340 
GOLD MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1894 . 
Advantage able experience which we annually gain. The presence of an infantry 
fan try ex", officer on the staff of the Commandant, charged with the duties of 
pe shootS'^" arranging the targets according to the latest formations of his arm, 
°staff S of n an( ^ the compilation of an annual report, giving the infantry view 
Comman- of the subject, and discussing fully tactical questions would, perhaps, 
suggested, alike benefit ourselves and the army generally. 
chief object We now come to the third phase of artillery training, previous to the 
° f tacticai y discussion of which, it is assumed that the chief object in view is the 
exercises, devising of a plan which will give full scope for the exercising of onr 
higher commands in the most useful manner; as, should the batteries 
have been perfected in the first and second phases of their training, 
they will be in a position to respond to almost any call which may be 
made on them when manoeuvring with the other arms. 
Artillery tactical exercises may be divided into two main classes : — 
{a.) Those in which the artillery alone take part. 
( b .) Those practised in combination with the other arms of the 
service. 
Previous to the investigation of our subject under these two headings, 
one point suggests itself for consideration : Do we, while acting with 
other arms, pay sufficient attention to their position and movements, to 
Tactical con- the supposed tactical and strategical situation, and to the part we are 
tak^prece- playing to assist the commander of our army in carrying out his main 
technical °kj ec t ? For un til wo do, it is maintained that our advance in this 
ones. portion of our training will be slow. 
The first question, therefore, for the Artillery Commander is not 
“ Where is the best position for my batteries V’ but, “What is the in¬ 
tention of the General Officer Commanding the force V’ 
Artillery With this end in view, it is held that all tactical exercises in which 
aiwlyTwork artillery alone take part, should be framed on the supposition that they 
wi tacu?a n i ite are acting with other arms, whose position should be indicated in the 
object. general ideas issued for the day. By this means all will be able to 
understand (1) the main object of the movements of the whole force 
with which they are acting, (2) the part which the artillery is playing 
to assist in the carrying out of this main object. 
PART I. 
(a) Tactical Exercises in which the Artillery alone take part. 
Exceptional In this case opportunities are afforded of exercising the whole force 
tieMfforded at disposal against an imaginary enemy, and so practising evolutions 
in this case. on a larger scale than wrnuld be possible in acting with other troops, 
when in the majority of cases the batteries would be divided into two 
groups acting in opposition to one another. 
Collisions between large bodies of troops take place: 
(1.) When one side attacks and the other defends from a selected 
position. 
