MARCH, 1888.
JOURNAL
OF THE
[o} nited States Cavalry
ASSOCIATION.
LEAVENWORTH, KAN.:
STEAM PRESS OF KETCHESON & REEVES, 1888,
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JOURNAL
OF THE
UNITED STATES CAVALRY ASSOCIATION.
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VOL. I. MARCH, 1888, NO. I.
SOME GERMAN. IDEAS ON CAVALRY GATHERED FROM “CONVERSATIONS ON CAVALRY.”— PRINCE KRAFT DE HOHENLOHE-INGELFINGEN.
3Y SECOND LIEUTENANT FRED'K 8S. FOLTZ.
First U. S. CavALRy.
HE author of “ Conversations on Cavalry,” Prince KRarr DE HoHEN- LOHE-INGELFINGEN, General of Infantry and aide de camp on the staff of the Emperor of Germany, had previously published, among other works, “ Letters on Cavalry,” in which he had warmly praised the mounted arm for its services in the Franco-Prussian war. These “ Letters” gave rise to a number of conversations between himself and a cavalry officer, whom he describes as “ of the highest rank, and of the greatest experience, both in war and in the instruction of
troops in time of peace.”
These conversations the author has faithfully recorded, with the dates on which they occurred, extending from November 1885 to June 1886,
Although the form is that of a discussion, the author does not combat any of the propositions of his cavalry friend, and the conversation may be taken as an exposition of the ideas of the latter. The style of this work, of some four hundred pages, is necessarily prolix, and, while we may regret to find the material in such a shape, we must take it as an evidence of the intense interest in the preparation for war, that sucha
2 GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY.
work should not only be brought out but should find immediate transla- tion into French —for it is from the French version that I make my notes.
The cavalryman, while heartily thanking the Prince for having un- dertaken the defence of the mounted arm against the attacks that have latterly been made upon it, thinks that his praise has been too generously bestowed, and assures him that this opinion is shared, generally, by the experienced officers of the arm.
“You have represented us as realizing the ideal,” he says, “ while we feel, even in reading your writings, how little we made of our opportuni- ties and how vast is the room for improvement.”
“You consider praise, properly bestowed, as more likely to stimulate improvement than would hostile criticism, which more often provokes useless discussion and resistance; but your dominant idea is, that our cavalry was employed according to the rules in ’70 and ’71; that, gener- ally, it was well led and behaved handsomely; that its services were highly satisfactory.”
“ True, the Uhlan was the terror of all France, but, as the French cavalry was still more badly handled than our own, this is saying little.”
“How often our cavalry disappointed our expectations. A SEYDLITz would have given a better account of them. Such a genius cannot, in- deed, be made to order, but the system of education should result in forming chiefs capable of properly handling masses, capable of doing great deeds with them; and it should result in forming these chiefs from men only fairly gifted, if they are but vigorous, active, brave and chivalrous.”
“Our cavalry is animated by the best spirit, its officers yield nothing in zeal and devotion to those of FREDERICK THE GREAT; its horses are even better; but what is the use of all this, if the horses are not trained and handled in a rational manner.”
“Our horses are tough and capable of extraordinary service when rationally handled. For example :—
~ “A brigade marched one day from Beauvais to Gisors, took part in the capture of that place and returned to Beauvais in the afternoon, 38 miles; the next day it moved to Gournay and back, 31 miles; the fourth day it moved to Bretevil, where some squadrons made several charges, and it then returned to Beauvais in the afternoon, 38 miles.”
“But how seldom we dared to demand such efforts. How many times we lost contact with the enemy. Why was he allowed to fall back upon Paris? Why did not swarms from our mass of cavalry envelope him and cut the railways in his rear? Why did we not scout thoroughly during the winter?”
“ Had our leaders felt capable of covering. 30 to 60 miles a day with
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GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY. 3
sufficient masses, could the armies that were to deliver Paris have sprung from the earth and been upon us before we suspected their existence?”
“Tey roads! We have them at home, why have we not learned to move upon them? Serypwitz himself would have been helpless with cavalry horses that could not move on ice.”
“A few brigades who had learned this accomplishment did, however, scout on the ice and the others might have done as much.” a
This is indeed a sharp arraignment and the Prince falls back upon those magnificent charges; those charges that overthrew the time-honored principle, “That in nine out of ten charges of cavalry against cavalry one side or the other wheels about before the shock.” He reminds his friend that in ’70 the opposing cavalries almost invariably penetrated each other and fought hand to hand in the melee. Here, however, is the very point that the cavalryman makes in proof of the inferiority of the cavalry of ’70 to that of FREDERICK.
“‘ FREDERICK charged in compact order; there could be no penetration, simply a shock. He formally discouraged loose attacks, because they led to the ‘melee,’ and he added ‘I want no melees, the cavalry should charge in a wall.’ The result of this was that the side that saw it was going to have the worst of it could do no better than to dodge the blow.”
The inability to keep this compact order is attributed to insufficient training of the horses and men.
“At Vionville great masses of cavalry were frittered away, regiment by regiment, without plan and without unity. There was no one who commanded the cavalry as a whole. ”
They had few chiefs who dared to assume the responsibility of leading large masses of cavalry in order against the enemy; but, for this, it is the system and not the individual that is to blame.
“The SEYDLITZES, ZIETHENS and DRIESENS did not come into the world generals of cavalry; they are the expressions of their time, of the mode of instruction of that time.”
“As to Drigesen.—Did not FREDERICK exclaim, in surprise at his exploit at Leuthen, ‘What! that imbecile Drresen?’ and yet the mon- arch was a good judge of character.”
‘‘A genius and an ordinary man are therefore both capable of obtain- ing great results, their exploits are the results of the principles of their education.”
“The principles of FREDERICK are still followed, in theory, but not in practice; in the manner of using cavalry, but not in the means by which the atom (the trooper ) is fitted for aggregation to the mass.”
“*Murat’s cavalry were certainly not drille? individually, but Murat did not lead his men on FREDERICK’s principles.”
GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY.
“He formed broad, deep columns and put these masses in motion toward the point of attack. Not a trooper, had he wished jit, could have given his horse another direction.”
“Again, Murat charged at a trot so as to keep his men together.”
“And what did this herd of horses effect? It went through several Russian batteries and then struck several regiments of the allies, which, although much inferior in numbers, were not long in driving it back quite as fast as it had come.”
“Marwerz, with untrained and bolting horses, was successful at Habelsburg ; but a cavalry that dissolves at the first charge and cannot be formed again afterwards, is of no great value, and, in fact, Colonel BismARcK did not dare to have it charge the second time. ‘I can turn them loose when I choose,’ he said, ‘ but as for seeing a single one of them afterwards, that’s another question; I won’t answer for that.’”
He goes on to cite a case where in ’70 a squadron of his own “ melted ” into a squadron of the enemy in a charge ; the melee turned into a mad stampede of friends and foes; sounding the rally had no effect, and the herd was rounded up only by the sabres of the enemy’s reserves.
“With a bolting cavalry it is mere chance as to the direction in which it bolts; as to whether it is victorious or beaten.”
‘At the manceuvres he saw another illustration of this—‘six regi- ments of cavalry repulsed were to be supported by a division of equal force, but the retreating division bolted and, sweeping down upon its support, stampeded the whole, in a mad flight.”
‘In war these two divisions would have been accused of cowardice. Any cavalry, not master of its horses, is thus exposed, however brave it be.”
Again, he saw a column of squadrons brought to a walk, from the the trot, to insure a safe execution of ‘column left.”
“From October Ist to May Ist the horses are ridden in riding halls and level exercising yards.”
“Then follows the school of the squadron and of the regiment on level drill grounds. It is only during the four weeks of the annual man- ceuvres that the cavalry has, from time to time, an opportunity to man- ceuvre on a natural surface.”
“The trooper is then busy with each stone, each furrow that he sees : he has no eyes for the enemy, no thoughts of touch and alignment, no confidence in his seat, still less in his mount.”
“Now, a chief trained in such a school cannot think of leading his division against the enemy in compact order, if he knows that the first potato patch, the slightest change in direction, will threaten the order of
his command.” “He prefers rather to send his men against the enemy by squadrons,
GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY. 5
by regiments, still keeping some of his force in hand, than to lose the whole, in several lines, across country.”
It seems that about October Ist each year the squadrons receive their annual contingent of recruits and young horses, the squadron is then di- vided up into a number of riding classes and is not formed or drilled as a squadron until late in the spring.
The work of these riding classes is inspected at fixed intervals and the exercises to be required at each inspection are strictly laid down.
The abuses of this system of instruction are said to be at the root of the evil.
“The means has been allowed to crowd the end out of sight; school riding and exhibitions more suited to the circus ring than to the drill halls have been allowed to crowd out everything practical, until the horses come forth in the spring ruined, crammed, not trained, and ready to bolt when once more in the fresh air.”
The remedies suggested are, squadron drill during the winter, route marches, individual working of horses in the open air, (using the riding halls only for recruits and young horses, except in bad weather,) con- stant supervision of the work instead of inspection at fixed times, and, in the school of the squadron and large bodies, a constant eye to the re- quirements of actual war.
The squadron is the unit; five squadrons to the regiment, two regiments to the brigade and three brigades to the cavalry division.
The squadron has three platoons and is formed in double rank.
Its personnel is one captain, three lieutenants and 133 enlisted.
In computing its strength for squadron drill in winter, we find the following data:—3 troopers (on an average) on duty away from the regiment; 4 orderlies for the officers; 2 sick; 5 on guard, in kitchen, &c.; 39 recruits; 56 men remaining for drill; 4 trumpeters; 15 non-comis- sioned officers, and last but not least, 135 horses, of which number, 26 are young horses, not in ranks.
It is urged that, though 56 men in rank are not enough for the normal squadron formation of three platoons in double rank, yet they are ample for two double rank platoons or for four in single rank.
Eleven files front is taken as the smallest admissible in double rank, as a smaller front than that would give the platoon a greater depth than width.
The following table will give some idea of the way in which the mount of the squadron is divided into classes for riding. It contains, however, some suggested modifications as to classification.
1st Class.—Consisting of 13 young horses (current year) with the best horsemen in charge of their training.
GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY.
2nd Class. —'Thirteen young horses (previous year) with the remainder of good horsemen.
3rd Class.— Thirteen horses belonging to riders of first class.
4th Class.— Thirteen horses belonging to riders of second class.
5th, 6th and 7th Classes.— Recruits on picked horses from contingents 5 to 9 years back. (Thirteen horses each class.)
8th Class.— Backward recruits of last year on horses, chosen as be- fore. (Thirteen horses.)
9th and 10th Classes— Old men on old horses. (Twelve horses in each class.)
11th Class.— Men riding every other day, (artificers, &c.,) on horses to be condemned next inspection. (Thirteen horses.)
We find that the squadron receives yearly, 34 recruits and 13 young horses (3 years old,) and that the recruit is not counted as in ranks for some nine months, while the horse is counted out for at least a year and a half. Ten thousand horses being required annually for remount.
We see, that the young horse is carefully trained by experienced horsemen, who still ride their own trained horses daily to keep their hands in.
That the recruit learns to ride upon the best horses, so that, while the horse is trained by the best horsemen, he in turn becomes the trainer of riders. As in the question of egg and chicken, it is useless to inquire on which side the reciprocal indebtedness began.
“The cavalry of the ancients were mercenaries drawn from nations of horsemen, but the unreliability of such troops suggested the thought of training up cavalry at home. This is the origin of cavalry schools which are properly but a means to an end.”
The German system of inspection of progress of classes at fixed periods, is seriously objected to, as tending to foster rehearsals and showy performances at the expense of solid education.
The following ideas as to the riding school are of interest :—
“Instruction in classes is a necessity imposed by the scarcity of in- structors; but this instruction should contain no more of the simultaneous element of drill than is absolutely necessary, and as much individual teaching as possible. ‘Time and trouble will be saved by exercising the horses under trained riders before the recruits mount.”
“Instruction should begin on the pad with arrangements for attaching stirrups. Thése latter should, however, not be used too early. When stirrups are issued, it should not be to the whole squad but to each man as his progress requires them.”
i aa edly
GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY. 7
TRAINING HORSES.
“A dead load in the saddle is found to tire the horse more than a rider of three times the weight. Young horses feel a load more when at the halt than when in motion.”
“When the horse breaks from the trot do not check his speed but bring him down with bit and leg.”
“The saddle horse must be trained to carry back his natural centre of gravity to the centre of gravity of the rider.”
“A rapid method of training a horse to a collected action (with his hind quarters well under him), is to round the corners of the hall, with the hind quarters thrown well away from the wall (towards the centre of the circle described ).
“The gallop should always cover more ground than the trot, otherwise the trot is sufficient.”
“Distances, in the hall, are not to be gained or lost by change of gait but by rounding the corners more or less exactly.”
“Tf your horse offers an unexpected resistance to-day, you must have made a mistake yesterday.”
As an instance of the unreasoning severity once in fashion, an instrue- tor is quoted as follows:
“Two good digs of the spur throughout the squad!” “Two more,
9 1»
good ones!” “And now, two more to please me!
“Much of the fancy riding of the schools has come down to us from the ‘Charge in Dispersed Order,’ which up to 1740 was one of the reg- ular forms. Each horseman used to caracole before the front of the enemy discharging his bullets, and avoiding the shots of his adversary by means of pirouettes and all kinds of artistic manoeuvres, the relics of the middle ages.”
“The old time horse was coarse and sluggish; he could stand flesh, but the animal of to-day, with more or less blood in him, requires daily much fresh air and exercise to keep him in condition.”
“Epizootic can be not only treated but prevented by fresh air, and the less a horse is in his stable the purer will the stable be when he is there.”
“ Periods of two or three weeks are taken up, several times a year, to rest and fatten up the horse after some unusual exertion, such as the manoeuvres, etc., but, if the animal were never allowed to get fat and sluggish, there would be no need of such rests.”
“The best oats the German cavalry ever had were what they got in France when freed from the evils of the contract to lowest bidder.”
8 GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY.
MOUNTED GYMNASTICS are highly recommended, and it is suggested that the instructor place his hands on the leg or wrist to assure himself that it is motionless during exercises of the opposite member.
“Some recruits require time to develop the proper fork, so that the buttocks may find the bottom of the saddle. If the rider does not envelop his horse properly, he seeks to secure his position by main force, carries his buttocks back, his legs forward, and hangs on the rein.”
“The reins are usually given too soon; the horse is worried and the recruit spoiled. The seat should be thoroughly secured before the reins are lifted from the horse’s neck. This may be done with the horse ou the longe or led by another mounted man.”
“We sometimes hear it said, ‘ He has no seat, but a good hand.’ Pure nonsense! Without a correct, sure and free seat, he cannot ride his horse well, and he who does manage his horse properly must necessarily have a good seat. The reverse, however, is not true; the seat is but the first step and does not imply good riding.”
“ Again, a trooper may ride boldly, he is not to be unseated but he cannot manage his horse; while another has a correct seat, is supple; his limbs act independently of each other, with precision, and under control, but he has not the necessary strength of leg to keep his saddle at an un- expected movement of his mount.”
“Never close the leg more than a hand’s breadth behind the girths; never, on the flanks where the spur is to be used for another purpose and where pressure might beget the habit of kicking at the boot.”
The whip is considered a most useful auxiliary and should be short and rigid, so that a touch can be given at the exact point where it is re- quired, and without tickling the horse.
“*A void short reins, — A horse fumbles and balks at a leap, the colonel cries, ‘halt!’ ‘drop reins!’ ‘close legs!’—then, when all this is done he shouts ‘forward.’ The horse shoots off like an arrow and clears the ditch. Saddle galls in front on the left and in rear on the right betray a short rein.”
“The martingale is of no use, except for flat racing.
1st.—It gives a false carriage to the head, and the horse is far more likely to resist its action than to yield to it.
2nd.— If short enough to have any effect, it hampers the horse in his movements, especially in leaping, and it brings him down if he stumbles.
3rd.—It deprives the reins of their lateral action.
4th.— It weights the forehead with extra harness.
5th.—Its rational use requires two hands and it is therefor unsuited
to cavalry.
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GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY. 9
6th.— It requires more time in bridling and makes it difficult to lead the horse.” -_—
The author saw more martingales among the officers of one regiment of infantry than in-& brigade of 1400 cavalry.
“ An easy and firm seat is the solution of many a problem for which the inexperienced rider seeks a special harness.”
“ Bits should be easy and carefully adjusted to the mouth ”
Nose bands or bridles are recommended as preventing the horse from fully opening his jaws, and escaping the action of the bit by passing his tongue over it and out of the mouth.
“A horse with the bit under the tongue will pull as though working up to the bit, when in reality, he is dragging behind it and is not in hand.”
THE INFLUENCE OF SPORTY.
“Reluctant though he may be to admit it, the cavalryman is deeply indebted to the civilian for improvement in horses, and, perhaps, also in riding. To goa step further, he is under obligation to the civilian of England; for, the impulse of improvement was given by the importation, about 1843, of racing, steeple chasing and fox hunting.”
“Unfortunately the army officers of high rank did not take advantage of the awakening interest in sport and allowed light headed young vic- tems of anglomania to become the exponents of the new ideas.”
“English slang, conventional dress and saddlery and a grotesquely exaggerated jockey seat, were received as the essence of English sport.”
“An intelligent rider, ‘we were told,’ considers his horse only as a means of locomotion, to transport him rapidly from point to point—in what manner is of no importance, &c. &c.” The air was full of such wise saws. “ Naturally the reaction set in, the anglomaniac was an object of persecution; arrest was a common punishment for riding the English trot.”
“ Gradually, however, it was realized that English sporting notions had been misrepresented ; and, an intelligent interest having been awak- ened, the anglomaniac withdrew into obscurity before the strong light thrown on the sport he had caricatured.”
“Tn 1861 the English trot was officially sanctioned by PRINCE FREDER- ICK CHARLES ; and it may be inferred that there is no danger of a return of hostility to sport when we read, that, in the autumn of ’86, two generals of cavalry followed a hunt on bare backed horses.”
“If the generals of 1853 had been still as young and active as they were in 1815, when they had held nearly the same rank, they would, themselves, have taken the lead in the sporting movement; they would
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10 GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY.
have directed it, and they would have obtained a warlike cavalry; as, also, they would, by their personal presence, have prevented the abuses mentioned.”
“Tt is a well known fact that the taste for riding is lost between 40 and 50; having arrived at this age officers confine themselves to the strict necessities of the service. Now, the strict requirements are not sufficient to keep up practice in riding; the ‘ go’ is lost, the warrior spirit disap- pears ; and, when war breaks out, when riding must be done, it is a fatigue, it is the cause of many sufferings that destroy all pleasure in warfare.”
‘‘ Neither FREDERICK nor NAPOLEON were accomplished horsemen, they knew what could be required of cavalry and they had other things to occupy them, but the better an officer rides and drills the more agreeable will the service be to him.”
“If he knows only the monotony of routine, the grind of a stupefying service that has in view only the great day of inspection, he cannot have a passion for his profession, he will become skeptical, blase, and will prefer the charms of an elegant boudoir to those of’ his saddle.”
Hunting and paper chasing are strongly recommended as developing the style of riding required for cavalry.
“Steeple chasing and racing have greatly improved the breed of horses and the methods of training ; but, as speed enters too largely into races, such sports should be encouraged among the non-commissioned ofticers, only when they can be supervised by an officer with a firm hand, and the course and conditions should be such as to develop military
riding.”
“The great difference between the steeple chaser and the charger arises from the fact that the rider of the former leaves full liberty to the daring power of the hind quarters, supports the head firmly with both hands, and is careful not to hamper the pace.”
“The charger on the contrary should never bear hard on the bit, as he is ridden with but a single hand; and he must be able to stop and turn short instantly, his hind quarters being always sufficiently gathered under him.”
“ He must be accustomed to keep himself poised and collected with but slight support of the bit; for, in heavy column, in line, amid dust and powder smoke he cannot choose his footing, nor can his rider, who is otherwise occupied, give a thought to the matter.”
“The charger must be trained to leap high and far, often unexpect- edly, without a rush, and without losing the equilibrium of his move- ments. Last but not least his gait is that of the slowest horse in the line.”
