The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-06-24

Ism mn lppines, and i'll China. stood
on n knoll near headquar-
ters at Fort Riley. Kansas, in the early
part of last October, peering through
his binoculars at a great cloud of dust
made by II regiment of cavalry as it
dashed furiously across the plain in
one of the sham battles by the regulars
in the ten days maneuvres there. The
firecracker rattle of the guns of six
regiments of infantry. followed Ivy
their swift rushes across the plains
and their plunges TO the ground, the
roar Of half dozen batteries of field
guns, throwing imaginary shells and
hurting defiance to one another. cane
rs music to his ears.
The gray and wind-tanned Brigadicr
could repress his enthusiasm no longer.
and he turned to a friend, who had left
the Army at the close OF the Civil
War and who was his guest at the
manucyres. and said:
BEST soldiers in the world. Colonel"
Hardly that, General" replied the
Colonel. "There were no better SOL
diers. and there never will be better
soldiers, than the men in the Army
in the last two years of the Civil War
quite right. of course. But what
l meant was that the American private
soldier equipped and trained rs he is
to-day, is the best fighting.machlnc
known. and that lie can do 100 per
cent. more works 100 per cent. more
eillclcnt-than he could when we were
fighting in the South. He shoots
further, he sees further. he hears
further yes. he marches further ard
endures more than when we were
youngsters winning our first shoulder
straps. I'll prove it to You. The
morale is 100 per cent. improved over
the old days
HIS WEAPONS THEN AND now.
For a week the active man of mill
tary service and the active man of
business who had come back to smell
powder and renew the martial spirit
of his youth went into every detail
of the maneuvres. They took a Krag
Jorgensen rife and had a private hit IL
tree more than mile away. The
couldn't shoot more than 1900 yards
or three-quarters of the distance the
Krags shoot. Then the Genral told OF
the new Springtields which have been
adopted by the Army TO supplant the
krags, and his eyes snapped as he did
so. Out in the Philippines and in China
he told how scores of the men. as they
IN
cited. We're found shooting air" in
stead of cartridges out of their guns.
In the excitement they forgot to re-
charge the magazines.
All that Is gone now. The brand
new Springfield is entirely encased in
wood, and the soldier can handle it in
comfort at all times. 1t is lighter than
the Krag and weighs only seven and
one-half pounds. But most important
Of all. when the soldier has fred all the
cartridge in his clip he is unable to 20
through the motions of shooting the
weapon again-that is, he can't shoot
air-until he has rccharged the gun
The barrel has also been shortened to
the length of the carbine and hereafter
the infantry and cavalry will carry the
same weapon. Whether the soldier is
mounted infantryman or a dismount-
ed cavalryman, or just plain infantry
man or cavalryman, his gun will be the
same, and only one kind of ammuni.
tion needs to be supplied.
Then, too, the private soldier of to-
day, ii was seen at glance. Is more
than 100 times as efficient shooter,
when II Is realized that he carries with
him in his compact belt 100 cartridges
where he used to carry only fifty.
Right here Is the secret OF his ability
10 march further and to 20 on long
"hlkes." where his range of action for
merly was limited TO the necessity of
keeping closer in touch with his ammu-
milton supply.
ELECTRIC WORK N THE FIELD.
Soon there came along the Signal
Corps with their telegraph Instruments
and their wires and their flags and
other paraphernalla. In the midst OF
rush across the country regiment was
stopped suddenly; the order was given
to wheel and 10 rush to distant part
OF the field. There was no aide rush
ing up and dashing back TO the General
in command. The Signal Corps had
received word that more men were de-
manded In weak spot in the line.
The General at once tclcgraphed to
stop the regiment that was making
headway in forced rushes. with open
spaces between the men. to retrace its
steps and to strengthen force that
had been outilanked.
''That's the kind of work we did in
China" shouted the Brlgadler. With
whoop and cloud of dust the men
disappeared. In less than a half-hour
there was more signaling and tele.
graphing and back the regiment
charged. 1t was difficult to see them
most of the time. and the opposing
force was practically out of sight.
How did they know they We're
needed just thenT asked the Colonel
"Our glasses in the old days were not
able to detect the movements that have
just been so promptly checked"
The Brigadier handed over his bnoc-
ulars and said
"You observe. we see three times as
far as we used to see In the old times.
That telegraph we used constantly In
the march to Pekin. Every one of
the camps was equipped. especially at
uight. 1t was the wonder of the other