ARTILLERY POSITIONS AND SCREENING GUNS. 
87 
What the Infantry Officer thinks about our Artillery Positions. 
Question. —'“Where do the gunners generally place their guns in 
action ? ” 
Answer. —“ On the crest and on the sky-line.” 
Question. —“Is that, in your opinion, the most suitable place for 
them ? ” 
Answer. —“No; they should be at least 10 feet vertically below the 
crest on the forward slope. A hedge or even a green field as back¬ 
ground will make it ever so much harder for our men to hit them. 
On the sky-line a gun and its detachment present a target 7' x 5' 6" 
for us to aim at; it is very much easier to direct infantry fire on to a 
rectangular target, right up against the sky, than when the same 
objective is placed nearer to us and lower down the hill. 
Besides, in my opinion, the bullets passing over the guns on the 
forward slope will be caught or i fielded ’ by the slope in their rear 
and will not hit the horses and reserves behind the crest. To strike 
the latter, a considerably larger amount of elevation would have to be 
put on to the rifle sights. 
This immunity from fire does not apply when your guns and horses 
are all of them on the crest or reverse slope, because all are then in 
the same trajectory and a bullet which misses the men serving the 
gun will hit the horses in rear, because they are placed exactly in the 
path of the bullet.” (See F in Fig. 4.) 
Notes on Artillery Positions. 
Example I.—Artillery tactical day under Sir Evelyn Wood in 1893— 
“ The battle of Weaver’s Down ” :— 
Southern Force. —Colonel Marshall, commanding a Brigade 
Division, R.H.A., three batteries, 18 guns, with ammunition column 
in rear, was posted on the crest of Weaver’s Down facing north. 
Northern Force. — Colonel Maurice, commanding a Brigade 
Division, Field Artillery, with an ammunition column in rear, was 
posted near “ Woolmer Pond.” These batteries were separated and 
were well placed in the heather. One battery on the left was screened 
by and could just fire over the tops of the trees in a plantation. The 
centre battery was completely covered up to the gun axle-trees by 
heather and was perfectly invisible to any of the Southern Force, 
owing to its having a good background in the shape of a wood. 
Colonel Maurice’s batteries, which were occupying a series of rear¬ 
guard positions, were firing up-hill; whilst Colonel Marshall’s individual 
Horse Artillery guns stood out up against the sky at a distance of 
2o00 yards. 
As soon as Colonel Marshall’s force were ordered to advance down 
the northern slopes of “Weaver’s Down,” his guns and teams became 
perfectly invisible in the haze; but Major Hay’s troop of Horse 
Artillery was put out of action by Sir Evelyn Wood for moving in 
column formations. No umpire with the Southern Force could 
possibly tell that Colonel Marshall’s advance was invisible at the time. 
Infantry 
officer’s 
criticism. 
Tactical 
examples. 
I.— 
Weaver’s 
Down. 
