452 
THE VALUE OF MOBILITY FOR FIELD ARTILLERY. 
flank attack was of the greatest effect, and that Admiral Jaureguiberry, 
who commanded the 1st French Division, was led to imagine by it that 
his left was about to be assailed by over-powering hostile forces. 
We must leave the main battle now, and glance at another example 
of mobility on the part of batteries at the other end of the arena. 
We have shown with what readiness the Horse Artillery guns of the 
17th Division hurried forward to assail the other flank of the French. 
The remaining batteries followed their example no less satisfactorily, 
but I would pass over their achievements, since we have no space to 
devote to a detailed account of them, to call your attention to the action 
of those of the 22nd Division. This division had assembled on the 
morning of the battle on the east of Tivernon, and at 9 o’clock set out 
to march by Santilly on Baigneux. 
When it arrived at Baigneux (about six miles as the crow flies) 
between 11 and 11.30 o’clock, its leader, General von Wittich, learnt 
news of the fighting before him and sent forward his six batteries 
some two miles further to attack the enemy who were assailing Lumeau. 
It is not my purpose here to enter into a minute description of how this 
mass of guns acted ; of how its component parts prepared the way for 
and supported the attack of the infantry to which it was attached, or 
to tell in the words of the official narrative how it forced its way on¬ 
ward at “ trot and gallop,” and, finally, how it poured its concentrated 
fire at the most effective ranges,” from south-west of Anneux, into 
the flank of the French attack. Nor shall I ask you to consider the 
no less workmanlike mauner in which the guns of the 17th Division 
were handled on the west of Lumeau. For what is more relevant to 
the special subject we are considering is another brilliant illustration 
of activity which the six Field Batteries of the 22nd Division were to 
give when news reached its commander that the 15th French Corps 
had advanced past Artenay on the road to Paris, and that its 3rd Div¬ 
ision had fallen on the 3rd German Brigade of cavalry near Dambron 
and driven it back. The foe had then turned towards Poupry, per¬ 
ceiving the 22nd Division fighting as has been described. 
Yon Wittich promptly wheeled his division round on its left to face 
the new danger, and his Artillery Commander, Colonel von Bronikowski, 
personally led three Field Batteries, in line at full interval, at a trot 
across country to the south of Poupry where he brought them into 
action. The other three batteries followed no less rapidly in the same 
formation, and were soon unlitnbered in line with the others on their 
right flank. 
Thus these batteries, like those of the Guard at Wagram, were 
snatched out of one battle and hurried across country to interpose with 
most effective energy in another widely distant from the first, and, 
having just carried out a flank attack, now turned their energies to 
repel one. The exact distance traversed by these batteries in this last 
change of position is a little more than two miles. The stretch of 
ground covered does not strike one as enormous, nevertheless I think 
every artillery officer will admit that for Field Batteries, and two of 
them were Heavy Field Batteries, to advance in line at a trot across a 
a cultivated plain such as lay between Loigny and Poupry after all 
