been in the past, is fast becoming
useless, and that it soon will be little
more than mounted infantry
With rapid-firing rifles in the ha nds of
regiment of infantry, what show you'd
cavalry regiment stand in charge? In
former wars the cavalry would wait for
the opportunity, try to draw the fire Of
theh opposing infantry forces and then
dash across the fisld straight at the enc
my, and would try to throw him into
confusion, leaving the work of following
up the vantage to the inf antry support.
The purpose and obje ct of this branch of
the service seemed to be to strike hard
and swiftly when it WAS least expected,
and thus carry the day by storm. This
was possible when the old time rifles
were in use. In the Civil war, during the
first two years, few cartridge-fring rifles
were in use, and even during the closing
years they were limited in numbers and
there was little opportunity to test the
strength of cavalry force in the face Of
these guns. The rapid-flring rifle was not
feature in that war. 1t was not tested
until the Franco Prussian war, when the
Germans won through the superiority of
their rifles.
In the Civil war, after the first volley it
was possible for body of cavalry to
charge force of intanry before another
volley could possibly be fired, and the i'm
petus of the charge was terrific. The hol
low square was practically the only
formation that could withstand such a
blow. But armed with the modern rap
id-fring rifle what show would the cav
airy have in charging against force of
infantry9 The foot soldiers could pump
lead" into the charging force SO fast that
with any accuracy in Workmanship
the cavalry would be cut to pieces before
it could come within striking distance
with a sabre.