Part 2

When the Picquets on the flanks are not attacked at the same time, they can be sometimes of service in acting upon the Enemy's flanks; yet the nature of the ground must not endanger them to be cut off. But however favorable the ground may often be, it appears sometimes surprising to see that the nearest Picquets frequently do not undertake anything on such occasions, and behave exactly as if the whole business did not concern them at all.

In general, it is a rule that the Picquets that are not attacked, retire in a line with those engaged.

_By Night._

It is mentioned in Section VII. that when the Videttes have fired their fire-arms, they must gallop back by the road pointed out to them. It is of the highest importance to instruct the night Videttes, that, in case the Enemy should rapidly attack them, they are not to retire towards the Picquet, but a hundred and fifty yards to the right or left of it, firing constantly in the meantime, and trying by these means to mislead the Enemy, and draw him after them. The Picquet hereby gains time to mount, and to fall in the Enemy's flank and rear, with a great noise, who will certainly suspect to have fallen in an ambush, be puzzled, and perhaps lose some prisoners. Immediately after this attack is made, it will be best to fall back again on the road fixed upon for a retreat. It is therefore necessary to show the men in the day the road which the Videttes are to take, when they are attacked in the night, and likewise whereabout they are to rejoin the Picquet. The other part of the retreat is nearly the same as in the day, with this difference only, that there cannot be skirmishers in front, but only two or three men at the head. It is necessary to fire as much as possible, but wherever a stand can be made, an obstinate defence is desirable. It is unnecessary to remark that a report is to be sent as soon as attacked.

II. ADVANCED GUARD.

_By Day._

Suppose the same consists of one Officer, two Non-commissioned officers, and twenty-four men, the officer commanding tells them off as in fig. 3.

This gives an extension of 1,500 yards, which is sufficient for twenty-four men. If the column is larger, the Advanced Guard is likewise stronger and more extended. A rule is, that the Advanced Guard should take up so much ground, that when it discovers the enemy, the column has sufficient time to form and make dispositions, either for attacking or retiring. The several divisions of the Advanced Guard must always keep their support in sight, and be careful to preserve the same distances. When the column halts, the Advanced Guard does the same, but the three men at the head instantly occupy the neighbouring heights, in case the enemy should be within four or five hundred yards.

If the Advanced Guard comes to a wood which is supposed to be 2,000 yards broad, the Sergeant reinforces the three men at the head with six more, who extend themselves so far to the right and left as to be in line with the first three, that they can see each other, and what is concealed between them, and he follows with the two men left him, the three men in advance on the road. Should the wood be too large, the Officer must send two men to the right, and as many to the left, round it, who are carefully to examine whether they can see the traces of troops marched into the wood, which is to be immediately reported. The column halts until this is ascertained.

Generally only two men march at the heads, but this is wrong; there ought to be three, whose duty is the following: Is a height in front, the centre man of the three trots on until he can look over it; if there is one to the right or left of the road, one of the other two men does the same. Near an enemy this must always be done, supposed even that the hill is 1500 or 2000 yards distance. Men that go on the top of a hill to reconnoitre in this manner, (they may belong to an Advanced Guard or a Patrol,) must proceed more carefully than is generally done. As a great deal depends upon seeing the Enemy, and not to be seen by him, they must, when nearly on the top of the hill, take off the cap, and only go as high as just to be able to look over; this produces the great advantage, that the Commanding Officer may observe the marching Enemy, and make his arrangements accordingly for a retreat, an attack, or an ambuscade. All these advantages are lost when the Enemy discovers us.

Should the march be directed towards a village, one man goes round it to the right, the other to the left, and the third through it, if the situation of the village permits to do so. The Non-Commissioned Officer of the Advanced Guard also trots on until he arrives near the village, and reinforces the men going through it with three more; one of these four men goes to the right, the other to the left, through the bye-roads; two men proceed through the middle of it, at such a distance from each other, that the hindmost always keep in sight the one before him. Should these men in patrolling the village find no inhabitants, they are to look into the windows, ride into the yards, and examine carefully if perhaps the Enemy concealed himself; those going round the village look at the entrances to see if Troops marched into the village. The Sergeant, with his men, follows slowly; when he has passed through the village he collects his men, sends three men again at the head, and reports to his Officer, who has halted behind the village, that the same is patrolled, &c.

It is unnecessary to observe, that these and other precautionary measures are not requisite when the Enemy cannot be expected.

_By Night._

The Advanced Guard is told off as by day, but the distances between the several divisions must not be as large. The Officer's Division is a hundred yards from the column, the Sergeant a hundred from the Officer's, and the head fifty from the Sergeant's party. Between these Divisions, single men are to ride, who can see each other, to prevent the communication being lost.

