The National tribune., 1907-07-04

naturally only secure such arms in Ger
many and Austro-Hungary as had been
discarded to be replaced by the newer
and more improved weapons. These.
however, were sold in great quantities
at from IS to $50 apiece, and served for
awhile to arm the new levies until they
could be supplied by the improved and
valuable Springfield musket. Such of
the foreign guns as could be made over
into something like the Springfield mus
ket were so transformed, but the most
of these guns were in a few months
sent to the junk pile after they had
made long history of tribulations for
the unlucky regiments which had en-
tered the field with them. Many a
regiment did not get the improved arms
until they captured them from their
enemies upon the field of battle. 1t will
be readily seen that the task of arminS
7 100000 men with superior weapons was
one of the greatest magnitude. and it is
highly to the credit OF the Administra-
ton that with our moderate establish
ment this was so soon accomplished.
Il The Light Artillery.
As we saw in the late struggle with
the Beers, a people entering war al
ways place an exaggerated Importance
upon artillery. The English were con-
i fidcnt that they were going to quickly
| blow the Beers out of existence with
! lyddite shells. just as we thought the
| dynamite sloop Vesuvius was going to
win our war with Spain. The French
! were going to destroy the Germans by
the mitraillcuse. Something like this
| has appeared in every modern war. The
end has always been the same. The
| war was always decided by men with
muSkets
Artillery is always exceedingly i'm
preSSive and convincing upon the popu-
| lace and listen with greedy
dulity to the stories of artillery enthu-
SiaStS of sweeping away whole compa-
MES. battalions and even regiments by
single blasts of shrapnel, canister or
shell
| In 1861 the artillery enthusiast of the
world was Napoleon Ill, who had in
vented the gun which bore his name-a
| light bronze 12-pounder, with about the
| range of a musket. This was mainly
| intended for close fighting and using
| canister at the critical point of the bat
tie instead of musketry volleys.
Rifle cannon We're coming into fash
ion for lOng-range work, and numerous
sanguine inventors were demonstrating
what their guns would do at four miles
range. 1t was hoped that they would
do all the work, to the saving of life to
the volunteers.
Artillery of the Army of the Potomac.
AS Cen. Mcclellan was planning his
great army upon the French system
he determined to give it the finest ar
tillcry equipment known in the history
Of war. Artillery is an exceedingly ex-
Densiye arm. and no other Nation had
ever been able to give its armies such
a complete outfit of modern guns as
Mcclellan had planned. Wealthy as
France and England had been, yet their
arsenals and field forces had always
been encumbered with old-style guns
of various caliber which they did not
feel they could afford to throw away.
The Army of the Potomac was to start
in with a fresh equipment. Even the
few guns in the Regular batteries were
of the most modern style. McClellan's
idea was to have two and a half or three
guns for every 1000 men. a liberality |
never before attempted. The old FORM |
alton of field batteries of six guns was
retained with never less than four guns. |
and 1t was decided that each battery
should have pieces of uniform caliber
and character Two-thirds of the guns
| We're to be smoothbore of the 12-pound-
er Napoleon pattern and the other third
| rifle guns. Each division was to have
| four batteries. with n Captain of a Reg
ular battery commanding the division
artillery. In addition to this there was
TO be q reserve artillery corps Of 100
guns and siege train of so pieces. The
| organization of the artillery was put
| under the direction of Maj. William f.
Rarry, who was promoted to Brigadier-
| General. 1t was carried on with such
| energy and lavishness that in few
months the field artillery reached the
colossal proportion of 80 batteries of
! 500 guns. served by 1880 weli-drilled,
| wcil-disciplined men. The organization
| Of the artillery was specimen of the
grand scale upon which everything con-
lnected with the Army Of the Potomac
was carried on.
| Seth Williams the Organizer.
Whatever else may be said of Nc
Clellan, he rose fully to the require
| mcnts of organizing by far the finest
| army that the world had ever before
seen. Large as were those forces mus
| tered by Napoleon, they fell far short
| in the material enlisted and in the COM
| plcteness and excellence of the equip
ments OF the Army of the United States.
| No monarch in history ever had such
a host of first-class men and such vast
resources placed completely at his dis
poSal as Mcclellan. The disaster at Bull
| Run had completely aroused the coun-
| try as to the magnitude of the task be-
fore it, and Congress and the people
were willing to give to the Young Ma
| poleOn" everything that he could pOssi-
| bly, ask for to help him on to victory.
| They wanted victory 50 badly that they
hastened to offer the last man and the |
last dollar to secure it.
1t Is claimed Dy many earnest auNO-
Gates that much of the high credit to
Mcclellan for the magnificent organiza- |
ton properly belongs to Seth Williams. |
one OF the most accomplished officers
Of the Old Army, and who Wore out
his life in the organization and admin |
istration. He was born in Augusta, Me-, |
in 1922, and graduated from the Mill |
tary Academy in 1912. entering the ar |
,illery. In the Mexican War he showed |
himself an earnest. gallant soldier, and
was brevetted a Captain for his bril- |
liant conduct at NcrrO GordO. He was |
transferred to the Adjutant-GenerarS :
Department in 1853, and at the begin |
ming of the war was Adjutant-General
of the Department of the West, with the |
rank of Major He was promoted to |
Rrgader- General of Volunteers and
made Acknowledgement for the Army
of the Potomac, in which he served till
the close of the war receiving brevets
for Gettysburg. Petersburg, Appomat-I |
tox and for gallant services in the field |
during the rebellion. His work exhaust
ed him, however, and he died in 1856
at Boston, at the age of A. In his OFF, |
cial order announcing his death Maj
Gen. Meade said:
The public services of the deceased. |
in connection with the Army of the |
Potomac, from its organization to with |
in a few months of its muster-out. at
the close of the war. are too well known
1 " IIl