THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
239 
power of concentration would extend to 12 guns; the corps artillery 
under a colonel, with power of concentrating all the brigades in his corps 
or reserve. The major-general commanding all the artillery in the 
corps d’armee, under the orders of the general in command, would be able 
to concentrate all the divisional artillery, reinforce it from the reserve, or, 
in short, make such dispositions as might appear desirable. The only rule 
to be observed in attaching or detaching artillery would be, that so far 
as practicable a brigade should be kept inviolate—that is, work by 
two batteries instead of by single ones. If this organisation be well suited 
for active service, which is the prime consideration, I think it can be 
shewn that it is well suited to the every-day requirements of India, where 
half our field and horse artillery is permanently stationed, and where it 
is located with greater reference to military requirements than is neces¬ 
sary at home. You will observe that two batteries can always be contained 
within the territorial limits of a military division; also, that the reserve 
artillery can always be stationed, in the brigades I have recommended* 
at such points as the commander of the force may direct—such as 
Kirkee, &c. In some divisions of the army there are only two batteries* 
and these located at different stations. In such cases, the lieut.-colonel 
would be at the divisional head-quarters with his general. In others* 
where there are more batteries, a colonel would be stationed with the 
general in command of the whole, and the lieut.-colonels would join their 
brigades where concentrated; or if detached by single batteries, as a 
regiment is sometimes by wings or squadrons, then with such battery as 
the colonel of the district might direct. 
The same principle seems to be of easy application at home, by 
observing that batteries should be apportioned to military districts by 
even instead of by uneven numbers. The objection that presents itself 
to my mind against any larger unit than that of two batteries is* that 
except in actual war on a large scale you could not canton artillery, 
either at home or in India, without violating it; which involves all the 
inconveniences of the present system. On the other hand, by the 
adoption of a fighting unit which is equally convenient for our army 
in peace, we obtain for the artillery all the advantages of the regimental 
system. The advantage to a general is manifest, of receiving into his 
division his complement of artillery in one homogeneous brigade, as 
compared with receiving such complement made up of batteries 
strange, perhaps, to each other, and to the lieut.-colonel who might be 
appointed to their command. Sir A. Frazer expressed his opinion very 
strongly upon this head after the Waterloo campaign. I think, too, it 
is only by such an organisation that the field artillery can enter into 
that intimate association with the other arms which is so essential to 
the general development of tactical knowledge. Is there not something 
unworkmanlike in the way single batteries move from one military 
district to another, describing an eccentric orbit round a brigade 
head-quarters, stationed somewhere for no very obvious reason, and 
unrecognisable by the general officers under whom the batteries are 
serving ? I fear that to any but artillerymen our present system is a 
kind of Asian mystery, and it is a matter of doubt whether the oldest 
army staff officers thoroughly fathom it. Perhaps no step could be 
more conducive to the feeling in the minds of general officers that the 
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