If an Advanced Guard is unexpectedly attacked during the night, or meets with the Enemy, it has no other choice but instantly to fall upon him. The Non-Commissioned Officer must be instructed to disperse, in such a case, to the right and left, and to fire as much as possible; but the Officer advances rapidly with his Division, and charges. This is the only way to give time to the column to prepare for an attack. It is an unpardonable fault in an Advanced Guard to be frightened, and to retire upon the column, every thing will then be in confusion, and it would have been better, if there had been no Advanced Guard at all; but if it advanced with intrepidity the column has time.

Should the Advanced Guard be obliged, by a superior force, to retire, after having fought bravely, this retreat ought to be made on either side of the Column, but never on the Column, because the latter would be fired upon, and the confusion increased.

On all these subjects the men should be previously well instructed. Every Commanding Officer of a detached party must consider it as one of his first duties to give clear and circumstantial instructions to his men, without which they will frequently act contrary to his ideas, even with the best intention.

III. REAR GUARD

Is told off in separate divisions, the same as an Advance Guard, only in reverse order (fig. 4.)

The object of a Rear Guard is to prevent the enemy's approaching the column unperceived; two men in the Rear are sufficient, but these must be picked men. When the march is undisturbed, they often halt on the heights so as just to be able to look over to the rear, to discover the enemy. When a mountain is near, the Officer will do well to ride on the top of it, and to look about the country with his spy-glass.

If the enemy follows closely with a few men, to see the strength of our column, it is to be tried to lead them into an ambuscade, and to make prisoners, or to drive them off. But in case the Rear is attacked, it is instantly to be supported by the Serjeant's Troop, and this by the Officer's Troop, which both immediately advance for that purpose, in order not to allow the enemy to come too near the Column. The Commanding Officer of the Column will then support him, or give directions to retire slowly. If the enemy follows with a more considerable force, suppose one squadron, _without_ attacking, the Rear Guard will follow the Column in the subsequent manner. When the Column is a thousand yards distant from the Officer's Troop, he trots on to the ordinary distance of five hundred yards, halts, and fronts; as soon as the Serjeant sees that the Officer has fronted, he trots on to five hundred yards' distance from the Officer, and fronts likewise, the two men in the rear trot on to the same distance from the Serjeant's Troop. In this manner the Rear alternately follows the Column, which prevents the enemy from coming too near; at the same time an engagement is avoided, and the horses saved. Whenever the Column halts, the different parties face towards the enemy.

At night, the Rear Guard behaves in the same manner as prescribed for the Advanced Guard; that is to say, the intervals between the several Troops are to be shorter, and a sufficient number of single men placed in them not to lose sight of the Column and each other.

IV. PATROLS.

SECTION I.

SIDE PATROLS.

Patrols are detached on the Flanks, when the enemy can disturb the Flanks of the column. They are placed in the following manner (fig. 5):

The two men in A must not only from time to time communicate with the Advanced Guard--that is to say, one of them incline to the left until he can see it--but the other, when there is a height near, even at a thousand yards' distance, must ride so far on the top of it that he can look over. When attacked, Side Patrols behave as Advanced and Rear Guards. They meet the enemy, and do not suffer him to come too near the Column.

When a Side Patrol meets with a wood in the direction of its march, the disposition is altered (fig. 6).

The officer detaches the Serjeant's Troop to the right, the Corporal's and four men to the left, and himself remains with his men in the centre. The Serjeant sends two men to the skirts of the wood; these must look at the tracks, and one of them ride on a height, if any is near; the remainder divide themselves to the left of these two men, at such a distance that they can keep each other in sight. The Corporal divides his men in the same manner from the Right Flank of the Column to the Officer's Troop. If the Officer perceives that these two lines are not extensive enough to cover the ground towards his Troop, he detaches a sufficient number of men to the right and left to form a perfect line, which line must be careful never to get at the head of the Column. The Non-commissioned officers endeavor to keep their men in the same line with the Officer's Division.

It sometimes excites pity to see the men unnecessarily gallop and fatigue their horses on such occasions, only from want of instructions, without doing more good than they would have done at a walk.

SECTION II.

PATROLLING A WOOD.

This is done in the same manner as if (Section I.,) a Side Patrol meets with a wood, with the difference that two men are likewise sent round to the left extremity of the wood.

SECTION III.