“ Again, a good steeple chaser may run away in every race; provided he answers the indications of direction, the jockey cares little what
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GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY. 11
happens after the finish. The jockey may kill his horse to win, the trooper must save his mount.”
“When a steeple chaser refuses a jump, they say, ‘he don’t feel like it to-day, he must have slept badly.’ The charger must always obey.”
“The position of a good English jockey — not that of the anglo- maniac — does not differ, as far as the thighs are concerned, from that of every good rider; but it is much more difficult to observe, because of the strain on the hands, and because the upper body must be carried forward to relieve the hind-hand and allow it to act only on the speed. The fore- hand giving the support.”
“A good rider may carry his legs forward for relief, as long as he does not need them, but the thighs and buttocks always preserve the correct position, and, as he approaches an obstacle, the legs return to place, and the centre of gravity of the horse is brought back farther under that of the rider.”
“If the military rider adopts, at quick gaits, the position of the jockey, he must not be surprised to see his horse lose his habitual carriage and seek support in the hand.”
PRACTICAL EXERCISES.
To take the place of excessive school-riding in winter, marches on icy roads are suggested. “The hackmen and mail-rider are not stopped by the cold, and the Cavalry should learn to take care of themselves in the worst weather.” The German Cavalry are now supplied with ice nails which are quickly adjusted and removed, but the men require practice in the use of them. The regulations prohibit squadron drill when the ther- mometer falls below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Swimming horses, fording, reconnoissance and forced marches are sug- gested as matters which might occupy the cavalry while the squadron is reduced by the absence of the recruits and instructors, as well as at other times.
We find some interesting points in the passage of fords by heavy columns on the field of battle.
“If the column crosses in a straight line, the water is dammed up; the line then becomes concave and finally breaks in the middle. By making the line convex this effect can only be delayed.”
“The head of each platoon should turn obliquely up stream, as it enters the water, and should regulate on the head of the preceding pla- toon, while the rear should incline down stream. This leaves a passage for the water between platoons, while preserving the formation of the column.”
The column of platoons would, it may be observed, give the same free
12 GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY.
passage, but the dress of the platoons would be harder to preserve in the water than the form of the oblique columns suggested.
“The value of reconnoissance is emphasized by the number of instances in which, in 770 and ’71, Cavalry made long detours and lost hours on the battle-field through failure to reconnoitre fords and ‘slashings in their im-
mediate front.” FORCED MARCHES.
“Forced marches should not be carried to extremes without previous careful training. Loss of flesh does no harm, but, when the legs and feet give out, the limit of usefulness has been passed.”
“In marches on instruction the constant passage from column of sixes to threes and twos and back again, is a waste of time and strength, which could be better employed in long trots. The front into line, however, is legitimate in these circumstances, as the command cannot be too well pre- pared to take the charging order.”
“Long rapid marches, with passage of defiles preceding the arrival on the charging ground, are most useful exercises in view of the long range of modern fire, and of the immense distance between the reserve, where the cavalry will be posted, and the first line, where it will be ordered for the charge when the general in command sees the moment for its em- ployment approaching.”
“T have been present,” says this Cavalry Chief, “at five great battles amid masses of cavalry; every time it was, or would have been, neces- sary to cover great distances and to pass defiles before being in position to take the charging gallop.”
“Masses of cavalry should be exercised not only in forced marches up to 30 miles per day but also in covering a mile or two rapidly ( with- out arriving out of wind) and passing quickly from column to order of combat.”
“Inspectors too seldom concern themselves with marches. They find it more convenient to take up a position on an eminence and enjoy a series of varied and lively tableaux, a succession of rapidly succeeding charges, than to accompany a cavalry column for an hour at a slow trot.”
“ He ridicules the manceuvres on known ground against an imaginary adversary, whose actions are limited beforehand.”
He would have tke inspector look,
ist.—To discipline on the march.
2nd.— To regularity of gait at the steady collected trot.
3rd.— To condition of the horses.
4th.—To crossing of obstacles (quite a different matter on the march from leaping on the track).
5th.— To the passage of a defile with 24 squadrons.
FT i Eid neh cca:
GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY. 13
Describing General WRANGEL as a type of a thorough inspector, this officer says: ‘‘ We saw him approach, a little dried up old man, without stirrups, as though soldered to his horse, with his severe face, criticising everything with biting, caustic remarks. Every one of his expressions was an epigram, a fact, which made his reproaches carry farther. He was no respecter of persons. When he saw something to blame he did not care who was hit. Previous service, family, age, were nothing to him. It was said that he had a stone for a heart. When some one did not ap- pear to him to be sufficiently supple on horseback, he expressed his regret that he should not see him again, and he obtained his retirement from active service. He was very lavish of arrests.”
DRILL OF THE SQUADRON.
“During the period when the squadron is incomplete it should be drilled twice a week, and should have a march of instruction weekly.”
“The squadron drill proper should be short and sharp —say half an hour— to be followed by individual work.”
“ FREDERICK THE GREAT said: ‘If the trooper passes a day without working his horse, it is a day lost.’ This working meant individual work.
It consisted, in learning to move in any direction, at any gait, at will; in crossing broken ground and obstacles at full gallop, without deranging the seat; and in using the arms.”
“The type of FREDERICK’s charges has been lost because our modern riders are too little drilled in the style of riding required, and in practical manceuvres. ”
“The origin of the aversion to individual working of horses and to dispersion as foragers, lies in the bad riding of the men, who get out of hand when anything outside of the regular routine is demanded.”
“Individual working and instruction are now, more than ever, impor- tant, since we have no longer, those pillars of the service, the old sergeants‘ our non-commissioned officers finding good positions in civil life.”
“The inspector can ascertain the proficiency of the squadron in indi- vidual work, by sending men out of ranks on particular errands, requiring full mastery of their mounis.”
“Too much stress should not be laid on precision and detail in such movements as passing from column of sixes to threes, and in the many small movements of that class; this precision is a relic of time consuming and useless movements, borrowed from the Infantry in 1812; it hampers motion and speed.”
The changes due to the Franco-Prussian war are:
Ist.— Attention to scouting.
2nd.— Fixed, but elastic, rules for handling large masses.
3rd.— Greater mobility of masses, through the introduction of the,
14 GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY.
line of columns: through the adoption of central direction in platoon and squadron, and through the rejection of all inversions and of all evolu- tions, without tactical object.
4th.— Increased importance attached to individual instruction and training.
5th.— The issue of a fire arm of long range and the thorough instruc- tion of each trooper in marksmanship.
“The French were admittedly superior to us in ’70 in the use of their arms, and that is a point not to be neglected, for without proficiency there, the best cavalry is but food for powder.”
“Avoid anything like a menu in drill; let everything be the outcome of place and moment.”
“ Fighting on foot is only an expedient to be employed when the In- fantry has not yet come up.”
“The sabre and lance are the arms upon which Cavalry must rely to realize its especial functions. Its evolutions must all have in view the attack.”
THE RALLY.
“To know how to rally rapidly is one of the most essential require- ments for Cavalry.”
“There must be a reserve with which to give the last decisive blow, but this reserve must finally be employed, and the squadrons first engaged must, by that time, have rallied and be themselves available in its place.”
“FReDERIC made this rally a great point, and he prescribed that after every charge in compact order ‘the command disperse should be given,’ but he adds, ‘not that it is the intention to do this in the presence of the enemy; you must tell the men that it is to exercise them in rally- ing. The dogs will always disperse in spite of you after the shock.’”
Many examples are cited of the value of the faculty of dispersing and rallying rapidly, notably where marshy and wooded ground was passed by dispersing and, by prompt rallying on the other side, a charge in line was delivered from a quarter whence a charge had been deemed impossible.
“The rally should be used whenever a class, a platoon or a squadron is assembled, either on foot or mounted; each man learning to find his particular place in the particular formation for which he knows the rally is sounded. It is only by constant practice and by constantly varying the circumstances and the formation that the squadron can be rallied, at the first signal, without collision of horses and without injury to the riders.”
“Cavalry should always be reinforced and supported by sending up the reinforcements, never by falling back upon the supporting troops This latter method is borrowed from the infantry and is totally at vari- ance with the spirit and requirements of mounted service.”
C-
GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY. 15
CENTRAL DIRECTION. .
The captain, in front of the centre of the squadron, is always the guide, according to the German regulation, but this provision is considered faulty for the charge, as the slightest inaccuracy in direction will produce breaks, and as the gaps formed by the fire of the enemy will not be promptly closed.
It is urged that in the regiment, and even in the brigade in line, the guide should be the centre of the whole line; guide right in squadrons of the left wing, guide left in those of the right wing. They are reluctant, however, to weaken the principle that makes the squadron commander, practically, as well as theoretically, the leader of his men. The captain should remain the guide until the command “To the charge,” which should be the signal for “ guide centre ” for the whole line.
Guide right, for squadrons of the left wing, means that each squadron would regulate on the chief of its right platoon.
A neat expedient is mentioned by which a colonel obtained cohesion in the charge, with Cavalry on whose training he-could place no confi- dence. With four squadrons in line, he wheeled the first, “half left,” the fourth, “half right,” just before the command charge, so as to produce such a packing that not a trooper could wheel off, and so that at the moment, anticipated, when his command would bolt, it should bolt towards the enemy.
THE CHARGING GAIT.
“The men and horses must not be allowed to regard the charge as anything unusual, as any cause for excitement; horse and rider must be as cool at the charging gallop as at the walk. The more practice we have at quick gaits the more we can count upon cohesion in the charge. Long gallops must be required if the cavalry is to find its true element on the enemy’s flanks.”
To regulate the gaits, the German regulations recommends drill in single rank, with intervals of one horse length between files; and, after- wards, a similar double rank formation, with one or two horse lengths between the ranks. This formation obliges the trooper to ride his horse independently, and he can be held individually responsible for the result, not being dragged along by the mass.
“Preparatory to this open order drill, the instructor should take up a position, and have his men gallop around him in a swarm, on a large circle.”
“In such a shape they will uot torment their horses about dress and intervals, and the instructor can easily correct faults in individual riding. This experience is especially useful in broken ground with plenty of obstacles.”
16 GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY.
It is interesting to find, in this connection, the recommendation, that provision be made for an open order formation similar to our own mounted skirmish line — one in which the men are in hand and capable of ma- neuvreing. The Germans seem to have nothing of the kind.
A hunting gallop is recommended for the charge, but the charging gallop and the command “charge,” just before the moment of the shock, cannot be given up; if only because of the moral effect they produce in one way or another.
“Tn charging infantry or artillery the charging gallop is not indis- pensable, but it is imperative against cavalry.”
“ Against cavalry, keep the trot a long time, take up the gallop only when quite near the enemy to get the horses in wind, and command ‘charge,’ a little before the shock.”
“The trooper should look straight to the front, without turning his head to watch the alignment.”
“The ‘ boot to boot ’ is taken only for the charge, at other times there should be more room in ranks.”
“ The effect of a charge should be judged from the front, where an idea can be obtained of the shock and cohesion; in judging from one wing these points are missed and direction is the only point considered.”
“‘ FREDERIC inspected his cavalry in the field, not on the drill ground ; he took his stand where he pleased, and required the cavalry to charge upon him in compact lines without being thrown into disorder by the ground.”
‘A chief who can lead his troops against the enemy over all kinds of ground will consider, as perfectly natural, strokes of daring which, to an- other, would appear to court disaster.” ,
“ The leader educated in such a school knows, when he comes to high command, what can be required of his men. It is thus that we can form leaders, not, indeed, such as SEYDLITZ, ZIETHEN and BLUCHER; these were geniuses, which the system did nothing but complete, but we can form men like Drtessen and the rest, and these men also did great deeds.”
THE ORDER OF COMBAT.
“The order in which charges are to be made should not be fixed, but should be dependent on the object and the circumstances.” “FREDERIC’s order for charging was, first, a compact line, boot to
N. B.—Serypuitz placed his recruits and uncertain men in the front rank, with the vet- erans behind them, to keep an eye on them and urge them on (if they did not charge squarely,) by tickling them with their sabres.
He appears to have had an obstinate streak in him: for, when ordered at Zorndorf, to charge before he thought the proper time had arrived, he refused; and, when FREDERIK threatened him with the loss of his head, he replied, “That after the battle his head was at the disposal of his Sovereign, but that, during the action, he insisted on using it in the interest of the King.’”’
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GERMAN IDEAS ON CAVALRY. 17
boot; a few hundred paces behind the wings of this line, and extending beyond them, 5 to 10 squadrons of hussars, destined to fall upon the flanks and rear of the enemy with the sabre; next, came the second ( or what we should call the third ) line, destined to follow, directly, the first, and fill the gaps.”
“Tf the second line is to produce the principal effect it should, of course, be the stronger.”
“For instance, the first line can attack on the flanks and the second line straight to the front. This stratagem has often been successful at manceuvres. The action was as follows: ”
“The enemy was charging the first line, which, having wheeled its platoons ‘half right’ was galloping off, and he was hoping to strike it in its flank movement: but the dust raised by the first line had masked the second, which had preserved its original direction. The first line then reformed by wheeling its platoons ‘half left,’ and the two lines enveloped the enemy so well, that there could be little doubt of the success of the manoeuvre.” ;
“The thinnest stratagem often succeeds in the excitement of battle. The mere fact of feeling capable of a premeditated ruse is, in itself, a superiority over an adversary who has not so much assurance.”
“‘ BLUCHER once feigned a retreat, and, having drawn the enemy upon his regiment of hussars he suddenly sounded ‘front,’ and ‘charge!’”
Hymmen had the two halves of his squadron retire in opposite direc- tions, then sounded ‘front,’ and charged in flank two whole squadrons, which he overthrew.”
To sum up the ideas of this General of Cavalry:
He would regard the riding hall and drill ground as a necessary evil;
He would regard the riding school as a means to an end;
He would improve bad drills and manceuvres by improving the indi- vidual rider and horse ;
He would have practical instruction of every kind;
He would insure orderly charges by making them every day affairs for horses and men ;
He would enlarge the field of usefulness of the rally, and increase the time devoted to it in drills;
He would have independence of set rules for battle order, and would make the leaders dashing and daring, by training them to regard as every day affairs, enterprises at which they would naturally hesitate.
Finally, we notice that the belief in “shock tactics of cavalry on the battle field proper” seems to be so generally professed, that the propriety of its employment in this manner is not even questioned in the whole discussion.
REMOUNTS.
By CAPTAIN MOSES HARRIS, U.S. A.,
First CAVALRY.
ie discussing the various wants and needs of the cavalry, it is believed
that there is no subject of more vital importance than that of its remounts. Cavalry of the most perfect efficiency in points of discipline, instruction and armament becomes comparatively worthless, as cavalry, when poorly or indifferently mounted, and if through the ageney of the Cavalry Association, our arm of the service is to be improved and bene- fited, it would seem that serious attention to this matter should not be delayed.
The artillery have a standing cause of complaint in that they are given no share in the work of devising and constructing the guns which it is their function to make use of, and yet their guns are provided by a corps of specialists educated for the purpose. Will it be conceded that horses are to the cavalry of less importance than guns to the artillery, and will cavalry officers acquiesce without a protest in the recent changes brought about by congressional legislation, whereby the inspection and selection of cavalry horses is delegated to the civilian employes of the (Juartermaster’s department?
It is not the object of this short paper to present any elaborate plan or scheme for supplying cavalry remounts, but to point out some of the defects of the present deplorable system, and to make such suggestions as may tend to a discussion of the subject, which it is hoped will eventuate in change and improvement.
A familiarity on the part of cavalry officers may be presumed with reference to the past methods of inspection employed by the Quarter- master’s department in the purchase of horses. Until within the past two or three years a board of officers has generally been considered neces- sary, and while in the composition of the boards cavalry officers have heen preferred, it has frequently happened that officers of other arms of the service have been employed on this duty.
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REMOUNTS. 19
The method of purchase by advertisement and contract failing to give satisfaction, in some military departments a few years ago a trial was given to open market purchase. Boards of officers were appointed from the organizations requiring horses and were permitted to go into the districts where horses could be procured and purchase such horses as were found acceptable; the only restriction being as to a certain average price for all of the horses purchased. This method gave great satisfaction to the cavalry, but was objected to by the Quartermaster’s department, and having no warrant of law to sanction it, had necessarily to be abandoned.
Until 1884 the purchase of cavalry horses was provided for in the annual bill for the support of the army by an item appropriating a cer- tain amount, leaving its disbursement subject to the general provisions of law. But in the act making provisions for the support of the army for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1885, we find it. ‘“ Provided, That here- after all purchases of horses under appropriations for horses for the cav- alry and artillery and for the Indian scouts shall be made by contract, after legal advertisement by the Quartermaster’s department, under in- structions of the Secretary of War, the horses to be inspected under the orders of the General Commanding the Army, and no horse shall be re- ceived and paid for until duly inspected.”
In the appropriation bill for the following year no special provision relative to the inspection of the horses was inserted, but in the acts making appropriations for the support of the army for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1887, and June 50, 1888, it is provided “That no part of this appropriation shall be paid out for horses not purchased by contract, after competition duly invited by the Quartermaster’s department and an in- spection by such department, all under the direction and authority of the Secretary of War.”
It is to be presumed that under the authority of this law it is within the power of the Secretary of War to order a supplementary inspection, by cavalry officers, of the horses purchased, but it is apparent that even he has not the power to dispense with the inspection by the Quartermas- ter’s department which the law requires.
During the past two years the practice has been for the Quartermas- ter’s department to make the required inspection by means of hired citi- zen experts—so called. -
This is a reversion to the methods of the first days of the Rebellion, which filled the government corrals with thousands of worthless animals, which in many instances died before they could be sent to the front and which resulted finally in the establishment of the Cavalry Bureau, by which means the inspection of the horses was placed in the hands of cavalry officers. The improvement in the character of the remounts which immediately followed is a noteworthy fact in the history of the
20 REMOUNTS.
civil war, and the establishment of this Bureau marks the point at which our cavalry began to attain that superiority which contributed so effect- ually to the successful termination of the struggle.
Paragraph 278, Army Regulations, states that the following specifica- tion will govern in the purchase of cavalry horses: “To be geldings of hardy colors, sound in all particulars, in good condition, well broken to the saddle, from fifteen to sixteen hands high, not less than five nor more than nine years old, and suitable in every respect for the cavalry service.”
If these specifications were in practice accurately observed by the citizen inspectors of the Quartermaster’s department and the horses pro- vided were in every respect suitable for the cavalry service, the law which prevents cavalry officers from having any voice in this important matter, upon which the efficiency and usefulness of their arm of the service depends, would still be objectionable as tending to destroy that sense of responsibility which is the stimulus which makes good and competent officers, and contributes to that esprit de corps the absence of which is z condition of stagnation and inefficiency.
Whether or not the horses purchased under the present system comply with the requirements of the regulations, and are in every respect suitable for the cavalry service is a question for cavalry officers to decide.
Within my experience those provided have not generally complied with the specifications. They have not been suitable for cavalry service, and have not compared favorably with those inspected by cavalry boards. On the contrary many of them have partaken largely of the character- istics of the Clydesdale, Percheron and Norman stallions— clumsy, logy, heavy limbed brutes calculated to break the heart and destroy the useful- ness of any good cavalry soldier so unfortunate as to be obliged to ride them; while others of weedy growth, with their long legs and backs, appear to have been the refuse progeny of trotting stallions, bred to in- ferior mares. Both classes equally unfit for cavalry service and likely to be abandoned on the first march in which the powers of endurance of proper cavalry horses should be at all tried.
It will be said that the kind of horses most desirable for cavalry use are not largely bred and that they are difficult to find. Which is but an additional reason for careful and patient inspection by officers whose pro- fession teaches them to know a cavalry horse when they see one.
It is in the nature of things that inspection by a board of officers, zealous only for the good of their corps, will be more carefully and efficiently made, than by a hired citizen, imperfectly informed as to the requirements of the service and open to many influences of a nature un- known to honorable and self-respecting officers. What cavalry officer is there, who, having been associated on boards of inspection with citizen experts, has not observed a disposition on the part of the expert to favor
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REMOUNTS. 21
the contractor to the utmost extent consistent with the maintenance of his position, and harmonious relations with the members of the board ?
