616 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[PEBIOD VI. 



men are mingled together in close fighting, and most of 

 the shots tell. Then it is not a weapon requiring care 

 and steadiness in aiming. The man merely looks at the 

 object and pulls the trigger, and tho sympathy between 

 the hand and eye is much more likely to carry the ball 

 straight, than an attempt at mechanical and mathematical 

 precision of aim under fire, when men do not distress 

 themselves with too much accuracy in bringing the two 

 sights and the object into a right line. 



Again, in close fighting, the revolver's bullet cannot 

 be warded olf like a sword or lauce thrust. If it strikes, 

 the wound is severe. It does not require the speed or 

 weight of the horse to give it impetus, as does the lance, 

 or the perfect training of the charger, which is necessary 

 for an effective use of the sabre when mounted. Again, 

 it reaches faicher than sword or lance, and men armed 

 with these weapons might easily be shot down, before 

 having an opportunity of getting near enough to use them. 



The experience of the past ages has certainly been 

 that cavalry v/hich used the pistol would invariably be 

 defeated by cavalry which charged boldly on with the 

 sabre. This is easily explained. The flint-lock horse- 

 pistol formerly in use had a very short rangej and was 

 undoubtedly a very inefficient weapon. It was, in fact, 

 comparatively worthless, for the shaking of the horse 

 was apt to derange the powder in the pan, or the flint 

 might miss fire, or the fire not reach the powder, and 

 even when it did go off", the chances were that the ball 

 had snaken out, and if not, that it would not carry 

 straight. In those days it may easily be imagined that 

 a body of troops depending on such arms in preference 

 to good swords would certainly be defeated, and 

 deservedly so. 



But now, with revolvers, the whole features of tbe 

 case are changed. These arms will carry from 200 to 

 300 yards, and comparatively good shooting can be 

 made with them uo to 75 or 100 vavds, while in a mSUe 

 they are most deadly weapons. It is manifest that the 

 experiences of the use of the old flint-lock pistol with its 

 single barrel, and the rules and traditional maxims based 



