284 



MILITARY TACTICS. 



Or Move- keep our design concealed ; that our movement should 

 ments. j,e u] a( ] e with celerity ; and that previous arrange- 

 ""~ Y ~ ments should be made for removing all obstacles which 

 might obstruct or detain the army, as well as for 

 enabling it to accomplish the march, and attain its ob- 

 ject with safety. Secrecy, indeed, is not always con- 

 sistent with these previous arrangements; and it will 

 require much skill and knowledge of the country to 

 combine both in as great a degree as possible. Fa- 

 vourable circumstances, too, are requisite to enable 

 us to secure the means of success by previous arrange- 

 ments ; but it may sometimes be done by occupying 

 some place or post with a detachment, or some defile 

 which the enemy must pass, in order to prevent the 

 object of our movement. In this case, it is necessary 

 that the place or post which we have occupied, or the 

 defile, be so situated as to prevent the enemy from oc- 

 cupying the position which he means to take up ; and 

 then all the rules which we formerly laid down, with 

 respect to detachments, must be observed. 



Combined A combined movement is one, in which the divi- 

 inovemeut. sions of the army march without being able to form 

 one contiguous order of battle. It is often employed, 

 because it enables us to execute the movement with 

 greater rapidity ; it has the effect of diverting the at- 

 tention of the enemy ; and it gives us an opportunity 

 to make an attack in more places than one, either upon 

 the whole of the enemy's army, or on some large 

 corps, or to hem in some of his troops. In such ope- 

 rations, it is necessary that all the divisions of the army 

 should be secure during the march ; and this may be 

 the case, 1. When we are certain that the enemy is ig- 

 norant of our movement, either because it has been 

 kept completely concealed, or because all the passes 

 have been secured, so that we can obtain immediate 

 intelligence of all his motions on any of the marching 

 divisions. 2. When every division has a route which 

 secures its retreat, in case of the enemy's approach. 

 3. When each division is always certain of finding po- 

 sitions on its march, which will enable it to maintain 

 itself until others come to its assistance. 4. When 

 the enemy, in attacking one of our divisions, would be 

 certain of being himself attacked by another on his 

 flank, before he could beat the first. 



March by The march by divisions following each other is 

 diTisions adopted, when great defiles prevent the march of the 

 following whole army ; when one part of the army, which can 

 each other. move with greater rapidity, is previously dispatched 

 in order to secure the means of performing the march 

 with the whole army ; or, when we have not wholly 

 determined upon performing the movement, but wish 

 to have a start. In the first case, there must be no 

 chance of the divisions being exposed to an attack, 

 either in the defile itself, or in the debouche from it. 

 In the second case, the division in advance must either 

 be able to maintain its ground until the army comes to 

 its assistance, or to make its retreat without any disad- 

 vantage to itself or the rest of the army. To which 

 we may add, with regard to the third case, that the 

 dispatching the division in advance must not inter- 

 fere with, far less render impossible any other move- 

 ment of the army, which may be afterwards found ne- 

 cessary. 



How to In order to prevent the enemy from attaining his 



prevent the object by any movement, we may remain obstinately 

 movemnts j n our position, if it be such as gives us an opportuni- 

 ty of inflicting such injury upon him, as must neces- 

 sarily detain him ; or we may move ourselves to the 

 place of his destination, or to an opposite quarter, 



either with the whole or a part of the army. We Of Move- 

 should march with the whole army towards the place ments. 

 of the enemy's destination, when we know for certain ^~Y~~ 

 that he will, or that he must move to that point; or 

 that we should risk a great deal by suffering him to 

 accomplish his object, but would be in no danger 

 should he afterwards relinquish it, and even make 

 some other movement. In this case, the army must 

 be prepared for battle, if it should not be thought 

 preferable merely to encamp opposite to that of the 

 enemy, with a defile between. We should march 

 with a part of the army towards the enemy's point of 

 destination, either when the enemy himself employs 

 only a part of his force, or when a part of the army is 

 sufficient to frustrate the enemy's design ; for example, 

 when the object is to prevent the passage of a defile, 

 which a part of the army can defend against the whole 

 force of the enemy ; or, in case of the investment of a for- 

 tress, where the mere reinforcement of the garrison 

 with one or two thousand men is frequently sufficient 

 to frustrate the whole enterprize. 



We may move with the whole army in an opposite 

 direction, 1. When we are certain of being able to in- 

 flict upon the enemy a blow, which will be of more 

 consequence than any advantage which lie could de- 

 rive from his movement. 2. When we are equally 

 certain that the apprehension of the blow which we 

 may strike will compel him to abandon his design. 

 We may employ only a part of the army in such a 

 movement, if a part be sufficient to inflict the intended 

 blow ; if it be necessary that we should be prepared, 

 after executing the blow, to move in the direction 

 which the enemy has taken ; if we be uncertain whe- 

 ther the enemy may not abandon his design, from ap- 

 prehension of the blow which we threaten ; or, if by 

 withdrawing the whole army from the position which 

 it occupies, we should expose ourselves to danger. 



Feigned marches are such as are made, not for the Feigned 

 purpose of accomplishing our real design, but in order marches, 

 to induce the enemy to make some movements, which 

 shall enable us more effectually to attain our object. 

 These may also be performed, either with the whole 

 or a part of the army. The design with which we 

 blind the enemy, must be a probable one, and such 

 as he may easily take for our true object. The more 

 probable the better ; and best of all when it may be 

 converted into the true one. When such a movement 

 is made with the whole army, we must take care that 

 it do not lead us too far from our real object, much 

 less give the enemy an opportunity of rendering it en- 

 tirely abortive. For this reason, the movement is fre- 

 quently performed slowly, the army is extended, and 

 the advanced guard, especially the light troops, spread 

 far out in front. The movement is generally perform- 

 ed by dispatching a division of the army towards that 

 side on which the feint is made, with a number of 

 light troops to conceal its real strength. And should 

 the enemy follow this division, we may then move 

 with the rest of the army, or a part of it, towards the 

 true object. In this case, it will be of advantage if it 

 be not necessary for the detached corps to form a junc- 

 tion with us before we commence our movement; 

 but that we begin at once, and at the same time, send 

 an order for its return. Meanwhile, false reports with 

 respect to our designs may be circulated, but in such a 

 way as may induce the enemy to believe them to be 

 true. The corps which is detached for the purpose of 

 executing the feigned movement, must, of course, be 

 under no apprehensions for its own safety. 



