Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-20
CAVALRY IN MODERN WARFARE.
Modern Firearms Have Made TINS
Branch New Problem.


Branch a New Problem.
From the Chicago Times-Herald.
A good iran en- a good horse is the supa-
rtor as an attacking force of three good
men on the g-ound- This is matter CT
common knowledge in the European CAPT
tails, wherein mobs are dispersed by cav
airy using tt. Fat of the saber only more
quickly than they are scattered by the
bullets of militia in America There is
something in the speed, weight and size or
a charging man and horse that shakes the
nerve of the most stout-nearted petes-
trian. The uncomfortable instinct Of the
fCotman is TO get out of the way. cav
a;ryman learns TO love his horse with
love surpGssing that Of woman. He learns
to depend upon him. He absorbs conf
dence from every ell of the giant mus
cIes between his knees. The man and he
beast conjoined furnish a mutual support
that is admirable. and in battle of meal
rulable value. Discounted cavalry are the
most difficult IF troops to dislodge, for the
reason that the riders. deprived Of their
horses do not know when or how &c run.
Military experts believe that the invasion
Of Cuba by the American army will fur
nish exceptional opportunities for the use
Of cavalry. 1t is. for the most part. coed
horse country. of wide fields and level
tpaces. Ii is believed. too that this pie
tureJqGe arm of the service will demon
strate that its usefulness Il not ended by
modern arms and prOjectiles though many
theorists incline to the opinion that the
days of cavalry cavalry were ended in
the times of Gravelotte and Sedan. The
celebrated and frUitleSS charge Of the
French cuirassiers. where men and s+ecGs
Went down in heaps. and the watching
Wilhelm said. 1t is magnificent. but IL is
rot war, sticks III their memories. That
charge was Balaklava over again. Some
body blundered- The general efficiently of
cavalry under proper conditions is not dis
credited by it, nor is the centuries-old rec
ord of remarkably valuable arm to be
stained by an Individual failure. Men who
remember what the cavalry was and what
TIE cavalry did III the war between tie
states demand something more than the
crumpling OF one column before they sur
render the beliefs of years
The Napoleonic maxim that cavalry can
not charge Unshaken infantry was due to
NapOleon's experience with rundown
forces His mounted men were badly
drilled and his hoTSafieSh was DOOR The
great Frederick understood the high value
of this branch, and his campaigns give
many instances Of the value of mounted
troops IL almost all kinds of warfare The
rec rds of all great wars bristle with the
&chleNemenfs or the troopers. Even IN the
tranco-Prussian struggle the actual dam
age wrought by the Chlans was far out Of
proportion with their numbers. and the
value of the fear they produced was I'M
measurable AT Salamanca lie Marchand's
British "feavies'' were sent over bad
ground against the steaGiest of French in
fantry. Men and horses fell in svratbs
twenty yards from the line. The rear line
Old steeplechass jumping over piled corpses
TO get 10 the front LIE Marchand was in
stantly Killed. and many of his officers but
the infantry was broken and the position
Carried The Peninsula campaigns furnish
repeated proofs of the fact that infantry
Will not stard against welI-handled cav
any Frince Froderick Charles. one Of the
greatest OF modern warriors, was a steady
believer in the efficacy of cavalry. ard 81
too was Won Wrangel
The opponents of the trooper arm ans
prophets Of Its utter effacement arc used
10 instancing the failure of the brilliant
Austrian cavalry at Sddowa when sent
against breech-loaders. These were troopers
seasoned by long service and so drilled
that thirty sqUadrons of them We're ma
neuveref in mass with the ease and GER
teinty OF one. They were however led
ever ground that sloped up three degrees
II was sCdden with rain. The horses were
so wearied that many of them fell from
exhaustion when the charge began The
ihiantrymen who received them had been
selected by five hours of savage ard con-
tinuous fighting All faint hearts had gone
tc the rear. II is safe to say that there
was not d PrCssian en- the west ridge of
Chium that day who did not wish 10 he
there Even under these conditions he
charge came very close to success though
an Europe was shouting that cavalry was
useless against oreech-ioading fire
The French got ,heir chassepots IN 1865
9nd 1873. Nc German officer believed that
his troop would be of any good against
mem Yet IT VioEville the first line o. the
herman cavalry halted under the heavy
hre on the plateau took intervals by mas
Saying went off the plateau at a walk and
Wheeled 10 the front again as steadily as
II on dress parade This, too was mag
Tihcent. and IL was war 1t was DONE -
encourage the young troops cost only sev-
enty men and horses, though the ch.sse-
POS were harAing in thousands. and K
was worth whs 1t cost Again at Won
VINE NedoWs 81 squadrons went over two
MES OF u1shs cen infantry as II they
we're paper. In another charge the troop-
ers went over the French cannon. losing
only hlty men They came so fast that
the arullerymen found Il Impossible to 4e-
press their pieces with sufficient rapi1i;y
and accuracy. In this battle thfrtv-six
sQuadrOns Of German horse proved tbat
:he Preach line Of foot lacked the strength
OF coowebs. yet this same French infantry
was 80 sood that TWO days later it took
an entire division of the German footnen
three hours to go through them at a cost
OF 500 lives, CT 80 per cent of the attack
ing force.
In the old days troops were safe when
held in reserve so yards back of the fight
Ing line Now for 2 800 yards behind mis-
hne the ground is torn with bullets Con-
sequentIy troops are held 5000 yards back
and even at this distance there viii he 90
cSstonal casualties. To take part in ar on
Gaselnent the reserve force must be moved
entireIy through this wide and dangerous
zone. infantry cannot do IL IN less than
twenty-five minutes, and another ten min
utes VIII be used in getting them into Iiue
CAVairy can cover the distance in six min
utes- The rapidly with which their range
alters makes them a difficult target, and
the moral effect of their laundering and
swift advance IS great. 1t is estimated
that the cavalry loss in charge should
not exceed one-third of the infantry loss
American military men of the more ad-
Fanced Kind expect service of the highest
value IN heavy Engagements from the
splendidiy composed and equipped voIun-
teer cavalry that has gone TO the front. of
their work in scouting. reconnoisga nee
and as media Of communication there can
De no question