PATROLS OF DISCOVERY

Consists generally of a pretty considerable force, to be enabled to defend themselves against a small hostile party or patrol, and are sent for the purpose of ascertaining whether a certain place is in the Enemy's possession, whether he is on the move against us, or whether a certain district is occupied by him. Such a Patrol marches, after having passed the chain of Videttes, with the ordinary precautions of having three men for Advanced, and two for Rear Guard, and sends, in case the country requires it, one man to the right, and another to the left, on the heights.

As not unfrequently the safety, but also the attainment of the object for which the Patrol was sent out, depends upon its not being seen by the Enemy, before the Patrol has discovered him, it is of the utmost importance to instruct the men at the head very accurately, they must not merely be satisfied with looking before them, but look at the tracks of the cross-roads very minutely, and mount every hill with caution, &c.

If this is done, the Patrol will sometimes have opportunities to make prisoners. When a Patrol sees the Enemy advance towards it with not too strong a force, it must try to conceal itself and rapidly attack the unsuspecting enemy: he will get into confusion, fly, and perhaps lose some prisoners. If the Enemy has been discovered before, but is too strong, the Patrol retires: is perhaps not seen by him at all; and circumstances may allow that it is able to continue its march, and to obtain the object of its first destination. All these advantages are lost when the Enemy discovers it.

A Patrol must never enter a village or wood until it has been explored; but this is to be managed in such a way that the Patrol is not delayed: for the leader of it must not forget that the Officer who sent him out calculates the time of his return: if he does not come back near that time, he that sent him will get apprehensive, and send another Patrol after him, whereby men and horses are fatigued, which would have been avoided had the Leader of the Patrol been active in the performance of his duty.

If a village is to be passed at night, which the Enemy can be expected to have occupied, the Patrol is to halt (about five or six hundred yards) on the side of it. When no Videttes of the Enemy are visible, a few men are sent to the right and left, who approach gradually to ascertain whether the entrances of the village are occupied by Infantry, and to try to find an inhabitant, whom they bring to the Patrol, or listen whether they can hear anything. If nothing can be learned by these means, the Patrol proceeds with the same precautions as mentioned in a former Section.

If a Patrol is ordered to ascertain by night, whether and how a village is occupied, three of the best horses are to be picked out for the head, eight men are to follow at twenty-four yards' distance, and the remainder of the Patrol follows at a hundred yards' distance: in this manner the Enemy's Vidette must be approached, without the least noise; as soon as the Vidette challenges, the advance of the Patrol must go on at full speed to take him prisoner. Should they be unsuccessful in this, the eleven men, together rapidly attack the Picquet, to bring off a prisoner, with whom they retire. The alarm will be given in the village, to a certainty, and the sounding of a trumpet or the beating of drums will enable us to judge by what Troops it is occupied. If a Patrol goes so far that it is obliged to feed the horses, it should never be done in a village, but in an open country under some trees, and Videttes are to be placed during the time.

If it is necessary to get provisions and forage out of villages, they are to be brought out.

On such occasions, as on all others, the inhabitants are to be treated with politeness, and to rob them of anything deserves the severest punishment, and it is but natural if they betray such unpleasant guests to the Enemy.

If guides are required, or inquiries made after a road, more than one must be inquired after, to leave the people in uncertainty which road the Patrol means to take. Guides that are sent home are best to be led astray, by marching a wrong way until they are out of sight.

SECTION IV.

SECRET PATROLS.

These only consist of a few men, six or eight, and are generally sent on the flanks, and sometimes in the rear of the Enemy's Army, without the knowledge of the Enemy; are to go now and then at a great distance; and are to remain for a considerable time, to make the necessary observations; therefore this is the most difficult duty for Light Cavalry.

Many rules laid down for other Patrols are likewise here applicable.

A Patrol of this kind marches without Advanced and Rear Guard, and, if the country should require it, only one man rides on the heights without showing himself. If the Patrol proceeds so far, that it is obliged to march with great precaution, it must quit the great roads wherever it is possible, and take its march by bye-roads, deep valleys, &c., &c., to reach unseen the place of its destination. A Guide on horseback will be of great service to such a Patrol; but he is to be paid for it, and treated well. When feeding the horses, it must go off the road into a bush or wood, and one man climbs up a tree to keep a look-out. If anything hostile approaches, the Patrol escapes without noise, and chooses another place of concealment until it can proceed by roundabout ways without danger. A fire can only be lighted with great caution, but it is better to avoid that entirely. If an inhabitant accidentally meets with the Patrol at night, he must remain with it until the march is continued. Should a Secret Patrol be discovered by the Enemy, notwithstanding all precautions, it must fly; as soon as the enemy gives up the pursuit, it must make attempts, by roundabout ways, to get notwithstanding, to the spot where its commission can be carried into execution.

