364 
SILVER MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1894. 
Manoeuvre 
Tactics of 
massed bat¬ 
teries—two 
normal 
methods of 
procedure. 
“Deliber¬ 
ate ” 
method. 
tion, the duties of the permanent staff of the Brigade Division would be 
confined to such parades as take place when the tactical work of the 
Brigade Division begins. During the greater part of the year, while 
the battery training was going on, and always off parade, the staff 
would be idle. In neither the French “ groujoe ” nor the German 
“ abtheilung” does such a staff exist. The Commander has a permanent 
Adjutant and a Trumpeter, and obtains his orderlies (agents de liaison) 
from the batteries—each battery furnishing him with one or two men 
specially trained for the purpose. This system is found to work well. 
Beyond giving the English Brigade Division Commander an Adjutant 
outside the battery cadres and a trumpeter, no permanent increase of 
establishment seems necessary or desirable. Our own Regulations 1 
direct that one set of range-finders should be kept apart as messengers, 
but it must be borne in mind that these may not always be available at 
the moment required. The system under which each battery finds its 
own agents de liaison and sends them to join the staff of the Brigade 
Division when required seems satisfactory. It is important to draw at¬ 
tention to this question, leaving the details to be a matter of arrangement 
between the Brigade Division and battery leaders. Both giving and 
transmitting orders require great practice on the part of those con¬ 
cerned. A Brigade Division Commander rarely has time to send 
written messages in battle. 
After the necessary exercise in precise drill, and after arranging an 
organised system of communicating orders to the units, the Brigade 
Division Commander begins his instruction in manoeuvre tactics. The 
main object of this instruction is to train batteries to take up positions 
for action by the two recognised methods, known as the “ deliberate ” 
and the “ direct.” Both methods have their separate use, and both 
require to be equally practised. 
The “ deliberate ” method is adopted when there is a “preparatory 
position” available within reach of the fighting position, when the 
advance to it is covered, and when it is desired to surprise the enemy 
by the simultaneous opening of fire from massed batteries. When the 
enemy’s batteries are already deployed, this method would be the only 
one giving any reasonable chance of success. The functions of the 
Artillery, Brigade Division, and Battery Commanders are in this case 
clearly defined. The position is reconnoitred by all of them in regular 
sequence. The Artillery Commander chooses the position, calls up the 
Brigade Division Commanders, assigns to each a section of the ground, 
and gives them general instructions. The Brigade Division Commander 
calls up the Battery Commanders, divides his share of the ground 
allotted to him between the batteries, indicates the target, and gives 
such general instructions as are necessary in regard to the advance into 
action, the position of the wagons, and other matters. The Battery 
Commauders satisfy themselves that they know the target, that it can 
be seen from all the guns of their batteries, and choose the ranging 
point. They then bring their batteries into action. It is to be noted, 
as a matter of comparison and not of criticism, that while the English 
1 “ Field Artillery Drill,” 1892, p. 209. 
