THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
347 
THE 
PRUSSIAN MODE OF CONDUCTING LARGE 
MANOEUVRES. 
A LECTURE DELIVERED AT THE R.A. INSTITUTION, WOOLWICH, EEB. 7, 1871, 
BY 
LXEUT.-COLONEL E. W. BRAY, 
4th king’s own royal regiment of infantry. 
Major-General C. Dickson, C.B., V.C., Inspector General of Artillery, in the Chair. 
Subjects :— 
I.—Prussian mode of conducting large manoeuvres , and the manner in which a staff of 
Umpires is used for the purpose of controlling and regulating such manoeuvres. 
II.—The necessity of introducing a more intelligent system of manoeuvre and a higher 
system of training amongst the Regimental Officers of the English army. 
Captain Alexander Dickson Burnaby, R.A., Secretary of the 
•Royal Artillery Institution, having introduced the lecturer to the 
meeting, 
Lieutenant-Colonel Bray said: Gentlemen, I visited Berlin and 
Pomerania in the autumn of 1868, with Major-General Sir Charles 
Staveley and three other officers, for the purpose of witnessing the 
field manoeuvres of the Prussian army, which I had long been 
anxious to do from what I had read of the practical teaching 
given to the troops, superior officers, and staff, by the peculiar 
manner in which their sham battles, campaigns, and attacks were 
carried out. I was, at the time, greatly impressed with the skill 
and military science with which these manoeuvres were carried 
out—the wonderful similarity and reality to war itself which was 
made apparent by the manner in which the work was executed, 
and the great practical results attained by the high training in the 
higher branches of military knowledge of the art of war which was 
given to the troops—cavalry, artillery, and infantry, and intendance 
or control departments—and the immense advantages conferred on 
generals, colonels, majors, captains, lieuterfants, and staff officers of 
every degree. 
The instruction conferred on officers by witnessing the execution 
of manoeuvres in a time of peace by the Prussians is so great, that I 
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