The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-13
CAVALRY NOT DEAD
MILITARY CHANGES HAVE NOT
DONE AWAY WITH TROOPERS.
DASHING CHARGES OUTLINED
But RECoNNAISSANCE Makes
CAVALRY INVALUABLE.


Army-DevcIoped Scouting During
civil War-Three Factors Have
Caused Changes-Changes Caused
in Infantry-BayOnet Disappears.
PriVates VIII Garry Entrenching
ToOIs-Chnnges in the Nnvy-Thc
New Inventions and Value OF
strategic Maneuvers.
The visit of the United States train
ing ship Hartford to Savannah has
served to call the attention of mill
tary men to the changes which have
taken place in the methods and the
weapons of war during the last forty
years. At the time the Hartford was
Admiral Farragut's flagship she was
considered one of the best vessels
ahoat but to-day, were she to make
any attempt to be of use other
than q training ship, her officers would
be ridiculed.
While the changes in naval warfare
have been very great, those Of the
army have been equally so. The dis
lance to which projectiles can be
thrown has been more than doubled,
smokeless powder has made its appear
ance, and the whole scheme of attack
and defense has. been completely
changed. . Perhaps the most noted
change is that in the general uses OF
the cavalry and in many places the
claim is advanced that the cavalry
man is now extinct.
Georgia Second In Cavalry.
Georgians are particularly interested
in this matter, as with the exception
of South Carolina, their militia con-
tains more cavalry than any other
state in the Union. Georgia militia
has one cavalry regiment of fifteen
troops, with a total force of 800 men.
South Carolina, the only state which
has more men in the cavalry-militia
than Georgia, has one regiment Of
twelve troops with a total of 600 men.
If the uses of the cavalry have been
supplied otherwise, these militia men
are practicing and drilling in a use
less department of the military.
Local United States army officers
do not believe that the cavalTyman
is extinct so far as actual war is con-
cerned. Col. Quinn, in speaking of
the matter, said while all of the
dashing, swash- buckling, spectacular
part of the service is gone now, yet
the cavalryman is far from extinct
and is of great use to the army. His
work is hard and eXacting, but it is
of vast Importance. Reconnaissance is
steadily increasing and the cavalryman
is one of the most important factors
in developing it. In fact, he is the
antennae of the army and must feel
its way as it advances.
Importance of Reconnaissance.
Reconnaissance must increase in i'm
portance in direct ratio to the increase
in the field of maneuvers. Reconnais-
sance may be defined as that branch
of the military service which is con-
cerned with the securing and present.
ing of intelligence regarding the enemy
during the period of active operations"
In the days of Roman warfare the
opposing forces fought almost hand to
hand and each commander placed his
men for the battle within easy see
ing distance of the opposing forces. In
fact the commands of the officers could
often be plainly heard by the enemy.
With the dominance of firearms. how
ever, came a new order of battle and
the arms-length contest vanished. Stra-
tegical maneuvers for position became
of an Importance hitherto unknown.
Reconnaissance became a recognized
feature of warfare, though it was still
confined mainly to the outposts, Skin
AulSn AllleS anu plChElS.
During the Civil War both Confed-
crates and Federals made much use
of their cavalry, backed by the expert
ences of their forefathers in frontier
warfare. An admirable scouting serv-
ice was developed in the field, and more
than one battle was won on "out-point-
ing" The independence and mobility
of the cavalry arm in its frequent raids
was splendidly developed.
New Factors in Warfare.
Since that time. however, new fac
tors have entered into warfare, all
tending to make a great change in the
system of fighting. These three factors
are: First, the doubling of the effec-
tive range of artillery and rifle fire;
second, increase in accuracy of fire.
arms and improvement of markham
ship; and, third, the disappearance OF
smoke.
These have pushed the lines apart tc
the limit of vision and made marks.
manship the paramount accomplish.
ment of the soldier. They have done
away with close-order formation
forced the assaulting infantryman up
on his stomach,a driven the cavalry.
man from the field of battle.
But the latter has not been obliter-
ated. Information must be had. The
smokeless powder has made 1t impos.
sible for one general to learn the
location of the opposing force from
the smoke. He must now depend up
on the cavalry. Maps are a great es
sential and no maps are ever up-to'
date. The best maps not only fail Il
give facts of paramount importanc,
upon the field of battle. but they dete
riOrate with every day of age.
Information must now be learned
through the cavalry arms. 1t is tn,
eye of the army. Each troop mus
be ready to forge ahead of the mali
army and hurry back with the desired
information. The cavalryman of to
day has a hard lot, but his work il
among the most useful of any. With
out him no knowledge can be gained
with any degree of accuracy.
To-day the cavalryman is also
mounted infantryman and in quickl!
moving bodies of men from place t.
place he is invaluable. But once in 20
sition, he dismounts and becomes al
infantryman only. The day of tn,
dashing, spectacular charge is past
A troop of cavalry could never harm
the opposing infantry, lying fiat oil
the ground and picking off the rider
with consummate ease.
His work Is changed but its impor
tance remains greater than ever. Sucl
large numbers are not needed as IL
other days, but the smaller numbe
must be accurate. daring, resourceful
ready for constant service and 10
changes at a moments notice.
Changes in other Branches.
In the other departments OF the mil
itary changes have been almost equal
ly as great. The bayonet charge 1
now only a matter of history. In plac