357 
ON THE RANK, POST, AND DUTY OF AN 
OFFICER COMMANDING ROYAL ARTILLERY IN 
THE FIELD. 
BY 
COLONEL W. J. WILLIAMS, R.H.A., C.B. 
In Afghanistan, where the enemy bring all arms against us, the 
organisation of onr forces has taken the form of the mixed division. 
The mixed division does not enter into onr army corps organisation: 
we have that otherwise planned. We form a division of infantry, more 
like a brigade in strength; we take away the cavalry brigade, leaving 
only a regiment, and making a cavalry brigade for the corps; and we 
make divisional and corps artillery, doing this, merely because others do 
it, or that we are slightly tinged with the old-fashioned idea of keeping 
some guns back for an opportunity or a crisis. Corps artillery is an 
unnecessary division of artillery command, and therefore an unnecessary 
weakening of artillery power 3 and, sooner or later, all the artillery will 
be massed with the divisions. Meanwhile, we know how a mixed 
division works in the field; and we need not go beyond the mixed 
division in considering the rank, post, aud duty of an officer command¬ 
ing Royal Artillery in the field. 
Our divisions, in Afghanistan, have comprised from two to four 
brigades of infantry, of three or four battalions each—the lesser number 
of battalions in the case of the greater number of brigades; a cavalry 
brigade of two or three regiments, of three squadrons each; and an 
artillery brigade of from three to five batteries. The infantry and 
cavalry brigades have always been commanded by brigadier-generals : 
the artillery brigades have been commanded by a lieutenant-colonel 
or colonel without brigade rank, and the artillery commander has 
always been with the division general. This way of arranging for the 
command of the artillery is prejudicial to the interest of all artillery 
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