325 
WHAT IS THE BEST TACTICAL ORGANISATION AND 
SYSTEM OF TRAINING MASSED BATTERIES OF HORSE AND 
FIELD ARTILLERY? 
BY 
MAJOR J. L. KEIE, R.A. 
“ UNIOX IS STRENG-TH.” 
“DUNCAN” GOLD MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1894, 
In treating this subject it is proposed to divide it into two parts. The 
first will be devoted to a consideration of the best tactical organisation 
for our Field and Horse Artillery with a view to its formation in 
masses. The second to the best means of training it when so organ¬ 
ised. 
Owing to the peculiar conditions under which our army has to serve, 
it is impossible for us to copy, in its entirety, any foreign organisation, 
no matter how good it may be, and although we may be able to learn 
much from our neighbours in the management of our army, any at¬ 
tempt to reproduce too closely their systems will probably result in 
failure. 
It may be instructive, however, before proceeding further, to exam¬ 
ine from a general point of view the present artillery organisation of 
the leading European nations. And in order to be able to form a com¬ 
parison between these and that of our own army, an endeavour will be 
made to arrange the headings in the same order in each case. 
In this country the highest artillery unit is the Brigade which con¬ 
sists 1 of two regiments, and is commanded by a Major-General or 
Colonel, who has the following staff:—1 Adjutant (a First Lieutenant), 
1 officer of the Corps of Artificers, 2 or 3 Sergeant Artificers, 2 non¬ 
commissioned officers as clerks, and 1 mounted orderly. A regiment 
is composed of 3 (in some cases 4) “Abtheilungen” and is commanded 
by a Colonel or Lieut.-Colonel. An “Abtheilung ” which is a unit as 
separate as are the battalions of an infantry regiment both tactically 
and administratively, is commanded by a field officer and consists of 3 
or 4 batteries. These may be either all field batteries or all horse bat¬ 
teries, or a mixture of both. A battery has 6 guns and 9 wagons. 
To each Army Corps is allotted a brigade of artillery apportioned as 
follows:— 
To 1st Infantry Division, 2 Abtheilungen of 3 batteries, each of 1st 
Regiment. 
To 2nd Infantry Division, 2 Abtheilungen of 3 batteries, each of 2nd 
Regiment. 
To Corps Artillery the 3rd Field and 4th Abtheilungen of. the 1st 
Regiment and such batteries of the 3rd Abtheilung of the 2nd Regi¬ 
ment (which Abtheilung consists of batteries of Horse Artillery) as 
Organisa¬ 
tion. 
Germany. 
Units. 
Artillery of 
an Army 
Corps. 
1 Vide “Armed Strength of German Empire,” p. 92. 
7. yol. xxi. 
44 
