316 
role of horse artillery. 
here that I am far from wishing it to be supposed that everything 
stated below is held to be exclusively applicable to horse artillery. It 
will be enough to prove merely that it is essential to horse artillery. 
The duties of the horse artillery and the field batteries touch each 
other so closely in most respects, that it is impossible to draw any 
broad line of distinction between them. The field battery is, in fact, 
in respect of its mobility, but a modified form of the horse artillery 
battery; the horse artillery battery, in respect of the efficacy of its 
fire, a modified form of the field battery. The development of the 
mobility and independence of field artillery has done much to bring the 
horse artillery and field batteries closer together. The one has been to 
a great extent separated from, and rendered independent of, the cavalry; 
the other has been more and more dissociated from the infantry, and 
has become so mobile that the term “ foot artillery ” can be no longer 
justly applied to it. 
Duties in connection with the Cavalry. 
h. a. with Under this heading are included all the duties of horse artillery, 
cavairy. w h en ac ting with cavalry independently, beyond the reach of the 
support of infantry. These duties may be considered, for the sake of 
convenience, under the following headings :— 
a. Duties with cavalry of the advance. 
h. „ „ detached force of cavalry. 
c . Pursuits. 
d. Retreats. 
cavalry of a ‘ With the Cavalry of the Advance.-—it may be taken for granted 
the advance, that the advance of armies, where the nature of the theatre of 
. war permits of it, will always be preceded by a large force of 
cavalry in the form of what is now generally termed “ the strategic 
veil.” The duties of this force are on all hands admitted to be 
exceedingly important, and upon their efficient performance depend 
not only the security and comfort, but also, to a great extent, even the 
morale of the main body of an army. These duties are, briefly, to cover 
the advance of the main body with a veil of cavalry scouts, and to con¬ 
ceal from the enemy everything that takes place behind this veil; to 
fasten on the enemy, and to gain all possible information concerning his 
strength, movements, &c«; to secure the. repose of its own main body, 
and, where it is possible, to interrupt that of the enemy. 
This cavalry force, in an army organised like our own,* would be 
furnished by the cavalry brigades of each army corps, which, when 
two or more corps were acting together, would be formed into a 
Cavalry Division. The horse artillery accompanying this force would 
consist of the battery attached to each cavalry brigade, and to these 
* Here and elsewhere the organisation is supposed to be that of the mobilisation scheme. 
