alternatehistory.com

24 April


A spirited discussion takes place at Hythe over the proper mode of use of the Snider, which is starting to be issued in large numbers to cavalry. Everyone agrees that accuracy is critical, but the elevated rate of fire of the breech loading weapon (around four to five times that of the Enfield it is being converted from) means that ammunition consumption has suddenly become an issue of sharp importance.
A basic load for a soldier is to carry about 60-70 rounds. With the Enfield, loading as fast as possible would see these rounds take half an hour to expend in measured, carefully aimed fire - with the Snider, the time is more like six minutes and there is a considerably increased danger of 'fire frenzy' where the soldier fires without taking the time to aim.
Several possible remedies are advanced. One is to restrict the permitted rate of fire except in the direst emergency, perhaps by requiring the soldier to load rounds taken individually from his pouch and not permitting them to make additional rounds ready; another is to largely abandon long ranged fire and focus on sudden bursts of accurate, controlled fire at close range (which would mean the use of the 'fire' command, something Hythe has eliminated entirely from the drillbook and which would materially impair long range sharpshooting); a third is to refine the skirmish line system so that under most circumstances only one company out of an entire regiment would be in the firing position and to cycle this company every few minutes. The idea of simply providing much increased quantities of ammunition is also raised, but considered impractical in many cases during actual campaigns (especially for the infantry) though cavalry seem likely to be able to take increased ammunition loads.
One particularly interesting suggestion is the idea that soldiers' drill should include that they are not to open individual ten-round boxes until the order is given; another, that soldiers should be given an increase in pay but have to purchase their ammunition expended at the end of the week to discourage wastage.

There is a ferment of ideas, and very few agreed-upon solutions. One Sgt. Crawford sums up the general feel, with his comment that they know how to use rifles, and how to use muskets, and even how to use rifle-muskets - but the Snider is too good a weapon for them to know how to make best use of it.

Trials are recommended, ideally against moving targets. Someone suggests using hundreds upon hundreds of sheep.




26 April

The French ironclad Solferino turns up off the west coast of Mexico in an attempt to capture or defeat the "Mexican Ironclads Guadelupe and Montezuma" said to be operating in the area.
In the event, the Solferino - one of the world's only two-decker ironclads - turns out to be a fantastic overexaggeration of the firepower required, as neither Mexican ship can really be called an ironclad (there is a case of mistaken identity involved - they have the same names as Mexican warships from the 1840s, but are large gunboats of about six hundred tons, civilian ships with iron sheathing improvised along the lines of Farragut's modifications from Chesapeake Bay) and both have been operating for the last year or so out of a port not really capable of handling their servicing.