9 
The park is supposed to be placed on the edge of the road. 
If, at the commencement of a battle the park commander has received no 
orders, he may, without fear, advance to 2000-3000™ from the tail of the 
troops. 
What action should the park commander take in case of retreat, supposing 
he gets no orders and cannot communicate with the artillery commander? Let 
us take two cases. 
1st Case.—The General commander after the first collision, for one reason or 
another, decides to retire. ‘The park commander has approached pretty close to 
the troops; his park is placed near the roads, generally at cross roads; he has 
sent out scouts alcng all the roads at the proper distance ; he has left on the line 
of retreat some orderlies to clear the road to the rear; he is thus ready, in case 
of necessity, to make a rapid retreat. IJle hears a weak and intermittent can- 
nonade; he concludes, therefore, that the expenditure of ammunition has not 
been great. As soon as he receives news of the retreat he starts his waggons at 
a rapid rate till he has gained several miles from the head of the retreating troops, 
leaving behind a few waggons to supply them, especially the rear-guard. 
2nd Case.—Ketreat after an unsuccessful battle. The expenditure will have 
been very great. The park commander sends to the rear all empty waggons, but 
retains all the full ones. These allow the columns to pass them and take post 
between the main body and the rear-guard, for which there is ample space. With 
these supplies the rear-guard will hold on the more tenaciously, for their supply 
is better than that of the enemy’s advance-guard, which is leaving its supply 
further behind. 
We have taken the extreme case that, up to the end of the battle even, the 
park commander has received no orders, but even if he has, his general action 
should be on the same lines. He should not, however, act altogether indeper- 
dently. Should he move his park, he should leave an orderly to receive and 
follow him with any orders that come. 
Every unit of an army has the duty laid on it of clearing its own way when 
moving. A section of empty waggous moving to the rear may meet a section of 
the grand park consisting either of military waggons or requisitioned carts. The 
former section ought to fill up at once from the latter since the latter cannot go 
up to the fighting line. But this cannot be done at the point of meeting, which 
might be in a narrow defile. Such unit ought to have scouts a-head of it about 
x miles and these, when they meet, have ample time to fix a suitable place for 
the transfer of ammunition. 
The duty of foresight and preparation is also incumbent on the commander of 
the grand park. As soon as it is decided to establish a depdt unloading station, 
he should set out for the place selected and reconnoitre the line of advance up to 
the nearest point to the troops so as to select the best places for the replenishment 
of military supplies. 
As soon as he receives information that a battle has commenced, which will 
probably call for a replenishment of ammunition, he will send forward to each of 
the selected points a squad under an officer to make all arrangements to expediate 
the transmission of supplies to the army, to collect forage, etc. Orders for the 
supply of the different corps issued by lead-quarters are sent to one point—the 
chief depot—but the points at which the actual replenishment is carried out are 
further to the front—the Commander-in-Chief may not even know where they are 
—it is a detail with which he does not concern himself. 
The sections of empty waggons will, therefore, have to leave the road they have 
moved to the rear by at certain points in order to reach the replenishing station 
SUB 
Scouting. 
Initiative of 
commander 
of grand park 
