The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-10
NOT THE PROPER THING
The Revolver Seldom Put to Eff
fective Use in a Campaign.
ONLY LONG N GUNS
However. Teddy Roosevelt Found in His
Side Arm a Convenient Companion
When He Encountered q Span
lard Near the San Juan Hills.

New York, Aug. "a Santiago corre-
spondent OF the Tribune. under date Of
July 20, says: Colonel Theodore Roose-
welt killed a Spaniard with his revolver
in the charge near San Juan hill on
July /. This is apparently the only case
in which that weapon was used with
effect by either side In the whole cam
paign.
Nearly all the officers In both armies.
or rather three armies, to include the
Cubans, carried swords or machetes, yet
there does not seem to have been a
single wound inflicted with one of these.
Thirdly, all the infantry carried bayo-
nets, but II is believed that not a hurt
made with one of these was dressed in
any hospital, American or Spanish.
These three arms were carried by
thousands; they cost a great deal OF
money. With the ammunition of the re-
volver, they involved the transportation
of tens of thousands of pounds of
weight. and now again, especially in a
tropical region. the great object Is to
burden the soldier with as little bag
gage as possible.
The question asks itself, why are they
borne? Certainly the primary object of
all three is to wound and to Kill. II, in
an entire campaign, in which several
thousand men were injured more or less
severely. the revolver, sword and bayo-
net did virtually no execution whatever.
ought hey to continue a part OF the
equipment in the actual warfare? As
for the revolver, there are not lacking
officers who think that on the whole IT
is almost as much of an encumbrance
as a use. 1t is well enough in a military
-~.f 80 aa.-1A N . afDA ~ N
thority, just as the sword does. Per-
haps no man. except of high rank, would
want to go into an enemy's country en-
tirely unarmed. He might be sent on
some duty at night or encounter a stray
soldier OF the other side in the daytime.
The emergency would probably never
arise, but the feeling of security given
by a good big pistol would be worth all
the trouble of carrying IL.
In the fighting around Santiago the
officers were conspicuous for leading
their men in charges, but. as one of
them expressed 1t, IL a commissioned SOL
der had time to fire a weapon, he was
neglecting his duty of observing and
commanding his men.
The charge in which Colonel Roose-
welt took part was an exception in the
way in which the men Of the different
regiments were mixed up and In the
nearnes of a few of the Spaniards.
Anything like a ha~nd-to-hand conflict
is extremely unlikely in a battle In
which both sides use modern rifles.
Their range is measured in miles. From
800 yards down their accuracy In the
hands of skilled marksmen is frightful.
They can be fired six to eight times a
minute. The zone of the fire Is so large
that the victory is virtually decided be-
fore a revolver could be used with ac-
curacy. In the fighting at FL Caney
and San Juan the fighting continued un-
til the two sides were close together,
though many Spaniards had managed
to escape.
In the thrilling charge up the hill on
the rifle pits and stone fort OF Ell Caney'
the enemy's fire, except from the hills
beyond, slackened when the final dash
was made. The execution of the Ameri-
can weapons was so awful that the
Spaniards feared to show even enough
of their bodies to fire at. When the
storming party reached the fort and
the trenches the enemy surrendered
For some minutes II a been evident
that further resistance was useless. Ar
officer, therefore, found his revolver OF
little service. even if the difficult task
of keeping his men together did not re-
uuire all his attention. His functions
are well defined and well understood.
Military tacticians have figured the
need of a certain part OF an army &c
direct the rest. They are more usefu
in this capacity than they would DC
handling guns. They can serve theii
u best by doing the work especially
assigned to them. Any mixing up oi
their duties with those of the privates
would be likely to result in neglectina
the more important set. Therefore, 1t Is
reasoned out an officer can be more
effectively employed than in trying
with his own hand to kill the enemy.
Some exceptions are to be noted, sucf
as when the troops are stationary ane
officers borrow a rife for a fancy shot
These instances occurred around a
tiago but were, of course. mere diver