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They impede, and are injurious and destructive to the army; they have been 
the cause of many unfortunate delays, the consequence of which has proved 
fatal to this as well as other countries. Great experience is requisite in an 
officer, before he can he a judge of making a proper proportion for the artillery 
service; because, as often as the nature of the service differs, so must the pro¬ 
portion. To send heavy artillery with hussars and light infantry, would be as 
ridiculous as to send a party of artillery a snipe shooting with a heavy 24-pr.; 
and to order cannon to take post and tire on troops in cover or intrenched 
(and where a common musquet would do much better), would be the sacri¬ 
ficing your officers and men, and in the end perhaps the loss of your guns. 
It is not every officer can judge of the fittest position for guns, however; it is 
necessary for the information of officers who have not had experience, to be 
told that whenever they can command a range of 5GO yards with their guns, 
to begin the attack against troops. Let the officer of artillery be assured that 
the troops can never advance so far upon him as to do him any material 
hurt; but let him remember, at the same time, never to take his guns to begin 
the attack with troops, within 100 yards of them—especially if they are in 
cover or intrenched—except he is absolutely ordered ; and so sure as that 
happens, so sure the party and guns are sacrificed. Whenever light guns 
are sent on detachments, the ammunition and intrenching tools* carriages 
should be light for expedition—the more the weight is divided the better; 
I therefore by no means approve of any ammunition being laid on the 
limbers of the guns* carriages. As a proof of this assertion, I shall give a 
copy from my journal in America. 
Schuylee’s Island, 
August 31st, 1777* 
“ Ordered 3 of my constructed carts to bring 24 cwt. of ammunition from Fort 
George, each carrying 8 Cwt., 2 horses to each cart. They got here in 6 hours; 
distance about 19 miles. 
cc Ordered at the same time, 2 artillery wagons, each to have 9 horses, and to 
bring 24 cwt.—that is, 12 cwt. each. They were 2 days in performing what the 
cart did in 6 hours. 
“ Beware that you are not bit by your great professors of mathematics, and 
your great projectors, especially on service-—from them. Good Lord deliver me! 
At the same time, it is highly and absolutely necessary to have a proper 
knowledge of the mathematics. Never make use of block with three sheves 
wdien one with two will do; nor one with two, when a single one will do much 
better—in short, never incumber yourself with mechanical powers to move 
what can be done by hand, nor put blocks and tackles to drag what can be 
carried by a few men on their shoulders. Theory must be usefull, but there 
must be practice to make perfect. I have seen men who could neither read 
nor write, make much better use of mechanical powers than all the masters 
of the Academy could do, were they to be put altogether. I should have 
but little dependance on them at a siege, nor indeed have I ever been under 
the necessity of calling any of the engineers to our assistance; neither have 
I ever been able to come at what the real duty of an engineer is in the field. 
I have heard some of them say that the laying platforms is not part of their 
duty. 
(t There is no part of the service where officers are more mistaken than in 