This sometimes succeeds beyond expectation. A well-informed and clever officer is particularly required for this kind of duty; who speaks the language of the country, and has a knowledge of the customs, habits, hopes, and fears of the inhabitants. Such a one will be secure close to the Enemy, and be able to give the most certain and best intelligence.

It is to be remarked, that if the Leader of a Patrol, when returned, cannot answer the following questions about the roads he passed, viz:

Are they rocky, sandy, or boggy?

How many rivers and rivulets he passed; and the distances from one to the other?

Are the banks of them bold, or only an impediment, &c.?

How many bridges lead over them? wooden or massive?

Are fords beside those bridges, passable at every season for Cavalry, Infantry, or Artillery, &c.?

How many villages are on the road, and what are their names, and the distances from one to the other?

Does the road go through wood; or is it at some distance; apparently how large, and what kind?

he has lost sight of a principal point of his duty.

The foregoing Instructions can only be considered as a sketch of the duties of the Light Cavalry. The young, yet inexperienced soldier may look upon it as an introduction to his duties; he can only expect to acquire accomplishments by his own reflections and exertions.

AN ABRIDGMENT

OF

COLONEL ARENTSCHILDT'S

INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFICERS AND NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF LIGHT CAVALRY;

BY

LIEUT.-COLONEL THE HON. F. PONSONBY,

Twelfth Light Dragoons.

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR

OFFICERS AND NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF CAVALRY, ON OUTPOST DUTY.

PICQUET.

1. The Officer commanding a Picquet should have the Names and Regiments of the men written down: he should inspect their arms and Ammunition; he should see that they are provided with Provisions and Forage, and should thoroughly understand the Orders which he receives.

2. On the march to where the Picquet is to be stationed, the country should be examined, and the places where a stand could be made in case the Picquet should be attacked, ought to be particularly observed. It is of the utmost importance to give the corps time to turn out, and the Commander of a Picquet who retires at full speed, with the Enemy at his heels, deserves the severest punishment. He must retire as slowly as possible, and constantly skirmish.

3. Upon arriving at the spot chosen for the Picquet, the Officer should ascertain the number of Videttes necessary, by observing the roads and hills in front; he should then place them in such a manner that they can each see what is coming towards the Picquet, and at the same time observe one another. In the mean time the Picquet should dismount, placing one Sentry a little in advance; and as soon as the Videttes are placed, two-thirds of the Picquet may unbridle. The Officer should make a little sketch, marking the roads, rivers, bridges, or fords, morasses, cavities, hollow roads, mountains, woods, towns, villages, and their distances. An officer cannot feel confident for the security of his post, unless he has acquired an exact knowledge of the country.

4. The principal rules for posting a Picquet at night, are to advance it two or three miles in front of the main body, behind a bridge, ravine, wood, or bog, through which the road may pass, to place Videttes in front, and on the flanks, and to send out Patrols of two or three men each at half an hour's interval. Sometimes a man should dismount and listen with his ear to the ground, by which means he will hear the march of Troops at a great distance. This precaution is necessary in stormy weather. Upon coming by night to a new spot, Patrols should be sent out in every direction before the Videttes are placed.

5. If the Enemy is near, no fire should be lighted, the post should be frequently changed, one-half of the Picquet should be mounted, one hundred yards in advance, and the other half should keep the bridles in their hands.

6. Upon relieving a Picquet, the new one should form in the rear of the old, the Videttes should be relieved, and the detail of duties should be thoroughly explained to the non-commissioned Officers and Privates. The Commander of the old Picquet should deliver over to the new one all written Orders, and the verbal Orders should be written down and signed by the Officer relieved: he should likewise inform him to whom reports are to be made, and give him every information he has relative to the Enemy, the Patrols, the Country, &c., and the night posts should be pointed out. At the relief of the Videttes, both officers of the old and new Picquet should be present, and listen to the instructions given by the old Vidette to the new one. These instructions should be from what part of the country the Enemy may be expected, where the neighbouring Videttes are stationed, in order to be able to repeat their signals. A Vidette should never move from the spot upon which he is placed, as the difference of a yard may prevent his observing, or being observed, at a great distance.

7. A dismounted Sentry should be placed in front of the Picquet, where he can observe the movements of the different Videttes. One-third of the horses must always be bridled up, and be ready to advance; the men must not take off their swords or belts; one-half may sleep in the middle of the day, the other half in the afternoon, so that they may be all perfectly alert at night. The men must not be allowed to leave the Picquet, or to go into the villages, or houses, in the neighborhood. When the men water their horses, they must bridle them up, and take everything with them; in short, a Picquet must be always ready for an attack in half a minute.

PATROLS.