‘The feeling that cavalry officers are unduly particular in making in- spection, and that cavalry boards are obstructive to the rapid transaction of business has frequently found expression in the utterances of officers of the Quartermaster’s department, and it is believed that their prefer- ence for inspection by their own methods is largely based upon the appar- ent diminution of labor and trouble in procuring horses. Only apparent, because horses unfitted for the service will not last, are an unprofitable investment, and must be much sooner replaced than those that are well selected and suitable.
In looking about for a remedy for evils, past and present, connected with cavalry remounts, it becomes apparent that the contract system is answerable for much of the trouble and dissatisfaction. That system when applied to the purchase of cavalry horses, becomes absurd and in- applicable. The specification “ suitable in every respect for the cavalry service” conveys no information to the average bidder as to the kind of'a horse wanted, and indeed it is well nigh impossible to specify all of the qualities required to make a perfect cavalry horse. The qualities re- quired in a recruit can be as easily enumerated, and yet it would be absurd to expect to procure recruits by advertisement and contract as we do our horses.
From my observation as a member of inspecting boards at various times and places I have found the usual procedure in the case of pur- chases by contract to be about as follows: The contract having been awarded to the successful bidder at a figure which should procure horses of a fairly good quality, the contractor with the government looks about for one or more dealers to whom he sub-lets the contract securing for himself a handsome profit with little or no trouble. The sub-contractor sends out his agents and looks up small dealers to whom he agrees to pay a certain sum for each horse accepted by the board. A contract is frequently sub-let in this manner through three or more hands with the result that the first owners of the horses accepted by the board receive from twenty to forty dollars less for each animal than the contractor receives from the government.
Horses are readily classified according to their value, and horse owners will not present to the board of inspection horses valued at, say one hun- dred and forty dollars, which may have been the contract price, when they are to receive not more than one hundred dollars according to their agreement with the agents of the contractor.
It may be said that it is the duty of the inspectors to prevent this by refusing to accept horses of inferior quality, which may be granted. But when this course is pursued what is the result? After the board has |
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22 REMOUNTS.
labored for a considerable period and has accepted perhaps not more than four or five horses out of each hundred presented, the contractor cries out that the inspectors are unduly severe, that such horses as they require are not to be procured. The Quartermaster becomes impatient, generally adopts the views of the contractor, and finally the board is dissolved or the obstructive members are relieved. Of course, this is not the invariable method; but it is certain that the contractor will always endeavor to put in low priced and inferior horses and that he will succeed unless prevented by the firmness of the inspectors.
There is but slight doubt that as long as this system of purchase is retained business can be conducted more smoothly, and with less trouble to the Quartermaster’s department through the means of a citizen in- spector than by a board of cavalry officers.
Inspection by citizen experts is an inseparable condition of the con- tract system of purchase, and both evils should stand or fall together. The efforts of cavalry officers to secure proper and suitable horses under this system must inevitably, in their contact with ofticers of the Quarter- master’s department produce friction and irritation.
The remount question has been well treated in an article by Lieu- tenant S. C. Roperrson, Ist Cavalry, published in the Journal of the Military Service Institution for June, 1887, but the phase of the question which I have dwelt upon —the substitution of the citizen inspectors for Cavalry Boards in the purchase inspection, and the evils of the contract system, appear to have escaped the attention of this officer.
The defects pointed out by Lieutenant Ropertson are the following:
“1st. That special breeding in other directions is rendering it more “and more difficult each year, to obtain the proper type of cavalry “ mount.
“2d. That the absence of depots in accessible places to which raisers “could bring their animals for sale, and the desultory manner in which “ Purchase Boards are compelled to travel through the country in search “of material, is not a system best calculated to obtain such animals as are “ fit for the service.
“3d. That the fluctuating nature of prices, depending upon the “amount of the yearly appropriations, is not calculated to encourage the “raisers to seek the Government market. A dealer who is offered only “$125 for an animal for which another Board, more liberally supplied with “funds, would have the year before given $150, is naturally disgusted “and inclined to seek a more equable mart for his wares.
“4th. That officers are rarely put upon Purchase Boards with regard “ to special fitness therefor, and that the changeable character of the yearly “boards allow few to even become experts. In European cavalry the “remount officer’ is selected from those specially trained in hippology,
REMOUNTS. 23 “and fitted by their knowledge of the horse and the tricks of dealers, to “competently purchase him. The services of such men are highly valued, “and they are continuously kept in demand. By this means their know- “ledge of the market, and their relations with the different dealers, re- “main unbroken from year to year, with obvious advantage to the Gov- “ ernment.”
It will be observed that in all these defects except the first a condition of affairs is presupposed which no longer exists, and that to the defects enumerated by Lieutenant RosBertson must be added the two enormous ones of the contract system and inspection by citizen experts.
Two alternative remedies are considered by the Lieutenant.
The first is one proposed by Captain GrorGe E. Ponp of the Quar- termaster’s department, which is that of a “ general horse depot on the same “plan as general depots of the Quartermaster’s department for supplying “the whole service with all animals for cavalry, artillery or draught “purposes. The depot to be directly under the Quartermaster-General, ‘and to keep on hand a reserve supply of animals.”
In considering this plan the Lieutenant provides that the officer in command of the depot should be of high rank and a cavalry man par excellence with his command entirely separated from service with any other corps relative to the duties of his garrison; that he shall be assisted by an able corps of subordinates specially selected for their interest and skill in everything pertaining to the horse; and that a battalion of cavalry large enough to furnish one private trooper for each two horses be attached to the depot. A permanent Purchase Board of three expert cavalry officers with an officer of the Quartermaster’s department attached, is another important provision of his depot plan.
The general purpose of the depot, as sketched by Lieutenant RoBerr- SON, would appear to be to provide a place in which the horses purchased after proper inspection might receive suitable instruction and training to fit them for service when drafted to regiments, and where officers and men might also receive valuable instruction. There can be no two opinions as to the good results which might be expected to follow from the establish- ment of an institution of this character, whatever may be thought as to the practicability of the scheme.
It is stated in Lieutenant Roperrson’s article that Captain Ponp who suggested the depot plan, “ objects to the Purchase Board of three officers as being cumbersome and productive, from lack of unanimity of opinion which often exists among them, of delay in the transaction of business ;” from which it may be inferred that the plan as developed by Lieutenant ROBERTSON bears but slight resemblance to that proposed by captain Ponp; and it is safe to predict that no plan for the establishment of a
24 REMOUNTS.
depot, or depots, to be placed under the control of cavalry officers would receive encouragement or toleration from the (uartermaster’s depart- ment.
As regards the other alternative remedy proposed by Lieutenant Ros- ERTSON, that ofa Breeding Station, its realization is so remotely improbable that is does not come within the practical view of the subject which I have preferred to take. It is possible that some of the younger cavalry officers may live long enough to see such an institution established, and they cannot use their pens to a better purpose than in building up a sen- timent which shall lead to improvement of that character.
But looking to the present and pressing needs of the service the remedies which I would suggest as being worthy of consideration may be briefly summarized into, 1st. The abolishment of the contract system of purchase with its inspections by citizens, and 2d. The establishment of an invariable system of purchase in open market by boards of cavalry officers.
For the proper working of this system a standard price to be paid for a cavalry horse should first be determined and fixed. The price of horses in the market does not fluctuate greatly from year to year, and there is no wide disparity of prices in different parts of the country. But if deemed best the price could be fixed by the Quartermaster-General each year and for different localities.
The amount appropriated by Congress for cavalry remounts should be apportioned by the General of the Army among the several regiments according to their needs and the requirements of the service.
The disbursement of the several sums should be made by the Regi- mental Quartermasters under the direction of the colonels of regiments, who should designate the officers for the Board of Inspectors; which should be a permanent body in each regiment, composed of the veterin- ary surgeon and a suitable number of officers.
The horses should, as far as practicable, be bought at the headquarters or principal station of the regiment, or as close as possible thereto.
Upon the establishment of this system it would soon become known that at every large cavalry station there was a constant and unfailing demand for horses of a certain type, for which fair prices in cash would
be paid. The demand would certainly result in the forthcoming of a
supply ; and the Boards of Inspection by keeping before them a high standard, would as certainly improve the character of the horses presented and correspondingly the excellence of the regimental mounts.
The opinions and criticisms of his brother officers would stimulate each member of the Inspecting Board to conscientious effort in the direction of improvement ; as surely, the rivalry between the regiments would cause the commanding officers to exercise close supervision to see that the
REMOUNTS. 25
amount allotted to his regiment was expended to the best advantage, to the end that his regiment should not suffer in comparison with others as to the character of its mounts.
It may be objected that this system will not be found applicable to a condition of war; but at any time it can be merged into a system of pur- chase and accumulation at supply depots, and will in any event give us a supply of officers competent for duty of inspection, whose services will be available in time of need.
It is confidently believed that it will also greatly improve the character of our mounts; that it will create demand for cavalry horses of a proper type; and may we not further hope that it will tend to foster such a spirit of emulation and esprit as will add to the efficiency of our corps, and without which there is no hope of improvement or progress.
DISCUSSION. By Con, E. V. SUMNER.
Mr, CHAIRMAN—The paper writtenby Captain Hargis, of the Ist Cavalry, on the subject of remounts and purchase of cavalry horses, read before the society, seems to have been pretty generally approved. Captain Harris isone of our best cavalry officers, his long service having been almost constantly with his troop, his statements may be considered worthy of consider- ation and of value to the service. The difficulty is toconvince those in authority that any statement from a cavalry officer is made solely from a cavalry view, and does not contain a prejudice. Years of experience in the care and management of horses should be taken into account, and few quartermasters in the army have had that experience.
The purchase of cavalry horses is important, as a matter of business, and as such it is difli- cult to perceive why it is not conducted on business principles. The law in regard to the matter is as follows: “For the purchase of horses for the cavalry and artillery and for the Indian scouts and for such infantry as may be mounted 130,000 dollars; Provided, that the number of horses purchased under this appropriation, added to the number on hand, shall notat any time exceed the number of enlisted men and Indian scouts in the mounted service : and that no part of this appropriation shall be paid out for horses not purchased by contract after competition duly invited by the Quartermaster’s department, and an inspection by that department, all under the direction and authority of the Secretary of War.”
Unless a strict compliance with this law will work its own repeal it is plain to be seen that there is no hope for a cavalry board, except such as may be convened to condemn worth- less animals purchased under it. The number of horses condemned by these boards may be taken as a fair subject of consideration by those who appropriate the money, and provide for the manner of purchase. The procedure under the law is as follows: An officer of the (uartermaster’s department is provided with the funds and directed-to purchase a certain number of horses for cavalry and artillery, a citizen is employed as an expert, which is a eon- fession at once that the officer is not capable to perform the auty. After the horses are pur- chased they are branded “ U.S.’ at once, paid for and shipped direct to troops without any other inspection, and the Government is put to the further expense of transporting horses. some of which are sure to be condemned. A board of experienced cavalry officers could cer- tainly do better than this,and I fully agree with Captain Harris that no horse should be ac- cepted for the service, or paid for, until he has been inspected by such a board ; every officer on the board to sign the report and be held responsible. Neglect to perform this duty properly on the part of cavalry officers has no doubt caused the framing of the law now in force. No officer should be detailed ona horse board who wouid be obliged to resort to the opinion of an expert.
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26 REMOUNTS.
Generally speaking past experience has nothing in it to recommend the board system, but proper care in the selection of oflicers, or the adoption of regimental boards as Captain Harris suggests would no doubt fulfill the expectations of those in authority, who naturally desire efficiency. It is much more difficult to select a good horse than to find the man to ride him ; and when the man and horse are brought together in the service of the Government it becomes a matter of great importance that neither shall fail the other. The original purchase money of the horse, as to the amount, dwindles into significance when it becomes necessary for his rider to be on hand to assist in “ saving the day: ”’ therefore it is better and cheaper to pay a fair market price for a fair serviceable horse than to throw away a moderate sum on a poor one, and finally lose man, horse and equipments on the battle field. The object is to This, no doubt, is also the desire of the Secretary
have every horse fully up to the standard. but it can only be ac-
of War, who by law is invested with “all direction and authority ;” compiished by men who understand liow to examine each animal and who combine with this knowledge an undoubted interest in the service as well as a keen desire for success.
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THE NEW FIELD ARTILLERY GUN AND CARRIAGE.
By CAPTAIN C. W. WHIPPLE,
ORDNANCE Corps, U.S. ARMY.
Sassen LY by next spring new steel guns and carriages will be issued
to all our field batteries. As both contain features which are novel, and from their lightness are suitable though not especially designed for horse batteries, it was thought the Association might be interested in a brief description of them.
In 1879 our field batteries were still armed with 3 inch M. L. rifles and light 12 pounder guns, which, with the 10 pounder Parrott guns, con- stituted the armament for this service during the war.
Appropriations for the manufacture of ordnance material were so limited that little could be done in any direction in the way of improve- ment. But in 1879 one 3 inch M. L. rifle was converted into a breech- loader and the results obtained were so satisfactory that it was recom- mended that a battery of such guns be made for issue and trial, simply as a temporary substitute for the more improved gun which was even then recognized as a necessity. The gun was converted from a muzzle into a breech-loader by cutting off the breech and cascabel, and screwing in_a steel breech-receiver, in which worked transversely a sliding breech-block.
The following year another gun was converted on the same plan, but the bore was enlarged to 3,43; inches in order to remove the old lands and admit of re-rifling with an increased twist. This gun was subsequently reamed out to 3,%, inches, and was then used in many experiments for testing carriages, powders, and projectiles.
Six of these guns were shortly after issued to some of the light batter- ies and were accepted as a great improvement over the M. L. rifle. Its shell weighed 13 lbs., and its powder charge was 3 Ibs.
This gun is mentioned because on the results obtained with it were partly based the calculations for the new steel gun; and because six (6) of them are now in service, mounted on steel carriages made at the Watervliet arsenal.
In September, 1882, the Chief of Ordnance addressed the Ordnance
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28 THE NEW FIELD ARTILLERY GUN.
Board desiring them to submit a design for a steel breech-loading field gun with the interrupted screw fermeture, directing their attention to the fact that built up guns, consisting of a steel barrel strengthened by : layer of hoops or by a jacket, were generally adopted in modern guns abroad and thought to be preferable.
It is, of course, not the province of this paper to enter into any minute or theoretical description of the construction, but I would call attention to the fact that every detail was calculated with the same nicety as if it was designed for one of the heaviest sea coast guns.
The board, according to their instructions, decided upon a piece inter- mediate in weight, between the lightest and heaviest field guns in use in foreign services, and this gun was ordered made at the Watertown arsenal. It was constructed entirely of American steel furnished by the Midvale Steel Company, of Philadelphia, and the trials of it commenced at the Proving Ground at Sandy Hook in July, 1884. When I left there last
July it had been fired some 2200 rounds, —out of which 1800 had been
prescribed as the proof for endurance — and was still not unserviceable. Before giving the dimensions of this gun—which is identical with those to be used, except in some minor details—it will be as well to enumer- ate or define some of the guns of foreign services, with which it may be compared, and those have been selected which are classed as horse artil- lery guns in order to show by the comparison the adaptability of our own
for this especial service :
Balog = 1 so ieee = ‘ o= > 2g'2 58 $81 23 (2s DENOMINATION MATERIAL. aglee be a | m2 | Se S'; 8. 25 oo | 39 wae 95, ae | = a ee aes ME, rr) omnes ° -- P | Krupp ....7.5¢. Mm. .....6. steel hooped 1.65 Ibs.!9.5 Austrian 8c. m.(7.5¢. m.)..' Compressed bronz 2.09 Ibs. 9.9 ths-/1378 English...9 — M. L..... Steel body, wrought iror Ibs. 9. Ibs-|1381 ft. ~panish. m.. Steel body, transformed K rupp Ihs.}10,12 Ibs.|1492 ft. German. L ight Mod. steel hooped. . Ihs.}11.15 Ths.)1522 ft. French Steel hooped. 3 Tbs.j12.3 Ibs.,.1607 ft. 2.99 Ibs. 15, 12 2 ths.!1: 300 ) ft.
c. Light Mod. 9| Steel hooped... aaaeekieke oak eee 3 802 5.8/2.9
Russian... With the exception of the English 9 pdr. these guns were breech- loaders, and all were in existence at the time our gun was designed. The English have since adopted 9 and 15 pdr. B. L. guns, and the Germans have a gun with a calibre of 3.15 inches; but otherwise there appear to have been slight, if any, changes made.
Now the corresponding data of the new gun-are as follows :
Calibre 3.2 inches.
Weight 791 ibs.
Length in calibre 26.
Powder charge 33 and 3? ths.
Weight of projectile 13 ths.
Muzzle velocity 1686-1740 ft.
ii RENE
THE NEW FIELD ARTILLERY GUN.
2
Consequently, with a weight which is very moderate, it has a higher initial velocity than any given above, with a shell weighing considerably more than any enumerated except that used in the Russian gun.
DESCRIPTION OF 3,3, INCH STEEL B. L. RIFLE.
It is composed of an untempered steel tube containing the bore and the seat for the gas check; of the jacket shrunk over the rear of the tube and projecting 5.6 in rear of it; the trunnion ring, sleeve, key ring, and the base ring, which, screwed into the rear part of the jacket, forms the seat for the breech-block.
It will be observed that two charges of powder were given. These cor- respond to different gas checks furnished with the gun and were conse- quent upon the different amounts of powder space which they occupied.
These checks are called the De Bange and Freyre. Each was subjected to a test of at least 1,000 rounds, and though—as is almost invariably the case in experimental work—slight changes had to be made in the earlier stages of the firing, both worked admirably. The Freyre is much simpler in construction and takes up considerably less powder space; on the other hand the De Bange check—which has been very successfully tried in this country as well as everywhere abroad in guns of large calibre— is less likely to be damaged and to that extent is preferable. The parts of both are easily replaced when injured. Both of these checks were at- tached to the end of steel spindles, which passed through the centre of and were secured by nuts to the breech block, and both the block and the seat for the check in the tube were so formed that the spindles could be interchanged at will.
The block itself was fastened to the body of the gun by a screw with an interrupted thread, which was locked and unlocked into corresponding threads in the base ring by means of a lever handle.
The other parts of the breech mechanism are: Ist. The carrier ring, hinged to the left side of the base of the jacket, which forms a sup- port for the breech block when the latter is withdrawn and is swung round to expose the breech for loading; 2d. The bronze or fixed handle which serves asa hold for the right hand in withdrawing the breech plug; and, 3d and 4th; the stops and the latch pin for carrier ring, the former serving as guide for the breech block during its manipulation, and the latter automatically locking or unlocking the carrier and jacket in such a manner that they may be united while the block is being slid in or out, and disconnected when it is ready to be swung on its hinges.
Moreover during this last movement, the latch pin connects, by the action of a spring, the carrier ring and breech block together with sufficient firmness to prevent any probable movement of the one within the other ( while the block is being swung forward for insertion ) until the carrier has reached its seat. This is an important precaution to prevent the gas
30 THE NEW FIELD ARTILLERY GUN.
check from striking and being injured. When ready for firing the breech block is locked in position by the head of the lever handle, which then rests in a recess in the upper part of the carrier ring.
In the De Bange gas check the head of the spindle is shaped like a mushroom, and in rear of it, slipped over the shank of the spindle, is a ring or pad of plastic material, which rests in rear against the face of the breech block. The plastic substance used is a mixture of asbestos, tallow, and graphite, formed into a pad in a die under great pressure. The mush- room head receives the pressure of the powder gases, and the pad, by its compression effects the obturation.
In the Freyre gas check the spindle terminates in a head having the form of a conical frustum. The head is embraced by a ring with a coni cal interior surface, and with its exterior surface in tight contact with the walls of the gun. The base of the ring rests against the face of the breech block, and the ring is so adjusted as to leave aslight space between this face and the head of the spindle. When the powder gases act, the head is forced back and wedges out the ring until it fits accurately on its seat and prevents any escape of gas. Though both of these checks are very durable, in service extra pads for the De Bange and rings for the Freyre check would of course be furnished with other spare parts, and could be adjusted in a few minutes.
