376 
COMMENDED ESSAY, 1894 . 
and the Commanders of Brigade Divisions. 1 2 The Corps Artillery, how¬ 
ever, being composed of two Brigade Divisions (Horse and Field) has 
an officer at its head who would, from his status, naturally supply a 
leader for a mass not sufficiently large to absorb all the attention of the 
Artillery General. Where a very large mass w T as formed, such as has 
during Continental wars and manoeuvres been composed of the Artil¬ 
lery of two Corps d'Armee, a special leader would be designated. It 
is to be noted that Continental organisations by which there are only 
two divisions in a Corps d^Armee, and in which the Divisional Artil¬ 
leries are represented by two regiments of six batteries, or two Brigade 
Divisions, greatly facilitates the employment of artillery in the manner 
under discussion. The Officer Commanding* the artillery of a division 
has a special staff, and is of a rank superior to those leading Brigade 
Divisions. So is it also with the Corps Artillery. There are already, 
therefore, three small masses, with a leader and staff complete, in every 
Corps d ; Armee, and they form the nucleus for the formation of still 
larger masses. 
Our organisation with its three isolated Brigade Divisions, and a 
comparatively weak Corps Artillery, does not favour the proper appli¬ 
cation of guns, and from the artillery point of view is to be deprecated. 
It is not part of our task, however, to discuss the proper distribution 
or organisation of artillery with a Corps d’Armee, although we can 
scarcely avoid probing the subject sufficiently to ascertain the principles 
that provide foundations to success. It is, however, legitimate to point 
out that Brigade Division and Corps Artillery Commanders with us 
should be provided with a staff more adequate to their requirements 
than they already possess. Each now, has to look to his battery estab¬ 
lishments for his staff in the field, beyond the Adjutant. 3 
Foreign leaders of Divisional Artillery are far more liberally supplied 
in this respect, and experience has shown, not unnecessarily so. The 
correct direction of even three batteries in action requires a well- 
matured system of sending messages and orders. Where masses are 
concerned, the demand for such aid becomes far more urgent, and it is 
no exaggeration to say that it is indispensable. In the French service 
messages and orders are carried by “ Agents de liaison,” specially 
trained for the purpose, and the experiences of the practice of masses, 
which are annually carried out at Chalons, have called them into exis¬ 
tence. 3 
In Germany we find the education of “ Meldereiter ” with a view to 
their intelligent appreciation of the messages they carry, also insisted 
on. 4 We may fairly assume, therefore, 5 that in England a few orderlies 
specially trained for the purpose, should form a recognised portion of 
the staff of the Divisional Artillery. Even in peace time, a trumpeter 
might with advantage be added to it, and also a Sergeant-Major. The 
1 Vide “ Field Army Establishments.” The Lieut.-Colonel with Corps Field Artillery has 
charge of Corps Ammunition Reserves, in addition to his two batteries. 
2 Vide “ Field Army Establishments.” A Brigade Sergeant-Major is spoken of in the drill-book, 
but he does not really exist. 
3 Vide the account given of the manoeuvres at Chalons, by Lieut.-Colonel Cohadon, in the 
“ Revue d?Artilleries for November, 1892. 
4 Vide “ German Field Artillery Regulations,” 3 892, pp. 261-2. 
5 Some recent articles in the “ Russian Artillery Journal,” show that in the Russian army, also, 
the same demand for these orderlies has been put forward, 
