350 
GOLD MEDAL PEIZE ESSAY, 1894 . 
as a mass will be greatly increased. Whether he is desirous of con¬ 
trolling the action of all his assembled guns, or is content to grant to 
his subordinates great freedom in acting on their own judgment 
according to local circumstances, a time will come when the confusion 
of the fight must render anything but dispersion of command imprac¬ 
ticable, and when the struggle will have to be carried out by the 
initiative of Brigade Division and Battery Commanders. 
Position of In order that he may gain time, before coming into action his posi- 
Command- tion will be far in advance of the main body of his guns, with whom he 
should be able to communicate as rapidly as possible, and here the em¬ 
ployment of trained and selected orderlies will be of great value. As 
it is not possible to represent at manoeuvres the many difficulties which 
Necessity of will occur on active service, much preciseness and rapidity should be 
jmdRapidity demanded in the former. The use of written orders with times of 
manoeuvres, receipt and despatch marked on them, being employed to test the time 
taken in executing and planning the various evolutions. 
In the above remarks with regard to tactical exercises generally, no 
mention has been made of the different systems of ranging as this is 
not considered to be a question for tactical manoeuvres, but rather one 
for decision on the shooting ground. 
There is one point, however, which we venture to think might receive 
more attention at manoeuvres, viz.: The more frequent exercise of 
Brigade Divisions in the regulation practice of firing at moving objects 
advancing towards the batteries. 
Question of One is led to believe that this is considered the most effective manner 
target?at of repelling an organised frontal attack by infantry or cavalry, and if this 
manoeuvres, fog a corre ct view of the case the numerous favourable opportunities of 
practising it on field-days would appear to be too valuable to be lost. 
If on the other hand this mode of procedure is considered to be an 
impracticable one in the field, its retention as an exercise appears useless. 
As the chief difficulty in carrying out this practice lies in the securing 
of an opportune rapid fire from the shrapnel sections, whenever the 
“over” of the ranging section has been obtained, it is hard to test 
the result in a satisfactory manner, without a considerable expenditure 
of blank ammunition, in the absence of this a liberal supply of friction 
tubes would form a fair substitute. 
■ "^oncentrat r D/astly^ of late years we have heard much on the subject of marching 
in g batteries to the sound of the cannon, and this has suggested the idea that a useful 
fndmatedby exercise for practising our batteries might be founded on this principle, 
S firing? f by sending out a battery, on the day appointed, to a certain place un¬ 
known to the remainder and some miles distant from them, with orders 
to open fire with blank ammunition at a fixed hour. The rest of the 
batteries, in readiness on their respective parade grounds, or placed on 
certain roads, having received orders that on hearing firing they were 
to move to support the guns in action, would have to discover the posi¬ 
tion of the engaged battery, and move to its aid. 
To do this, orders would have to be issued by what roads the bat¬ 
teries and their ammunition columns were to move, and arrangements 
made for leading them into position by the most concealed approaches, 
and deploying them as rapidly as possible. Practice would thus be 