The working of the breech block is very simple. It is opened by one man in four motions, in which he uses both hands without changing them, and, as the gun need not be sponged nor the vent pricked, the loading is accomplished very quickly. No manual has been adopted for the gun, but two cannoneers can manipulate it very rapidly in every respect, dur- ing firing, except running forward into battery after discharge, and even in this respect we are better off than with the old muzzle loader, as from the use of the check attached to the new carriage the recoil is less than
before. The remaining details of the gun which attect the ballistic properties
are the chamber, which is elipsoidal in shape and 10 inches long, and the rifling in which there are 24 lands and grooves; width of lands, .12; width of grooves, .3; depth of grooves, .05, and pitch uniform one turn in 30 calibre.
PROJECTILES.
The projectiles used in testing the gun were cast iron shell and various experimental shrapnel. Both had a single copper band 4 inch wide attached near the base to produce rotation ; the shell had a Hotchkiss base precussion fuse and contained a bursting charge of 6} oz. of musket powder; the shrapnel had a point time and percussion base fuse; were made first of cast iron and afterwards of steel; but none had been definitely adopted when I left the proving grounds. *
“It was intended to put a point time fuse also in the shell,
e
THE NEW FIELD ARTILLERY GUN 31
The powders were of two kinds; one, called by the manufacturers, L. X., with the additional letters A, B, C, ete, according to its lot, had a granulation of 270 to the pound, and a specific gravity of 1.706; and the other, the I K type, had a granulation of 2,200, and specific gravity of 1.725.
The L X powder, which gave the higher pressures and velocities, is formed of regular, flat, square prisms, but the | K powder has an irregu lar grain.
To show the results obtained I have selected certain extracts from the report of the board for testing rifled cannon, which is contained in report of Chief of Ordnance for 1885.
The gun was fired over water to obtain ranges, taking a mean of 10 shots at each elevation, for every 2° from 0° to 20°. At 20° (beyond which the splash in the water could not be seen ) the mean range was 6,479 yards, vr 3} miles, with a mean deflection of 9535 yards.*
It was fired at a target 20’x40’, distant one mile, and the mean devia- tion of 8 shots was 2;'5 feet.
Fired for rapidity the best result obtained was 50 rounds in 25 minutes, but it must be remembered that not only was the gun run forward into battery after each round, but all the cannoniers were obliged—in accord- ance with the orders of the Proving Ground—to be under cover when the gun was fired, which necessitated the men running from twenty-five to thirty yards before each discharge, and the officer in charge to delay the order to fire until he personally saw that all was secure. The gun was also fired 100 rounds in 90 minutes.
Our first effort in making a suitable metallic carriage did not meet with the success attained with the gun, but there was the consolation of knowing that everywhere abroad the problem was found equally puzzling.
In the first one made in 1879 the cheeks were of steel ;, inch thick, reinforced by angle iron, but the axle was of wrought iron, braced by rods to the cheeks. Almost at the first round the wrought iron axle com- menced to bend so it was replaced by a steel one, which, however, did
scarcely better. Abroad all sorts of devices were tried to overcome the same difficulty: cork and rubber buffers, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, all were tried to take up the excessive and disastrous recoil due to the large charges used with ihe new guns.
Colonel BuFFinG'ron, to whom the carriage had been referred for re- pairs, reinforced the steel axle by two steel plates 2 inch thick, projecting
* To give an ideaof the uniformity ohtained, I have selected hap-hazard the ten shots fired at 16° elevation. The times of flight, taken with a stop watch reading Sths, was in order: 20, 20, 204¢, 20, 20,
204.2, 20, 2044, 20, 20':. The ranges were 5,702 yards, 5,708, 5,671, 5,698, 5,684, 5,702, 5,671, 5,716, 5,684, ».667, making the mean 5,600. And the deflections to the left (the wind was blowing from the
right and rear 20 miles) were in yards: 2534, 25',, 234), 2314, 38, 3814, 2814, 8817, 38, 23,
32 THE NEW FIELD ARTILLERY GUN.
front and rear and riveted together. This gave to the axle the structure of a beam with its depth in the direction of the yreatest strain ; from that time no more difficulty was found in that particular. Colonel Burrine- TON also applied to this carriage a very simple and effective recoil check or brake, which reduced the recoil when fired on a platform from about 25 feet to about 7 feet.
The brake — attached to each side — consists of two rods, one of which is connected by an eye to the axle shoulder at one end and at the other is serewed into a hausing, which encloses a stout spiral spring. One ex- tremity of the other rod, passing through the spring, terminates in a nut which bears against the spring, while the other extremity terminates in a shoe which can be fitted to the tire of the wheel. It works very simply ; stops the recoil without unduly straining the wheel; can be attached or removed from the wheel at will; and on the march serves as a mud scraper.
These two—the axle and the brake—are the only features which stood the final test. No matter how repaired, the carriages of this type ultimately gave way —-sometimes in the cheeks, sometimes in the trail. One, however, fairly stood a test of 574 rounds.
Carriages were needed for the converted field guns, then ready for issue and which could not be fired at all on the wooden carriage, so for want of a better a sufficient number of these carriages were manufactured and issued to the service. We had one at Sandy Hook and during the test of the steel gun it had frequently to be repaired.
Colonel BurrineTon then presented a new design embodying these features described above as successful, but differing essentially from other carriages in the construction of the cheeks. These were made of double steel plates, riveted together with curved flanges above and below.
It weighed 1,300 pounds and stood perfectly well 500 rounds of 33 pounds in the steel field gun. Its perfect condition at the close of this trial, which was made as severe as possible, caused its adoption, and 25 were ordered constructed and some are now, I believe, in service. Twen- ty-five extra guns and carriages were also ordered by the Chief of Ord- nance, and in his estimates for this year he asks for money enough to increase this number to 100.
In many respects this carriage* resembles other modern carriages; it has a trail chest for tools which are indispensable for a breech-loader ; the wheels are of wood with metallic naves; but the characteristic features are the double cheek plates, united by transoms, the spring brakes, and the flanged axle before described.
“Krupp, 75, gun and carriage. ..1,672 ths. Spanish, SC. M., gun and ecarriage.. Ibs, Austrian,s(.M., “ «+ G85 “ German, 8 “ as - .-1,898 “ English: French, 8 “ es e wom Armstrong, 15 pdr., “° . sweet * Russian Light, ‘ . «1,802 “
Woolwich, 13 pdr., 2,082 * + 2-10 steel, “ ..1,900 “
THE NEW FIELD ARTILLERY GUN. 33
LIMBERS.
Metal limbers were made in accordance with the views of the Light Artillery Board 1885, but as a new design has been approved this year, I take for granted these issued were not successful. The limber body with its wheels and pole weighed 805 pounds. In order to determine the pro- priety of making the ammunition chests of steel, one of them, made of plates about ;'; inch thick, was sent to the Proving Ground and tested, in comparison with the ordinary wooden chest, by firing at them with the 45 cal. Gatling gun. Both chests were filled as for service with loaded shell, shrapnel, cartridges, ete. The steel chest weighed with its partitions 3163 pounds, the wooden one 185.
Beyond 500 yards the steel chest was not perforated when struck, while at 800 yards more than 50 per cent. of hits on wooden chest were penetrations.
Nevertheless, the Board decided in favor of the wooden chest, for the following reasons :
Ist. If shell, shrapnel, or specially prepared explosive bullets are used, both chests would be destroyed at 400 yards.
2d. At 400 yards the wooden chest is more readily perforated, but such perforations are unlikely to cause explosions.
3d. The wooden chest weighs 131! pounds less taan the steel one.
4th. Can be repaired more readily in the field.
5th. Is much the less expeusive.
The Chief of Ordnance in his report for this year states that an im- proved limber, caisson, battery wagon and forge for the new field guns have been made a special study during the past year by Colonel BuFFING- TON and Major WiILLISron, and that the manufacture of these carriages will be commenced at once; also that Major WiLLisron has submitted a report on his improvement in artillery harness.
As a consequence the new guns and carriages should find next spring the remainder of the battery equipment equally new and, I doubt not equally efficient.
THE USE OF ARMS, MOUNTED.
By CAPTAIN W. P. HALL,
FIFTH CAVALRY, U.S. A.
URING a service of more than eighteen years in the United States
Cavalry, I have yet to see the first cavalry soldier who could use his
arms on horseback. I refer particularly to the revolver, and will pass the
sabre by — with a few reasons for retiring, on account of physical disabil- ity, this time-honored cavalry weapon. ‘
For the purpose of comparing the sabre and revolver I take the effect- ive range of the former to be four and one-half feet, and that of the latter ten yards, and will assume that a sabre-thrust through the body or a hard blow over the head are of equal efficacy to a pistol-shot wound. I take it that four seconds would be required to successfully carve one man and get within sabre range of another. I know that in three and one-half seconds an expert pistol shot can fire with accuracy five shots from a revolver at a distance of over ten yards with horse at a run. There is no reason why a cavalryman should not carry two or even four revolvers, if he knows how to use them; and if he does not know how to handle them, I believe him better off without any. With this number of pistols it would be difficult to imagine a case where his fire would become exhausted before he had an opportunity to reload.
To recapitulate: We have for the maximum range of the sabre four and a half feet; the revolver is equally good for thirty feet, with possi- Lilities far beyond that distance. The rapidity of execution with the sabre, four seconds, while tat oi the revolver is less than one second. “Surely the tenacity with which we cling tu arms ancient might well make ‘“‘a wise soldier laugh, were not its effects so pernicious as to sometimes “make a good soldier weep.”
Some cavalrymen claim that if the sabre is done away with we are reduced to the grade of mounted infantry; others say that the time for doing good work with cavalry is ended —certainly neither of these classes can have a conception of what a terrible weapon the revolver becomes when in skilful hands, I know of but one instance where its use by a
THE USE OF ARMS, MOUNTED. 35
mounted organization has ever been perfected, but the results in this are more than sufficient to establish it supremacy as a cavalry weapon, were we entirely devoid of individual cases in which a high degree of skill had been attained.
The organization to which I refer was a remnant of QUANTRELL’S command under a leader named Britt ANDERSON ( claiming to belong to the confederate army ), who infested the northern part of Missouri during the last year of the war of the Rebellion. These men were armed with three or four revolvers each, and at the time to which I refer numbered about fifty. They attacked, upon an open prairie, a command of our mounted troopers whose numbers I have heard variously estimated at from 200 to 250. ANDERSON’s command lost but five or six men and only eight or ten of the Federal troops escaped with their lives; the others were laid out over the prairie for a distance of four miles and were killed with revolvers. I have been informed, and I believe credibly, by men who belonged to ANDERSON’s command that mounted pistol practice was their principal occupation.
The deplorable deficiency of our cavalry in the use of their arms mounted is but too vividly pictured in the engagements with mounted Indians during the Jast twenty years. Here I propose to make particular reference to but one battle: At the close of our late Civil war the repu- tation of General CusTER as a cavalry commander was considered by many as second to none of those gallant cavalry officers trained in this most excellent school; he commanded the 7th Cavalry for some time previous to 1876. Many of his captains had been trained in the same school of experience, and he had time and opportunity to give the 7th Cavalry the training and discipline suggested by his extended service, and it is certainly fair to suppose that this regiment in 1876 was a fair sample of the United States Cavalry.
Nearly three hundred of these troops under General CusTer’s com- mand were attacked in an open country, where they were expecting an enemy, and according to the best accounts I have been able to obtain, were annihilated in the short space of half an hour. The Indians claim to have lost but thirty five killed and say they crowded in upon the cavalry so as to make the fighting almost hand to hand. The cavalry seem to have been marching by fours or twos, and when attacked on one flank it is presumed they formed, or attempted to form line towards the enemy ; the country is so level that the Indians would not have attacked on both flanks at once for the reason that their fire would have been almost as fatal to one another as it was to the cavalry. Now it would seem to go without saying that in two mounted organizations engaged as these were, the numbers of men on each side actually fighting at any one time were ap proximately equal, with perhaps some advantage in favor of the Indians,
36 THE USE OF ARMS, MOUNTED.
I can picture the men of General CusTER’s command in this engagement as having all they could do to sit upon their horses, having little control over them and entirely incapable of handling their revolvers, which I believe to be the only weapon for mounted firing. I believe in the short carbine for cavalry, but think it should be used on foot only.
There is but one way to account for this and other disasters to which our cavalry has been subjected in recent Indian engagements, and that is, our poor riding and the utter inefficiency in the use of our arms on horse- back. The mounted Indians have been trained all their lives at this kind of work and it is needless to say how much the average cavalryman gets. The great difficulty incident to training men to manage their horses and handle their arms when mounted only makes the accomplishment the more valuable when attained. I know the road to success in this line is far from being a royal one, and the work and drudgery connected there- with is very great, because it involves what is known as snap shooting with the revolver. I am thoroughly convinced however that one thou- sand men trained to use this weapon mounted would surpass in efficiency ten thousand cavalry such as we now have, and I furthermore fully be- lieve they would in close quarters be far more than a match for double their number of infantry. Opportunities would occur in which such cav- alry could surprise infantry or get amongst them under cover of night, and in such an event, with the power of firing with accuracy five shots in four seconds, and the confidence a courage which a knowledge of this skill would give them—I believe they would easily destroy more than their number before they could be checked.
The time seems to have passed when men become very eminent in more than one line, but this very condition of things brings with it the surety that an expert in any useful direction is certain to find a demand for his work; and if we propose to make a reputable score as cavalry in the future, I believe we must bend our energies to training our men to ride and shoot when mounted; with this feat once accomplished, there will be a lively demand for our services so long as there are horses to ride and powder to burn.
DISCUSSION. By GENERAL MERRITT.
I am too firm a believer in the value of the sabre as an arm for the cavalry to consent to its abandonment without abundant evidence that there is something better to replace it, Hundreds of years of war of every description are the vouchers for its effectiveness as an arm. Nor do I fear the charge of too great conservatism. I have listened with great interest to the paper of Captain HALL, and while I was unfortunately prevented from being present on the evening when Lieutenant Swirt read his paper, I am told that it was quite as con- vincing as the other,
Pe
THE USE OF ARMS, MOUNTED. 37
lam satisfied that the subject discussed by these gentlemen is. worthy of careful attention by cavalry officers. We should ponder well before dismissing their propositions, but, as bas been said by one of England’s foremost modern soldiers, the nation that abandons the sabre will have abundant reason to regret its rash act in the first war in which it may become en- gaged.
Those who advocate the use of the pistol asa weapon for cavalry invite an unnecessary hostility to their proposition by insisting that it must replace the sabre. Let us rather agree that if the pistol can do all or a part only of what is claimed for it, to secure it the place it has already had in our armament, and a better place than it ever has had in the drill and prepara- tion for its use.
This is all, I understand, that its advocates claim. It is certainly all that [,as an army ofticer with some experience in the cavalry arm of the service, would be willing to have con- ceded.
The history of the sabre is a glorious one and dates back to remote ages. I could not, if 1 had the time, do justice to its exploits. They are coincident and coeval with the great events of war.
The pistol, in one form or another, is as old as gunpowder. Is it not strange then if all that is now said of it is true, that some little of its merits have never been known before? Mind you, I am not prepared to say that much that our essayists have written is not true, but I beg of these gentlemen, for the sake of their own cause, not to attempt to discredit a weapon whose record is a blaze of glory, by an arm whose single exploit dates back to the Civil War, and whose one title to effectiveness is the massacre of a party of unskilled, undrilled volun- teers by a band of Confederate “ irregulars.”’
I repeat, I am very greatly impressed by Captain HALL’s views and facts. If a command of mounted men can be instructed to the proficiency he claims is possible, and I for one am not prepared to deny it, such command would be a terrible enemy to meet on the field of battle. 1am not only not willing to deny the possibility of making our cavalry all that Captain Hau. claims in this regard, but Iam prepared to believe that it can and will be done,and that the American Cavalry will be competent in the future to teach the world lessons that will be well worth the learning. It has done this in the past, why should it not in time to come?
SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
By EBEN SWIFT,
1st LIEUTENANT 5TH CAVALRY.
LTHOUGH the sword has not been the most effective of the horse- man’s weapons its position has been maintained by a brilliant litera- ture. Some nations have even worshipped the naked sword, and we find the legend of the arme blanche, the beautiful white weapon, woven into every history and romance for centuries. We will also find that a great deal has been said and written about the spear and lance, pike and bayonet, bow ar- balist and sling. A great amount of scientific and professional attention is devoted to the rifle, the cannon and the machine gun, and no science can show greater progress in invention than the science of ordnance and gun- nery. The revolver alone has received scant attention as a weapon; there is hardly an intelligent notice of it to be found in any book, encyclopedia or pamphlet, in any language; its use in war is a novelty ; it has been dis- trusted by its friends and ridiculed by good cavalry soldiers; and it is to-day substantially the same weapon that was patented by SamuEL Cour some fifty yeays ago.
In the armed contests of men the combatants have been principally divided into horse and foot. To make the proper distinction and to pre- serve to cavalry its essential spirit, we will here define the cavalryman as one who habitually uses his arms on horseback ; he may at times dismount to fight on foot, as did the English Knights at Cressy, or SHERIDAN’s troopers at Appomattox, but the spirit, the life and the nerve of cavalry lies in its ability to use its weapons mounted. An infantryman with a horse, which he uses simply as a means of locomotion, is no more a cavalry- man than he who goes to the battlefield ina buggy or on a railroad car.
In the struggles of horse and foot, we will see that a victorious in- fantry can seldom produce solid results, unless assisted by an excellent cavalry. Thus the great victories of the English long-bowmen gave no permanent advantages to the victors; the Swiss pikemen, though so often victorious, saved only their liberties, but did not discourage their enemies ;
SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 39
NAPOLEON’s victories at Bautzen and Ligny, supported by an inefficient cavalry, did not avert Elba or Saint Helena, as should have been ex- pected. On the other hand, the proper use of a superior horse has made decisive the greatest victories of every age. There will be many drawn battles in future unless cavalry regains the prestige it has lost.
Cavalry has repeatedly met defeat at the hands of infantry, but up to 1870 it has been able to win back its old honors after each disaster. So the Roman legions were destroyed by the Numidian horse; the Turkish janizaries were routed by the cavalry of Tamerlane; the Grecian phalanx was broken by Roman cavalry; the Spanish infantry went down before the French dragoons. But cavalry is slow to recover from the blows re- ceived on the day of Sedan; there, upon the fields of Floing and Cazal, the best cavalry of Imperial France was ruined in an attempt to drive back the German skirmishers. At some places, indeed, the lines of skirmishers were broken through at the first onset, but the fire of the supports in all cases destroyed the force of the fierce charge.'
Let us reflect that cavalry is still armed with the weapons of barbar- ism or of chivalry, that the traditions of Seypirrz, of ZrerHEen, of Murat are still accepted models for our ambition; that no great improve- ment has been made since the days when FREDERICK THE GREAT gave orders that any cavalryman should be shot who would receive a charge at a walk. Need we wonder, then, at this defeat by modern infantry, or that this defeat was so disastrous and final, or that the use of mounted cavalry against unbroken infantry is universally regarded as a vain and useless sacrifice? Who will say that cavalry can ever regain its former position without many vital changes?
Cavalry, for weapons, have either used the missile or the hand weapon. The most terrible horsemen of any age have been those who used the missile. JEREMIAH foretells the day when “the whole city shall flee for the noise of horsemen and bowmen.”* The invention of the saddle is ascribed to the Persian mounted bowmen who thus increased the security of the seat.* The Scythian soldier overran the most powerful ancient monarchies. His favorite weapon was the bow, which he used as he rode, shooting his arrows with great precision... Raw Linson thus describes the Parthian cavalry: “It was carefully trained in the management of the horse and the bow, and was unequalled in the rapidity and dexterity of its movements. The archer delivered his arrows with as much precision and force in retreat as in advance, and was almost more feared when he retired than when he charged the foe.”® Behold here a picture of a model cavalry a 1. "Official account. Part 1, page 375.
