470 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
Strength of 
Advanced 
Guards. 
Distance 
from Main 
Body. 
the troops pass must be thoroughly explored, all obstacles*to the march of 
the main body removed, and useful information of all kinds collected. The 
movements of an enemy have to be ceaselessly watched, and all small hostile 
bodies driven back. In addition, it has to manoeuvre, contain the enemy, 
and give the main body time to prepare for action. In presence of an 
enemy, it is “ not to advance or retreat, but manoeuvre .” 1 2 
An advanced guard has thus two opposite functions to perform—one, to be 
the eyes and feelers of an army; the other, to arrest and contain the enemy. 
In order to perform the first, the troops should be of the lightest descrip¬ 
tion, and chiefly cavalry. To attain the second, the main constituents should 
be a powerful infantry and artillery. 
The endeavour to reconcile these conflicting functions is, without doubt, the 
reason of the great differences in the constitution of advanced guards as laid 
down by authorities on tactics. 
The present tendency is to restrict them, more or less, to the latter duty; 
fulfilling the former by the employment of independent bodies of cavalry, one 
or more day’s march ahead of the army. 
In this case, the use of an advanced guard in protecting from surprise and 
collecting information of the enemy ceases, and it becomes practically the 
first fighting line of the army. It may not be possible, however, always to 
employ cavalry as a reconnoitring force, and the case of its non-employment 
must be provided against. 
Advanced guards are composed of the three arms, the relative strength of 
each being mainly dependent on the physical features of the seat of war. 
They are, in fact, miniature armies. 
With regard to size, the official text books 3 of Russia, Austria, and 
Germany agree in assigning to them a proportion of from \ to £ of the main 
body. The Trench writers till lately were contented with a much smaller 
fraction, even reducing it as low as in some cases . 3 Their most recent 
publications, however, maintain the correctness of the German standard . 4 
Belgian writers fix as a proper normal proportion . 5 Wolseley, apparently 
following Dufour, approves of from } to tV of the whole force . 6 
It may be assumed, then, that an advanced guard should vary in strength 
from J to \ of the army, as a general rule. This large proportion need not 
be strictly adhered to in the case of small bodies of troops, and where the 
country presents exceptional features. Within these limits, the strength 
is generally increased as the columns become deeper. 
The distance from the main body varies much, according to circumstances; 
a rough rule being that the interval between the head of the column and 
the main body of the advanced guard should be equal to the depth of the 
column. This distance should, however, rarely exceed five miles; the sole 
exception being the case of “ desiring to seize some point or position the 
possession of which would be worth the risk ” 7 of incurring a defeat while 
1 Napoleon. 
2 Regulations for Field Service of Prussia. Do. of Austria. “ Armed Strength of Russia.” 
3 “ Cours d’Art Militaire,” Vial. 
4 “ Conferences du Ministre de la Guerre.” 
5 “ La Tactique Appliquee au Terrain,” Vaudevelde; 
6 “ Soldier’s Pocket Book.” 
^ “ Operations of War,” Hamley. 
