The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-13
ARTILLERY DRILLS.
1T IN NOT EASY TO LEARN TO HAM
r. THE BIG GUNS.

study. ana - Great deal OF 1Enrd wori
ncstdes-wny 1t Requires LonE Service q
Acquire rroncieucy-Laek or Modern Guns
WASHINGTON, March 12.-Fifteen seasoned
soldiers from each battery Of the Ave standing
artillery regiments are to be distributed among
the batteries Of the two new regiments of ar
tillery now being organized in acc 2rdance with
the permission granted by CONGRESS early this
week. The seasoned soldiers are to leaven the
new regiments and make artillorymen OF the
recruits.
The old timers thus assigned will no doubt be
able to convert the two regiments of recruits
quickly into emergency artillorymon-that Is,
they will teach them at once tho mechanical
operations of serving tho big guns by the num-
bers, in order that tho new men may not be en-.
tirely useless when they are needed to serve
the pieces. But an artilleryman, 10 tho soldier
of big ordnance Is trained in the ARMY of tho
United States, cannot DO made In emergency
time. An artillery recruit can be rapidly fash
Toned into an utomatic carrier Of ammunition,
and in the course Of a few drills, II he is quick
witted. he can master the duties demanded by
his one particular number on n big guns crew;
but It takes years Of ~alertness and attention and
considerable study besides for tho olevorest re-
cruit to become q good heavy artilleryman in
the American Army. AS to the light artillery
man. he is born, not made. Light artillery SOL
diering. as It is considered in the United States
Army, Is largely n matter Of horsemanship, and
the light artillerymen arc picked for their natu-
raj skill and aptness with horses. Tho light
artilleryman's drills are many and his duties are
heavy, but he is consoled for this in the reflec-
ton that he belongs to the crack branch in the
whole military outfit. Foreign military critics
II eminence have unhesitatingly pronounced tho
ten batteries of light artillery Of the army of the
Initad SfRfpS IN he unaurnaa aahle in ihe world
for Workmanship and rapid and scientific
handling CT tho pieces. But while the Amcri-
can light artilleryman has got to be as nimble
as an acrobat and an absolute master of horse.
manship, he does not have to use his head near
ly so much as his I'm bar, hcave." comrade in
the heavy artillery ranks. Just now the heavy
artillery branch Is the most important In the
army. and 1t is therefore pertinent to set forth
the fact that some military critics, both Of this
country and Europe. have for many years
maintained that too much work and too many
drills are saddled upon the American heavy
artiileryman. It is commonly known among
military men that by the time an American
artilleryman in the heavy branch has put in a
three-yoar enlistment he has picked up only a
smatterinE of the many duties and drills that
are imposed upon him as the heavy artillery
service is at present organized. II all artillery.
men who put In one enlistment In the heavy
branch would take on again in that branch, the
heavy artillery force of the United States Army
would be on q par with any in the world. But
men In the heavy artillery have Of late years
been getting enough o. it in one enlistment,
and whom they enlist again a great many of
them join the ''douRhboys" in tho infantry
regiments, for the sake of the comparatively
easy lone soldier. one gun" duty therein.
In the first place. the United States heavy
Rrtileryman has pOt IN hncopna No pon1 ~, IN
fantryman as his swaddies in the infantry
regiments. He is subject to call at any time
for detached, infantry duty. in case Of riot, for
example. and he has therefore to acquire the
same proficiency in handling a rife as the
any amount OF infantry drill in squad. platoon platoon .
battery. and battalion. and it is a fact that the
handle. themselves quite as we'll In infantry
formation rs tho regular infantrymen.
artillery branch Of The Uni United east States 1es army srn ge wss
handicapped by, the lack OF modern big guns
had no opportunity to drill upon modern broech.
loading rifles. The old ffteen;inch guns are. Of
much difference between a muzzle.ioading
and a breech.loadine great gun as there is be,
upon the two pieces Is are e eGai"eG!' diircr one aF HE
heavy artillery officers, of course, have been
trained on the modern breech.loaders at West
Point. but owing to the lack of such guns in
little chance to hand over their knowledge of
such guns to the enlisted men. In most Of the
converted eisht.tpch rifes-:hat is, OF old. 'hrae
ern rifing-but these guns are oil muzzle load.
ers. and Of no more Use for drilling purposes
than sno the th ff teen. a Ct smooth,boEes &C.,,
tho hang Of. It requires about onc.ffth Of an
the men are drilled upon them by the numbers
that is, the gunner gives the commands. and
their numbers in the formation Of the guns
crew. But each mar Is required to master the
duties OF every member of the guns crew, and
different numbers at every drill. AS there are
a thousand and one movements to be executed
position. the mastery of this big gun drill. even
on the old.fashioned pieces OF ordnance pro.
a a1nsS IS isf n6 tine @In noFp %atte en- f she a u ressSi,! st1 nSs
sent to q post that is designated as 3 salntins
than five or six times in the course OF a three
year enlistment. but he drills on the big guns
and n ret"ntive memory. he can get hold Of tho
various movements of big gun drill. and, II
esnecially bright, he may even serve as gunner
But there are many auxiliary drills for the
heavy artillerymen besides the main drills in
drills called mechanical mannuvres arc the
bane Of soldiers in this branch of the service. |
engineers. They consist of mounting and dis |
mounting the big guns. and the heavy, artillery
man is expected to master the uses Of ali Of the |
paraphernalia required in this work-almost |
every known style of gin, jack and tackle. 1t is
very hard labor, besides, and II Is also danger
GUS, There have been come serious and a Few
fatal accidents in the United States Army
caused by the attempts Of heavy artillerymen
mount big guns. Oficers are always in charge OF |
this work, as q matter Of course, but officers do |
not man the gins and the jacks and the tackle,
and t.is risky business for men not used to It
and perhaps a bit careless into tho bargain. In
posts where mechanical mannuvres consist of
dragging the great guns to batteries fixed on
high hills tho heavy artillerymcn are often
to take on for such work Is often very hard.
Another maneuvr that drives to despera-
tion heavy artillery recruits who are not quick |
to catch on to intricate details is cordage drill.
Something like a hundred knots are used in
handling the ropes necessary for the hauling of
great guns about from one battery TO another,
and the heavy artillery recruit is required 10
them do, but most Of them DC not. A good
otherwise, frankly confess that they forget the
ailfeLenee between a timber hitch" and a roll
ing hitch" or a 'sheep's shank and a fisher
mans knot" between drills. There was n re-