3. ae by General DE PEYsTER United Service, Magazine, 188i,
4. RAWLINSON, Ancient Monarchies, Vol. I, page’ 494. 5. Same, Vol. III, page 227.
40 SABERS OR REVOLVERS? an | remember well that these horsemen often defeated the Roman troops —even the legions of the days of Pompry and of Cassar. Since it has been established that the bow and arrow were among the weapons used by Hannrpat’s Numidian cavalry,’ it seems altogether probable from their character as troops, and the customs of their descendants that their favorite weapon was the missile. From the arrow to the bullet we skip two thousand years. ‘To-day the Cossacks, the Khirgiz, the Bedouins, the Algerians, and the North American Indians are expert rifle shots on horseback. The next step isto the revolver. Far excelling any previous device for delivering a missile or a blow at the hands of a mounted man, it will surely bring honor to that race which first adapts it to the modern battlefield.
Before discussing the weapons to be used, it is desirable, of course, to conduct the cavalry so as to arrive in the best possible condition within the effective reach of its arms. The two points will then arise: _ first, closing with the enemy, second, avoiding or turning aside the missile of the enemy.
Twenty-five years ago charging cavalry could traverse the range of the infantry arm in less than forty seconds, during which infantry could fire two shots. Now the zone of fire is increased to twelve hundred yards and more. In the German cavalry at inspections the cavalry are now ex- pected to make four or five miles at the trot and gallop and then to execute the charge in fu!l career without getting blown or winded.? But still the cavalry may remain under the fire of the infantry for three min- utes, during which the latter may fire fifteen shots. The adoption of a fire weapon by cavalry would probably be followed by a slight increase of interval. The relative merits of echelon formations and of successive open lines with closed supports would have to be tested.
The second consideration is how to avoid or turn aside the missile of the enemy. The various irregularities of the ground, the constantly diminishing range where our horsemai) rides under the trajectory, the moral effect of the charging mass upon that which is standing still, the active and aggressive action of the horse artillery; all these will tend to make ineffective the aimed fire of the infantry. But the missile which has been unerring in its flight and reaches the frail body of horse or man can only be turned aside by defensive armor.
Breast-plates are tested, by placing them as targets at about seventy- five yards, at which distance they resisted the infantry bullet up to 1884. In service they would be effectual at less distances, and when on the body of a moving man the resisting and deflecting power would be still more increased. There is no doubt about their having saved many lives in the
1, HANNIBAL’s army in Italy, by General DE PEysTer, United Service Magazine, 1880. 2. Letters sur la Cavallerie par le Prince KRAFT VON HOHENLOHE-INGELFINGEN, p. 73-4.
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SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 41
Franco-German war. The cuirass, consisting of front and back piece, the latter only capable of resisting the saber stroke, weighs from eight to eleven pounds according to size and is made of steel.
The alloys of aluminium deserve some notice here. ‘The properties of the metal have only been known for about thirty years, since discovered by DEVILLE, and up to this day it has not become in general use owing to the expense of manufacture. This difficulty appears to have been largely overcome in the electric furnace so that the various grades of aluminium alloys are quoted at from sixteen to forty-five cents per pound. The properties of the metal are non-corrosive action, lightness, ductility ; it is two and a half times heavier than water and is about as light as glass. So far it has been found that when more than ten per cent. of aluminium is used with copper the alloy becomes brittle; this grade has the lustre and color of gold. The latest government tests of this grade of alum- inium bronze, hot rolled from a two inch billet to +? inch round bar are as follows:
Tensile strength 111,400 pounds per square inch.
Probable elastic limit 84,000 pounds per square inch.
Hardness 21.17."
The average properties of 137 specimens of accepted gun steel, from hoops, jackets and tubes, oil tempered and annealed, U. S. Government tests, are as follows:
Tensile strength 96,150 pounds per square inch.
Elastic limit 51,611 pounds per square inch.
Hardness 21.4.’
The immense field of the alloys of aluminium has just been entered and we may only speculate as to the future and possibilities of this metal. But I think that enough is known to warrant the assertion that articles of defensive armor can be constructed, superior to and lighter than those in use, which will effectually protect against the infantry bullet, over a great portion of the zone of fire.
Eleven years ago in the last great European war the infantry bullet had attained immense power. A Russian general was killed by a Turkish bullet a mile in rear of the positions of his army in the Schipka Pass, men were picked off two miles in rear of the Pass, and were killed and wounded when sheltered by the brow of a ridge which rose thirty to fifty feet above them.* Balls after coming a mile entered the hard ground a distance of two feet, and a perpendicular distance of from six inches to one foot. One of these bullets would travel a mile and then go through a horse and
1, Aluminium Bronze for heavy guns. Proceedings of Naval Institute, page 662, Vol. XI.
2. Page 606, same. 3. War Correspondence of Daily News, 1877, Vol. I. page 422.
42 SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
any number of men who should happen to be in its line of march.' The fire arms of the next war will be still more deadly, and it seems strange that the subject of protection from this fire has not received more atten- tion. The destructive effect of large guns forced the sailors to armor de- fense until they reached the very limit of its usefulness. Who knows but what we may build up to that limit on land? Whatever the future may be in this respect it seems to me that it is a more serious question for the cavalryman than for any other soldier. The infantry rifle is effective to such a great distance, it takes such a slight wound to place a man “out of the combat,” the vital parts are protected by so delicate a casing, that the cavalryman should fairly be granted something of a protection while crossing the zone of fire powerless to reply to the enemy’s bullets.
The cavalry having been conducted to the proximity of the enemy with a minimum of loss and a considerable reserve of energy, the next points for consideration are: first, the cavalryman’s use of his weapons in delivering his blow, and second, as to his conduct after the shock.
It will be in considering the cavalryman’s use of his arms that we must decide between the saber and the revolver.
It has been found that with the horse at speed six shots can be fired with deliberation and more or less accuracy while traversing a distance of seventy-five yards. No argument in favor of the saber can show that its effect extends beyond the reach of the sword arm of its owner.
Armed with the saber against an infantry armed with a breech-loader the most terrible part of the charging trooper is the horse. The saber is not feared; that weapon is hardly effective beyond the range of the horse’s four feet as lie thunders past; the foot-man is more apt to be struck by the horse than by the saber; the result of a collision with a running horse is more to be dreaded. This cool foot-soldier who now stands upon the skirmish line to receive the charging horse can at a few yards easily drop the rider who comes upon him, swinging his saber, thirty inches long, but he cannot stop the horse so well. The small calibers and heavy charges now adopted by infantry will enable an animal to travel a long distance and trample several infantrymen to death after he has received more than one mortal wound. At the battle of Beaumont, in 1870, the French Colonel DE ConTENsON with the 5th Cuirassiers charged the skir- mishers of a portion of the 27th Prussian line regiment. Ds Conrenson fell mortally wounded within fifteen paces of the skirmish line, one of his non-commissioned officers was killed in attempting to saber the Prussian captain, those of the troopers who succeeded in running over the skirmish line were thoroughly defeated by the supports. The Prussian company gained its brilliant success without sacrifice; some of the fusiliers, run over or thrown down by the horses, had received such trifling contusions
1, Same. Vol. II, page 22.
sa tos stants AP
SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 43
that they remained with their battalion. On the other hand, the loss of the French regiment of cuirassiers in the charge amounted to eleven officers and upwards of one hundred men and a still larger number of
horses.’
In the celebrated charge of the Dragoons of the Guard at Mars la Tour, their loss was 96 officers and men and 204 horses. Note again the loss of horses. Surely the horse in a charge becomes a projectile with great velocity and battering force. The infantryman must either stop him or get out of his way. ‘“‘ His neck,” in the words of Jos, “is clothed with thunder; he rejoiceth in his strength, and goeth on to meet the armed men; he smelleth the battle from afar off, neither turneth he back from the sword.” That is why so many horses are killed. Let us now substitute the revolver for the saber, and the effect of cavalry is at least doubled by the new element that enters the question. The skirmisher can no longer ignore the rider, the reach of whose terrible arm is now in- creased a hundred fold.
The saber is powerless against an attack on the left and left rear. The revolver can be used in either direction. The revolver stops the adver- sary with a single sledge-hammer blow, while a man may be covered with saber wounds and continue fighting. Instances of this kind are numerous. A good example was that of Colonel ALFRED STOWELL JONEs, when a young officer, charging at the head of some lancers in the Indian mutiny. He received twenty-two saber cuts but did not give up his command.”
- The revolver may disable the horse of your enemy, thus placing the rider “out of the combat.”
With the revolver the rider sits squarely on his horse as he fires in every direction. To deliver a blow with a saber a trooper is apt to throw his center of gravity to one side — to lose his seat in fact. Every horse- man knows the danger of a broken stirrup-strap, a shy, a jump, or a loose girth at such a moment. There is an immense difference between riding on a tanbark track and taking a run over an unknown bit of country. A man may swing his saber gracefully and effectively in a riding school, but it is different when you put a carbine-sling over his shoulder, fasten the carbine in its boot, surround his waist with a belt full of cartridges and build up the saddle in front and rear with articles of equipment.
The saber acts for but an instant —a cut, a flash, a point, and it is gone in the wild career of the charge. With the revolver twelve blows can be delivered — six before and six after the shock —to one blow de- livered by the saber.
How long it takes to become a swordsman, especially with the horses 1. Official aie, Page 276, part 1. 2. The Cavalry of the British Army. by Captain SALUsBuRY, United Service Magazine, 1881,
44 SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
we get! The horse of the sabreur must be skilled in ali the arts of the manege. The idea of ever obtaining such a cavalry must always be a wild, gay dream in this country. But you can jump on a broncho, put him at full speed and shoot just as well as if you were riding a thorough- bred. Thousands of sucha cavalry could be put in shape for efficient use in this country while the gentlemen of the saber are drilling at cuts and parries in their riding schools.
JOMINI’s testimony is that the lance, not the saber, is the weapon of the shock; that the saber is the arm of the melee. The revolver is at once the weapon of the headlong charge, the struggle and the rout.
The use of the revolver is not expensive. Practice in the manual and in the manner of delivering the blow is most necessary. The mysteries of “getting the drop” should be learned without using cartridges.
The fine nerves of the expert rifleman are not essential. A gentleman whose hand shakes with a peculiar muscular tremor told me that he be- came a close snap shot with the revolver, notwithstanding his afHiction. The fine eyesight of the sharpshooter is not essential, for there are good snap shots who could never win the sharpshooter’s badge.
Suppose we acknowledge the saber to be the best weapon in the clear field, without mud, rocks and ravines. What does it avail against an enemy up a tree, on the roof of a house, even on the other side of a fence or under the band-wagon ?
Prince KrRAF? DE HOHENLOHE-INGELFINGEN, in his “ Letters about Cavalry,” says: ‘The staff dared not advance the cavairy divisions alone into the heart of the hostile country where they would have been sur- rounded on all sides by francstireurs, national guards and newly formed bodies of troops.”' That is a good deal from a Prussian Lieutenant- General. What but vital defects of armament could bring German cavalry to such an acknowledgment ?
The friends of the saber say, “It is always loaded.” We answer, “So is the revolver. If you don’t believe it, let any revolver be pointed at you and see how it feels.” Mortal courage is born of confidence What man wiil face the smoking muzzle of his enemy’s revolver and not believe it contains a messenger of destruction that cannot be parried by any arts of the fencing school and riding track?
First-rate authorities on the subject of the charge and the melee have stated that there are only a certain number of men in any command who are ready and eager to come to blows. A very large proportion is carried along by the elan of the former; they may add to the weight of the charging mass; they may even be rash in pursuit but would never stem the tide of defeat; they are more anxious to avoid than to receive blows,
1. Page 79.
SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 45 This class of men cannot be relied upon to close with an enemy in a death struggle on equal chances. Neither can another class, still less aggressive, who have no heart in the fight and who will run away if they get a chance. It has been urged by the saber men that a man is brave accord- ing to the length of his weapon. This fact renders ineffective a large number of sabers of moderately brave men, who would use a pistol at ten yards, but not a saber at one yard.
Then there is the logic of figures. During our last war there were treated 246,712 cases of wounds which could be identified as shot, saber or bayonet wounds. Of these 522 were inflicted by the saber, and of these ‘“‘a large proportion had their origin in private quarrels or broils, or were inflicted by sentinels in the discharge of their duties ””' The pro- portion of deaths from these wounds was only five per cent., which forbids the idea that the saber left its victims dead on the field. In the war of 1866 there were 481 saber and bayonet wounds in all — Prus- sians, Austrians, Bavarians and Italians. If the proportion of saber to bayonet wounds was the same as in our war, about 270 can be placed to the credit of the white weapon. In the war of 1870-71 there were 976 Germans wounded by the saber and bayonet, and by the same ratio about 450 of these would be due to the saber. There were six Germans killed by the saber stroke. In that war the Germans had seventy thousand cav- alry in the field, and the great cavalry battle at Mars la Tour was fought between five thousand horse.
We are almost reminded of those battles of the fifteenth century, about which MacuIAVELLI tells.’ If the white weapon can do no better than this in three wars, it is certain the revolver will do no worse.
We have next to consider the conduct of cavalry after the shock. After the shock the cavalryman with his present armament finds that he has not injured the line of the enemy; he cannoi siay there because he is a creature of offense only and is ruined by inaction or in any position where he is placed in an attitude of defense. So he rides away again on his jaded horse and the trodden infantry gets up and blazes away in his back as he goes. With revolvers the story of cavalry riding over an infantry force without destroying it need not again be told. We will here find an answer to the question propounded elsewhere as to the cause of the futility of the modern cavalry charge. The cause is not to be found in excessive losses, because cavalry have often reached an enemy’s line that was bristling with artillery and breech-loaders. The losses in the advance have been so mixed up with those of retreat that it is hard to determine them, but it is probable that no cavalry from Balaklava to Sedan have charged with greater losses than those of Pickrerr at Gettys-
1, Medical and Surgical History of the War, Surgical Vol,, page 686. 2. History of Florence,
46 SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
burg or of SKOBELEFF in the Green Hills. It has been well established that the greatest losses to cavalry have occurred after the shocks ard this is for the reasons given. Cavalry must be provided with reserves near at hand to encounter the supports of the enemy’s first line. Extra revolvers or reloading devices equal to those of General KELTON, are indispensable.
When cavalry encounters cavalry its role will be more simple than when it acts against infantry and many of the conditions mentioned before will still exist. Here supposing the enemy to be advancing at an equal rate of speed it will not be advisable to fire six shots before crossing his line; one shot will be fired at about seventy-five yards, one at about thirty and one at about fifteen yards The revolver-armed rank, while still in- tact and all unanswered, delivers three staggering blows upon the hostile line, then follows up the last blow with the full weight of horse and rider. There are now three shots left, and a trooper who cannot hit a man ora horse at ten yards distance, within three months after his first mounted drill, is not fit for the high and honorable calling of a cavalry soldier.
Great ignorance exists about the revolver among military men every- where. An English cavalry ofticer who has lately written a book on modern cavalry discusses most subjects intelligently but dismisses the re- volver from consideration on the ground that a trooper will have to pull up his horse in order to deliver an accurate blow.
Colonel Kerrn Frazer, also an Englishman, says: “It is to be hoped that revolvers, which are far more dangerous to friend than foe in a charge, will never be supplied to our private dragoons.” The same offi- cer says that if the training of recruits, which in the English service is performed by the adjutant and riding-master, is performed instead by squadron officers, they “must expect less individual proficiency in the soldier.” This last remark will perhaps explain the Colonel’s alarm over the use of the revolver. We will freely acknowledge how terrible a wea- pon it is in careless and ignorant hands. In the campaign of 1876, two officers of my regiment were wounded by their own revolvers; in the next year another killed his horse; shortly afterward two men in a small com- mand on a scout shot themselves accidentally. In those days the revolver was carried for no known reason and men who had worn it for years were often most clumsy in its use. Within the last four years I have repeatedly seen the revolver given to recruits as soon as they were only fawy pro- ficient in the school of the soldier mounted, and never an accident occurred.
The text book on “Minor Tactics,” by Colonel WiLkrnson—Snaw, in use at the U. S. Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth, does not mention the revolver at all, thus ignoring the fact that some two hundred thousand revolvers are in use in the Russian army, and that as a weapon it has at least a fair war record in this country. The author
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SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 47 says: ‘ His (the trooper’s) arms should not be used from the saddle except for the purpose of signal. Dismounted cavalry can use their fire-arms effectually.”' The inference of course is that mounted cavalry cannot use their fire-arms effectually. Colonel WiLkrnson-Suaw’s remarks are taken from the Prussian regulations, and they give an average modern idea of the use of fire-arms by mounted cavalry.
Such ideas are common in our service as well as abroad. In answer to such criticisms I will give a few examples of the use of the revolver under various conditions; to show its quickness and sureness in the charge or melee as well as on foot; to show how it parries the stoutest blow or overhauls an enemy in retreat; and again to show its successful use by considerable bodies of men.
The guard of a railroad express car in Texas, opening the door of his car was confronted by a burglar who fired in his face. The guard drew his revolver and emptied the six shots into the burglar’s body before the latter could fall or advance or fire a second shot. I was told this by the living actor and have reason to believe it to be true. In fact, it is no great feat to fire six shots with the Colt’s single action service revolver in less than four seconds.
At Old Church, Virginia, in 1861, Captain, now Colonel, W. B. RoyALL, armed with a revolver, with two troops of the Fifth Cavalry, charged General Stuart’s advance under Captain LaTaNeE, who was armed with a saber. Royavi and LATane met in the headlong charge. LaTANE was killed, but Roya. was able to charge through the enemy and rejoined his command with six saber wounds.
At Solomon’s Fork, Kansas Territory, in 1857, Lieutenant, afterwards General, J. E. B. Stuart, with his saber, charged twice upon a single Indian who had a pistol. Sruarr was seriously wounded in the second attempt, and it took three officers and several troopers to kill that Indian finally.’
I borrow a few English examples:*
“At El Teb an Arab was cutting down one of our fellows, when a farrier shot him dead so clean that the sword just cut through the man’s scalp, that was all.”
“Captain Burn—-Murpock, of the Royals, with his legs jammed under a dead camel, at Abu Klea, succeeded in killing four or five Arabs who attacked him while in this critical position.”
“A troop sergeant major of the 10th Hussars, says: ‘On charging the Soudanese at El Teb, I first attempted to cut them down with my sword, but found I could do little execution with it; the enemy for the
1. Page 21. 2. Campaign's of STUART’s Cavalry, by Major MCCLELLAN, p. —. 8, Revolvers and their use, by Major KitcHeNeR, Journal of Royal U, S. Inst., 1887,
SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
most part eluding my blows, and even when struck, appearing to suffer little from them; I then drew my revolver and soon knocked over three or four.’ ”
The famous Colonel Burnasy was killed in a useless saber fight with a couple of Arab spearmen. He was a beau ideal cavalryman, and if he had used a pistol he would probably be living to-day.
The official report of General Joun S. Wuarrton, C. S. A., com- manding two thousand cavalry at the battle of Stone’s River, in 1863, says: ‘The proper weapon for cavalry has proved to be the revolver.” A number of Confederate generals have given similar opinions. Major THomas Harrison, Texas Rangers, in his report of a reconnoissance on the day following Shiloh, says: ‘‘The front line of the enemy’s infantry and his cavalry in its rear was put to flight; a portion of the latter only after a hand to hand engagement with the Rangers had attested their su- perior skill in the use and management of pistol and horse.’ In this charge, the Confederate Colonel, afterwards Lieutenant-General, N. B. Forrest was wounded. General WM. T. SHERMAN’s reports confirm the flight of our men.’
I have purposely refrained from quoting a number of books written by Confederate cavalrymen or their friends. These writings have given most positive testimony in favor of the revolver, but I have preferred not to use them, fearing that their somewhat one-sided character might pre- vent a free and cordial discussion of this question. I will simply mention two instances of the use of the revolver, given in ‘“Scott’s Partisan Life with Mosby.” ‘The first is a fight at Myerstown, Virginia, on November 18, 1864, between a squadron of Federal cavalry under Captain R. BLazeEr, 91st Ohio, and a detachment of Confederate cavalry, under Major Rica- arDs. ‘The Confederates, using revolvers, defeated the Federals with a loss of twenty-four killed, twelve wounded, and sixty-two prisoners and horses; and with a loss to themselves of one killed and one wounded. The statement of the Medical and Surgical History of the War is that the Federal loss was sixty and that the Confederate loss was ten, in killed, wounded and missing. Again there is a fight mentioned, one hundred on a side, where the Federal loss was twenty-six killed and wounded, and fifty-four prisoners and eighty horses; the Confederate loss, nothing. The nearest to a verification in the list of engagements in the Medical and Surgical History of the War is the action at Drainesvilie, Virginia, on February 22, 1864, between Mosrny’s men and a detachment of the 2d Massachusetts Cavalry, under Captain J.S. Reep. The Fed- eral loss is here given at ten killed, seven wounded and fifty-seven missing ; the Confederate loss, two killed and four wounded.
