Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1878 — The Saber to Be Abolished. [ARTICLE]

The Saber to Be Abolished.

The saber is about to be ruled outruf the cavalry regulation as a useless weapon for the soldier. It is found that soldiers do but little killing and not much wounding with the saber, and they are unhandy things to dangle at the side unless they are of use. The medical statistics of Germany show that, in the recent war with France,.out of 65,000 wounded, a little over 200 only were injured by the bayonet; out of 2,236 killed, 138 only had any signs of saber wounds. According to American statistics, out of 252,000 wounds received during the War of tbe Rebellion, 906 were given with the ’ 'ayonet. Gen. Benet, Chief of Ordnar Bureau, United States, says: “ In my mind there exists not a doubt that the days of the saber and bayonet are numbered, and that the only question to be decided is whether the time is not already at hand when they should be discarded.” Gens. Sherman and Sheridan are said to indorse the sentiment; if so, the days of the saber will come to an end.