SABER VERSUS REVOLVER VERSUS CARBINE

4 .

RANGE FINDING.

THIRD METHOD.

The instruments used are the same as those used in the eecond method except that the goo instrument should be provided with a telescope and stadia wires, and stadia graduations should be marked on the. staff of the other instrument. The range is found by means of a plotting board. A base is measated any convenient length and the angle read at the end of it. This base is measured on the plotting board and the angle plotted and the range read from the board. "-

SABER VERSUS REVOLVER VERSUS CARBINE.

BY LIKUTENAST

COLOSEL JAMES PARKER, THIRTEENTH

CAVALRY.

URING the month of October, 1905, at Fort Riley, Kan- D sas, a number of experiments were made in field firing. Among these were: First, a test of the comparative execution of pistol and saber, advancing mounted at full speed in a straight course, lined by a number of silhouette targets; Second, a test of the comparative accuracy of the pistol and carbine, circling the regulation riding track at a gallop, firing at silhouette targets. These tests, while not conclusive to any great degree, developed some facts which are of much interest. They were witnessed by all the officers of the cavalry subpost. The test of the saber versus revolver was conducted by Captain W. H. blcCornack, Ninth Cavalry. He selected ten men of average proficiency with the pistol and saber. These men had three preliminary drills of two hours each. The horses were average. The course was I 1 7 yards long, which each troopep had to pass over at a rate of sixteen miles an hour. At each twenty yards.along the course there was a silhouette of a soldier, standing, on the right side of the track, with another on the left side, the interval between the silhouettes being three and one-half yards. The silhouettes faced toward the starting point. That is, there were ten silhouettes of infantry, ranged in column of twos, the interval between men being three and one-half yards, the distance between twos being twenty yards. Down through the center of this column a trooper with pistol and saber rode at a charging pace. (See cut.) I I 1 .

I I - - - ~ - - + - - - - - - w

COCRSE -

> E - - - $?- 0 0 0 - - - - - 0 I I 20 yds. I 20 yds. I 20 yds. I 20 yds. I b t 86 SABER vs. RE VOL VER vs. CARBINE. The ten men made four runs each, with a pistol, in two runs firibg to the right and in two runs firing to the left. They alsb made four runs with the saber, on the first run cqtting to the right, on the second run thrusting to the right, on the third run cutting to the left, and on the fourth run thrusting to the left. The results are shown in the following table:

FORT RILEY,

KANSAS,

Nov. 7, 1 9 5 . Record of pistol and saber test. Course straight away, I 17% pards. Targets 5 prs. of standing silhouettes (H) perpendicular to course; 2 0 yards between pairs; 3% yards between targets of each pait I

PISTOL NO. OF HITS

1 1 SA

R. NO OF HITS

- c) Q a Sergeant Finney. ..... 3 .... 2 .... 5 Sergeant Briggs ...... 3 COrporalSampson... 3 CorporalNewton ...... 3 corporal Williams .... 4 Farrier Meford.. ..... 3 Private Wi?sm, ....... 3 CarporalRm go ....... - 5 Total.. . . ._. ..... w Percentasp ....... 168 -

ORDER OF RUNS ..........

