268 



MILITARY TACTICS. 



Of tlie 

 composi- 

 tion of an 



Antiv. 



Artillery, 

 &c. 



tack of batteries. The celerity with which they are 

 enabled to perform their manoeuvres, renders them 

 peculiarly well calculated for all decisive movements, 

 such as cutting off or turning the enemy, falling unex- 

 pectedly on his flanks or rear, &c. 



Dragoons were originally a mounted infantry, who 

 were employed in all enterprises requiring speed. They 

 sat on horse-back, but frequently fought on foot. Even 

 to this day, they are still armed and exercised with a 

 view to being employed as infantry in a case of neces- 

 sity ; but they are almost never used as such, and are 

 therefore to be considered solely as cavalry. In default 

 of light horse, their duties must often be performed by 

 the heavy dragoons. 



The cavalry carry their tents on horse-back along 

 with them. The horses stand in the field, in the open 

 air, and are picketed in lines before the tents in which 

 the riders lie. As the cavalry have no cannon, and 

 carry almost every thing they want upon their horses; 

 in which care must be taken not to overload them ; 

 they are, on this account, not liable to have their mo- 

 tions impeded by their baggage. They are more fre- 

 quently, however, embarrassed by the care of provid- 

 ing for the maintenance of their horses. They must 

 provide forage for themselves, taking it either from the 

 fields in summer, or from the magazines or villages in 

 spring and autumn. The former is called green, the 

 latter dry forage. 



The light cavalry have smaller horses, lighter arms and 

 accoutrements, and less baggage than the heavy horse. 

 In foreign services, particularly the German, the light 

 horse are generally called hussars, and are clothed in 

 a manner corresponding to the name. In the British 

 service also, there are several regiments of hussars. 

 The mode of fighting peculiar to the light cavalry, con- 

 sists generally in constant skirmishing, either advancing 

 or retreating. But when well disciplined and efficient, 

 they should be able, when necessary, to charge in close 

 order, and to execute all the manoeuvres of the heavy 

 cavalry. 



The following are some general rules for the service 

 of light troops, whether intantry or cavalry. 



1 . They should keep as near the enemy as possible, 

 in order to ascertain the intention of all his movements ; 

 and, 2. They should follow him in all his movements. 

 3. They should constantly engage in enterprises against 

 him, by carrying and occupying posts, intercepting con- 

 voys, destroying magazines, harassing the enemy on 

 all sides, and carrying off stragglers, &c. 4. They 

 should pursue the enemy when beaten, and hinder his 

 pursuit when victorious. 5. They should bring con- 

 tributions and supplies from a distance ; and, 6. They 

 should endeavour to conceal the movements of their 

 own army. For this purpose, they form a chain of 

 posts in front, and on the flanks of the army, which 

 must support each other, and be able to retire upon 

 their main body. The different species of troops, in 

 these operations, must be placed so as to enable them 

 to act most advantageously : The cavalry in plains, and 

 accessible places; the infantry on irregular ground, in 

 tenable places, and behind entrenchments. 



The artillery consists of cannoneers, bombardiers, 

 sappers, miners, and pontooners. The cannoneers and 

 bombardiers serve the cannon, and a certain number of 

 them are attached to every piece. As they do not fight 

 like other troops, they are, in general, only provided 

 with side arms ; sometimes, however, they carry other 

 weapons, to be used on occasions. Sappers and miners 

 are employed only in sieges, and are armed with pis. 



2 



Of the 



eonipoii- 



tion el > 



Army. 



Engineers. 



tols and daggers, which the latter use Under ground. 

 The sappers are seldom required to use arms of any 

 kind, which with them, therefore, are more ornamental 

 than useful. Their duties consist more in exposing 

 themselves than in giving personal annoyance to 

 others. The same applies to the pontooners, whose du- 

 ty it is to attend the pontoons, (a kind of small copper 

 boats, ) which are carried in waggons behind the army, 

 in order to throw bridges over rivers, and they must 

 therefore possess all the skill requisite for this employ- 

 ment. 



The horse-artillery, or flying artillery, are of recent 

 introduction, and were first employed, with great ef- 

 fect, by the French, in the late war. They had no 

 field-pieces attached to their battalions, but this defi- 

 ciency was amply compensated by their numerous 

 horse-artillery. The best and most skilful men are se- 

 lected for this service, and being mounted, they are en- 

 abled to act with great expedition, and to move rapid- 

 ly to any part of the field. The horse-artillery are di- 

 vided into troops, as the field-artillery are into compa- 

 nies. The men are armed with large sabres and a pair 

 of pistols; some of them also with rifles. 



The engineers are particularly useful in conducting 

 all the scientific operations of war. They are generally 

 divided into fortress-engineers and field-engineers. The 

 former are employed in the construction of fortifica- 

 tions, and in conducting the attack and defence of for- 

 tified places. The duties of the latter consist in sur- 

 veying, reconnoitring, or drawing plans of positions, 

 directing the movements of an army during a march, 

 choosing proper ground for encampments, construct- 

 ing field fortifications and entrenchments, and point- 

 ing out the proper mode of attacking the fortified posi- 

 tions of an enemy. See FORTIFICATION. 



Besides the various descriptions of troops already 

 enumerated, almost every army is attended by a num- 

 ber of guides and pioneers. The business of the form- 

 er is to point out the best roads for an army on march ; 

 that of the latter to render the roads passable, by remo- 

 ving obstructions, &c. The sappers and miners are 

 employed in digging out ditches, and constructing other 

 works, in order to facilitate the approach to a fortress, 

 and in excavating the earth, and undermining the 

 ground, for the purpose of blowing up some part by 

 the explosion of gunpowder. 



The staff of an army consists of all those officers, to 

 whom is confided the care of commanding, directing, 

 and providing for the troops ; such as the general com- 

 manding, the quartermaster-general, adjutant-general, 

 commissary-general, provost marshal, physician and 

 chaplain to the forces, &c. with their respective aides- 

 de-camp, deputies, assistants, &c. 



The fatigues and dangers of war render it necessary Hospital* 

 to establish lazarettos and hospitals, with a requisite 

 number of physicians and surgeons, for the care of the 

 sick and wounded. Such of the sick as are danger- 

 ously ill, and require a tedious cure, are placed in the 

 lazarettos, which are generally situated in towns and 

 villages at some distance from the army. Others, whose 

 cases are more slight, are placed in the flying hospitals, 

 which follow the army, and require an hospital-train. 



Spies are also necessarily employed by an army; that 

 is, persons who, for money, endeavour to ascertain and 

 communicate the circumstances and intentions of the 

 enemy. These may be people belonging to the coun- 

 try occupied by the enemy ; persons who go in disguise 

 to procure information; or persons from among the 

 enemy themselves, who are bribed to discover all that 



Guides and 

 Pioneers. 



Staff. 



Spies. 



