344 GOLD MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1894 . 
Action of 
group com- 
manders on 
receipt of 
orders. 
Action of 
other offi¬ 
cers on 
receipt of 
orders. 
guns; hour at which each or all are to move into posi¬ 
tion ; position, of Officer Commanding Eoyal Artillery. 
On receipt of these, the 4 officers mentioned above proceed 
to reconnoitre their positions and, having done so, issue 
their own orders to their respective commands, but do not 
rejoin them, as they would have to remain to observe the 
movements of the enemy. The orders issued by them 
would inform their subordinates of as much as is necessary 
for them to know concerning the orders they themselves 
have received, and supply details which apply specially to 
their commands. If intrenchments are to be used, the 
description and position of such works must be noted; 
also, the positions of ammunition columns and 2nd lines of 
wagons, with the name of the officer who is to command 
these latter. 
The senior officer present with the Brigade Division 
having received these orders, will assemble the Command¬ 
ing Officers of the batteries and read them out to them, 
taking steps at the same time to communicate to the 
Officer Commanding the Ammunition Column and the 
non-commissioned officer in charge of the baggage any 
orders specially referring to them. 
At a time appointed in orders the batteries will move 
into position. 
The next object of the commander of the mass is to gain 
such command over his batteries that he will be able to 
concentrate the fire of all his guns on any part of the field 
in the shortest possible time. And here an opportunity 
will occur of testing the best means of communication be¬ 
tween him and his 4 commanders. As it is considered 
that after guns are once in position and have engaged 
the enemy, their further action is hypothetical, being de¬ 
pendent on the movements of the enemy. We will not for 
the present endeavour to trace further their subsequent 
action. 
Necessity of This completes the 1st exercise, and we may well imagine the re- 
Iract&eof mark—“ But this is quite easy/-’ It is easy, but it ought to be more 
proved plan ^ au easy; it ought to be mechanical. Inasmuch, however, as all 
military training should be empirical, rather than theoretic, no plan can 
be considered satisfactory that has not been practically tested in the 
held. By practical experiment we will arrive at simplicity. By con¬ 
stant performance of the simple plan habit will come to us without the 
effort of thought. 
(2.) We now come to the 2nd case, viz. : that in which the artil¬ 
lery is acting on the offensive and attacking a known and 
previously prepared position. 
In carrying out an exercise of this kind, it is suggested 
that the defence (in skeleton) should be entrusted to an 
officer^ who should visit the ground some time previous to 
Action of 
artillery 
acting on 
tlie offensive. 
Defending 
force to be 
represented. 