1. Rebellion Records, Vol. XX, Part 1, Reports.
2. Same, Vol. X, Part 1, series 1. 3. Same,
SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 49
Owing to the efforts of several officers and the enthusiasm of the in- fantry our army is now an army of marksmen—the best in the world. But as a result of it all, the ambitious trooper finds himself in an anom- alous and mortifying position. Gold medals and high honors are pre- scribed for rifle firing, but the cavalryman’s weapons are forbidden from military matches and competitions. No encouragement is given to the cavalryman who perfects himself in the use of his distinctive weapons, but his honors must be obtained with an infantry rifle ; he must lie on his back with an infantry gun-sling strapped over his knee — his horse perchance a thousand miles away. This state of things is largely due to the indif- ference of our cavalrymen themselves. Unlike the troopers of every other land we are content to follow in the paths where the infantry have shown the way. If we had not accepted these methods as right and proper for our arm, we would long ago have had systems and matches and methods of our own. Unless we ourselves establish the fact that we have a part of our own to play and that we are able to assume it, it is probable that our country will discover that she does not need the expensive luxury of a cavalry, in numbers equal to one-fourth the peace establishment. Such an event has occurred within the memory of living cavalry officers.
The revolver is necessarily an officer’s weapon. Of course no one would think of using the officer’s sword in a scrimmage; it is but a badge of authority, almost as worthless for offense or defense as a field marshal’s baton, which by the way is but a memory of the war club and mace. The officer finds it to be out of the question to carry a carbine or rifle, but he needs a far-reaching handy weapon with which he can enforce his orders or take a hand in any little fracas within a radius of a hundred yards at least. A case in point occurred during the Apache outbreak of 1872, in Arizona, when an officer at fifty yards, killed an Indian who was in the very act of knifing a soldier. Such an emergency may never occur in any of our lives, but it is the duty of every officer to keep himself pre- pared for the moment when his very best efforts will be called for. Thous- ands of men can throw a stone or a base-ball with accuracy who could not place a revolver bullet to save their lives—yet the muscular action and the practice required are about the same. The truth is that most people who carry a revolver are content with a knowledge of its power, without an idea as to the method of commanding that power for their own use. A revolver in such hands is about as awkward and dangerous a plaything as a locomotive engine would be in the hands of one ignor- antly attempting to “run” it. Witness the Chicago police shooting into a crowd of anarchists at close revolver range, and the number of innocents in proportion to the number of anarchists hit. Witness similar cases in almost every daily paper. How often we hear of desperate encounters between individuals who empty their revolvers at each other at a couple of yards distance.
50 SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
The revolver is far from perfect. General KELTON’s improvements show where the greatest changes should be made. The uniformity in size of the stocks furnished with revolvers is a source of much trouble. Every man who has a revolver furnished him should have his hand fitted to the stock. General Ketron proposes radical changes in the shape of the stock, all perhaps in the right direction if we use the Smith and Wesson. I have always preferred a Colt; the stock whittled and filed so as to fit the hand and allow the thumb to be extended on the left of the hammer.
One of the hardest things to learn about the revolver is the manual of cocking the piece in rapid firing. General KELTON proposes to obviate this by some changes in the form of the hammer. Cowboys frequently file off the notch of the tumbler so that the full motion of cocking will not be necessary. The principle of rebounding locks, whereby the ham- mer would reach a full cock after each discharge, would settle the ques- tion, but some people would claim it would make the weapon too danger- ous.
The Smith and Wesson has defects in the trigger pull, tempering of the small parts, recoil and complicated arrangement. I think expert shots in this country prefer the Colt for close shooting. The Colt perhaps pos- sesses an excess of power. It has a penetration in white pine of two and a quarter inches at 300 yards —a penetration of one inch correspond- ing to a dangerous wound. Too great power of this kind would encourage firing at long distances and would diminish “stopping” power at short distances. “Stopping” power must not be measured by penetration. To get the former we must add to the mass and decrease the velocity of the bullet, but neither must be changed sufficiently to impair the accuracy. Hence we see a very delicate adjustment is necessary.
The multiball cartridge seems to have been condemned by the Ord- nance Department on the grounds that it is no better than the single ball at distances up to twenty-five yards, and that it has not sufficient power at distances over seventy-five yards. The experiments gave excellent targets at seventy-five yards, a single cartridge doing the work of three so far as accuracy goes, with just the right amount of dispersion. At this distance it gave a penetration of about one inch in white pine. The Chief of Ordnance and the Board of Ordnance Officers do not re- gard these results as satisfactory, but whether on account of poor results at greater distances, I cannot determine. Certain it is that seventy-five yards is the limit at which the revolver should be used by a mounted man, and all experiments should be conducted with the view of making the cartridge efficient within that range. While the dispersion of the multiball cartridge is hardly to be noticed at twenty-five yards, this very fact may
SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 51
make it of great service to us. It seems probable that the battering effect of three bullets in the same place will be immensely greater than that of a single larger bullet, while the penetration and deadly effect will not be so great.
At twenty-five yards our missile must positively “stop” an adversary ; no man with a mortal wound must be allowed to kill several enemies be- fore he succumbs, as is frequently the case when small caliber revolvers are used. The English on this account distrust even our American revol- vers. <A large number of their officers use great double-barrelled pistols, horse-pistols, four-barrelled derringers and the like, with an express bullet. The four-barrelled Wilkenson, we are assured by Major KircHener, would drop an ox. I do not know of any measure of stopping power that has been adopted, but a different measure of efficiency with rifles and revolvers is necessary. In old days it was no great feat to knock over a buffalo with your Colt’s revolver, so I would judge it to be satisfactory in that regard. Good results with the Colt’s barrel shortened two inches, the round, soft ball and smaller charge, can be obtained up to fifty yards. These are well-known expedients, adopted by experts who are liable to have use for their weapons at close quarters.
A report by General Jonn C. Ketrton, in 1881, gives some results as follows: ‘“ Eight men out of three companies in the division made sixty- three, seventy-four and ninety per cent. of hits with the pistolat the gallop; six shots advancing from one hundred yards, and, reloading, six shots in retreat, in one minute and fifteen seconds.” ‘The best individual score with the pistol mounted, firing six shots approaching at the gallop between one hundred yards and ten yards of the target, then reloading and firing six shots in retreat at the gallop was seventy-two per cent., and of hits ninety-five per cent.” These results were obtained after ten day’s practice.
The remarkable exploits of cowboys with the revolver are well known — such amusements, for instance, as knocking off insulators from telegraph poles while running by. The shooting of the celebrated Lieutenant Tur- NER, of the 10th Cavalry, is often mentioned in the army. This man, with a pistol in each hand, and without looking ai his sights, would write his initials in bullet holes at ten paces. Such, with the other deeds of dueling days, and the later attainments of CARVER and BoGarbus, as snap shots, show the wonderful seid that can be reached with such a weapon as the revolver.
Marshal Saxe is credited with saying that: “Military men of all others, are the most tenacious of existing follies, and most averse to change.” Reading the story of cavalry, its triumps and defeats, we realize how true the solid old marshal’s maxim was. We then see how often great military successes have followed the greatest innovations; we
52 SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
remember with what disgust the first use of “villainous saltpeter” was received ; we smile at the arguments offered only twenty-two years ago against the breech-loader, and we notice the great similarity between these arguments and those now advanced against the revolver.
It will soon be acknowledged that the cavalry of to-day is handicapped by its arms as much as were the iron-clad knights at Cressy by their armor. Here in our country we have broken so often with the hard and fast rules of war on sea and land, we have so few of venerable memories to retard our progress, and we respect so little the moth-eaten and rusty beside the original and new, that the future of the man on horseback is brighter here than elsewhere. Now, the question is, whether upon the ruins of old tactics, arms and organizations, a new cavalry will be raised, proud of old traditions, though discarding them, ready and able to be “in fortune’s cap” the very feather.
DISCUSSION. By CapTalIn C, C, C. CARR.
Judging from the papers by Captain Hat and Lieutenant Swirr on the substitution of the revolver for the saber, it would seem that the advocates of this radical change in the armament of the cavalry are thoroughly convinced, in their own minds at least, of the advisa- bility, necessity even, of making the proposed change.
While I recognize the zeal and ability with which the special plea for the revolver has been made, yet I feel compelled to say that Ido not think the arguments and instances by which it has been supported are such as to carry conviction to the mind of anyone conversant with the history of the cavalry arm.
Had we been furnished with one solitary example of a case in which well-organized, in- structed and disciplined cavalry, relying upon the saber alone, had been defeated and routed by one its equal in every other respect, but depending upon the revolver for its success, we should feel more confidence in the asserted superiority of fire arms to cold steel in mounted action. Not only has no instance of this kind been given us, but we venture to assert that not one such can be found in the history of modern wars.
If ever the revolver had a fair trial it was during our late Civil War, when it was in the hands of men who were more familiar with its uses than any other people in the world. While our cavalry was uninstructed and inexperienced the revolver may have been a favorite weapon, but no sooner had our mounted troops begun to learn the use and value of the saber as a charging weapon than the revolver fell into contempt and disuse. The saber not only estab- lished its superiority to the revolver in a hundred contests between mounted troops, but finally enabled our cavalry to ride down unbroken lines of infantry, as at Winchester in 1864.
In all well-disciplined volunteer regiments, in the last two and a half years of our war, the orders against attempts to employ the revolver in a charge were almost as strict as those given by FREDERICK THE GREAT to his cavalry, and they required no special efforts for their enforcement, but were cheerfully obeyed, because it was seen by everyone that upon obedience to them depended all their hopes of success.
That the affair at Old Church instanced as an example of the successful employment of the revolver may admit of a very different construction is shown by the following extract from “ McClellan’s Life of Stuart’’: “The charge was made in column of fours and with the saber. It was received by the enemy standing in line, drawn up in the road and on either side of it, and with an almost harmless discharge of their pistols, Captain LATANE and Cap-
Sage REET
TREE EET
SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 53
tain RoyaLL met hand to hand; the one with saber, the other with pistol,and LATANE re. ceived instant death. RoyALL was severely wounded by LATANE's saber and by the men who charged close by LATANE’s side, and his squadrons were driven into hurried flight. The dis- cipline of the regular service, however, asserted itself, and within a few hundred yards the Federal cavalry wheeled into line in beautiful order, again to receive and again to be broken by the charge of Co. FE. A second halt was attended by the same result.’ It seems to be adinitted that the contending forces engaged in this affair were about equal in numbers, and it appears, according to General LEE’s official report, that Captain LATANE was the only person killed in Stuart’s command during the celebrated raid around the Army of the Potomac.
When it is remembered that Captain ROYALL’s command was cavalry of the regular army and contained in its ranks a large proportion of old soldiers, well drilled and disciplined, as shown by the account given; that they were armed with revolvers that could deliver six shots as accurately and as rapidly as those now in the hands of our troops; that they were charged and driven from the field, not only once but twice, by sabers in the hands of men taken from civil pursuits only a few months before, but who were good horsemen, we are justified in assert- ing that the employment of the revolver, instead of the saber, was not only a failure buta disastrous one in every respect.
Had the saber been used we have every reason to believe, considering the character of the troops engaged, the outcome would have been entirely different. The killing of Captain LATANE certainly did not affect the general result, unless by increasing the ardor of his troops, and Captain RoyaL. probabiy owed his escape from death on the field to the sentimental prejudice which existed at that time against the use of sharpened sabers.
As to the wonderful feats of BILL ANDERSON and his Border Ruflians when attacking a body of so-called cavalry, granting the stories to be true, they prove nothing more perhaps, than that they pounced upon a body of men, whose only right to the name of cavalry rested upon the fact that they had horses and were designated upon muster rolls as cavalry. It is extremely probable that they had never worn a saber, or if they had, possessed no knowledge of its use or power; and that, all things considered, ANDERSON might have saved his cartridges and have captured the whole body by taking measures to prevent their dismounting to fight, had he not been inflamed with a desire to “ make a killing’’ of his ante bellum, Free Soil enemies.
We know of similar reputations for dash and destructiveness, made by certain other men farther east, whose only weapons were pistols, who were careful to attack only bodies of raw recruits, or soldiers straggling from their commands, but were prudent enough to keep always at a safe distance from disciplined troops, if possible. The lessons they learned once or twice by accidentally running foul of regular cavalry were never forgotten by the survivors.
The Cossacks and other semi-civilized troops may be expert in the use of fire-arms on horseback at exhibition drills in time of peace, but we have no proofs of the destructive effect of their practice in war; while we do know what a terror the Cossacks have always been, even to the best of troops, when armed with the lance.
So late as 1878, a body of Circassian cavalry, magnificent horsemen and splendid swords- men, having been armed with rifles and revolvers, to be used on horseback when attacked by the enemy, stood on the defensive until the last man was killed or captured. Having lost all their aggressiveness with their sabers, they never made an attempt to break through the sur- rounding forces, an attempt which might have resulted in the escape of many of them had they possessed their former weapons.
The American Indians who are classed with the expert users of fire-arms on horseback, would, so long as they remained mounted, inspire little fear in the minds of well drilled and disciplined cavalry, meeting them upon an open plain and attacking them vigorously with the saber, sharpened to a razor edge and needle point. For, it will be admitted by those whose experience would enable them to judge, that the Sioux Indian, on horseback, attempting to use fire-arms, is about as absurd an exhibition of the useless waste of energy and ammunition as could be well imagined. To ride round upon an open plain, lie over on the side of a pony and discharge a magazine rifle into the air, may be interesting as an exhibition of the Wild West order, but can hardly be considered effective work from a military point of view.
It is hardly reasonable to doubt that had our plains Indians been fought when they first became hostile, with the sharpened saber in the hands of thoroughly trained cavalry, lasting peace would have come years before it was brought about by the tactics we have pursued.
Perhaps we should have been spared the memory of the great disaster upon the Little Big Horn had General CusTER brought his whole command, in fresh condition, with sharpened sabers, to the south end of the Indian camp and charged home, across the level plain, upon the seething mass of men, women, children and ponies, displaying all the confusion incident to the moving of so large a camp. Undoubtedly there would have been peace upon the banks
a a nner tare =
54 SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
of the Little Big Horn. Whatever resistance the Indians might have made after such an attack would have occurred at a point farenough away from that spot to admit of their rallying after their dispersion and demoralization.
The several instances of fruitless charges made by different bodies of French cavalry in 1870-71 instead of shaking the confidence of believers in the effectiveness of the saber have only led them to deplore the folly or desperation of the commanders who insisted upon em- ploying cavalry under circumstances condemned by all whose opinions on such a subject are entitled to respect.
If the “proud cavalry of Imperial France went down upon the fields of Floing and Cazal”’ it will be observed that the infantry, artillery and everything else comprising that part of the French army did not tarry long in surrendering upon the adjoining field of Sédan.
The charging of masses of cavalry over fields filled with stumps, intersected by ditches and enclosed by hedges, upon massed battalions of German infantry lying in security in other ditehes and behind other hedges, upon the crest of hills so steep that the infantry had diffi- culty in attaining their summits, shows only that either the superior command had fallen upon shoulders untit to bear it, or that the condition of affairs was so utterly hopeless that the destruction of a part of the army was considered less iuglorious than continued inaction would be. Even under these unfortunate conditions the French cavalry did reach and pass the eight gun battery. What they might have done had they been properly supported must, of course, remain a matter of conjecture, with the doubt in favor of, at least, the temporary advantage of the cavalry.
“The cavalry in this charge ( Mars-la-Tour) came close to the Prussians and without great loss, when it was completely disordered by the numerous obstacles strewn on the ground, biscuit cases, baggage wagons, and camp equipment, hurriedly abandoned by the troops in their retreat.’ In this charge which failed disastrously the want of success was due to two things: first, the German infantry had not been shaken by artillery fire. and second, that the ground had not been examined previous to the ordering of the charge.
The object in referring to these incidents is to show that the failures of the charges made by the French cavalry were due to something more than the fact that they relied upon the saber and lance for the accomplishment of their object.
We have been led to infer that had they been armed with revolvers and known how to use them, their enterprises would have been generally, if not always, successful.
To this it may be answered that it is extremely doubtful that the morale engendered by dependence upon the revolver would have admitted of such gallant attempts being made at all, even in obedience to positive orders.
The habit acquired by fighting with a weapon which permits the wielder to stand off any great distance from his enemy is calculated to foster an antipathy to coming to close quarters which has often resulted in disaster heretofore and will be likely to do so again.
Viewed from the standpoint of the opponents of the saber, its effective range may be only four and one-half feet but its friends think it is limited by exactly the strength of the morale which governs its action. This morale, although not capable of being measured by rule or weighed by balances has, on hundreds of battlefields, enabled the saber to decide the victory or ward off impending destruction.
Nor is the power of the saber to be measured by the number of its victims, as though a general massacre of the enemy was the only criterion of success in a cavalry charge, but rather by the effect produced upon those who survive its destroying power, that has rendered it so effective a weapon in worthy hands.
Dead men tell no tales, but a thousand panic striken fugitives justifying by their exagger- ation of the enemy’s prowess their own flight from the field, may diffuse throughout a whole army a feeling of terror that may lead to its dissolution or capture.
If, in the Franco-Prussian war only two per cent. of the casualties were due to the saber and lance we have the comfort of knowing that only about five per cent. were attributable to the artillery. Bat, while the cavalry took part in very few battles, the artillery played an un- usually prominent part in every action great and small that occurred, but we hear nothing about guaging its effectiveness by the number of its victims.
Since the close of our Civil War we have but one instance of good cavalry attempting to charge with the revolver, and that was in the war of 1866. A Prussian lancer regiment in col- umn of fours, formed squadrons successively, as fast as they could get off of the road, and not completely formed, charged an Austrian lancer regiment drawn up in line. The Austrians advanced in line and received the shock with a volley of pistol shots, but were instantly bro- ken, and after a hand to hand struggle lasting some minutes, routed by the Prussians, who held the field, notwithstanding they had suffered slightly greater losses than the Austrians. The morale that accompanied the saber triumphed as usual.
SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 55
We know how FREDERICK THE GREAT’S military career came near terminating with his lirst battle,on account of his being carried off by the panic which seized upon his cavalry after they had been charged and defeated by the Austrians.
As an instance of the results obtained by cavalry properly employed, which did not de- pend upon the number of killed and wounded, take the affair at Meddelin, in 1809. The vic- torious Spanish army in full pursuit of the defeated French under Marshal Victor, was turned upon by only five regiments of dragoons and cavalry, and in less than five minutes the whole Spanish force became a disorganized mass, fleeing in all directions, with the loss of all their artillery and eleven thousand men.
At Fére Champenoise, in 1814, Marshal MakMoNT’s whole army, horse, foot and artillery, were defeated by the combined Russian and Austrian cavalry, who used only their lances and sabers.
Who will say that exploits rivaling these may not be performed by cavalry in the future, in spite of the breech-loader, if it be employed at the right moment and on favorable ground, instead ot being sacrificed in making useless frontal attacks upon unshaken lines of infantry, as it was in the Franco-Prussian war.
Future wars may sometimes require cavalry to be employed as VON BrEDow’s six squad- rons were at Mars-la-Tour, to hold an enemy in check, by a timely charge, until reinforce- ments can arrive. Much has been written about the losses in VoN BrREDoW’s command on that oceasion. True the casualties amounted to about three-fourths of his whole command, but they were not due to the breech-loading ritle or cannon either, but to the counter charges made upon his blown and exhausted command, by fresh cavairy, who made up their “butcher bills” with lance and saber, as VON BREDoW had no supports to come to his relief.
His charge covered a distance of about three thousand paces, passed through the Freneh artillery and infantry, the latter not having time to fire a second shot from their breech- loaders, so impetuous was the charge, forced the reserve artillery to limber up, and then re- turned to his starting point, pursued by French cavalry, with the remnant of his command, two squadrons of which were again ready for duty that same afternoon.
