OBSERVATIONS

ON THE PAST AND PRESENT STATE

OF

FIRE-ARMS,

AND ON THE PROBABLE EFFECTS IN WAR

OF

THE NEW MUSKET:

WITH

A PROPOSITION FOR REORGANIZING THE ROYAL REGIMENT
OF ARTILLERY BY A SUBDIVISION INTO BATTALIONS
IN EACH SPECIAL ARM OF

Garrison, Field, and Borse Artillery,

WITH

SUGGESTIONS FOR PROMOTING ITS EFFICIENCY.

BY COLONEL CHESNEY, D.C.L. & F.R.S.

ROYAL ARTILLERY.

LONDON:

LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS.

1852.

231. 06.48.

LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,

SCHEDULE NO. 1.—Present and proposed Expense of the Horse

Brigade Establishment

352, 353

SCHEDULE NO. 2.-Present and proposed Expense of the Royal

Regiment of Artillery.

354, 355

SCHEDULE No. 3.-Out-stations in Great Britain and Ireland. 356

SCHEDULE NO. 4.-Change of Construction in the Royal Regi-

SCHEDULE NO. 7.-Comparative Expense of an Artillery Force

of Non-commissioned Officers and Gunners

360, 361

INDEX

362

OBSERVATIONS,

&c. &c.

CHAPTER I.

ON ACQUIRING THE ART OF WAR BY STUDY.

Reconstruction of the Royal Regiment of Artillery proposed in 1849.-
Objects to be attained by this change.-Evidence given before the
Committee of the House of Commons.-Combination of Artillery with
other Arms.-Basis on which this question should be considered.—
Theory and experience compared. - Observations by Plutarch,
Folard, Puységur, and others, on the Study of War.-A knowledge of
War may be theoretically acquired.-The celebrated Campaign of
Turenne against Montecuculi in 1675.-Result of their Manœuvres.
-Montecuculi is opposed to Condé.-Tactics of Gustavus Adolphus
and those of Frederic the Great as described by Guibert and Jomini.
-Battle of Leuthen illustrates the Tactics of the latter.-General
Houchard and change of Tactics by the French Directory.-The
Emperor Napoleon pursues the new system.-Naval Tactics pro-
pounded by Clerk of Eldin.—System of breaking the Enemy's Line.
-Rodney defeats the Count de Grasse by a similar manœuvre.—
Other examples of the advantages derived from Study without Ex-
perience.

of the Royal

proposed in

1849.

UNDER the impression that a judicious recon- Reconstruction struction of the Artillery would gradually remedy Artillery its well-known defective state of promotion, and at the same time confer other important advantages on this branch of the service, the writer, without attempting to go deeply into this important subject, ventured to submit his ideas to