466 
THE IRISH MANOEUVRES, 1899. 
decisive moment, left him in the hollow of his enemy’s hand. It re¬ 
quires an effort of patience to wait for the cavalry reports, but the effort 
is always necessary and always rewarded. “ Reconnaissance,” wrote 
Lord Roberts in a memorandum drawn up before the manoeuvres be¬ 
gan, “ is perhaps the most important of all the many important duties 
that devolve on a Commander. Whether the force consists of an 
Army Corps, a Division, or only a Brigade, no prepayation for battle 
can be satisfactorily made until information of the strength, where¬ 
abouts, and, as far as possible, the plans of the enemy hav e been ascer¬ 
tained.” 
The truth of the above words was practically illustrated by the 
result of the manoeuvres which furnished an object lesson never to be 
forgotten by those who took part in them. 
