32S 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
THE MINOR TACTICS OF FIELD ARTILLERY. 
BY 
LIEUT. H. W. L. IIIME, E.A., 
[“ TRUNNION.”] 
THE R.A. INSTITUTION PRIZE ESSAY OF 1871. 
(( Dio vennekrte Feuenvirkung del* Geschiifcze auf weitere und die verminderfce auf nahero 
Distanzen hat die Artillerie gezwungen deni Kampf auf weitere Entfernungen mehr Aufmerk- 
samkeit zuzuwenden, den auf niihere zu rermeiden.”— Boguslawski. “ Entwickelung dev TaJctik.” 
The officer commanding a battery of field artillery in action is called 
upon to solve a series of questions which may be classed under six 
heads, namely— 
1. Where to fire. 
2. When to fire. 
3. What to fire at. 
4. What to fire. 
5. When to move. 
6. How to move. 
There are many other questions of the highest importance connected 
with the use of artillery in the field—such as the proportion which the 
artillery of reserve ought to bear to the artillery of division, the proper 
constitution of the artillery of reserve, the circumstances under which 
artillery ought to be used in masses, &c., &c. But with such questions 
I am not at present concerned, because they belong to grand, not 
to minor tactics, and present themselves for solution rather to the 
Commander-in-Chief of an army in consultation with the officer com¬ 
manding’ the artillery than to officers commanding batteries. 
It remains, then, to consider successively the six great problems on 
whose correct solution the safety and success of a battery in action 
essentially depend. 
1 . Where to fire. 
In selecting the position for a battery, the ground must be considered 
both in plan and profile. 
As regards the profile of the ground, the guns must be placed neither 
