Meaning of 
term. 
Armament 
decided by 
the superior 
authorities. 
First artil¬ 
lery posi¬ 
tion. 
General 
considera¬ 
tions deter' 
mining the 
most suit¬ 
able ord¬ 
nance. 
538 ORGANISATION AND EMPLOYMENT OF SIEGE ARTILLERY. 
train, as well as its preparation, - * was found wholly inadequate. The 
fortress companies had to he made up from a strength of 86 to 400 
(formed in two companies), and since the war an increase of the cadres 
of the fortress artillery and of the strength of the establishment has been 
made; further, the organisation of a field railway detachment to he 
attached to the train, and for the transport service a special park of from 
300 to 400 military wagons , has been decided on. 
It may he considered, therefore, that, under ordinary circumstances, 
8 batteries per unit will furnish sufficient artillerymen; hut that in 
certain cases, when transport duties are very severe, or nearly all the 
ordnance have to be served at one time, this establishment will have 
to be added to. The British allotment is, however, primarily intended 
for administrative purposes, and is of great practical value, inasmuch 
as, provided transport and men actually necessary to equip the unit 
be maintained efficient, such a portion can be set in motion at once, 
any further demands rendered necessary' by special circumstances 
being supplemented afterwards. 
Arming the Batteries. 
Arming the batteries includes bringing up the ordnance, mounting 
and placing them in firing position, the supply of all ammunition and 
stores necessary for their service, and the laying of platforms. 
In our serYice this last duty is usually performed by the Engineers. 
The locality and form of each siege battery is decided by the superior 
■ authorities (Commanding Officers of the Artillery and Engineers), 
every work being constructed with a definite object—it may be to 
bombard, counter-batter, breach, or enfilade certain parts of the 
besieged fortress. In like manner, also, the most appropriate arma¬ 
ment for each battery is determined by superior authority, in further¬ 
ance of the supreme object. The following considerations regarding 
the ordnance and ammunition for the first and second artillery positions 
must therefore be understood as only a very general discussion of the 
question, and the conclusions as liable to be more or less overweighed 
by exceptional or particular local circumstances. 
In the first artillery position, ordnance are needed—fi 
(1) Eor bombardment: (a) destruction of buildings, (b) destruc¬ 
tion of materiel , ( c ) destruction of men ; 
(2) For fighting the enemy's artillery; 
(3) For driving back the enemy within his works ; 
(4) For repelling sorties; 
range, penetration, accuracy, with powerful common and shrapnel shell, 
being the chief requirements. 
* At the end of the war some 800 German pieces were on French soil available for siege 
purposes. To these were added a large number of siege guns belonging to the South German 
.Artillery, &c. 
j" Major Kemmis’ prize essay. 
