The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-23
CAVALRY.
In Modern Armies 1t Gives WAY tn
Artillery


It is noted that there is a disposition
to increase the artillery at the expense
of the cavalry in the modern armies.
This is said to be the result of lessons
in the American Civil War and the Ger
man-French war. and. indeed. of all the
latest wars. In only three armies at this
time does the cavalry predominant over
the artillery-those of Spain, Austria and
Turkey. In our own regular army. on A
peace footing. the cavalry numbered 5000.
to $500 artillery. bur at the last session
Oh congress two additional regiments of
the latter were authorized. which about
equahzed the numerical strength Of the
TWO branches. In an article on this sub
Just the Boston Globe says:
IL Is scarcely just 10 coupare ou-
cavalry with that of European armies
because. their spheres of action hin,
dliIerent, there Is a difference in their -e,,.
sahizatlon Foreign mounted trOOps ara
ai1Iued INTO night and heavy cavalry.
ours are light cavalry. serving as drae.
oonS-that is. they are armed with 90
| pines as well sabers Whether Iigb,
or hedVy' The action of cavalry is Differ
eht on the two continents, because Of rbs
general difference in the character Of "a.
bastletelds. those of Europe being gen
eraily On open ground. It is hardly pos
slDle 10 conceive of our cavalry being
employed as the British were in the Pen
Irsaid campaigns. as Blucher's were at
waterloo, as the Austrian were al Ss
dowa. or as the French and German
were at Fionville. In the last named bat
ie' IL VIII be remembered, the mounted
troops. In great masses alternately
iiaoe lnr1ous charges on infantry. and
oui TOT the modern repeating firearms
would have swept IL off the field.
In the war OF the rebellion the Amor
can cavalry on both sides served rs
cieHtIy IN scouting parties, in guarding
the front and TANKS of armies On ~
march, and in making raids-sometfnes
Oh the proportions Of invasions-into the
eheIhy country They viii undoubtedly
render equally good service in the present
war and may do still heavier work If the
nature OF the battlefeIds permits In for
mer times troops were safe when held in
reserve 800 yards to the rear OF the fight
ing line. In these days of Iong-range re-
peaung small arms the area under fire ex-
tends back at least $500 yards and re-
serves must be held 1900 yards to the
rear To bring up a reserve therefore il
must pass through a dangerous zona Of
great breadth The distance can hardly
be traversed by infantry in less than
twenty-five minutes. and getting into line
Will consume the remainder of a half
hour Cavalry. however, can cover the
distance in a quarter OF this time: the
rapidly Of their movement alters the
range at every moment. making them
difficult target. and the loss in such an
advance. according TO the best authOri-
ties. is not likely TO be more than one
third of the loss to infantry If troops
like the Rough Riders and the regular
cavalry can accomplish what they did be
fore Santiago on foot, what may they not
achieve mounted?
An amusing and possibly instructive
anecdote. in which Lincoln and Grant
figure. and showing the latter's estimate
of cavalry, is related by Mr.. William o.
Stoddard, for some time one OF the for
mer's private secretaries. The general
had not long been in command Of the
army of the Potomac. when one day Mr..
Stoddard asked Lincoln's opinion of him.
Grant replied the President, Is the first
general I've had He's generalr Re
membering the high esteem in which No
CleIlan, Burnside Hooker and Meade had
been held, Mr.. Stoddard asked Lincoln to
explain, and this is what he said:
You see, when any OF the rest set out
on campaign they'd IuoK over matters
and pick out some one thing they were
short of, and they knew I couldn't give
EN-. and tell me they couldn't hope 10
win unless they had it; and it was most
generally cavalry. Now. when Grant
took hold. I was waiting TO see what MS
pet impossibility would be, and reckoned
il would be cavalry. as a matter of
course, for we hadn't horses enough 10
mount even what men we had There
were 1890 or Whereabouts up near Har-
per's Ferry, and no horses 70 put them
on Well the other day just as expect
ed. Grant sent 10 me about those men,
but what he wanted TO know was whether
he should disband EN- or turn EN- into
infantry! He doesn't ask me 70 do i'm
possibilities for him, and he's the frss
general I've had that didn't -