SILVER MEDAL PRIZE ESSAY, 1896, dl] 
EINGLAND. 
Our organization is one column per division (in our army there being our own 
three divisions) and one for the corps artillery—four inall. Whilewe ‘yt™ 
have a Column for every cavalry brigade, of which two can combine to 
form a divisional Column. 
As every corps would have a cavalry brigade or division in con- 
nection with it, our corps Park has five sections, four of which are 
assimilated to the four Columns of the corps, the fifth to the Column of 
the cavalry brigade or division. 
Hach divisional Ammunition Column is similar, while the corps 
troops and cavalry Columns have special organizations. 
Similarly, the three divisional sections of the Park are similar, the 
corps troops and cavalry sections being different. 
It should be noted, however, that though the Ammunition Columns 
are directly under the command of the divisional cavalry and corps 
artillery commanders, the five sections of the Park are under normal 
conditions massed under one commandant under the orders of the corps 
commander. 
Any complication, entailed by having three different organizations of 
the Park sections, is compensated for by the facility with which any 
portion of the army corps can be detached complete with its Column 
and Park. 
This glance at our own system and those of two of the great mili- 
tary nations shows that we practically resemble them, with special 
adaptations for our own wants, and it may fairly be assumed that the 
manner in which Columns are allotted to units of the army corps is 
that most suited for war. 
Noumser or Rounds TO BE CARRIED. 
The object of the Columns being to supply troops during and after 
an action and the Park to fill up the Columns ready to move on with 
the army, the number of rounds should not exceed those necessary for 
this purpose, it being remembered that the trains actually accompany- 
ing an army are quite big enough and only carry stores to make the 
army, when at full pressure, independent of the depdts on its communi- 
cations for a few days. 
Major Stone, R.A., in the ‘ Proceedings” of the R.A.I. for 1895, 
pages 587 to 544, in an article which seems to have anticipated every 
want of the writer of an essay like the present, gives a series of 
statistics of losses and expenditure of German artillery in the conse- pypenaiture 
cutive battles of Colombey, Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte. No greater ,. a, 
strain can be imagined on the ammunition supply trains than the Marsla.’ 
replacement of casualties and ammunition for these three battles, with- @ount. 
out resource to the depéts in rear. 
He shows us that the average expenditure per battery per battle was 
313 rounds, or 939 for three battles, or if all the batteries had six guns, 
156°5 rounds per gun. 
This we may certainly take as a fair guide to our needs and should 
arrange to carry between Column and Park, as their mobility organi- 
zation best dictates, a number of rounds similar to this. 
