THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
841 
obtaining some material results. Regarding only the due economy of 
ammunition, we ought not to fire upon the guns of the enemy at a 
greater range than 1700 yds. Considering, on the other hand, that 
guns once placed in action ought not to be retired; and that our object 
here would not be quickly to obtain decisive results which could only 
be gained at a great sacrifice, we must be careful not to approach too 
near. It would seem to follow that our guns ought to come into 
action at ranges of from 1500 to 1700 yds. 
3. It would be necessary to cover an infantry attack by artillery at 
a short range. 
The infantry fire of the defence would be superior to the infantry 
fire of the attack. The infantry and artillery fire of the defence would 
be so superior to the infantry fire of the front of the attack, that the 
infantry, advancing in the tactical formation best suited* to their enter¬ 
prise and to the nature of the ground, would be shot down until they 
were disorganised, disheartened, and defeated, if the covering fire of 
artillery did not effectually aid them. The infantry could be effectually 
aided only by artillery at a short range. Our guns must be placed so 
near to the enemy as to have an easy command of the ground over 
which he must advance his supports and reserves; and so near, as to 
be able to fire across the flank and front of our infantry until a late 
moment of the attack. The nearer our guns were to the enemy, the 
more effectually we could search his position, and the longer could we 
continue to fire across the front of our attack. On the other hand, we 
must beware of making our guns a useless sacrifice. Having regard to 
these opposing considerations, it would seem that guns, to cover an 
infantry attack, ought to advance to within from 1000 to 800 yds. of 
the enemy. 
Artillery thus advanced would always suffer severely; but this would 
be the only way to use artillery decisively in aid of an infantry attack. 
The loss to the guns would not be so great as may, perhaps, be 
imagined. The guns must not rashly be sent out to where they might 
fall into an ambuscade. They could, generally, soon after their arrival 
in position, be protected by infantry skirmishers in front of their outer 
flanks ; and their advance ought to be so timed that they would not be 
in action for ten minutes before the enemy had to deal with our infantry 
approaching to close quarters. 
4. The best combination of the two arms would be when infantry 
attacked on a front of one battalion, and artillery, on both flanks, 
covered the infantry at a range of from 800 to 1000 yds. 
Taking the front of the infantry attack -at 400 paces, guns placed 
400 paces wide of the infantry and 1000 yds. from the enemy, could fire 
across the flanks and front of the infantry, so as to strike the enemy in 
his front at a point opposite to the centre of the attack, until the head 
of the attack was within about 300 yds. of the enemy ; and the guns 
could continue to fire across the flanks of our infantry, so as to strike 
the front of the enemy opposite to the flanks of our attack, and the 
supports and reserves of the enemy opposite to the centre of the 
attack, until our infantry were within charging distance. 
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