1st I l- 5th 7th “ ad --I:, 4 4

I 0 1 5 5 5 1 5

4 4 5 2 3

2 5 ‘ 4 5 4 5 5 67’ )I 97 6th 5 4 5 4 5 5 5 5 3 5 46 92 _. - - 8th 5 4 5 4 5 4 4 5 5 5 46 92 - - 92 Pes cent for two runs 74 Percent. for four runs 70.5 94.5 e for I run 12 seconds 15 seconds 15.5 seconds 12.5 seconds 13.5 seconds Y i s h counted as misses. An examination of this table indicates the following There were 34 per cent. more hits with the saber than The percentage of hits with the saber was much larger facts: with thre pistol. ” SABER 21s. RE VOL VER vs. CARBINE. 37 than with the revolver, whether the saber was used to cut or to thrust, whether the target was on the left or on the right. It should be noted that the troopers in this test had the alternative, if they desired, of placing the pistol against the target before discharging it. Why more hits were not made with the pistol can be explained only by the fact that a horse at a run is a mighty unstable platform from which to shoot, aud it is much easier under such circumstances to hit an object with a saber than with a pistol; for proof of which I recommend that doubters practice this experiment next year. It only requires a few cartridges. It will be noticed that the time of the run averaged less with the pistol. This i s due to the difficulty of controlling the horse while shooting. It is impossible to reproduce on a drill field the conditions of war. If it is necessary to solve the question of saber VPYSUS pistol, w e must work it out by actual war expe-rienceeither in the past or in the future. This fact, however, would seem to be fairly well indicated by this experiment-that at the moment of collision between two masses of ,cavalry, the saber is a surer weapon as far as hits are con cerned, than the pistol. The second test of the pistol versus carbine was conducted by Captain Lanning Parsons, Ninth Cavalry. He selected ten ordinary pistol shots, with average horses, and put them through a short course in using the carbine mounted. Captain Parsons found that while in firing to the left the carbine can be used with best effect by aiming from the right shoulder, it was not possible to aim from the left shoulder in order to fire to the right. Supporting the butt of the weapon on the hip was tried and found very handy, but the men invariably fired too high. This defect, however, might have been cured by preliminary dismounted practice. The best results in firing to the right were obtained by holding the carbine in the right hand, just as a pistol is held, and extending the arm. With the targets selected of standing figures arranged as in Figure I , Plate 28, Firing Regulations, the targets ten -- This test was as follow&:

80 . SABER vs. RE,VOLVER vs. .CARBINE. yards fiom the track, five urclings of the track at a gallop for each 1 soldier, firing five shots in each of the five direc-ti-, namely, to the right, left, right front, left front and right rear, or twenty-five shots in all. The results of these tests are shown in the following table: k ? )II li k I E d

I e; . 3 N 3 0 0 3 O 0 2 0

0 0 N - 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 - O O O O O 3 N O

o o o c 3 3 a o - o

N O O O N O N O N -

SABER zu. REVOLVER tis. CARBINE. d x I !

C - - 0 N N N O - 0

&

N 0 0 0 0 0 N O - 0

C O O N O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0

N O N O - N O - 0 0

e ~ g g g p g c s o p : - - 0 - 3 N O 0 - 0

O C N 3 O W 3 3 N O

- c 0 0 - 3 3 0 3 0

O N O O N 3 0 = N O

I 0 0 3 C N O O O 0 0

O O N O N ~ O O O O

O W O N - N O 0 3 0

0 0 - 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

N N N O N O - 0 0 N

0 0 O O C N O - N O

O O N ~ O O O O O O

O O N O O O O O N O

O N O O O O O O N O

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . I , & - - l - N O O O N O O O N 0 0 0 0 0 3 - 0

O O O O O N O O O O

O - - O C I O N N N N

0 0 N 0 3 0 0 N N O

- T f N - N 0 0 0 " 0 0 " N 0 0 - 0 0 0 - 0 - 0 0 ' 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 0 i N O N O O O O ~ ~ N

- 0 0 - 0 0 0 N o O 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 " o O -- - CI - 0 - 0 0 n - N O N

