The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1914-10-28
ANCIENT AND MODERN WARFARE

From the stones cast from sings
with which the natives of Gaul sought
to repel the advance of Caesars Ro-
man legions to the huge German no.
witzers hurting 16-in explosive shells
against the allies is as long a step
mechanically as it is in point of time.
But except for the temper of the
weapons, there is no appreciate diff
ference between the 1~and-tO-hand con-
ficts-short sword against spear-of
SO B. C.. and the bayonet charges of
the French and English against the
Germans in 1914.
For nearly 1000 years the ground
on which the Great War is being
fought has been almost a continuous
battle field. Every form of weapon
and every type of armor ever used
by civilized man in the settlement OF
international differences or private
quarrels has been tried, tested and de.
veloped almost on the same spot
where the efficiency of the most mod
ern implements of warfare is now be.
ing put to the supreme test. Omit
ting the one distinctly modern mill
tary arm-the flying corps-the diff
%ferences between the weapons of to-,
day are differences in detail only, and
excepting the class of weapons max
ing use of gunpowder for the propul-
sion of missiles, it is questionable
1,l,oth0v f1orn hoe honn any nlQrEpd
increase in efficiency, either OF men
or of arms. AS a last resort. when the
order comes to rush the enemy's in
trenchments, battles are still decided
by brute strength and hand-to-hand
fighting-sword to spear, bayonet to
bayonet-just as in the days when
Caesar wrote "The Belgians are the
bravest.'
When Caesar invaded Gaul, his sol
diers carried. besides their curved OBJ
long shields for protection, the fam
Gus Roman short swords, sharp-point'
ed and ~twO-edged, for close %infighting,
with javelins or throwing spears as
missiles. These were also useful in
hand-to-hand conflicts and were the
prototype of the modern bayonet.
Steel had not yet ONE into general
use, but these soft-iron weapons had
at least the merit of being easily
sharpened on any convenient stone
And backing up the foot soldiers and
horsemen, just as the artillery does
today, swas the Roman artillery, con
sisting of catapults, which were huge
implements for hurting large rocks
into the ranks of the enemy, and the
ballista, a device working on the same
principle, for throwing quantities O
arrows In each Of these the propul
sive force was produced by the suddel
releasing of a great beam or tree trun
which had been bent by means o
ropes and winches to form a hug
spring. A shower of arrows hurled
from a ballista must have created a
much havoc in the ranks of the on
coming Gauls as the bursting of
shrapnel shell among the foot soldier
does today. while the great stone
thrown by the catapults were Otter
as large and heavy as the shells o
the modern howitzers.
The one important addition that wa
made to the armament CT European
soldiers, prior to the introduction O
gunpOwder, was the bow. . |
was nearly 1000 A. d. before the boy
became what it afterward was TO
,1r tl,n, 49,, 1Dr}rsnr tln v>rsn n
pal weapon of the European foot so
der, occupying in II form or anOtl
err the same position that the mag;
zine rife does today.
The superiority Of the long bow o'
er the CrosSbow was demonstrated q
the battle of Greasy in 1916. the DE-
cisive battle of the One IIundre
Years Wal between the English an
the French, where. as the old chrOn
clers relate it, tie long FRO of til
British arCEers few in such cloud
that they Obscured the sun. The ma
with the long bow could shoot sever
row while the crossbowman VIZ
shooting one.
In this battle. fought only a fe'
miles from the scene of some of til
~tiercest conflicts of the present wa
gunpowder was used for the first tim,
the English forces having three crud
cannon, or bombards, using the newl
discovered explosive to hurl stones ;
the French Just as Caesars catapul'
had hurled stones at the Gauls.
was a hundred years or more aftf
this. however. before the use of fir
arms became at all general in warfar
and nearly two centuries before tt
hand gun. mounted on a stock iii
that of the crOssbow. began serious
to displace the bow.-Popular Nj
chanics.
ADVICE TO FARMERS.