“It is quite certain that the sacrifice demanded from the cavalry in a most critical moment of the engagement was repaid by the complete success of the manceuvre.
“ For the fatal attack of the French 6th Corps against the left wing of BRUDDENBROCK’S division was completely checked and never resumed, a proof how much the French troops were shaken by the vehement attacks of a few Prussian squadrons.” (BORBSTAEDT.) AS an additional result BAZAINE’s retreat was entirely cut off and his force shut up in Metz to re- main there until surrendered. Perhaps no more gallant charge was ever made, and but few more important in their results. These six squadrons, charging without due preparation, and without reserves or supports, enabled the German commander with one corps to hold his position against an army of one hundred and eighty thousand men.
The habit of depending upon the saber alone inspires in the trooper a dash and spirit of aggressiveness that comes from the use of no other weapon, unless it be the lance. ‘With the saber in hand the trooper moves forward to the attack knowing that to make any use of it he must get within arm’s length of the opposing foe. There can be no halting short of that point, unless to turn and flee. It is human nature to relieve suspense by action, though it may lead straight“ down to dusty death.”” During the slow gaits preparatory to the charge each trooper is on the alert waiting for the signal that indicates increased pace, until, finally, the charge is sounded. Then, with horse at highest speed, every faculty strained, and wild with the fury of excitement, the trooper rushes on and closes with his foe. The effective range of his saber has been attained, and, if he has learned his art, and plies it well, hisenemy goes down before him or flees for safety and leaves him master of the field.
No tactics have been yet devised or suggested by which any large force of cavalry using revolvers can charge another, and it is very doubtful that it can be done. For any cavalry to charge successfully the officer must iead it, not get in rear to encourage or drive it. Troop leading is essentially the duty of the cavalry officer. Over rough country, every change of direction made by the commanding officer of a regiment or troop should be conformed to by the command at once without waiting for orders. To permit this to be done the officers must be well to the front where they can be seen. Now, the question arises, can they occupy their position while all the men behind them are holding loaded and cocked revolvers in their hands? I think not. Again, all officers of experience know how difficult it is to preserve, or attempt to preserve, strict fire discipline in the ranks of infantry, and will understand why it would be a hundred fold more difficult, if not impossible, in charging, revolver in hand. The accidental or premature discharge of one revolver would probably lead to a general fusilade along the whole line, as, in the excitement of the moment it would possibly be assumed that the order to commence firing had been given but not heard.
56 SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
Even with the improvements already made in pistols,such as General KELTON’s and others that may be made in the future, the difficulty of rendering safe the action of revolvers on any extended front of a charging body will make the presence of officers in the position now assigned them, and which are the only ones they should occupy in a charge, utterly im- practicable.
With a want of proper fire discipline the charging cavalry might arrive in the midst of the enemy’s ranks with empty revolvers. By another one of General KELTON’s devices the pistol can be recharged with six cartridges in a moment, but that one moment. when both hands were engaged, might prove a critical one, and offer the enemy an opportunity of de- ciding the contest with the saber.
I am prepared to admit that a good revolver in skilful hands may be an exceedingly valuable weapon for the trooper under many circumstances. That it is the deadly, infallible instrument of destruction that it is claimed to be by its admirers and advocates; “That any recruit who cannot hit with it an object the size of a man, at ten yards, three months after he has taken his first lesson in riding, is not fit for the high and honorable calling of a cavalry soldier,’ I emphatically deny.
My own experience with the revolver, which has been rather extensive, in mounted and dismounted practice would not support such extravagant assertions. I have seen many good revolver shots developed on the target range when all the conditions were favorable; when there was no such excitement as would attend acharge; no flying projectiles and no opposing cavalry coming thundering down with the evident intention of staying long enough to make its mark. Even snap shooting, under such conditions, is very different from keeping up the “ petulant pop of the pistol,’ when directed upon the face of a non-resisting target.
In considering the question of the ease with which skill in handling the revolver is ac- quired, fortunately we are able to get out of the realm of theory into the domain of solid facts. In the annual target report of the Department of the Missouri for 1887 we find the following results, the best that have been obtained in mounted pistol practice during the year; firing done at the gallop:
At 10 yards, 70 per cent.; 50 men firing.
“5 “ Wf 6 -0 “« 34 ar -. * a + 35
“me -* _ * a.
Now when we remember that the best shooting represented above has been made under the direction and training of officers who are themselves expert snap shots, who have em- ployed every incentive possible to encourage their men, even to the extent of offering prizes provided at their own expense, we may well ask why have not better results been obtained if the art of accurate shooting with the revolver is so easily acquired that a recruit can learn in three months to hit his man every time at ten yards.’ As only one-half or three-fourths of the men of the troop have apparently been engaged in this practice, and that individually,’ not in rank, what are we to think of the remainder who are presumably much inferior in skill to those reported? 7
I believe in the utility of the revolver asa fighting weapon when employed in its proper sphere, that is, by individuals, by small parties of cavalry when open order fighting is made necessary by the nature of the ground, and I am willing to advocate its adoption as a charging weapon for large bodies when it has been demonstrated that it can be advantageously substi- tuted for the saber, and tactics have been devised which will admit of its being safely and successfully employed, but as neither of these has been done yet, so far as I know, I prefer to abide for the present by the saber, which has never yet failed in the hands of those who have had the courage and the skill to use it properly, and have placed in it the confidence it has always deserved.
The employment of the breech-loader has, by compelling infantry to fight in loose order, given to good cavalry opportunities it has never had before when squares could be formed to resist it.
According to Field Marshal Von MOLTKE, “In modern warfare the long range and de- structive fire of artillery necessitates a scattered formation. There will be more frequent oppor- tunities for those brilliant dashes of small bodies of cavalry, in which, by taking advantage of the critical moment, the cavalry of division so often distinguish themselves.”
Home, in his “ Précis of Modern Tactics,” seems never to have considered for a moment the possibility of cavalry using fire arms in mounted action, and yet he writes as follows:
“The action of cavalry on the actual battle-field is by no means a thing of the past. The
SABERS OR REVOLVERS? 57
use of cavalry with skill at the right moment and in the right numbers has always been con- sidered one of the most difficult problems in war; modern arms have increased this difficulty many fold, but to say that the age of cavalry on the battlefield is past is merely another way of saying that the knowledge of how it should be used is wanting.”
By LIEUTENANT EBEN SWIFT.
Mr. PRESIDENT: I think Captain CARR is mistaken in putting the casualties of the saber at two per cent. of the losses in the Franco-German war. According to the best information I have, that figure would be a little over one hundredth of one per cent.
My statement of the incident at Old Church was derived from a conversation with Colonel ROYALL himself, a few months ago. The fight at Cyerwenhood (Trauteuran) can hardly be cited in this discussion of sabers and revolvers, for several reasons: It was a victory of the Prussian lance and not of the saber. The Austrian commander “received” the mounted charge, and thus violated all rule and precedent. The Austrians did not use revolvers at all, but single-barreled, muzzle-loading horse pistols.
As to the remainder of this argument, I am satisfied to let it rest where it is.
By LIEUTENANT EGGLESTON.
Mr. PRESIDENT: The members of the Association will be greatly interested in reading Mr. Swirt’s valuable paper in the JouRNAL,as we have been interested and entertained in hear- ing it read here. The query raised by the title, “ Pistol or Saber,’’ suggested at once, to my mind, the line of discussion which I thought the gentleman would pursue: First, the assumption that the cavalry should be armed with but one of these weapons; secondly, an argument in- tended to demonstrate that the saber as a cavalry weapon is obsolete and valueless and that the revolver is par excellence the arm of the mounted service in modern warfare. He has endeavored to strengthen his position in the discovery and illustration of aseeming antagon- ism between these two weapons. To obtain a greater prominence for the revolver, which we already have in our service, he disparages and would banish from our hands the saber which has been traditionally and is to-day the most popular and esteemed weapon with the cavalry throughout the civilized world. It is with respect to this feature of his argument that I would make a criticism. In my opinion these two arms are natural allies as cavalry weapons, and while I am pleased to note the merits of the revolver, which the gentleman has so well pre- sented, and of which I am an advocate, I would retain the saber and associate the revolver with it. Indeed, I would retain all our arms, the saber, the revolver and the carbine. Consid- ering the duties that must certainly fall to our cavalry in the event of a war again in this country, the greatness of our territory, its physical features,and the temper of our people, I believe these three weapons are necessary to the cavalry, that it may act in the dual capacity of cavalry proper and mounted riflemen. Our arm has been successful in this dual capacity heretofore, and I am quite certain, that there is a very great number of cavalry officers in our service, perhaps a majority, who are opposed to any change in the present armament, further than the substitution of a magazine carbine for the Springfield and the adoption of an im- proved revolver, neither the Colts nor the Schofield, Smith & Wesson giving entire satisfaction. The pistol has been associated with the saber as a cavalry weapon since the time of HENRY VIII, who gave his cavalry a pistol of rude mechanism, known as the “ dag.’ Although a re- volver was made as early as the middle of the 17th century, it is remarkable that no really good and serviceable revoiver was ever produced until the time of our Colt in this century, and yet during all this time, the pistol was esteemed as distinctively the cavalryman’s weapon. The revolver it will be observed, as compared with the carbine and the saber is one of the very latest of cavalry weapons, and in view of the conservatism displayed with respect to military armament, we should not be surprised perhaps, that in the wars of a quarter of a century only, our Rebellion and the three European wars, it has not gained real importance as a cavalry weapon.
Now, that we have the improved revolver which will kill at 300 yards and may be fired eighteen times in about two minutes — that is three rounds loaded and fired — there are cav- alry officers, who, without fair trial, would discard it and arm our troopers with the saber and carbine; indeed not a few would take away both the saber and revolver making us simply mounted infantry. Those with whom the pistol is not in favor, assert that it is more danger-
58 SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
ous to friend than foe. I remember reading an article by a cavalry officer, in which he stated the pistol should never be used in a charge, “ for when a horseman like Cusren could shoot his own horse through the head in a simple buffalo chase, what could be expected of the aver- age cavalryman in the excitement of the charge.’ I had not heard of this incident before in the life of this gallant cavalryman, but I do know that he greatly esteemed both the saber and revolver as cavalry weapons. It was certainly a mere accident, and as futile for the purpose intended in its citation as it would be for me to attempt to demonstrate that the rifle is not a suitable weapon for infantry because some poor soldier had accidentally shot himself through the head, instances gf which could be readily given. Officers opposed to the saber assert that it isa useless burden. Some of them have delved into the surgical history of the Rebellion to present a meagre data of the number of saber wounds treated by our surgeons. I have seen one explanation of the meagreness of the number of wounds reported as inflicted by the saber in that war, to the effect that the sabers on both sides were generally dull, and that a vast num- ber of the wounds, except those made by the thrust, were bruises resulting from blows sutti- cient to knock a man off his horse. I presume these were recorded as contusions. Perhaps some of our“ associate ’’ medical officers will be pleased to enlighten us as tothis. But we do not eare to contend with ahis style of argument. We point to the grand results achieved. The surgical history does not show the number killed by the saber, nor the number knocked off their horses, ridden down and trampled to death in the many charges made on both sides— nor the number of prisoners captured.
It was in this war that cavalry operations were projected and carried out on a scale and to an extent which was before unknown, and, “in which.” says Colonel TRENCH, “it was first shown to the military world what great and important results could, in modern warfare, be obtained by these boid and swiftly executed operations of cavalry.’ There was hardly any use to which cavalry was put, that, if successful at all, it did not accomplish most signal and decisive results. Captain LUMLEY, in a lecture before the British Royal Service Institution, a few years ago, stated that “it would be an injustice to cavalry to call the levies raised on both sides during our war by any other name than mounted infantry, but a later expression of approval and recognition of our cavalry comes to us from a more influential authority in the English service. I learn from this same authority that there has been for some years past an influential section of Russian officers, who have been urging the theory that European cay- alry, drilled after the old fashioned methods, is unsuited to the requirements of modern war- fare, and who insist that the model and example which should be taken, both as to armament and the method of fighting is the American cavalry of our civil war. It is quite certain that European military writers within the past three or four years have found more to notice in the history of the operations'of that cavalry than at any former period. What was the arma- ment of this cavalry and how did it fight? Jf was arme! withthe saber and revolucr, and gener- ally the carbine also. This equipped it for its dual function. Its powerasan auxiliary to the in- fantry was greatly increased, it could fight either mounted or dismounted, could operate independently without the protection of the infantry, as it can now, and its independence thus made possible, presented strategic aspectsand results which the military genius of that martial people, the Russians, have alone appeared to appreciate fully. In her next war we may expect to see some grand cavalry operations,some great raids performed according to the tactics of America which are so well suited to her enormous mounted force, and the immensity of the territory which will probably comprise the field of operations.
In the limited time to which these discussions must necessarily be restricted, I cannot illustrate, as [ would wish, how the sabre, the pistol and the carbine were used by our cavalry in the many combats of the late war, the saber and pistol in mounted and the carbine and pistol in dismounted actions. They acted with boldness and skill in both mounted and dis- mounted contests, using these three weapons as best suited the conditions of the combat. I shall refer first to some noted leaders on the Confederate side, where the pistol from the first seemed to be a favorite weapon with their cavairy. It will hardly be denied that the mounted force under General MorGAN would have been a formidable cavalry detachment operating in a war with any country in the world. It certainly gave us much trouble. It consisted of about 5,000 men, mostly intelligent volunteers from Kentucky. These men carried a rifle with a bayonet, and one or more revolvers. usually as many of the latter as possible. Two com- panies — troops — were always told off to fight on horseback. They carried the saber. In dis- mounted action when MORGAN’s men got in close range, it was the invariable custom to use the revolver. Another cavalry officer of greater renown was General Forrest. His men were armed with a saber attached to the saddle, a revolver and carbine. When he attacked cavalry his advance would sustuin the fight for a certain time and then feign a retreat, in order to draw on the enemy and encourage him to follow up. The latter was frequently drawn on till he was assailed at point-blank range by the next line who had dismounted and placed them-
SABERS OR REVOLVERS?
selves inambush. I think it is probable the Prussians learned this ruse from us, which they practiced in their last war with Austria.
It is stated that Forrest charged at the battle of Shiloh with the revolver, that being his favorite weapon. Another distinguished cavalry leader of the Confederates was General STUART, a regular-bred soldier. I need not mention his daring feats, riding around the Union armies and his bold operations in Pennsylvania. I have the authority of a very careful writer that his men were armed with both the saber and revolver, and that very few of them at first had carbines. When he made the circuit of MCCLELLAN’S army in “62 he had 2,500 men. In 1863 he had 12,000 horsemen. Colonel TRENCH says: “SHERIDAN had 10.000 horsemen under his command armed with the saber, the revolver and the Spencer.’ “They only fought on horseback against cavalry.and then churged, sword in hand.’ Asa general rule Confederate horsemen did not wait mounted to meet them, but hastened to dismount and get under cover, using their carbines. When they had no time to execute the manwuyre they made use of their revolvers. In some of these actions the Federals are said to have found to their cost that this weapon was more deadly than the saber. There is scarcely any ground within the districts of active operations which the cavalry, armed with the saber and the revolver, and commonly the carbine also, did not charge over time and again.
The use of the revolver has not been restricted to the mounted fire action of cavalry. In the dismounted action of cavalry where, for example, it is used to aid infantry in enveloping a flank, or where it is required to seize an important tactical point to be held until the infantry ean reach the ground, the revolver, in my opinion, becomes a mostimportant and effective auxil- iary to the carbine. I assume that the action would take the form of the modern battle tae- tics. In the final rush what more formidable and deuth-dealing weapon could be placed in the hands of an assailant skilled in its use. This was the use of it made by MorRGAN’s men, at times, to Which I have adverted. I think Colouel KeLron, of the Adjutant-General’s Depart- ment, has given the best description of how a pistol should be fired that I have ever seen. He says,“ Snap firing isthe only kind which men mounted can adopt with advantage.’ “In tiring the eye must see the object and the pistol projected at it and fired, with the same motion and rapidity that a missile is thrown from the hand.” “The bullet should leave the pistol just as the thrown missile does the hand; the object at which the projectile is thrown being alone noticed.”’ All the mounted expert pistol shots I have ever seen in the west fire the pistol in this way. Any young trooper of fair intelligence and suflicient aptitude for the cavalry ser- vice can be taught an efficient use of the pistol in this manner. Indeed, in the heat of battle “snap shooting ” is that practiced with the other fire arms. I do not suppose it will be dis- puted that the pistol is an appropriate and convenient arm for signaling in outpost duty and for personal defense.
It is said the sword is straightforward and ingenuous. So is the pistol. Its action is like that of the “ blow” with the saber: the antagonist is seen. The same type of fortitude, the same passion and impetuosity are moved in the melee with the pistol as with the saber, though perhaps in a less degree.
It is the only fire arm placed in the hands of the cavalryman which does not injuriously affect the morale inspired by the saber combat. The striking characteristic of the form of action of both these weapons is personal, hence these weapons are naturally and appropriately the arms for cavalry. Take away the saber, and cavalry loses much of its dexterity, its intre- pidity and its real power. Take away both the saber and pistol and you have a body of horse- men in which there is no action, no dash and no movement, not toward the enemy in any event. Theshock action is obliterated from the tactics. You have a force of only fairly good infantry afoot and, mounted, one that is incapable of offensive or defensive action, physically weak, morally contemptible and afraid to ride at the enemy; it should never be accorded the name of cavalry.
Austrian cavalry carry the saber and carbine and part of the mounted force is armed with the pistol. The French cuirassier carries both the saber and pistol.
The saber is in the hand of every German cavalryman and the whole of the mounted force of Russia is armed with this weapon. They carry the carbine also. When it is proven that we cannot enlist men in thfs country capable of being taught the skilful use of the saber, and a practical, if not expert, use of the revolver, then it will be time enough to heed the ar- guments of those officers who claim that both are useless, and allowing that they do possess some value, that we are incompetent to learn to fight with either—a view directly opposed to the teachings of our last war. It may happen in time that the pistol may be substituted for the saber. Of thisI am doubtful. It certainly would not be wise to doit now. As Ihave said, 1] would keep the three weapons. We yet have a lighter equipment and armament com- bined tian that of any European cavalry.
DEVICES BY MEANS OF WHICH EFFECTIVE MOUNTED FIRING WITH THE PISTOL AND CARBINE CAN BE OBTAINED BY THE CAVALRY IN ATTACK.
By COLONEL J. C. KELTON,
-
ASSISTANT ADJUTANT GENERAL, U, S. A.
NSTRUCTION for firing the pistol from the horse is well established. It is difficult, however, to analyze the method practiced by the best shots, or to describe it except in a general way.
In the first place, pistol shooting, owing to the unsteady support the hand gives the weapon, should always be according to the “ snap” method ; that is, the eye is not taken from the object to look along the pistol, nor should any effort be made to align the pistol between the eye and object. The best results are obtained when there is no perceptible pause between quickly projecting the pistol and firing; no attempt being made to look along the barrel to see if it points at the object. The pistol bullet must be directed instinctively, as is the arrow from the bow, or the stone from the sling. The cavalryman must do this first dismounted, for there is no other way of delivering the pistol “ blow” when mounted.
The same is true of carbine firing mounted, when the horse is in mo- tion at the gallop.
By the following method great skill is usually soon attained in pistol firing at an object in frout, rear, or on either side; when moving or still; when both the firer and object are moving; when firing at an object only seen for a moment, the eye taking only its direction and speed; or when firing with two pistols at two objects in divergent directions and at differ- ent distances. It must be admitted by the cavalryman that he should be able to give all such pistol “ blows,” if possible, and the surprise generally is, if he does not succeed when the following directions and suggestions are carried out:
The first principle to observe in rifle or carbine firing, and especially in pistol firing, is to extend the thumb when holding the handle. It must be extended as nearly as possible in the direction of the bore of the
THE KELTON DEVICES. 61
weapon and the prolongation of the fore-arm, and not grasp the handle. This extension brings the thumb along the side of the revolver pistol- hammer, and the inner end of the handle should rest over the little finger. This method of holding gives the necessary and all possible support to the weapon.
