Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-04
LESSONS OF THE CIVIL WAR
Far-Reaching Effects on Tactics and
Armament.

Armament.
While the rules of strategy remain the
same from one generation to another, i'm
provements in firearms demands constant
changes in the tactical evolution of the bat
tlefeld. At the outbreak of the civil war
all that was known Of the art of war in
this country was concentrated in the small
regular army, Of about 10000 men, and those
who had seen service as volunteers in the
war with Mexico. The civil war was a
gigantic test of strength between men of
the same nation, and in the ranks of both
armies were found body of expert marks
men, which was second to none in the world
with the arms in use at that time The
Misunderstanding Springfield rifle, with which
the war was fought to a finish was a
weapon of large caliber, carrying the very
effective mimic bullet and adapted to use at
comparatively short ranges In the close
fighting, which took place generally in the
battles or that war. the weapon was terri
bly, destructive. Toward the close of the
war the cavalry of the Union army was
armed quite generally with breech- loading
carbines. using metallic ammunition, but
the infantry fought through that contest
with the Misunderstanding weapon, the am
muntion for which consisted of a rifle ball
with paper cartridges attached, and which
had to be torn by means of the teeth every
time the piece was loaded. The manifest
advantage of the metallic ammunition used
with the breech-loader was SC great that i'm
mediatey following the close of the rebel
lion the government continued experiment.
Ing with the breech-loading system and
developed the very excellent Springfield
rifle used by the regular army on the fron-
tier in its battles with the wild Indian
tribes during the period of a quarter of a
century Immediately following the civil
war.
Just prior to the war with Spain this arm
was abandoned for the improved breech-
loading magazine rifle, with fat trajectory
and small caiber by means of which the
range of the rifle has been increased ten
fold over that used during the civil war 1t
is safe to say that the vast majority of
wounds received during the civil war were
from shots fired at ranges within 100 wards
The present rife is deadly at from one to
two miles, and no line column of masses
could stand in front of a single line using
the modern magazine rifle at ranges within
SEQ yards.
Europeans were inclined to ridicule our
army of the civil war. but as years have
passed by 1t has gradually dawned upon
them that Americans have done more TO
eradicate the fuss and feathers of military
life and reduce war to a business footing
than any nation of modern times At the
outbreak of the civil war the volunteers
Joined the coors in countless thousands
with trunks, bandboxes family albums and
impediments of all kinds which, under the
influence of hard experiences, soon gave
way to a most practical fighting outfit.
knapSacks came in for a trial between
times, but eventually everything that the
soldier needed for camping was carried in
his blanket roll across his shoulder. This
with his haversack with three days ra-
lions and the canteen with water, made of
our volunteers the greatest army of light
infantrymen ever known
1t was the common sense and Individual
lty or these young volunteers that developed
from the regular army tactics the line of
skirmish, followed up by the thin line of
battle, which became the accepted order of
hghtlng. These same lines and groups of
skirmishers are used by the best armies
OF the world today but nowhere with the
same elasticity and perfection as is done in
the American army. Doubtless the large
contingency of Americans In South Africa
introduced this loose order of fighting to
the Beers, who used 1t with such success
IN their contests with the armies Great
Britain sent into South Africa.
The cavalry and mounted infantry raiders
of both sides during the civil war have
formed the models for Great Britain's sue
cessful army in the final contest with the
sharpshooting Beers.
Modern military service demands how
ever, more training than was formerly the
case. thousands of men were enlisted dur
ing the civil war and marched from muster
ing depots at once to the battlefields; now.
however 1t is essential that men be trained
first to the use of their long-range rifles, in
order that they may be used to their utmost
value, and little time devoted to target
practice. combined with skirmish drills,
while invaluable to any soldier, is especially
SO to those armed with long-range rifle.
The veterans of the Grand Army may
justly feel that the lessons of the civil war
constitute the greatest book of learning on
the subject of warfare that the world has
ever known.