342 COMMENDED ESSAY, 1896. 
which was being also made use of by other troops. 
As the Ammunition Park is a whole day’s march behind the division, 
it is enough to say, with reference to the space it will occupy, that as a 
rough rule 20 yards may be allowed for every vehicle—this including 
intervals. 
If the Ammunition Columns be far to the rear it may be necessary 
for them to move forward during the night. 
Since a battery in action has with its guns usually three ammunition 
wagons, and the other three under cover, forming what may be termed 
the battery reserve (or where a brigade-division is engaged the brigade- 
division reserve and which I have spoken of as “ the wagon line ”’), it 
is a convenient arrangement that each battery should have a reservoir 
in the Divisional Ammunition Column of three ammunition wagons, 
which three are to be regarded as interchangeable with the other sets 
of three which are in the front. Ag an addition one ammunition and . 
store wagon packed with ammunition should be provided for each 
battery and therefore the brigade-division of three batteries can rely 
on nine ammunition wagons and three ammunition and store wagons 
with the column behind it.1 
I may now indicate more closely the special duties which will fall to 
an artillery officer who finds himself in command of one of these 
Ammunition Columns. 
But before entering into detail it is desirable to lay it down as 
strongly as possible that the guiding principle of his conduct should be 
that the supply is to flow from rear to front, that full wagons or carts 
are to be sent forward to take the place of emptied ones, rather than 
that the reverse process is to be adopted. 
It is probable that while still on the line of march the sound of firing 
or messengers will apprise him of the fact that the unit to which he 
belongs is deployed, or about to deploy for action. He must then at 
once send off some of the mounted orderlies which are at his disposal 
to find out whether ammunition is needed, and also to bring back word 
as to the position of the unit which he is to supply, and open up con- 
nection with it. A general direction only will often be given, and it 
will frequently be no easy task to lead the wagons expeditiously to the 
place where they are needed. Therefore these orderlies, who are pre- 
sumably intelligent men, and who, as they move, will study the lie of 
the ground as much as possible, having ascertained what they wanted 
to know, should without delay return to the Ammunition Columns, and 
be prepared to act as guides to those who may be ordered to lead 
forward the supply. 
Until the officer commanding an Ammunition Column is quite certain 
of the exact position in action of the brigade-division and infantry 
which he has to supply he should not leave the road. Because if he 
does so, it may not be easy for an orderly charged with a message to 
him to find him. But, when he knows exactly where he has to go to, 
he should move by the shortest route, and across country, if the nature 
of it is such to allow of the free movement of wheeled carriages. Unless 
he has reconnoitred the path he intends to pursue he had better, how- 
1 This is the arrangement which will be carried out with the new 15-pr. equipment. 
