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GERMAN IMPERIAL MANOEUVRES. 
corps commander, and the advanced guard proceeded to strengthen 
their position by means of shelter trenches in echelon to one another, 
and by digging gun pits for the guns of the battery attached to it, and 
also for the three remaining batteries of the division, which were 
quickly hurried up to reinforce. These pits were dug by pioneers, a 
number of whom were always with advanced guards, and who, in the 
loose sandy soil, quickly accomplished their work. The trenches dug 
by the infantry were very shallow, and only calculated to shelter men 
lying down. No doubt, in a case like the present one, where a small 
body is called upon to hold a position against superior numbers till its 
reinforcements arrive, the spade is of real practical utility; it would 
not, however, appear desirable to accustom men to use it on every 
possible occasion, or they would soon be led to believe that they could 
not safely dispense with its use, and delay and disaster might be 
the result. 
On this day, however, both infantry and guns were fairly under 
cover before the enemy approached to anything like striking distance. 
The Garde Corps commenced their attack by a grand cavalry charge, 
supported by two horse artillery batteries. They advanced in the 
same formation and order as before described, and pulled up a very 
few yards from the muzzles of the guns and from the infantry shelter 
trenches; the action of the second line was well illustrated by their 
wheeling sharply to the left and meeting the charge of the 3rd corps 
cavalry, which endeavoured to take their own first line in flank, the 
third line, in the mean time, having a portion in reserve, closed up to 
the first. The Crown Prince and other umpires who were on the spot 
deliberated for a few moments, and then gave it as their decision that 
the charge was partially successful, that the guns had been reached 
and were so disabled that they must be withdrawn, but that the cavalry 
in their turn had suffered such losses that they must retire. 
The Garde infantry had now approached, supported by four batteries ; 
and the enemies infantry, now without the aid of guns, were ordered 
back on the village of Gross-Ziethen, which was now held in strength 
by the main body, and had been partially put into a state of defence; 
this they held obstinately, till their left was also driven in by the 
1st Garde division, supported by the combined brigade ; these pressed 
on and took the village of Lichtenrade, which made Gross-Ziethen 
untenable; a stand was made by the infantry on the road between 
these two villages, while the corps artillery was massed on some rising 
ground to the south of it, with woods to its left and rear, to cover the 
retreat. These batteries must have suffered severely, and probably 
many of the guns would have been taken, for after the infantry had 
retired beyond them, they still remained in action, and were closely 
approached by some of the enemy^s riflemen, who advanced through 
the woods on the left of the batteries. Had the latter been provided 
with a strong infantry escort this could not have happened, for the latter 
would have held these woods for a time, and have enabled the guns 
to retire without loss. 
The whole 3rd Corps was now in full retreat, which was molested by 
two regiments of cavalry, which crept up on the left of their own 
