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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
In an advance on the enemy, it is to some one of these that the favourable 
opportunity is presented, having the means he takes advantage of it, and 
so the object of the commander and general purpose of the battalion is 
gained, or if the company is repulsed another takes up its work without any 
complication in the battalion. 
It is very rarely that the whole battalion is deployed into line, nor is 
there the same occasion for deploying when the battalion can be so readily 
broken up into its four component parts, either of which can be deployed 
separately. I myself heard General Her war th find fault with a battalion 
which he had seen deploy into one line to fire, he said in his opinion it was 
rare to find a sufficient length of even ground to make it really worth while 
to deploy and deliver the fire of the whole of a battalion on war strength 
of 1000 men; he preferred the deployment of companies, which could be 
easier employed precisely where wanted and whose fire would then tell 
effectively. 
The volley fire of the company or of the subdivision is much employed, 
notably in connexion with skirmishing; if the skirmishers are being over¬ 
powered at any point, so that a heavy fire is particularly required to be 
delivered from part of a line of skirmishers, a subdivision (zug), or the 
main body of the company which has been in support, doubles up into line 
with the skirmishers, fires a rapid succession of volleys till the purpose is 
accomplished and again retires. Such volleys are called Kleine salve; it is 
a mode of delivering fire which is worth calling attention to, it seems much 
relied on in Prussia, and with justice. 
The number of rounds now carried in the field by the Prussian soldier 
is 80, in the war of 1866 it was 60; with regard to the general question 
of preventing the too rapid firing away of cartridges, it appears that this is 
met in Prussia by giving the battalions the fewest possible opportunities of 
firing indiscriminately; independent file firing is recognised in their drill 
but seems very seldom resorted to the system of firing volleys rapidly from 
small bodies taking its place, these are delivered by word of command and 
so the men are kept under control. At the manoeuvres on one occasion, I 
saw a company going through the motions of firing repeated volleys by 
word of command without ammunition, I thought naturally that they had 
expended all they had and were aiming only for show, as they were standing 
on the defensive in a critical position ; suddenly, however, the officer indulged 
his men with one real round; it was simply that he had his men well in hand 
and was husbanding his ammunition. As was said above, not more 
skirmishers are sent out than necessary, and long lines are seldom deployed 
to fire, whence results much economy in expenditure of ammunition. 
Artillery . The field battery equipment is light and adapted for rapid 
movement over long distances, six men can be carried-with the gun, in¬ 
dependently of the wagon, viz. a mounted No. 1, three men on limber, and 
two on axle-tree seats, these seats are safe and comfortable, they have 
cylindrical springs of india-rubber which it is said wear very well. 
The gun carriages have unequal wheels in carriage and limber, and they 
look clumsy, but they can lock in a right angle, and their centre of gravity 
being very low they are very difficult to upset. 
