292 



MILITARY TACTICS. 



f Battles, lusive art to mask his real design, until the onset is ac- 

 > ""Y" I * tually commenced. Then the attack must proceed with 

 vigour and rapidity ; no time must be suffered to elapse 

 which might allow the enemy an opportunity to recol- 

 lect himself. The onset must be as furious as it is un- 

 expected, and he must be overthrown, even before he 

 has had leisure to fire a shot. 



In operating thus with a concentrated effort upon one 

 of the extremities of the enemy's line, measures, as we 

 have already hinted, must be taken to make this attack 

 practicable, by masking the preparatory movements ; 

 for, without this precaution, it would be in the power 

 of the hostile army to move in a corresponding direction 

 with the columns intending to turn its flank, and to con- 

 tinue to present a front to them, or even to turn their 

 own flanks. Hence it is necessary to conceal the march 

 of the columns by the obscurity of the night, the con- 

 formation of the ground, or by a false attack upon the 

 enemy's front. The two last methods are to be pre- 

 ferred, especially if they can be employed both toge- 

 ther, because movements by night are more liable to 

 uncertainty and irregularity than those made by day. 

 In order to alarm a greater extent of front, it may be 

 preferable to act with a corps of light troop?, distributed 

 in platoons, rather than with a continued line in the 

 shape of an advanced guard. This skirmishing force 

 might, according to circumstances, be augmented to six 

 or eight battalions ; and a point should be indicated to 

 them upon which they are finally to close, and where 

 they will be sustained by cavalry and light artillery. 

 This method has the twofold advantage of perplexing 

 the enemy, in regard to the real importance of the false 

 attacks, and the number of troops employed in them ; 

 and also of attracting the attention, and keeping in 

 check the greater part of his front, while the columns 

 are marching to their destination. 



Formation The oblique order may be executed either in line, or 

 in line, or en echelon. When formed in line, the disposition pre- 

 ea echelon. sen t s an oblique front in a half quarter of conversion, 

 PLATE ( Plate CCCLXXXIII. Fig. 39. When formed by ec/,e- 

 CCCLXXXIII. Ions, each battalion and squadron is out-flanked on the 

 J-'ig. 39. s i(] e where the attack is made by the battalion or squa- 

 dron next it, to the extent of a certain number of paces 

 more or less considerable, according to the number of 

 troops of which each column is composed, and the de- 

 gree of obliquity required in our disposition. All that 

 part of the army, however, which is destined for the 

 attack, forms a sort of hammer in front, placed in the 

 common order, (Fig 40. ) This disposition by echelons, 

 instead of being formed by battalion and squadron, 

 may be taken by regiment or brigade, and even by 

 more considerable corps ; these corps being placed by 

 tclielons at some distance from each other, so as to be 

 able to support each other mutually when necessary, 

 and to occupy the positions which can best prevent 

 their being exposed to an attack, and enable them to 

 deceive the enemy. Of these two modes of forming 

 the oblique order, in line, or by echelons, the first is 

 merely elementary and methodical. It may be well 

 to practise it in camps of instruction, in order to make 

 the officers acquainted with the nature and object of 

 the oblique order. The second mode, which is derived 

 from the first, is more simple, easier in its deployment, 

 more applicable to all sorts of ground, and more sus- 

 ceptible of manoeuvre and action when the disposition 

 is formed. There are various ways of forming these 



oblique dispositions, which the reader will find de- 

 scribed by Guibert and other tactical writer?. Mean- 

 while, we shall notice another species of the oblique 

 order, in which the army, although not drawn up 

 obliquely in front of the enemy, places itself, cither 

 from the nature of the ground, or the skilfulness of its 

 movements, in such a situation as enables it to make 

 an attack upon one or more points, while it is itself 

 out of reach of the enemy upon those parts of its line 

 which it is desirous of refusing. This is the order 

 which is most, generally adopted in actual warfare, be- 

 cause it seldom happens that battles are fought on 

 plains absolutely smooth and open, where, consequently, 

 the dispositions may be made without regard to the 

 nature of the ground, and in the regular obliquity 

 established by principle*. We are almost always com- 

 pelled to abandon this regularity, in order to avail 

 ourselves of the advantageous positions which are pre- 

 sented by the iinture of the country, either to favour 

 the illusion which we wish to practise upon the enemy, 

 or to secure the weak parts of our line. Thus, the or- 

 der of battle at Lissa, or Leuthen, may be called an 

 oblique disposition, although certainly the army of the 

 King of Prussia was not drawn up obliquely to the 

 front of the Austrians ; but he attacked with a strong 

 body their left wing, took it in flank and overwhelmed 

 it, while, at the same time, he availed himself of a chain 

 of heights, opposite to their right -and centre, in order 

 to deceive them, to keep them in check, and to place 

 in an excellent defensive position, the rest of his army, 

 which was weakened by the reinforcements he drew 

 to his right. 



The methods of marching and fighting invented and 

 carried into execution by the great Frederick, form an 

 admirable study for all who would acquire a perfect 

 knowledge of military dispositions On examining 

 the Prussian orders of march, at the battles of Kol- 

 lin, Rossbach. and Leuthen, (Plates CCCLXXX1V. 

 CCCLXXXV. CCCLXXXVI. and CCCLXXXVlI.) 

 it will be seen that the armies moved in columns by a 

 flank,* each line forming a column ; and that this or- 

 der of march was obtained by simply breaking the lines 

 into open columns of companies. It will be equally 

 easy to perceive with what facility these columns again 

 formed in order of battle, by wheeling into line. The 

 following are the advantages which this method offers 

 for all kinds of marches and orders of battle. 1. By 

 means of this order of march, the army can make all 

 its movements without being disunited ; and, conse- 

 quently, it is not liable to have its right or left columns 

 successively overpowered, since the whole is formed in 

 two only, with no more distance between them than is 

 usual between the first and second lines. 2 The ene- 

 my cannot penetrate between these columns, or cut 

 them off'. 3. By taking the direction which the line 

 of battle is to occupy, the army, on arriving upon the 

 ground, can be formed in a few minutes ; that is, in 

 the time required for all the divisions to whe;'l into the 

 allignement. It is only necessary to cover this march 

 with an advanced guard, which will answer the double 

 purpose of protecting the army, and of keeping the 

 enemy in suspense respecting the real point of attack. 

 4. The army having no other distances to observe, to 

 form into two lines, than the two hundred or three 

 hundred paces between the two columns, and that be- 

 tween platoons, there can be no difficulty in executing 



Of Battle. 



Orders of 

 march and 

 of battle 

 executed 

 by the 

 King of 

 Pmwtak 



1'lATES 



CCCLXXMV. 



CL'CLkXXV. 



CCCLXNZVI. 



CCCLXXXVI!. 



* It is not meant as a.moYement made in files, but a march by platwns, divisions, or companies, in column of the whole army, right 

 or left in front. 