0 - (.I 0 N 0 0 N CI N

0 0 0 0 e 4 0 - 0 0 0 o o o N o ~ O N O O

O N N 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

0 0 0 0 - N O 0 0 0

O N N O N N 0 3 0 0

O O O N C O - O O N

O O O O O N O O O O

O O O N O N O O - O

0 -

SABER vs. REVOL VER ZS. CARBINE. .--. 40 -. This table shows: First, the total score of the carbine was sixteen per cent. greater than the total score of the pistol (this superiority was egven greater and more uniform during the preliminary instruction); second, the carbine score was fifty-seven per cent. better than the pistol score,. shooting to the left and left front; third, the carbine score was practically equal to the pistol score, shooting to the right. The result of this test, like that of the first, was a sur. prise. This test raises the questions: First, to how great a degree the carbine can replace the pistol; second, whether the carbine is not an efficient reserve of the pistol, to be used when the pistol has been emp,tied; third, whether carbine practice mounted should not be taught, in order to take advantage of its possibilities. In considering these questions, we must remember that, while the pistol is more handy than the carbine, and can be discharged more rapidly, it cannot be reloaded with the same facility as the carbine. Our new carbine, using the clip, can be reloaded almost by a single movement. The Colts 38 caliber revolver hak to be reloaded by laboriously inserting the cartridges one by one; the Luger pistol is unsafe in the hands of the ordinary soldier. One great difficulty about our revolver is the fact that its shots are exhausted immediately and it is practically impossible to reload in action. The writer was, on one occasion, for what seemed to be three or more minutes, riding through a body of Philippine insurgents drawn up in column along a road. In the first twenty seconds all his five revolver cartridges were tired. After that he could only rely on the “moral effect” of pointing at eacb man an empty pistol. To try to reload would have been fatal. The two men who accompanied him were in the same fix, and neither one thought of drawing his carbine, for neither had been instructed to malue use of the carbine when the pistol was empty. It seems strange that this use of the carbine in place of or as a reserve to the pistol has not been more discussed by t h w who favor the use of projectile weapons on horseback; for it mu& be remembered that in the magazine carbine we * , e c SABER tis, REVOLVER us. CARBINE. 41 have now a weapon which, for use from the saddle, is vastly superior to the old single-loader. Let us suppose that projectile weapons were desirable in a charge;and that two detachments of cavalry, equal in other respects, charge each other in line of foragers, one armed with the pistol, the other with the carbine. In what degree would the pistol have the advantage? Let it be remembered that the men with the carbine would naturally shoot to the left front, and would, therefore, if these experiments have any value, have a large advantage over the pistol. Also, that they could reload more easily. Also, that the appearance at close quarters of the muzzle of a carbine is decidedly more formidable than that of the muzzle of a pistol. And, further, that the wound of the carbine is more deadly to man and beast. The experiments may afford some matter for thought to those who favor the use of &e pistol, when mounted, to the exclusion of all other weapons. As for me, I believe the great utility of cavalry lies in its readiness for any emergency. In my opinion, for each of these weapons, carbine, saber and pistol, there are emergencies for which it is best suited. The weight of the saber or the pistol is inconsiderable. It is not too much to ask of a soldier to be able to use effectively, mounted, all of these three weapons.

REVOLVER VERSUS SABER-REPORT OF THE

CAVALRY BOARD.

* EXTRACT FROM MEMORANDUM *ORT

(NO. 26) OF THIRD

DIVISION, GENERAL STAFF.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF.

WASHINGTON,

February 27. 1 9 0 5 . * * * * * * * "p). The arming of'each trooper in a selected regiment of Cairalry with three or four revolvers and the careful training af the regiment in revolver firing, with a view to making a prsJctical test of the expediency of substituting the revolver for the saber." * e * * * * * * 0-1 copy respectfully referred to the Cavalry Board, Fort Riley, Kansas, for report. The question as stated is not, it is believed, sufficiently to the point. The Board is not advised, as it should be, to assume the sa& sharpened, effective as a cutting and pointing instrument, troops properly instructed in its use, conditions possible h a expected to prevail; and under such assumptions the boat/d should report whether or not the saber is of such little value as to justify its abandonment as an arm of the cavalry soldier. I (Sgd.) CHAFFEE, Lirnienanf General, Chief of Staf. With reference to the above recommendation of the Third Division. General Staff, the board is of the opinion: x. That the practkal test proposed can not be made in any way 80 as to be conclusive, except on the field of battle. RE VOL VER 71s. SABER. 43 (a) While time lacks for citing authorities, it is known that many instances occurredduring the Civil War when cavalry armed with pistols fought cavalry armed with the saber. The pistol was a revolver little inferior to the revolver of to-day for practical purposes, for it carried a heavier ball, and, while it was loaded with a paper cartridge, it is a well estabiished fact that in the melee the pistol can seldom be reloaded, whether it fires metallic cartridges or not, and thus the advantage of the present ammunition is not so great as appears at first sight. The saber thus used was often not sharpened. While there may have been troops skilled in the use of the pistol on the one side, there were, apparently, few troops expert i n the use of the saber, on the other. Under these circumstances, it would appear that, as a result of these combats, there was testimony claiming the superiority of the pistol, and there was testimony, equally strong, in favor of the saber. It is understood that there was no testimony of importance condemning the carrying of both arms on the ground that one was superfluous; and it is also understood that there were several instances where Confederate cavalry commanders asked that their troops, armed with the revolver, be given the saber in addition. As one of these instances. may be mentioned General Early, who, after his defeat in the valley, complained bit. terly of the disadvantages he was under through not having his troops armed with the saber. (b) The pistol, in a charge against cavalry, must be fired to the front. Practice in firing to the front at a gallop, which can be regarded in some degree as a test of this kind of firing, was had in the United States army during the years 1889 and 1890. See reports of target practice for those years, G. 0. No. I , A. G. 0. 1 8 9 , and G. 0. No. I , A.

