RUSSIAN FIELD ARTILLERY. 
297 
all the enthusiasm caused by the good shooting of the guns ; a reaction 
sets in, and a feeling of disgust oppresses the heart. 
It was an observation similar to this which caused us to cease firing. 
Great care is necessary, in certain cases, not to fall into such a 
mistake, the greatest attention must be paid to all the fluctuations 
of the contest. Sometimes the unfortunate remark is heard “It looks 
very much, &c./’ when the shooting is at its best; the uncertainty 
is so great, that the best moments are sometimes flung away, and the 
result is that the uncertainty entails fatal consequences. The present 
case might easily have led to such.* 
It would have been very convenient if the attacking force had 
communicated to the battery the results of our shooting; firstly, 
because the necessary correction in the shooting could have been easier 
determined; secondly, because they could have told us the best point 
to lay on; thirdly, because a misapprehension might have been avoided, 
which produced a bad impression both among the men of the. batteries 
and of the attacking force. 
Luckily, this time we were mistaken in believing that we were firing 
on our own troops; an aide-de-camp who arrived from the attacking 
force, told us the true position of friends and enemies, and indicated 
to us the point we should direct our fire on, in order to facilitate the 
infantry attack. We now knew what to do, and sent a continuous 
discharge of common shell against the wagons, and another of shrapnel 
just over them. Following on this we heard enthusiastic cheering 
from the 4th company of the regiment of Sjevski, and again from the 
whole of the 1st battalion; and soon after we saw our infantry 
charging with the bayonet towards the wagons. 
The battery ceased firing, and trotted rapidly across the field, which 
was intersected with drains. In the fourth of these, which contained 
* In mountain warfare it happens frequently enough that we cannot distinctly follow all the 
fluctuation of the battle, nor tell to a moment when the batteries covering the attack in a position 
should cease firing, and this may occur precisely when perhaps the fire of the protecting artillery 
is most absolutely essential. Among many other such cases I may mention the action of Velabieta 
on the 9th December, 1873. A battery of mountain artillery was supporting the advance of half a 
brigade of the advanced guard; it was necessary to carry the guns into a convenient position, and 
from thence they effectually shelled the wood, under cover of which the Carlists were ; but when the 
fire from them appeared to us to be giving the best results, the horrible doubt entered our 
minds, and neither our excellent binoculars nor the keen eyes of the men could distinguish whether 
those we saw crossing the clearings in the wood, were Carlists retiring or our own troops pursuing, 
until at last we saw the gorgets (espaldas) glistening in the sunlight, and then knew that it was our 
brave Chasseurs whose canvas havresacks covered with oilcloth proved to us with certainty that 
they were there on the conquered ground. Afterwards we made out the Carlist groups, when 
sufficiently numerous, by their red caps. 
In the action of Miravalles, we advanced our troops against an intrenchmcnt in the mountain of 
Irurzun, supported by a mountain battery, until the proximity of our soldiers to the Carlists 
rendered it so difficult to distinguish the one side from the other, that we were obliged to cease 
firing, these last having acquired fresh stimulus either from seeing how exhausted our men were, 
or from the pause in the firing, or else inspired with the desire for a final effort; streaming out of the 
trenches, they precipitated themselves on 'the assailants, who wavered for one moment; but the 
battery observing this, fired off two guns, which were already loaded and laid, when the order was 
given to cease firing, and this contributing doubtless to give fresh vigour to the assailants, and dis¬ 
couraging the Carlists, the latter finally abandoned the position. 
