THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
449 
The members of the bands are not to be considered merely as musicians 
for service in peace, they are no less than soldiers whose function before the 
enemy is to cheer and encourage their comrades; they are therefore not to be 
sent to the rear at the beginning of an engagement, their place in action is 
with the main body of their corps ; as they belong to the corps, so as brave 
soldiers they should stand with it in action by the side of their combatant 
comrades, helping them to win success, and ready to conquer or fall with 
them; as they share the dangers so they will also share the glory of their 
corps. 
When the army is marching in several parallel columns, and one of them 
becomes engaged whilst the others have no enemy opposed to them, then 
the thunder of the cannon gives the direction which the detached corps 
ought to follow. 
Officers of the general staff, and adjutants hasten to the front to take 
orders and convey them to the advancing troops. This principle is valid 
also for smaller detachments in a similar case who have no enemy opposed 
to them, and are not tied by precismarders. 
* * 
A. , ,..S\ 
IV.-4 -'Conduct of Escort for (duns. 
The recently attained greatViewer of manoeuvre of the 
artillery, coupled with the destrmfffverprrwer of its action, raises it at once 
to the highest rank as a weapon for offence and for defence, and enables it 
to take part with the other two arms in nearly all the operations of war; 
to open general actions, and through the almost irresistible effect it has 
recently acquired, to decide them. 
In spite of these extraordinary advantages this arm is often, owing to 
circumstances of ground, or when in movement, quite incapable of offence, 
and in hand-to-hand fight with infantry or cavalry is equally deprived of 
defensive power. Tactical independence is wanting to it, for which reason 
it almost always needs the protection of the other arms. 
In order therefore to put a battery in a condition to be able to respond 
to the calls made upon it, it must not only be protected from the immediate 
attempts of the enemy through the mutual support afforded by the mode of 
placing the troops in order of battle, but a suitable permanent escort should 
be given it to protect men and horses from all annoyance from individual 
skirmishers, from troopers, or from detachments, as well also as from 
surprises in the gun park. 
The battery escort of a battery attached to infantry should consist of four 
under officers and twenty-four men (as far as possible good skirmishers) 
under an officer. In the case of a battery attached to cavalry, or generally 
with horse artillery batteries, the escort should consist of a detachment of 
the strength of half a squadron. 
This escort will always be accorded to the battery before the enemy, and 
during the execution of field manoeuvres in peace, but in the case of purely 
tactical exercises only so far as may be necessary to make the men thoroughly 
conversant with their duties. 
Should the battery however be engaged in some more extensive and inde¬ 
pendent enterprise, its commandant should look to the commander of the 
