340 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
NOTES ON AETUIEEI TACTICS. 
BY 
LT.-COL. W. J. WILLIAMS, C.B., E.A. 
Attack. 
1. The fir© of artillery from a “ distance ” would not inflict much 
loss upon an enemy awaiting our attack. 
Villages, detached buildings, walls, and even entrenchments might 
be more or less ruined by our fire from a distance; but except in the 
case of setting a place in flames and making it untenable, we should 
have almost wasted much ammunition. The power of the defence 
would be very little impaired. The enemy would not let his men 
remain in any place we cannonaded : he would mark his front, in the 
open, only by guns at full interval and infantry in extended order: the 
intended defenders of places in his line, his supports, and all his real 
strength, would be retired out of the zone of our fire. From a distance, 
we could not sufficiently well note the movements within his lines 
which the enemy would make to withdraw his people from our fire. 
A well directed fire of shell or shrapnel takes effect upon only a narrow 
belt of ground. Except where his guns stood in action, or where a 
few infantry might lie in extended order, the enemy would take care 
to avoid the dangerous ground with all his people. 
2. It would be advisable to commence a battle with a cannonade ai> 
a moderate range. 
The front of an enemy in position would always be marked, at least, 
by guns placed in first line to fire upon us as soon as we should come 
within range. It would be well to engage at once an artillery duel 
with those guns of the enemy, and at the same time to cannonade any 
places in his line. Our principal object in this cannonade and artillery 
combat^ would be to occupy the attention of the enemy along his line, 
whilst we should reconnoitre the field of battle and form our plan of 
attack, and our infantry should be coming up into hand from the rear. 
Although the harm which we might do to the enemy, by burning or 
ruining his places; weakening his artillery, and firing upon any infantry 
or cavalry who offered us a target, would not be our principal object in 
this preliminary cannonade, our guns ought to be advanced to within a 
moderate range> that we might not expend much ammunition Without 
