The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-30
MODERN WAR AND MOUNTED IN.
PA N9SylY

PANTRY.
The South African war has d mrs rat
cd one thing to military men. AMI that
is that, with facilities to secure a suffi.
cient supply Of forage, one mounted ir-
fantryman is as good as five foot soldiers.
The improvements in modern fireas ms,
giving extended range, greater accuracy,
Increased velocity and penetrating power
to projectiIes. and fatter traj ctcry,
so far from destroying the usefulness Of
mounted soldiers, has given them high-
ersvalpe. The fighting of the present ana
the future is to be done at l5ng range,
necessitating greater mobility for the
forces engaged if decisive results are to
be achieved. The emp. oyment of m sses
of Infantry, or of cavalry, for that mat
ter, is no longer to be considered prac-
ticabie. The line Of battle is to be great
ly attenuated. and battles Will no longec
be fought within an area of five or SIX
miles, but of ten to twenty miles or n re,
according to the numbers cf the fcrces
engaged. The battle front of an army
of 100000 men or more would not be less
than fifteen miles, under modern condi-
tions, and. if composed largely CT III cunt
cd men, could very easily be extended t.
twenty miles wi hout impahiHg its
strength.
Experts say that for a company OF
mounted infantry 12O strong, as much
space would be required to use them ef-
fectively as for a whole battalion of in
fantry, whilst a mounted battalion would
require the space ordinarily given for the
maneuvers of an infantry brigade.
AS has been pointed out, South Africa
| furnishes an ideal field for the use of
mounted infantry. and such force might
not prove so effective in a country whers
the distances were not SO great, or the
natural defenses so strong But it must
not be forgotten that the force possessing
! the greatest mobility is able to select tn.
battle ground and it's own posi- ion, and
could avoid battle, except under extraor-
binary conditions, as it chose.
| The maintenance Of mounted force in
! the field resolves itself into question OF
! horsehesh and forage. If an adequate
! supply of both can be furnished, the ef-
! fectiveness of the force can be sustained
A popularity of the employment Of
mounted infantry is that the Individual
soldier is thrown more upon his own re-
sources when in action, and becomes
practically an independent unit by reason
of the length of the firing line. TIE bind
dependence Of the infantryman upon bis
officer can have no place in the expert
ence of the mounted infantryman, whose
officer is usually out of sight and hear
Ing This will create entirely new rela-
! tons between the officer and his men. and
will tend to increase the usefulness of
| both. The officer will learn to cover a
| wider field of observation, and will thus
| be able to direct more extended and ef-
fective movements, while the private SOL
der will be Independent and self-reIiant
in his own immediate sphere.
The lessons of the South African war
are no doubt being carefully noted by The
military men of the United States and
if they are utilized it may not be long
before radical changes are inauguratsd.
not only in the regular line regiments.
but in the organization of the a.e mill
tia. True, the American soldier has not
SO much to learn as to mounted Infantry
and its use and movements as has the
European soldier. The American has mad
experience in mum rous Indian wars, and.
besides being more adaptable, is not the
] victim Of 50 many ancient notions as to