ARTILLERY POSITIONS AND SCREENING GUNS. 
69 
of them, having a hollow in rear of it. The shells bursting “ short ” 
fall into this depression and the smoke in rising becomes attenuated; 
the guns on “ the Bluff ” then appear to stand out in front of the smoke 
instead of behind it. On the other hand,, in ranging on guns on the 
crest or the reverse slope, if the battery commander does not see his 
first shell strike or burst, he knows at once that that shell is over. 
He takes measures accordingly to pull down the elevation considerably 
for the next round. 
The Position on the Crest. 
Nearly all I have said about the reverse slope and the exposure of TU 0 l°fff n 
the gunners, applies with redoubled force when we come to put the crest. 
guns on the crest. 
Here “ sky-line ” comes in with a vengeance. The whole of the 
men and the unmistakable form of the gun-carriage shows up with 
exaggerated clearness. 
It is of no use repeating the arguments already used against the 
reverse slope position. 
I will only quote two instances to show what I mean-—one from the 
pen of a Crimean warrior, the other from the most recent tactical 
artillery field-day which took place this very day at Aldershot. 
(1.)—-Extract from a letter of General the Hon. Sir .David Fraser. Example i. 
K.C.B., E.H.A. “‘in the 0 ® 
The Grange, Crimea ' 
Castleconuell, Co. Limerick. 
16th July, 1896. 
“ As to the comparative effect of the occupation of the crest or 
forward slope of a hill for a battery of artillery, I can only give you 
the following instance as told me in the year 1856, by Lieut.-Colonel 
H. J. Thomas, R.A. 
In October, 1855, Colonel, then Captain, Thomas, commanded f C ’ 
troop R.H.A., which was employed at Eupatoria with a French force, 
under General D^Allonville. He said :— 
f We were ordered forward with a French troop against the 
Russians who had advanced. On ascending a hill we saw their 
artillery in action and the French troop at once unlimbered on the top 
of the hill. I did not like stopping on a sky-line, so I galloped a good 
bit down the sloping hill, came into action and soon got the range of 
the Russians; the Russians never got our range properly and I had 
very little loss: but the French troop lost heavily from being on the 
top of the hill 
1 “ The Rev. H. Hulecatt, who as chaplain accompanied the troop 
and was in the same action, gives a spirited account of an engagement 
which took place at Chobotar, where the troop greatly distinguished 
itself by a brilliant advance upon the Russian position, thus getting 
under the line of fire of some heavy guns ; and after doing great 
1 This event is mentioned in records of the Royal Horse Artillery, by the late Major-General 
John Michell. See page 10. Revised Edition of 1888. 
