THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
477 
REMARKS WITH REFERENCE TO 
MOBILITY OF LIGHT FIELD ARTILLERY. 
BY 
LIEUT.-COLONEL G. CARLETON, R.A. 
It may be assumed that our present light field battery system will be 
changed before long. A system that either necessitates gunners 
accompanying light field guns in action on foot, or else requires them to 
be carried for the most part on the ammunition wagons of their battery, 
is surely far behind the requirements of an age of such improved small- 
arms and rapid and open infantry manoeuvring as the present. 
It is a question whether all light field artillery should not be organ¬ 
ised as horse artillery; but even should this not be done in future, we 
may at least take for granted that our light field artillery will have its 
gunners all carried into action with their guns, while none will, under 
any circumstances, be mounted upon the ammunition wagons. We 
have now, perhaps, arrived at as high a degree of perfection in our 
light field guns and their projectiles as the present condition of science 
and the mechanical arts admits of; and attention, stimulated by the 
events of the late war, is at last being turned to the imperfect mobility 
of our light field batteries. It is hardly too much to say that organised 
as at present, none of them can be pronounced thoroughly fit. In 
addition to the defect above referred to it may be added that, packed 
as light field limbers and w T agons now are with knapsacks, camp- 
kettles, tents, &c., they are injuriously over-weighted and hampered; 
and yet with all this, the manoeuvres laid down in the field artillery 
exercise book are drawn out on the supposition that the wagons move 
with and conform to their guns. Surely all drill instruction ought to 
be given with a view to adaptability on service. 
The want of mobility due to three-fourths of the gunners having to 
walk, is now so thoroughly appreciated that it is unnecessary to dwell 
upon it; but there is another point of hardly less importance concerning 
this defect upon which I beg leave to offer a few remarks, in the hope 
that the attention of others better able to discuss the matter may 
be attracted. I allude to our present form of ammunition wagons. 
It is obvious we must include in the term mobility the mode in which 
ammunition can best be kept supplied in action, no less than the manner 
in which the men can be brought up to work the guns. 
As a chain is no stronger than its weakest link, so the mobility of 
light field artillery is no more perfect than its least perfect detail; and 
to be able to move men and guns promptly from one position to another 
will be of comparatively small avail, unless the guns can be readily 
supplied with ammunition under fire beyond what accompanies them in 
the gun-limbers. In this respect we appear capable of improvement 
quite as much in our horse as in our light field battery artillery—nay 