Experience has shown that the extension of the thumb along the stock in the prolongation of the fore arm enables the weapon, whether rifle or pistol, to be not only quickly aligned on the object, but, after a little practice, to be thrown into accurate alignment with it from any position without looking at weapon at all.
To make the best use of the pistol the cavalryman, when firing, must, if possible, place his thumb in the prolongation of the fore-arm ; this not only to give quicker and truer direction to the projectile, but better con- trol of the weapon when it recoils. The remarkable recoil of the pistol follows from its construction, the point of support in the hand being so much below the line of recoil in the barrel. The objectionable severity of this recoil is much overcome by extending the thumb over the grip as proposed.
The reason for the thumb extension is a physiological one, and found in the fact that thereby is best secured that opposition of the thumb and forefinger which gives the hand its wonderful power of manipulation. In the usual way of holding the pistol, owing to the form of its handle, the best use of the thumb is not and cannot be made; hence the use of one of the most important factors in the nice manipulation of a delicate in- strument is hardly called into requisition at all. By the adoption of the thumb-piece on the lever arm of the pistol safety-stop this extension is, so far as practicable, secured.
The “ blow” with the pistol should be delivered after the same man- ner as the “cut over the point” with the foil. To make this cut success- fully, it is absolutely essential that the thumb be extended along the grip ; it is equally essential, in making the pistol “blow,” that the thumb be extended along the handle, in the prolongation of the fore-arm, and as nearly as possible, directly in rear of the barrel. One should no more attempt to sight the pistol than the foil in making a blow; but, looking at the object, give the weapon true direction by the hand —to do which the thumb must be extended on the grip. Although this has been well established, probably ever since pistols were made, certainly ever since they were used in the duel, it is not generally known, and it seems not to have been taken into consideration by revolver manufacturers. To admit it now and in consequence modify the cavalry revolver, will of course, be expensive to manufacturers and to the government; but that it is true and will be of inestimable advantage when done is the opinion and experience of pistol shots, A safety-stop device to the pistol, which
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62
THE KELTON DEVICES.
prevents the possibility of an accident, and one which requires the thumb to be extended nearly as proposed, has been tried and found to work well.
Snap firing, the only kind which mounted men can adopt with ad- vantage, should begin on foot, at black pasters placed on a canvas target five paces distant.
In firing, the eye must see only the object, and the pistol must be projected at it and fired with the same motion and rapidity that a missile is thrown from the hand, from the same raised position of the arm. The bullet should leave the pistol just as the thrown missile does the hand, the object at which the projectile is thrown being alone noticed.
First, on foot, cock, project, and snap the unloaded revolver at some object not more than 5 paces off, and note, as the hammer falls, where it points. Do this each day, at first some 12 or 24 times, before a shot is fired, till the pistol is found when snapped to be in line with the object. Repeat at intervals.
Then place one round ball-cartridge, 10 grains of powder, in the re- volver, to be discharged after the fifth snap.
Repeat frequently, always noting where the pistol points when snapped, so as to correct any error in its grasp or projection which pre- vents it from taking a line position.
Then insert two cartridges, two empty chambers intervening. Repeat frequently.
After a few days, three, four, five, and then six cartridges should be fired in succession, at the same time gradually increasing the distance.
In this way good snap line shooting, effective in war, will soon be made, and with a small expenditure of ammunition.
As the firer instinctively feels the way to throw the bullet (for he must not even glance at his pistol) and acquires skill, the distance from the object should be increased 2 or 3 paces.
At 10 or 12 paces he should, after glancing intently at the object, look away and then fire; with the back to the target, standing in the position of “guard,” look over the right shoulder and fire; occasionally fire across the body, the left side being toward the target. This first prac- tice up to 15 yards should be with reloaded shells, 10 and 12 grains of powder, and the round dropped ball, .44 caliber.
As soon as good firing is made at 15 yards, instruction after the same manner, at a 4-inch bull’s-eye, with 16 to 20 grains of powder and the 230-grains bullet, should be continued up to fifty yards, increasing the distances of the firing points by 5 paces ata time. Beyond 50 yards the regulation cartridge and bull’s-eye should be used up to 100 yards. Mounted firing with the pistol, reduced charges, should begin as soon
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THE KELTON DEVICES. 63
as good dismounted firing is made at 15 yards, and be carried on along
with dismounted firing, on alternate days or weeks.
The foregoing gives at least an insight into the best method of revol- ver firing. Its reasonableness will become apparent as soon as tried.
At first rather wild shooting must be expected; but if the practice is begun with reduced charges, the surprise will probably be at the rapid improvement and at the increased interest and the great and immediate skill attained in mounted firing; this, after all, is the object desired.
As soon as the possibilities of the pistol are fully recognized, and the cavalry generally accept this weapon for close fighting, the handle will be so fitted to the hand and the hammer so adjusted that it can be used to much better effect than at present.
The devices for bringing about efficient work with the carbine and pistol, mounted, mounted, and rendering the revolver safe to comrades in ranks and reloading it rapidly, are —
First.— The automatic check-rein, whereby the cavalryman can con- trol his horse for brief periods without the use of his bridle-hand.
Second.— The safety-stop, whereby the cocked carbine and revolver can be handled freely in ranks, held in any position by the cavalryman without endangering comrades, whereby the extension of the thumb in firing becomes obligatory, and its opposition to the trigger finger is secured, thus enabling the firer to give true direction to the “blow” without sighting, and better govern the recoil of the pistol.
Third.— The cartridge-pack, whereby the pistol eartridges are assem- bled in clusters, in a very secure and inexpensive manner, so that they can all be inserted into the chambers of any of the jointed revolvers at one time.
Fourth.— The carbine detachable magazine, whereby five or ten car- tridges are attached to it just in front of the guard and most convenient to the hand for reloading; this while the horse is at the charge and with- out the rider having to look at whai the hand is doing.
‘ifth. — The carbine-sling, whereby the carbine can be adjusted closely to the person, muzzle up, in the charge, in a simple and ready manner, and whereon the pistol-packs can be carried in a position for instant use.
THE CHECK-REIN ATTACHMENT.
The check-rein is especially useful for cavalry horses to enable cavalry- men to use both hands in mounted firing while the horses are in motion, and for hard-mouthed or restive horses in general. In their application to the special needs of the cavalry service there should be in every squad- ron spring attachments of at least three different strengths; out of every one hundred thirty should be limited to a pull of 10 pounds, sixty to 15 pounds, and ten to 20 pounds,
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64 THE KELTON DEVICES.
When used on cavalry horses, each trooper, knowing the amount of restraint his horse should have at a gallop, limits his stride to that gait by drawing back the rein upon starting, fixing the curb at the proper point by fastening it over or in any convenient way to the pommel of the sad- dle, thus effecting the control needed.
It is preferred the buckle which unites the ends of this check-rein should be fixed near the attachment of the left rein, in order to readily adjust it with the left hand. ;
It then only remains for the trooper with another rein to guide his horse, having both hands free to handle his carbine while firing and load- ing. By this means the perfect alignment of a cavalry force may be maintained in a charge, where perfect array is absolutely essential for success. The play of the spring affords the horse such movement of his head as not to hamper him in going over uneven ground, in jumping, or in case he stumbles and falls.
With such a check-rein all horses hard to control, or while mounting, when the pressure on the bit is apt to be relaxed, can be brought into subjection, so as to give great freedom to the hands.
The automatic check-rein is expected not only to secure good mounted firing in the charge, by controlling horses and keeping squadrons aligned, but also to be of great service in training cavalry horses to keep, at all gaits, an evenness of stride and length of step which will enable troops to maintain at all times their alignment, so that the service of most guides can be dispensed with, and also a large number of the commands pre- scribed in tactics which are difficult to hear on the drill-ground and im- possible to understand in the noise and excitement of battle. With such a check-rein all horses hard to control in harness or in mounting under the saddle, when the pressure upon the bit is apt to be relaxed, can be brought into subjection so as to give great freedom to the hands and ren- der the office of a groom unnecessary.
A horse unhitched, without rider or driver, with this check rein prop- erly adjusted, will be under such control as to feel no disposition to run, and if he does will be under such restraint as to limit his speed and ren. der it an easy matter to stop him.
The check-rein attachment is preferably fastened to the curb-rein next to the bit, while another curb-rein is held in the hand to guide the horse.
In case the pommel of the saddle is encumbered with the holster, or overcoat, or any part of the accouterments of the cavalryman, placing the check-rein over it may be a very unsuitable adjustment. In that case it can be fastened to the front of the saddle by a very simple device devised by myself.
THE KELTON DEVICES.
SAFETY-STOP.
The safety-stop is an attachment for pistol, carbine, or rifle, by which the hammer may be retained at full-cock without danger of discharge when pulling on the trigger alone; and it consists of a pin or stop which is operated by the application of the thumb upon the grip in opposition to the trigger-finger. The danger of unintentional or premature dis- charge of a weapon is always considerable, and with mounted men using the pistol in hand-to-hand conflict there is always danger to comrades in the ranks by the premature discharge of this weapon, either on account of unmanageable horses, when both hands are needed to control them, or from the convulsive movement of a man who has himself been shot. In order to avoid this danger the movement of the hammer is arrested when at full-bent by a device which, in addition to the nose of the sear catch- ing in the tumbler-notch, renders the combined operation of the forefin- ger and thumb necessary to discharge the weapon.
As the pistol is ordinarily held with the hand grasping the stock, the thumb will not be placed upon its support; only when the pistol is projected in the act of firing will it be extended and placed upon the lever-arm of the stop, and as it will be in opposition to the forefinger in this position, there will be in the act of firing a firmer grasp upon the weapon, which will steady it and prevent its being pulled off to one side and control its recoil.
In order to discharge the cocked pistol, the deliberate action of a pull on the trigger by the forefinger and a pressure by the thumb on the lever- arm of the stop is necessary; hence, the accidental discharge of the cocked pistol is almost an impossibility.
It is evident the stop can be applied to any gun and should be to the carbine, not only to secure safety to comrades in mounted firing in ranks, but to make the thumb extension imperative, for it is an absolutely nec- essary position for it in snap shooting.
THE PISTOL PACK.
The pistol-pack presents a means for rapidly reloading the chambers of revolvers; it consists of cartridges secured together so that they can all be instantly inserted and the holding device removed. This pack affords a means by which the chambers of any jointed self-ejecting pistol can be loaded simultaneously and in three seconds. The need of such a pack for certain and rapid reloading is absolutely necessary in war, and especially where the pistol is used in hand-to-hand combat, where success depends upon the rapidity with which it can be reloaded and discharged.
There are two forms of packs; both are constructed upon the same principle.
66 THE KELTON DEVICES.
The pack is durable enough to stand any kind of handling and trans- portation, and if the parts are preserved they can be used many times.
THE CARBINE DETACHABLE MAGAZINE.
To make carbine firing as well as infantry skirmish firing most effect- ive, it is absolutely necessary that there should be at least a detachable magazine on the carbine and rifle, for the position of the soldier in firing, either on horseback or lying down as a skirmisher, makes it necessary for him to have his cartridges nearer the receiver of his rifle than they are when carried in his belt. Hence a detachable magazine, having five or ten cartridges, is suggested, to be, by a simple locking device, attached to the gun in front of the guard and just under the receiver. Thus attached, the cartridges will not be in the way in manipulating the breech-block> and be in the most convenient place for the cavalryman to handle when mounted and firing at the gallop, or for the infantryman to use when in either the prone or supine position.
It is designed that these cartridges be put up in cases containing five or ten at the arsenals, and so transported and issued to and carried on the person of the soldier. When one case is emptied, it can be instantly re- moved and another taken from the belt and attached. In this way is pro- vided a practical magazine, which for the time being forms part of the rifle, and which in action may be thrown away after being emptied, but, ordinarily, would be replaced on the belt to be subsequently refilled. The, belt will, usually, carry nine magazines.
The advantages derived from this method of supplying cartridges to the military are:
That more can be carried on the person than by any other method.
That the carbine and rifle can be more readily and conveniently loaded from such magazine attached to the rifle, under the receiver, than by any other method, especially in skirmish firing.
This magazine is balanced on the rifle, and is so situated that it does not interfere with its poise and balance. Its center of gravity being in the vertical plane through the axis of the rifle, it will have no tendency to turn it in aiming and firing—a result which must be inevitable when the magazine is attached on the side of the rifle, a position for it which cannot fail to prevent good firing.
In this magazine the wood cannot swell so as to fasten in the cart- ridges, nor will they fall out by gravity or any ordinary jar when the un- covered magazine is turned with the cartridges heads downward ; yet they can be extracted without the slightest pull.
Cartridges so put up will effect an enormous economy in the labor of the Ordnance Department and of the military, fur from the time they are put into the magazines at an arsenal they do not need handling till put
THE KELTON DEVICES. 67
into the rifle; hence they do away with the use of the present woven belt and the cartridge box. Each magazine is a cartridge box in itself, and for garrison purposes, at a trifling expense, one or two for each soldier can be made most attractive in appearance for dress occasions.
Now the Ordnance Department issues the cartridges twenty in a box ; when they reach the soldier they are taken out singly and put singly in his belt, and thence singly carried to the receiver of the rifle. With the magazine they go to the soldier and his belt ten at a time, and from thence under the receiver of the rifle ten at a time. In aimed firing as skirmishers the soldier now, in order to fire seven shots in twenty-five seconds, is obliged to carry four in his mouth, two in his hand, and one in the receiver. With this magazine he can carry ten (practically) in his receiver. Hence it may be expected he will fire ten aimed shots with this magazine where he now fires seven.
It will be possible to issue these magazines on the field of battle, looped on.copper wire or strong cord of such length that, if the soldier gets them at a time when he cannot dispose of them on his belt, or in excess of the number he can so dispose of, he can attach them to his person, around his waist or over his shoulder, till it is convenient to put them on his belt. ;
The locking device for attaching the magazines to the rifle and the belt is strong, effective, simple and economical.
There is now great need felt of some such detachable magazine for the carbine and rifle on the skirmish range; while in action it is all important to render skirmishers more self-reliant and formidable, and the firing line in battle more dangerous.
The merits of the one proposed depend upon the position it occupies on the rifle and carbine, the simple and inexpensive means of carrying them on the belt and attaching them to the rifle, and the means employed to retain the cartridges in their receptacles.
It is probably not necessary to use more than two screws to fasten the locking-plate to the magazine.
A cutting machine and crimping die which will at the same time punch the screw-holes, simple and inexpensive, can be constructed to make the magazine plates as rapidly as nails are made, and when manufactured by machinery and in large numbers will not be much more expensive. The more porous the wood the larger must the cartridge receptacles be to allow for the contraction thereof when exposed to dampness and rain. The magazine for war is preferably made of some light wood, the material and labor costing not more than 15 to 20 cents. But even at that price, throwing away the empty magazines would only be permissible in the heat of battle, when everything gives way to the exigencies of war.
68 THE KELTON DEVICES.
THE CARBINE-SLING.
The carbine-sling is made to contain on the front part eight recep- tacles for pistol-packs, so that they will be nearest the hand when the pistol is to be reloaded; and the back of the sling contains a double or single spring-hook, into which the carbine, when reversed and the swivel fastened into a special screw-ring in the lower end of the guard-plate, may be forced muzzle up. In this position it will enable the cavalryman to mouut his horse without difficulty and without danger, cannot interfere with the arm when the pistol is used, will not entangle the rider with his horse should he fall, and will be in position for use should he be thrown or separated from his horse.
The play of the carbine-swivel is limited to a movement of only five inches, by a stop strap fastened on the inside of the sling and about twen- ty-one inches from the buckle. The hook should be fastened at about fifteen inches from the center of movement of the swivel, and should probably be covered with rubber or leather, to prevent it from injuring the barrel.
When the carbine is slung on the back the swivel should be detached from the swivel-ring and fastened in a special ring in the stock, so placed as to secure its best adjustment.
By this arrangement it is not proposed to do away with the iong car- bine-boot for carrying this weapon when detached from the sling. It is only a substitute, at times, in lieu of dropping the carbine in the charge with pistols, or on the march, or when dismounted, and in place of hang- ing it over the shoulder in mounting, no easy task with an unmanageable horse.
The bend of the hook should be so great that the barrel, after enter- ing, will have some play. This will prevent the carbine from jolting out.
In firing the carbine while mounted, it should be detached from the swivel.
While eight or nine receptacles for pistol cartridges may be placed in front of the sling, the number to be carried can only be determined by actual experience. Nine packages of cartridges weigh six pounds six ounces, which may be too much weight on the chest and interfere unduly with respiration. Possibly four packs, twenty-four cartridges, weighing forty-four ounces, may be all that in any emergency can be used. With only four packs on the sling it may be possible to successfully fire the car- bine attached to the swivel.
The hook on the rear of the carbine-sling is in connection with the swivel-ring at the end of the guard-plate, and is adapted to sling the carbine on the back, muzzle up, to conveniently dispose of if. in mounting, at times on the march and at drill, and in the charge with the pistol. Both
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THE KELTON DEVICES. 6Y
hands will usually be required to sling the carbine on the back. The entrance to the belly of the hook is slightly smaller than the diameter of the carbine barrel.
METHOD OF LOCKING THE CARBINE TO THE SLING, MUZZLE UP.
Pass the swivel-hook into the ring prepared for it.
Drop the carbine and reverse it till the muzzle is between the shoulder- blades, using the swivel attachment as a fulcrum, and hold it in that posi- tion; at the same time pass the left hand, palm outward, between the back and the sling near the hook, and grasping the sling and the barrel force it into the hook.
The carbine is disengaged by the reverse operation.
While no special importance is attached to the method of slinging the carbine, it will, nevertheless, be found a most comfortable and convenient way of disposing of it at times, and when so slung will secure better pistol practice than when it is suspended by the swivel.
WAIST-BELT FOR CARBINE-CARTRIDGES.
This belt contains locking plates, to which any required number of magazines, containing five or ten cartridges, may be instantly attached, in the same secure manner as they are to the carbine, and can be instantly detached for use on the earbine.
The following order of instruction with the automatic check-rein and the reload- ing device for the pistol and the carbine-cartridge magazine in single rank, close order is suggested :
First. — Several drills, without arms, with the check-rein attachment, at all paces.
Second.—Advance at the walk, halting at 20 yards, and}aim and fire the carbine with blank cartridges.
T hird.— Advance at the gallop, halting at each 100 yards, and aim and fire the carbine with blank cartridges.
Fourth.—Advance at the walk and gallop, with the carbine slung muzzle up or carried in the boot, firing the pistol with blank cartridges without halting.
Fifth— Advance at the walk and gallop, firing the carbine, with ball- cartridges, at targets, commencing at 300 yards, halting to aim and fire, and continue the advance till within 100 yards of the target, noting the number of hits.
Sizth— Advance at the gallop, with the carbine slung or in the boot, firing the pistol with blank cartridges, noting the number that can be
fired by troops in a charge of 100 yards; also the number in a charge of 600 yards.
THE KELTON DEVICES.
No aim — no deliberate aim —can be taken when firing snap-wise at the gallop. The projection of the carbine in the true direction of the object and firing are practically simultaneous motions. Hence no com- mand of aim can properly be given. In firing by volley, at the gallop, the only commandsare: “Fire by battalion (or company).” “ Ready, fire.”
Finally.—Advance at the gallop, firing-the carbine snap-wise at tar- gets, commencing at 600 yards therefrom, without halting, the carbine detached from the swivel, using ball-cartridges; dropping or slinging car- bine at 200 yards distant, and firing the pistol up to 10 yards of the target, noting the number of hits.
MARCHING CAVALRY.
By BRIGADIER GENERAL W. MERRITT,
BREVET MAJOR GENERAL U.S. A.
XPERIENCE in marching cavalry commands in this country, estab- lishes the fact that the distances laid down by Europeans as a forced march for that arm (twenty-five miles a day ), is no more than well-marched cavalry can accomplish for six days in every week in a campaign. This distance should be marched in from five to six hours, in- cluding halts. ;
A longer time than six hours spent on the road in marching twenty- five miles, is a positive detriment to a cavalry command. Any shortening of the time to less than five hours, depending on increased rate of march ing, would probably result in injury to the horses.
It is proposed to state in detail how this march for cavalry should be