The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-02-23
Voice Of the People

TO the Editor OF Tho Times Dispatch:
Tichmond papers an article criticizing
the cavalry and giving very crrone-
Gus idea OF the subject upon which ii
was written.
The agitation for a reduction in the
mumher OF our regular cavalry is due
to the real conviction Of it's lack OF
utility. y consideration OF the aues
more reasonable.
II is hoped that nothing In This ar.
Of any. of the other arms OF the SER
vice. for the. situations in war arc
many in which mobility may be
Gxity of purpose the major. ON the
other hand advocating the increase OF
is like clipping The wings Of the eagle
in the hope OF making his talons grow.
the past but on aT account, o ali It's a ynrs ol
tility OF use and its mobility, ii is the
arm Of the future.
armed with and trained in the use OF
the Iihc. pistol, sabre and bayonet II
cd: in the former. case the horse the
pistol and the sabre are the weapons
and the action is known as shock ac-
| ton: i'm the latter case. the rifle is the
weapon and the action is known as
| fire action.
| OF cavalry on account OF it's shock
action. OF which history. even tho his
]
discuss the value of cavalry on ac-
count of its mobility and fire action
/ alone
eoppose. IN the prize ring two men
o, cgn, a 'ra an tE one man OF muscle:
strong. but with greater reach and
agility, and there Is no doubt OF what
,,hn1; result would be oppo;S,c on the
( in armed men. one eide alone being
( mounted: thus having the greater reach
md ~ - IT,,
of which, viii win?
| The value Of a given number Of incs
they are tired by cavalry or infantry
lies in the mobility of the frer.. 1t is
bcrs. Any means of decreasing the
time 70 cover given space or Of in
| given place in a given time is OF vital
| Importance.
In the Russo Japancsc War the lack
! of swiftly moving force of sufficient
size prevented the Japanese. for they
had only 5000 badly mounted and poor
~ decisive victory. They could not
make a decisive flank. or rear attack.
a rout. The Russiams I'm each case
retired in good order. and at. their
leisure, except when frightened by ru-
II has been APPLY said. IA cavalry
such ms Shcridan's, Cor our Stuart's)
lave permitted a Nogi undiscovered
and unresstcd until too late to have
- turned the Russian right at Mukden.
or had lh =, y, been on the Japanese side,
bent lack on itsclf. to have escaped.
That this war had no Jena, no
AppomattoN, in other worda: no de-
cisive victory. .is due, more than any
thing else. to tho lack Of a large.,.prop-
ter]y trained and properly handled cav
airy force u was during this war
that the German Minister, OF War, In
recommending 10 the Roichstag an m
crease Of the cavalry, said: eff the
Japanese had sufficient cavalry, the
war. would be already over. We Ger
mans haze every reason to value cay
airy: without cavalry, Sedan would
Moltkc." General Kleist,, in speaking
OF the same war, said: Armies thus
composed Of infantry and artillery may
perhaps for a long time offer a pas
give resistance: never will they gain a
And yet this japanese cavalry. small
and. i'll trained. as II was. did accom-
tis Of the Telissn: be Negriar has said
ously attacked and outfAnked by q
considerable force was In a critical
position. Although reinforced twice
oyer, 1t was on the point OF giving