G. 0. 1891.- This practice, briefly, was as follows: Four silhouettes, representing infantrymen, were placed in line, five yards apart. An equal number of troopers, five yards apart, in line, moved toward the silhouettes at a gallop. The pistols were loaded with five cartridges. Firing commenced at eighty yards, and each trooper invariably reserved one cartridge for the moment when he reached the - f

44 RE VOL VER us. SABER. target gssigned to him, often placing the muzzle of the pistol against the target as he fired the last shot. This practice demonstrated the following facts: In @booting to the front, the muzzle of the pistol being near the horse’s ear, many horses were made gun-shy and intractable. T o prevent troopers from shooting each other, it was necessary that exact line be maintained during the advance. T o accomplish this, the advance was usually made at a very slow gallop, approaching a canter. In spite of all precautions, men and horses were sometimes shot. T o this fact, and to the injury to the temper of the horse, was partly due the discontinuance of this class of pistol practice In spite of the fact that the last shot was fired at saber-length distance, or less, the percentage of hits in the ten regimentsof cavalry was: In 1889, only 13.01; in 18g0, only 16.63. That is, in the whole number less than one out of every five shots hit the target, since a score of twenty per cent. would have represented an average hit of one out of five. It is probable that in most cases the hit was the last shot fired; the shots fired in the advance, while at a distance from the-taxiget. being as a rule misses. It is also probable that had the troopers been armed with the saber and the advance d e amder the same conditions, against a similar line of targets, the percentage of hits would have been as great, for it is not likely the average trooper would have missed hitting the target as he passed it. In the case of the saber, probably the casualties to men and horses from accident would have been small. (c) The board is of the opjnion that, no matter how carefully trained in the use of the pistol a body of cavalry &y be, an attempt to test the effectiveness of the pistol by charging at a line of targets under conditions such as obtaio in war, riding in line, boot to boot. at full speed, firing to the fron%, would be useless and so dangerous to men and horses as to be impracticable. A horse at full speed proceeds by a seriea OY tremendous leaps. From such a platform, accuracy timpoasible. The horse is held in ranks with difficulty. In this state of excitement, a pistol fired close to his ear will , RE VOL VEK vs. SABER. 45 often cause him to bolt, carrying his rider in front of a line of charging men. firing without accuracy and at random. Casualties would, under these circumstances. be most difficult to avoid. In a real attack in battle, these conditions are still worse. Theileast courageous men will fall to the rear, and it is these men who will probably be the first to fire. The most courageous men will urge their horses to the front, and run the risk of being hit in the back by the cowards. The officers will be unable to ride in front, and the element of leadership and the resulting control will be absent. It is further the opinion of the board that, no matter how many pistols be carried, and no matter how carefully the men are trained in the use of the pistol, the saber should be carried as well. It is believed that the principal occasions in which cavalry may attack are as follows: (a) Against infantry, when routed or worthless. In such a case, the pistol may be used, though history recites occa-- sions without number when terrible slaughter has been caused by the saber under such circumstances. In this case. if attack were made by using the pistol, the saber would come into use when the pistols were emptied. (6) Against artillery. For this attack, ordinarily made as foragers, riding against the flank of a battery, the pistol is probably the most desirable weapon, but the saber would come into use as a reserve when the pistols were emptied, and also to hamstring the horses and cut the traces. (c) In partisan warfare, in making sudden attacks on small towns, villages, etc., stampeding the inhabitants, local guards, and police, the pistol is useful. The saber would then be carried as a reserve weapon, to be used in case of a counter attack of cavalry. (a!) In riot duty. Experience in this country, and more especially abroad, has shown that usually the most effective way of handling a mob is by the use of cavalry. Infantry, pressed upon by a mob, is in a difficult position. The infantryman is in danger of having his rifle wrenched from his grasp. When the disorder becomes great and an attack is 2.

