APPENDIX. 351 



Oil the occasion of my visit on April 28, the various bat- 

 teries of the eighteenth regiment were having drills of various 

 kinds; other detachments were being drilled in signaling, 

 and while one of the school batteries was being drilled as a 

 mountain battery, the other battery had proceeded to the 

 plain of maneuver preparatory to the artillery practice which 

 was to take place. 



At the extreme end of the range to the south could be seen 

 (with glasses) the target, supposedly the enemy's artillery, 

 there being eight groups at proper intervals representing the 

 guns with their detachments. 



The battery (of six guns and three caissons) moved out from 

 their temporary resting place in column of sections — took up 

 the trot, and came " right front into battery " into their first 

 j)Osition (about 3,000 meters), obtained an approximate range 

 by use of a range-finder, and fired two or three shells ; then 

 rapid fire of shell and shrapnel for about two minutes (as 

 near as could be judged while watching the effect through 

 glasses) . The range seemed to be very accurate, as the shrap- 

 nel burst apparently a short distance in front and over the 

 line of targets. 



The actual result in hits had not been ascertained when I 

 left the field. 



A certain peculiarity in the ground must here be noted in 

 order to make intelligible what is to follow. There were 

 places across the plain of fire where the ground seemed to 

 break into parallel lines. 



Suddenly there was a sharp yell from someone, the guns, 

 which had ceased firing, were run by hand rapidly to the front 

 some 50 meters, and looking toward the gun targets I saw 

 what appeared to be the head of a column of infantry in com- 

 pany column a short distance to the right of the gun targets 

 and some 300 meters nearer; and I was informed by one of 

 the ofiicers that the yell meant, ' ' There comes the infantry in 

 column." 



In an incredibly short time the new range of the infantry 

 column target had been found by one or two shells ; and then 

 rapid fire with shrapnel (timed at the rate of one shot every 

 three seconds) filled the vicinity of the target with bursting 

 shrapnel for about one and one-half minutes. 



Then another sharp yell, and we could see suddenly a line 

 of soldiers' heads which appeared to spring out of the ground 



