FIELD ARTILLERY POSITIONS. 
377 
manders often appear one after the other preceding the advance of 
the batteries like the peacock, the jungle fowl and the monkey, which 
invariably f show up ; before the tiger in a jungle beat.” 1 assert, 
with confidence, that our officers do not so completely forget all the 
lessons of the drill-book, but in one respect the simile is most exact. 
If they ever did so, they would assuredly “ show up ” in a different 
way to what the writer means. It is no part of my purpose 
now to further dwell upon any other inconsistencies and inaccuracies 
which may be found in this particular article. An ill-natured critic, 
I daresay, could find something to scoff at, and I do not at all desire 
to fill that role, but neither am I content to let what is said as to 
artillery tactics in England go forth to the world without a protest. 
I think it is a pity to commence a paper which aspires to discuss 
a difficult problem with inaccuracies such as these. What I think of 
the conclusions subsequently arrived at, must be judged from what I 
myself will tell you to-day. This, however, I will say at once. 
Whether you go on the crest or on the forward slope or on 
the reverse slope, your first thought should be as to how best you 
may accomplish the purpose for which guns are brought into the 
field, namely, the destruction of the enemy. 
You cannot work guns on a reverse slope where there will be much 
recoil. 
In that case, if there be no background, go in front of the crest, 
but remember you must go a considerable way down the forward 
slope or ammunition-wagons will show up on the sky-line even if 
your guns do not. 
You will also sometimes have to unlimber on the crest itself if 
front and rear slopes are both steep. 
The reverse slope offers greater facilities than the forward slope 
because not only the supply of ammunition, but the removal of 
wounded men, the repair of material, the service of supply in general, 
the communication of orders, and the preparations for movement can 
all go on unperceived by the enemy. 
Both the positions on the crest and reverse slopes have therefore 
advantages over the other one and, finally, it is not only more diffi¬ 
cult for the enemy to range if they are occupied, but the effect his 
fire produces is invisible to him. 
These advantages, combined with the slight additional shelter from 
bullets obtained, are enough to make the position on the reverse slope the 
one which is usually adopted, not only by our own artillery, but by 
the batteries of France and Germany and, I believe, of the other 
European powers also. 
As regards what the other writer on the “creeping method” has to say, 
I would point out that a personal friend of mine was also in Germany 
last year. He tells me he accompanied four army corps in the field 
during manoeuvres, and that he never saw the “creeping method” used 
at all. On the other hand, he was much struck by the precision with 
which positions were occupied by means of horses, after the fashion 
most usual here. So accurately were intervals preserved, so well was 
