204 SIANT7AL FOU NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICEHS. 



whether fenced with stone, barbed wire, rails, etc. ; steepness 

 in crossing hills and valleys ; where they pass through defiles 

 and along commanding heights, etc. ; crossroads. 



Surrounding country. — Whether generally open and passable 

 for infantry, cavalrj^ and artillery, or whether broken and im- 

 passable, due to fences, woods, crops, ravines ; whether good 

 grazing is available, etc. 



Hailroads. — Single or double track, narrow or broad gauge, 

 tunnels, bridges, cuts, direction, stations, etc. 



Bridges. — Material, wood, stone, steel, etc.; length and 

 breadth ; number and kind of piers or*supports. 



Rivers. — Direction; width, depth; kind of bottom, such as 

 mud. sand, rocky, etc, ; banks, steep or gentle, open or wooded ; 

 rapidity of current ; variations in depth at different times as 

 indicated by driftwood and high-water marks ; islands ; heights 

 in vicinity commanding streams. 



Woods. — Extent and shape ; kind of trees ; free from under- 

 brush or not ; clearings, roads, swamps, ravines, etc. 



Telegraph lines. — Number of wires, along roads or railroads, 

 stations, etc. 



Villages.— Size, kind of houses, nature of streets, means of 

 defense, etc. 



Hills and ridges. — Whether slopes are gentle or steep; 

 whether top is narrow or wide; whether ground is broken or 

 sm.ooth, wooded or clear ; whether difficult or easy to cross, etc. ; 

 whether commanded bj^ other hills. 



Defiles. — Their direction, length, and width; whether sur- 

 rounding heights are passable for infantry and artillery ; kind 

 of country at each opening of the defile, etc. 



Ravines, ditches, etc. — Width and depth; banks, whether 

 passable for infantry, cavalry, and wagons; whether suitable 

 Cor trendies, or for movement of troops therein, etc. 



In general, every soldier should be constantly on the lookout 

 to obtain information that might be of some military value. 

 UGmoni))er that information of the enemy and of the country 

 is worthless unless made known to the proper officials in time 

 to be of use. 



Every .soldier should be able to find his way in a strange 

 country ; should know how to use a compass ; should know how 

 to locate the North Star ; should be able to travel across coun- 



