448 
R.A.I. PRIZE ESSAY, 1876 . 
the rear guard can effect must take its supports tke farther away from 
it. Under these circumstances, timeliness of retreat becomes a vital 
consideration to it; and hostile movements threatening its flanks or 
line of retreat must receive its instant attention. For such needs its 
dispositions—as in the case of the main body discussed above—must 
be deep, with much freedom for manoeuvre; and the proportion of 
artillery in reserve—or, if the. phrase be preferred, retained “ en dis- 
ponibilite "—greater than ever. The general occupation of the artil¬ 
lery will consist in demonstration—including reconnoitring, threatening, 
and challenging; its particular, but rarer, employment in the crushing 
of any immature effort of the assailant to break or drive the rear guard 
back. For the former, the longest ranges and the earliest oppor¬ 
tunities must be taken advantage of, with wide extension, rapid 
manoeuvre, unexpected conversions of front; and horse artillery, 
backed by cavalry, will be most suited for the immediate maintenance 
of this sort of intercourse with the enemy. For the latter, the most 
decisive ranges and the most critical periods of the enemy's advance 
must be awaited, and all available gun-power concentrated towards the 
place and the moment when the attack, checked by the containing 
influence of musketry fire, yet not itself arrived to a position for 
effective action, shall find itself exposed to the most rapid and certain 
artillery practice, carried out under the most convenient conditions. 
As its advance will have been arrested, and its further stay rendered 
disastrous, it may be expected to retire shattered towards its up-coming 
reinforcements. The defender—to whom, under rear-guard conditions, 
but little freedom of offensive return is usually allowable—will then, 
under the cover of a fresh disposition of artillery, securely re-enter his 
orderly retreat. 
Concluding Observation . 
As the influence exerted on infantry tactics by recent developments 
of the power of fire has been still in the direction of enhancing the 
dispersion of units together with the concentration of their action, so is 
it with all tactics which have fire^action for their end and aim. 
It has been sought in this paper to bring out into clearer view that 
Extension of Dispositions (both in width and depth), Mobility, and 
Eeadiness in Concentration of Effect (on that place and time which the 
relations with the other arms render decisively critical), are the ele¬ 
ments in the successful employment of artillery which have acquired 
the greatest increase of importance by the development of the new 
weapons and of their sphere of action: and that as, in times past, the 
stiff strength of Frederick the Great's line formations was broken by 
the rapidly combined action of the more mobile French divisions; as 
the solid Macedonian phalanx was overcome by the more nimble and 
more missile-weaponed Roman legion; as even the irresistible might 
of Goliath was brought to earth by the rapid manoeuvre and critically- 
timed action of David “ with his artilleryso now, and ever, must 
mere massive strength fall before a skilled application of means* 
