The effect of this meter is to give it a moving forward marching effect.
In poetry, the meter could be described as the rhythm of the accents for each verse. For example, in "The Charge of the Light Brigade" a poem written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, we can find a Dactyl Meter, that goes like this (the accented syllables are in bold):
When can their gloryfade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Hope this helps!