The month of February in the year 1899 arrived on a Wednesday. And once again, I found myself on the beach, conducting a marksmanship lesson.
Yesterday, after our first lecture, I issued rifles to the cadets. I had considered using some of the Mauser rifles from my escolta for training, but eventually decided to go with the Remington rolling blocks.
While Mausers would perform astronomically better in actual battle, the Remington was the superior training rifle. Its slow reload—while a serious disadvantage in combat—encouraged deliberate aiming on the training grounds, making it ideal for teaching fundamentals. Not to mention, it was simpler for beginners to handle, easier to maintain, and more durable and replaceable.
Yesterday, I taught them the basics of rifle handling—cleaning, maintenance, assembly, and disassembly. Today, they received their first lesson in marksmanship.
