Conclusion, 
308 GOLD MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1896. 
venience in adjusting accounts will be saved by a simple book. Unless 
accounts are of the most simple in war, they will not be kept at all, as 
anybody can lose a book. That they would be useful is certain, and a 
rough and ready system would answer all requirements. 
The key to handling an Ammunition Column well in the field is like 
everything else in war—the possession of a cool head and the faculty 
of telling by the signs of the times what is the exact state of the fight 
in front. The officers commanding must always be prepared to sacrifice 
their commands to any extent to assist the troops in front; but to do 
this well and at the same time to do their duty to their commands, they 
must always have both eyes wide open, and be prepared to act calmly 
and at once under all circumstances. 
