M I L I T A R Y T A C T I C S. 



Of Biulrs. spring into the ditches anQ climb up, must be the work 

 < *^~Y~ -> of a moment. While the foremost are thus enriajjed, 

 those following them must, if necessary, keep the 

 breast-work clear by means of their fire. As soon as a 

 part have surmounted the breast-work, the rest must 

 immediately follow, place themselves on the top of the 

 breast- work, drive off every thing with their fire, and 

 even turn the enemy's cannon against himself. UiuKr 

 cover of this fire, the workmen clear the entrance* in 

 the neighbourhood, or make new ones, if necessary , to 

 admit the troops. If cavalry are employed, (which is 

 always the case when the ground will admit of it.) they 

 charge such of the enemy a* attempt to make a stand, 

 as toon aa a few squadrons are formed. If infantry, 

 they always endeavour to gain more and more ground, 

 and to drive off the enemy with their fire, until he 

 leave* the entrenchment entirely, when the different at- 

 tacks can unite and form line. In all attacks, it is of 

 advantage to conceal from the enemy the tnie point* at 

 which they are to be made ; and for this purjxxe all pos- 

 sible feints and stratagems should be employed that are 

 consistent with the attainment of our main obj- 

 Defence of The party acting on the defensive must first take care 

 a portion, that hi* flanks be secure, and hi* front strong and well 

 covered. He should then endeavour to discover the point 

 or points against which the enemy '(attack is directed ; and 

 when he perceives that a reinforced attack is intended, he 

 must strengthen that point in such a manner as the na- 

 ture of the ground, and of the troops employed by the 

 enemy, require. All the artillery that can be brought 

 to bear upon them must play upon the enemy's columns, 

 and particularly endeavour to harms* them while de- 

 ploying. If the enemy make the attack with infantry, 

 lie must be opposed by a strong fire along the whole 

 way to the attack, which, when properly executed, 

 should compel him to turn to the right about. If with 

 cavalry, they mutt either be charged by our own horse, 

 or opposed by infantry ; and, in the Utter case, we 

 should endeavour to manage matters so, that the caval- 

 ry, while in full charge, shall present the flank to a corpe 

 itantry potted near them, whose fire may easily 

 bring them into disorder. Otherwise, infantry must 

 await such an attack without firing, until the enemy 

 come within twenty paces, when a wall-timed general 

 charge will certainly drive back the cavalry. Our own 

 sustaining cavalry mu*t then break through the inter- 

 vals, and convert the disorder occasioned by the fire of 

 the infantry into a complete flight. If the enemy, while 

 inarching to the attack, thould give in an opportunity 

 of attacking him in flank, it should by no mean* be ne- 

 glect-! ; t'->r in this way an attack can frequently be 

 effectually and decisively repulsed. But, in suih a 

 caw, we must take good care not to expose our own flank. 

 When we have beaten back a part n( the assailants, 

 we must imt pursue them too keenly, but only endea- 

 vour to prevent the beaten troops from funning again, 

 which may ! done by mean* of light horse, or detached 

 troops. If the enemy, on the other hand, has penetrat- 

 ed any part of our line, the troops appointed to sustain 

 it must immediately come up, and endeavour to profit 

 by the confusion which is occasioned even by a success- 

 ful attack. The beaten troops must haxun to t<>rm 

 again, and attack the enemy. If we can fill up,.n |,i- 

 rianks, we hall the mor- certainly t'orre him to retire. 

 it is very eay to apply these general nil- s to the n irii- 

 eolar case*. 



Before leaving this subject, it may be proper to n- 

 pkin more minutely than we have hiihtrlo done, the 



mechanism of the different orders of battle; a perfect Of Haul . 

 knowledge of which is of the very first importance in '""Y""^ 

 military science. 



All the seven orders of battle winch tactical writers, Of the dif- 

 since the days of Vegetius, have described, may firent >"- 

 be reduced to these two the parallel and the ob- d<;r * of b * t ' 

 lique. The order is said to be parallel, when our l e 

 front is developed in a direction parallel to that of the 

 enemy, and can engage along its whole extent. This 

 is the most simple and natural disposition, and niu-t 

 have been generally adopted in the infancy of military 

 science. As knowledge increased, armies superior in 

 numbers would endeavour to avail themselves of their 

 superiority by turning the enemy's flanks ; hence the 

 disposition in form of a crescent, which is still practi>i'il 

 in the Turkish and Asiatic armies. On the other hand, 

 skilful general*, at the head of inferior armies, would 

 endeavour to discover the means of compensating the 

 disadvantage of inferior numbers by a more perfect sys- 

 tem of tactios. They would perceive that, by present- 

 ing a front parallel to a superior enemy, they exposed 

 themselve* to be surraiuulrd and beaten ; and they 

 would consequently be led to adopt ome other disposi- 

 tion, some science of movements, by means of which 

 they could bring a part of their forces to bear upon 

 some point of the enemy's line, while the rest were kept 

 back out of the reach of the enemy. Hence the oblique 

 order of battle ; the advantages of which were at length 

 found to be so great, that it was generally adopted by 

 all armies, whether superior or inferior in numbers, to 

 the utter exclusion of the parallel formation. The ad- 

 vantages of the oblique order are, that since its intro- 

 duction war has become a science of judicious combina- 

 tions, instead of a game of chance ; and that, as it does 

 not admit of a general engagement along the whole 

 line, the result of battles depends upon the ability of the 

 commanders more than upon the quantity of blood that 

 i* shed. Thi* order of battle was well known, and very 

 celebrated among the ancients ; but the King of Prussia 

 was the first commander, in modern times, who executed 

 it upon scientific principles, and adapted it to modern 

 tactics. 



In the oblique order of battle, it is not necessary that Of ih oi- 

 the front .-tumid precisely describe an oblique line, with l"iuordcr. 

 respect to the enemy'* front ; for it seldom happens that 

 the nature of the ground, and other circumstance*, will 

 admit of such a perfectly regular formation. Every 

 <!i-! : -ri. tlirn, may be called oblique in which we 

 a part of our forces to act againit trie enemy, 

 while the rest of the troops are kept out of his reach ; 

 every disposition, in short, in which we attack, with 

 superior numbers, one or more points of the enemy's 

 line, while the rest of our troops are placed beyond the 

 reach of being attacked by him. The advantage of 

 this order of battle consists in this, that, by attacking 

 some part of the enemy '> line with superior numbers, 

 we are enabled to penetrate and overwhelm it, to fall 

 upon his flank and rear, and thus force him to retire 

 from the field. 



I-' rmn the nature of the obi que order, the attack must 

 be directed against one of the enemy ', wings. The 

 main object to be attained by its means is to ni.-ike an 

 impression on the point ansailed, to continue tooulH.ink 

 it. and to turn its rear. To render the-e n ult* practi- 

 cable, it is necessary to reinforce the attacking wing, so 

 **s to give it .1 njieriority over the enemy ; and 



to prevent him from reinforcing the p.,int about to be 

 attacked, the atsailant must have recourse to every de- 



