GERMAN-ITALIAN WAR. 



357 



companies. In time of war, every regiment 



receive* a fourth reserve battalion, and every 



."ii of chasseurs and riflemen an addi- 



A battalion on the war foot- 



_'.> in. n, inclusive of 22 officers, 



. mud numbers about 1,000 men. I'm-hi 



had thus an infantry force of 253 battalions, 



with 200,000 combatants, ready for the field, 



o 88J battalions, with 85,000 men, as rc- 



l.irh partly would bo employed 



i.v. The cavalry of the guard 



ll (!' 1 regiment guard du corps, 1 regi- 



2 regiments of dragoons, 



inunt of htissnrs, 8 regiments of ulans. 



y of the line contains 8 regiments of 



. 8 regiments of dragoons, 12 regi- 



- of hussars, 12 regiments of ulans. Cu- 

 rassiors and ulans constitute the heavy dra- 

 goons, and hussars tho light artillery. Thus 



are 25 regiments of heavy and 23 regi- 



- of light artillery. A regiment has gen- 

 erally four squadrons, but as tho transformation 

 of tho laudwchr cavalry is not yet completed, 

 there were 4 regiments of hussars and 4 -regi- 

 ments of dragoons of 5 squadrons each. A 



iron in the field has 155 men, inclusive of 5 

 :--i. In time of war, a reserve squadron is 

 formed for every regiment, numbering 200 men 

 for the heavy cavalry and -250 for the light. 

 The aggregate of the Prussian cavalry amounts, 

 lore, to about 30,000 horses, from { to of 

 the infantry. Tho aggregate of tfie reserve 

 squadrons is 10,750 men. The artillery consists 

 of one bripado of the guard and 8 brigades of 

 tho line. Each brigade has 2 regiments, 1 field 

 regiment and 1 garrison regiment. The field 

 regiment has 4 divisions, 1 mounted and 3 dis- 

 mounted ; each division has 4 batteries of 6 

 pieces of ordnance each. Together, a field 

 sent has 96 pieces of ordnance, besides a 

 .0 division of 4 batteries, with 4 pieces of 

 ordnance each. A garrison regiment has 2 

 divisions, each of which furnishes 4 companies 

 for purposes of defence and siege. In addition 

 to infantry, cavalry, and artillery, there are 

 technical troops, consisting of 1 battalion of 

 pioneers of the guard, and 8 battalions of 

 pioneers of tho line, which have to attend to 

 tho bridges, trains, field telegraphs, road and 

 earthworks, and perform, the technical services 

 at the defence of and attacks upon fortresses. 

 Each battalion has a reserve company. The 

 train consists of 1 battalion of the guard, and 

 8 battalions of the line, together of 1,229 men 

 and 1,5GG horses. The standing army of Prus- 

 sia has, accordingly, about 800,000 men, with 

 864 pieces of ordnance, Tho landwehr of the 

 first call, which embraced tho discharged sol- 

 diers up to tho 36th year of age, numbered 

 about 120,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry. The 

 landwehr of the second call, embracing the dis- 

 charged soldiers to the 36th year of age, has 116 

 additional battalions of infantry, of 800 men 

 each, together about 93,000, and for each bat- 

 talion a cavalry squadron of 100 horses can be 

 organized. This part of the landwehr is to be 



called out only when the enemy has invaded 

 untry. Tho whole of tho Prussian army 

 is divided into nine army corps, each consisting 

 of 2 infantry divisions (each of 2 brigade*, 4 

 regiments, 12 battalions, and from 12,000 to 

 15,000 men, infantry, with from 600 to 700 

 horsemen and 24 pieces of ordnance), 1 cavalry 

 division (of 2 brigades or 4 regiments, with 1 

 or 2 mounted batteries, counting from 2,400 to 

 2,700 men), 1 artillery reserve (of 4 foot bat- 

 teries and from 2 to 8 mounted batteries). 

 Altogether an army corps has about 25,000 

 infantry, 8,600 cavalry, and 96 pieces of ord- 

 nance. If Prussia, in case of a great war, em- 

 ployed tho landwehr of the second call for 

 garrison service, she would have ready for the 

 field about 880,000 infantry, 87,000 cavalry, 

 and at least 864 pieces of ordnance. Tho 

 Prussian infantry are armed with the needle- 

 gun, of which tke following is a representation : 



Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal vertical sec- 

 tion (full size) of the breech, cartridge-chamber, 

 and lock, showing the breech closed for firing. 

 Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the 

 cartridge. The breech, M, which is hollow, is, 

 externally, like a door-bolt, with a knob-handle, 

 M' ; and it both slides longitudinally and turns 

 in the cylindrical breech-receiver, A, into which 

 tho barrel is screwed. Into the front part of 

 the breech, M, is screwed the needle-tube, N', 

 through which the needle, N", slides freely. 

 The needle is attached to the needle-bolt, K, 

 which slides within the lock, L ; and this latter 

 slides Avithin the breech. Around the front 

 part of the needle-bolt there is an air-chamber, 

 in rear of and in communication with the car- 

 tridge-chamber of the barrel. The main spring, 

 by which the needle is shot forward to ignite 

 the priming, is of spiral form and coiled around 

 tho needle-bolt in rear of the collar, K', which 

 also forms a shoulder for tho sere, C', which 

 holds back the bolt when the piece is cocked. 

 The sere is formed in tho same piece with the 

 sere-spring, C, which is connected with the 

 trigger, T, in such a manner as to withdraw 

 the sere from tho collar, K', and allow the 

 spring to drive forward tho needle-bolt and 

 needle. The breech, M, when brought up to 

 its place for firing, as shown in Fig. 1, after in- 

 serting tho cartridge, is turned by the knob- 

 handle, M', to bring the said handle in front of 

 the shoulder, a, on the breech-receiver; and, 

 after firing, it is turned back away from the 

 shoulder, a, and drawn back till tho knob- 

 handle is stopped. Attached to the lock, L, is 

 the lock-spring, D, with a handle, D'. This 

 spring is made with a catch at its front end, to 

 draw back the needle-bolt; and the lock is 

 made with a handle, L', by which it may be 

 drawn back independently of the breech, while 

 the latter is closed ; but it is drawn back with 

 the breech. 



The bullet, E (Fig. 2), is acorn-shaped, and is 

 fitted with a compressed paper sabot, F, which 

 serves the pnrpose of cleaning the bore and of 

 containing the fulminate priming, G, which 19 



