THE DEADLY CHASSEPOT RIFLE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 558, 9 March 1868, Page 3

THE DEADLY CHASSEPOT RIFLE.

(Translated for the Cincinnati Commercial from

the note hook of a Prussian correspondent.) I was most amiably received by the officers whom I met at the General’s headquarters, and at my friend’s teat. I had to tell them about last year’s campaign ; but, strange to say, all 1 told them was already known to (hem, and they were even familiar with details which had escaped us in Germany. With a great deal of tact they avoided alluding to the coolness which had sprung up between France and Prussia during the Salzsburg interview. They inveighed only against some uennan papers, and with even greater indignation against some Parisian papers, especially against Girardin’s Liberte and Mires’s Presse. As for the Situation, no one had ever seen it.

On the following morning I went, with a written permission from the General, to the target shooting. A company, one hundred strong, was to fire as rapidly as possible at 550 metres distance. A palisade of boards, as long as the front of a battalion, was the target. However, it was less than three feet high. An officer, who spoke German with great iluency, took a Prussian nfcedle-gun and showed me

that the Chassepots were loading with one grip less, and they could consequently fire (uie shot more nearly every minute and a half. _ Every soldier received tea cartridges. They took position in groups of three, one lying on the ground, the second kneeling, and the third firing iu a stooping attitude. We took out our watches. The signal was given, and. the soldiers commenced firing. It was a dreadful rattls. I b«d to ho!d bauds to my ears, fur my blood began to rush violently to nay head. As soon as one minute had elapsed, the bugler sounded cease firing, and the cartridges that were left were counted. During this minute the hundred soldiers had fired 893 shots, and 19 cartridges had missed fire —that is, one of every 47 shots.

Ten cartridges were again given to each soldier of the company, and they had to fire a minute, but three soldiers of each group had to stand erect. An excellent result was obtained this time. They ceased firing after the 57th second. The 1000 cartridges were exhausted. Only two soldiers had missed fire at the third shot, one at the fourth, one at the sixth, and one at tho ninth. Immediately after the firing had ceased, the soldiers took up a few small instruments, which I did not see, close by, worked three minutes at their guns, and reloaded them; four were discharged, but the fifth missed lire again. A third experiment was now made. The soldiers received again ten cartridges, and the 99 men had to lie down on their bellies and fire iu this position. The result of the minute was as follows :—651 shots had been fired ; five guns had again missed fire, but were, in a few seconds, enabled to be discharged. A fourth and last experiment was made now. Every soldier received only five cartridges, and had to fire standing. The bugle resounded every twelve seconds, and the volley crashed. At the end of the minute the 490 cartridges were exhausted ; not a gun had missed fire.

We went now to the target, lisade of boards. I saw nothing but a pile of of splinters 1 A cold shudder ran through my frame at the thought that men might, one day, be exposed to this “feu d'enjtr.” “ You will admit,” said the officer who accompanied me, “that after such results a further discussion as to the excellent qualities of our Chassepota would bo utterly superfluous. As soon as the soldiers are more familiar with them, less aud less guns will miss lire. I believe such is the case with your soldiers, too. Now come with me to another target; you yourself can fire there with Prussian, English, and Austrian breech-loaders at it, and satisfy yourself, as all foreign officers have done, that our Chassepots, so far as reliability and range are concerned, can vie with all others, and that our projectiles are more destructive than any others.” “I believe all you tell me,” I, |exclaimed, “but my head is near | bursting; I can no longer bear this | incessant rattle pf musketry.” “All this,” said my friend, the j Colonel, “is only of secondary iraporitauce; it is of no consequence whether la thousand men, more or less are |killed in battle; the most important j point is that the soldier should bo conscious of his power.”