THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
433 
THE MOBILITY OF FIELD ARTILLERY; 
PAST AND PRESENT. 
BY LIEUT. II. W. L. H1ME, E.A. 
[No. I.] 
“ Le premier merite cle l’artillerie, aprds la bravouric des canoniers et la justesse du tir, 
c’est la mobilite.”— Marmont. “Esprit des Institutions Militaires.” 
Motion is the essential difference between the two great branches of the 
artillery service/ being as necessarily included in the conception of field 
artillery as it is necessarily excluded from the notion of garrison artillery; 
The latter is the artillery of rest, the former is the artillery of motion, and an 
immovable field artillery is a contradiction in terms. Placed in a given 
position in a given work, garrison guns are as irrevocably fixed as the work 
itself, and their fire is the one important point to which our attention is ex¬ 
clusively directed, Pield guns, on the other hand, must share in the move¬ 
ments of the army of which they form part, whether on the march or in action^ 
whether advancing or retiring, whether pressing a pursuit or covering a 
retreat; and in using them we have to consider not only their fire, but the 
position from which their fire is delivered. 1 2 
The advantages which a good position confers on field artillery, whether 
acting offensively or defensively, are twofold. Pirstly, it increases many 
times the physical effect of the guns, while experience shows that it magnifies 
their moral effect to an extent which it would be impossible to predict before 
the event, and difficult to explain after it. Secondly, it diminishes in a sur¬ 
prising degree the loss arising from an enemy's fire, and it may secure the 
battery against a coup de main. The following examples will show that I do 
not over-estimate the value of a good position 
At the combat of Golymin; 1806, Captain Chopin, by skilfully placing two 
guns and a howitzer—the only French guns that could be got into action— 
behind a trivial rise of ground, was enabled to keep at bay a large force of 
1 “ Field Artillery Tactics,” p. 1. New York, 1864—the American field artillery drill book. 
2 “ Bulletin des Sciences Militaires,” Tom. II. p. 250. Thiroux, “ Instruction de l’Artillerie,” 
p. 365. Grewenitz, “Traite de l’Org, et de la Tact. del’Art.” p. 155. Fave, “Hist, et Tact, des 
Trois Armes,” p. 404. 
[VOL. VI.] 
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