264 ARTILLERY FROM AN INFANTRY OFFICER'S POINT OF VIEW. 
was laid against the off wheel of every gun, a rod stuck in the ground 
behind the gun and in line with the sights, firing was commenced and 
the gun laid back on the rod. The whole thing was done in much less 
time than it has taken me to describe it. Perhaps, however, the more 
ordinary manner of procedure is not the one above described, but is 
first to lay the guns directly and then to retire them, after having fixed 
the rod in the ground as above. 
Twenty paces is the ordinary interval between guns, but I have 
often seen 40 taken with the intention of deceiving the enemy as to 
the strength of the artillery, for when hostile artillery is a mile off and 
all that is seen of it is a flash from the muzzle, it is very hard to 
say at what interval the guns are placed. 
I have tried to describe the manner in which German artillery come 
into position when good positions are to hand and the guns are not 
over crowded. I have, however, when positions have been limited, 
seen guns in action with only 10 paces interval, but it is considered as 
the result of experiments that artillery with guns at 10 paces will suffer 
four times as much loss as with guns at 20 paces. A smaller interval 
than 20 paces is consequently never resorted to if it can be avoided. 
T have also seen two, and on one occasion three tiers of fire used. On 
the latter occasion the ground sloped about one degree to the front, 
and there was about 3800 yards distance between lines. Guns were 
firing at artillery, range about 2500 yards, and they were firing over a 
valley. 
When once established in a good position, the German artillery are 
most averse to leaving it, and I have never, at German manceuvres, 
seen the artillery brought up close to the infantry lines previous to an 
assault. What the artillery does do previous to and during an assault 
is to redouble its fire, giving 200 or 3800 yards more elevation and 
length of fuze in order to catch the hostile reserves moving up, and to 
preclude the possibility of hitting its own assaulting troops. The ar- 
gument is used, that it benefits the infantry but little to have moving 
targets composed of their comrades of the artillery galloping about 
behind them, whereas the continuous fire of their guns is of the utmost 
value to them. I have talked to many officers, who were through the 
Franco-Prussian War, on this subject and have invariably been told 
that the occasions on which guns pushed up to within infantry range 
to support the attack were exceptional, and that when they occurred, 
some specific object was in view, as to knock down the walls of 
Fréschwiller at the battle of Worth, which, owing to the configuration 
of the ground, could not be bombarded from a distance, and behind 
which the French were making a last stand. In answer to a question 
of mine on this subject, I have just received the following answer from 
a distinguished German officer which rather modifies what I have just 
said. He says: “I am of opinion that both in attack and defence 
artillery must not be exposed to infantry fire at the commencement of 
an engagement, or until the hostile infantry have suffered and been 
shaken. In defence artillery should if possible be 500 metres behind 
the infantry. Nevertheless it may be advisible in the attack just 
