The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-08-04
MOUNTAIN BATTERIES.
They Are Employed by France and
Italy on the Frontier in
the Alps.

The mission of a mountain battery
is to seek out and destroy, at close
range and piecemeal; an enemy whose
forte is protracted and unceasing
system of guerrilla warfare that is
extremely harassing and discourage
ing to troops accustomed to "fair
field and no favor" even though they
be seasoned and well-tried veterans
In British India this type of artillery
has been brought to high state of
perfection, and it's effectiveness in the
continually recurring conflicts with the
hill tribes has demonstrated that the
mountain gun is the only weapon that
can successfully cope with the guerril-
la style of warfare practiced by the
natives of Himalayas.
1t is but little known to the outside
world that both France and Italy have
adopted the mountain battery as an
integral part Of the home defenses.
When, in 1887, it became certain that
Italy had joined the Triple Alliance,
the then minister of war in France de-
termined that something must be
done to defend the Alpine boundary
from ever the possibility of invasion
in the event of hostilities by the new
coalition. For that purpose he or
ganized 4 perfect system of mountain
artillery on the model of the British
Indian force, and manned it with
specially selected mountaineers.
Italy, in turn, was compelled to pro-
vide a similar corps for the defense
of her side of the range, but soon the
two regiments, begotten in haste, be-
gan to fraternize and banquet one an
other. The same amicable relations
have existed ever since: and the bat
teries have established a friendly
rivalry that animates both parade and
carousal.
The United States army for the first
time made use of this arm in active
warfare in the Mexican war of 1876
4S. The light and portable nature of
the guns made them extremely val
liable in the irregular skirmishes that
took place, but their most important
use was found in clearing the streets
from point of vantage on the roofs
of the fat topped houses of the City of
Mexico. The ease with which the guns
could be carried or slung to the roofs
rendered them invaluable in repelling
the street attacks, which were of daily
occurrence after Gen. Scott and his
heroes had taken the capital.
The guns of the Astor battery are
very different from the smoothbore
muzzle leaders of the Mexican war In
fact they are in advance of the arma-
ment of the most perfect mountain
batteries that India boasts to-day. The
standard type that has done such good
work against the Afridis and their
sangars, or stone wall intrenchment,
IS riffed muzzle-loading piece Of
ordnance. the barrel and breech Sec
tions of which are separate and screw
together just behind the trunnions.
AS will be seen, this weapon is rather
out of date, the improvements which
have beer made during the last 20
years along the entire line of artillery
not seeming to have affected or
reached the lonely depots of the Him
alayas. The guns of the Astor battery
are wholly different. They are Hotch-
kiss rapid-fire guns of special construc-
ton and remarkable rapidity of fire,
issued to the company Of volunteers
through the patriotic generosity of
Col. Astor.-N.Y Y. Sun