THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
34-5 
tlie one brancli to try to become acquainted witb tbe details of tbe 
other, with the ultimate view of being able to act at the proper moment 
and in such a manner as to obtain the greatest possible advantage by 
the correct combination of the powers of the two arms. 
To return, then, to the subject. 
The guns should remain unlimbered after the cavalry have passed 
on to the charge, so as to be ready to open fire, should a favourable 
opportunity offer, in the case of their being beaten back.... As soon, 
however, as it is seen that the cavalry have got the best of the affair, 
the horse artillery should limber up and advance to the front, so as to 
give the retreating enemy a few farewell shots on the cavalry desisting 
from further work. 
Then in retreating, a brigade of horse artillery and cavalry should be 
worked on the same principles. 
On the order being given to retire, the guns of that part of the 
brigade which is to go back first should do so—about 200 yds.—at full 
gallop (an exception must be made in favour of the horse artillery to 
the general rule that all retirements should be done at a walk, or at 
most at a trot), so as to bring the guns into use again as soon as 
possible ; but the cavalry of this retiring part of the brigade should go 
back at a walk, and the guns in front should not cease firing until the 
retiring cavalry have fronted in line with their own guns. 
It is now usual for the guns in front to cease firing as soon as the 
retired guns have opened fire, but this should not be done. The retire¬ 
ment, as a whole, should be accomplish ed slowly—that is, at a walk by the 
cavalry; but by allowing the horse artillery to gallop back, it is evident 
that a great deal more effect is gained than by the usual way of making 
them walk back in line with the cavalry ; for during the whole retire¬ 
ment every gun is actually in action, except for the few minutes taken up 
in the 400-yard gallops (200 to the already retired guns and 200 beyond 
them), whereas, as a rule, at present only one gun out of every two is 
actually in use during the whole time taken up in walking to the rear. 
The slow retirement of the cavalry next the enemy is well covered 
the whole time by the first retired guns, and nearly the whole time by 
its own guns as well. The cavalry should not get the order to go about 
until the horse artillery with which it is associated has actually moved 
off to the rear* As a rule now, the cavalry commander forgets that 
after the order to retire is given, the horse artillery haYe to discharge 
their guns, sponge them out, limber up, and mount their horses before 
they can start j and very frequently he goes off leaving the guns behind 
him, instead of seeing them clear off before he moves. 
By this method of retiring, should an opportunity offer for the cavalry 
to charge, their men and horses are quite fresh and fit for such work at 
any moment; and the horse artillery horses have abundance of breathing 
time while standing still between the successive gallops to the rear. 
The reason for the horse artillery being made to gallop to the rear 
should not only be known to the horse artillery themselves, but pub¬ 
lished to the army; so that, should retreat ever become necessary, no 
panic would be occasioned by the now unusual sight of a portion of an 
army going back at a dashing pace. 