REVOLVER vs. SABER. 4 3 imminent, the only recourse of infantry under these circumstances ib to fire; killing the innocent as well as the guilty. The csivalryman, on the otber hand, is raised by his horse above the crowd, which is afraid of being trampled upon. The streets can be cleared with ease by charging the mob, using the flat or the edge of the ,saber. In this country, whese the danger of mob rule i s increasing with the crowding of cities and the spread of anarchistic doctrines, the saber should be retained as a cavalry weapon if for no other reason than the above. ( t ) Against cavalry. When cavalry fighting is limited to smdl bodies of troops, such as squads and platoons, one against the other, and d&s not take place in a confined space, such a$ a narrow road or lane, the tendency of cavalry is to make the charge with intervalsbor as foragers. Under such circumstances, the pistol is a very useful weapon, although the saber should be camed as a reserve, to be used in the mi%e when the pistol is emptied. But, in the case of a charge in a confined space, or of a charge over open ground of large bodies of cavalry against each other, where there is no room for deployment, the contest is usually de’cided by the shock of men riding boot to boot at full speed against each other. Io the mSl6e which follows this collision, the t&- e or.- jammed up against each other, horse against horse. In this mSl6e a pistol, discharged at an enemy, may easily kill a friend, and, in any case, the pistol is no match at arm’s length for a sharp sword. The pistol may $it five times; it is then useless. The saber, on the strike an infinity of blows, and, if sharp, its ble. Such combat will be decided by the men and the strongest horses, and by the f the sharpest saber. rge is the decisive and most importantand cavalry movement.” The advance of modern covered by a screen of cavalry. When such armies each other, the r6le of cavalry is, to attempt to This leads bats, taking place f a r in advance of the y of the army. These combats must be decided .. wn the =wen of the enemy. REVOLVER vs. SABER. 47 largely bv shock action. No cavalry, not in a strong position, will dare to fight dismounted an enemy superior enough to operate on its flanks. The use of the pistol is incompatible with shock action. Shots fired while the horse is in motion are wasted, and it is impossible to make men withhold their fire until the collision. Further, the instincts of men armed with the sword are, to close; of men armed with the pistol, to hold an enemy at a distance. A regiment armed exclusively with the pistol might well adopt the tactics of receiving the enemy’s charge at a halt, since at a halt accuracy of fire is possible, were it not that all experience shows that to receive a charge at a halt is disastrous. The emergency may call for the use of the carbine, of the saber, of the pistol; for mounted action, or for dismpunted action. The opportunities are fleeting. The best cavalry is that which is prepared for any emergency. The saber weighs but little. ‘ History shows that, if sharp, it is. at close quarters, a most formidable weapon. The r61e of the pistol and the r61e of the saber are different; one cannot displace the other The cavalry that is without the saber will be unable to take advantage of all the Opportunities of a war. The boar& is of the opinion that much of the prejudice against the saber is due to the fact that the saber generally in the hands of our troops is so dull as to be little more than a steel club. This saber, if sharpened and kept keen as a razor, becomes at once a formidable arm, a blow from which is sufficiest to place an enemy out of action. In the opinion of the board, the sharp saber as a cavalry weapon is valuable and should not be abandoned.

A TRUE

COPY.

Cavalry is an arm which depends upon opportunity. (Signed) E. S. GODFREY, Colonel9th Cavalry, President.

JOHN W.

WILEN,

1st Lieut. and Sqdn. A@. r3th Cavalry, Recorder. This report and the convictions of the board are concurred in by the Chief of Staff. Approved:

CHAFFEE.