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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



patriotic and peaceful people, men are inclined, even though brave as 

 courage itself, to get nervous or nerveless in the immediate presence of 

 danger. This is the reason, rather than for any especial erudition in- 

 volved in war's art, that we need trained soldiers — men trained to think 

 mechanically and to act automatically amid the uproar of battle. 



We have carefully, if briefly, considered the requirements of the 

 first maxim of strategy — caution — the need of it, and the practical 

 methods of securing it; and also of the second maxim — defensive re- 

 lations — their necessity, and how to secure them. It now remains to 

 consider the meaning of that phrase, 'turning a position', or 'flanking* 

 an enemy, as to which of late we read so much in the daily press. The 

 map (marked 8) gives an idea of a section of country where two armed 

 bodies meet under conditions that permit one flank to be completely 



guarded from attack; these are the left flank of the force 'A', and the 

 right flank of 'B'. Both rest upon a lake or broad river. A steep 

 precipice or deep morass, as at 'H', would serve as well. Suppose our 

 force has advanced from the direction 'C, the enemy down the road 

 from 'E' to 'G'. Soon they form opposed lines facing each other, the 

 reserve somewhat to the rear and sheltered by some inequality of ground, 

 the 'thin blue line', almost, but not quite, touching elbows, stretched 

 along the crest of the ridge in front, taking advantage of every chance 

 to protect themselves — trees, stone walls, ditches; kneeling, crawling, 

 lying face down, eyes along the rifle barrel, finger on trigger, keen and 

 murderous, but prudent, and parsimonious of life. The solid forma- 

 tions, such as went out of vogue with old-time weapons, would melt 

 away before machine guns and Krag-Jorgensens like frost before an 



