GOLD MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1894 . 
329 
The batteries destined to form part of the three Army Corps for Home 
defence being those located at certain stations. Thus, the place at 
which a battery is quartered denotes the unit to which it will belong 
on mobilisation. This being so, it becomes of great importance that 
we should, from time to time, test the organisation of our Army Corps 
units, by concentrating those batteries most nearly situated to our 
manoeuvre ground, and exercising them under a complete staff. But 
here comes in the question of finance, and the problem before us is, 
therefore, how we can without incurring much extra expense, or 
making radical changes in our present organisation, devise a scheme 
by means of which the senior commands in the Horse and Field Artil¬ 
lery can be exercised in the field to the greatest advantage, when the 
manoeuvre ground is practically limited to one station. 
There is one question, by no means a new one, which seems to be Abolition of 
worthy of our attention, viz. : that of the abolition or retention of the Artillery. 
Corps Artillery. On this subject Continental opinion appears at the 
present moment to be equally divided—Bussia has none, and both 
France and Germany are undecided as to its advantages. Without 
going into the question from a Continental point of view, it would 
appear that its abolition would, in our army, be attended with several 
advantages. The following suggest themselves : — 
(1.) Owing to the size and organisation of our army the division Advantages 
will, probably both in India and England, be the unit more frequently fro^BriUsh 
employed than the Army Corps, and the permanent allotment to it of 
its due proportion of guns would make it a more complete and inde¬ 
pendent body. 
(2.) The recognised necessity of f giving to Divisional Commanders 
more independence of action than formerly, enhances the importance 
of placing under their command the means of giving prompt and full 
support to their infantry. 
(3.) The artillery of an Army Corps would be divided into 3 groups 
instead of 4, and the system of command in masses thereby simplified. 
(4.) One advantage claimed for having 3 infantry divisions in an 
Army Corps instead of 2 is, that the 3rd can always act as a reserve. 
Assuming that an Army Corps will, as a rule, move by two roads in 
preference to one, the division acting as reserve would move behind 
the leading one on that road on which the enemy would most probably 
be first encountered, and the remaining division with the Corps Artil¬ 
lery followed by the corps details on the other road. 
In such a case the system of dividing the artillery among the divis¬ 
ions in preference to the formation of a separate Corps Artillery would 
be manifest, as the bulk of the guns (10 batteries) would be nearer to 
the point of attack. 
By having a Corps Artillery there would be 8 batteries on the road 
furthest from the enemy, and the loss of artillery power would result. 
Under this arrangement of the batteries of an Army Corps, the staff 
would consist of a Major-General Commanding the Artillery of the 
Corps, who would have under him 3 Colonels, each commanding a group Abolition of 
of 5 batteries. A group would be formed into 2 Brigade Divisions, A Smery 
one of 3, and the other of 2 batteries. A Brigade Division of one of ^increased 
these groups would be composed of 3 Horse Artillery Batteries. As expenditure. 
