The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-18

what our 'undrilled' rangers could do
But let them think a biz. The 80
courage of our boys should show that
there Is no danger of them turning tail
unuer any circumstances NOW Then
what Is NOSE demOralizing to an arnv2
II Two FORCES meet and one sees ire
Ihenuous havoc wrought on its side
WINE the Zoe continues to advance rela-
! uVely as strong as before what is the
result? Suppose a brigade of Furoneay
cavalry were to be engaged by an equal
: NUMBER or rangers. In the collision the
/ europeans might seek to use their sa-
pres warrant you that before the
Two forces got together for every Eu-
ropean cavalryman's bullet that found
/ It's mark at least two of the rangers
guns would have dropped their men. So
Iong. as they remained away from a
hand-to-hind scrimmage the Texans
/ would continue to increase the enemy's
/ minority: Then when they got to-
/ getner-the boys who could use bowie
] KNIVES and guns successfully against
/ the lances and tomahawks of the In
dams could certainly whip the cavalry
OF any European nation with ordinary
sabres and side arms.
Inere are various things that favor
the ranger. In the first place his horse
the ordinary mustang, is much more
/ serVlceaDie Tor modern fighting pur-
poses than the ordinary cavalry horse
Its thin, wiry legs aid il on the plains
where a sharp turn frequently saves a
rider from an onrushng steer or en-
aDleS the cowboy to stop a stampede.
KNOW OF no occupation that requires
more GOODNESS and endurance and the
exercise OF more quick, good judgment
than does that of the cowboy And
there is certainly no industry that
makes better hOTsemen or breeds a
class of horses better for their use. All
the world knows that down here where
hunting is as popular a juvenile sport
as playing tops we have reared gen
erations of marksmen. It seems to me
that even those unfamiliar with the
resources and capacities of our cow
boys can understand that 10000 of
them, fitted out as rangers, would show
the world a good deal in the way OF
military doings"
Captain McNieI was not without a
plan OF campaign. He was certain that
nc occasion would arise in Cuba where
the entire Texas army could be en-
gagged at once against a single oppos-
ing column. The Spaniards would
hardly risk an open fight against a
feared foe. If the troops under BlancO
were to be modified for a pitched bat
tie, think the consolidated Cuban in
surgents, with the Texas brigades TO
lead them, would make short shift of
LIZ AokdAAictIuS IHSI our boys COul0
be even more useful in the event that
Havana were invested by gradual ap-
proaches. Advancing, dismounted, if
necessary, from shelter TO shelter. no
sharpshoOters could be more effective
than they in drawing the lines closer
and closer about the besieged Span
iards
Taught to fire across the neck of
a Salioping mustang. with scarcely
anything but one leg and thigh ex-
posed, they would puzzle the Spaniards
sorely. while their own craftsmanship
and courage would certainly gain them
as many victories against European
arms as they have already won against
American foes equally as dangerous as
the foreigners in the passage at arms.
If there were little prospect of an
early general enga cement on the island
the Texas boys could be divided into
three or four brigades to operate sep
arately, though in constant touch with
each other l am convinced that such
a course would teach military men
new in the way of quick
work.
No, sir; careful gentlemen not ac-
with the facts. may incline TO
doubt the wisdom of such a course. but
[ know dozen competent and trust
worthy men who would like nothing
better than to WreSt Cuba from Span
ish sway at the head OF 10000 Texas
rangers, co-operated with by an
American fleet and the Cuban patri-
OTIS. ''-GlObe-DemOcTat.