THE USES OF ARTILLERY.
fTo THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Your article on "The Uses of Artillery" in the Spectator of the 18th inst. is most interesting, and puts into words what many of us have felt. But with the general conclusion to be drawn—I should say that will be drawn—from the article I cannot quite agree. That conclusion will undoubtedly be that the gunner, brave as he is, has not been accustomed to use his weapon intelligently. You practically say that he has scorned to take cover when he might have done so, that he has rushed into close quarters when he might have remained out of range of the enemy's rifle fire. You very generously attribute this to his lion heart, but perhaps you will allow me to point out that the apparent want of intelligence is frequently due to * much more common and prosaic cause,—viz., circumstances over which he has no control. I will mention two such " circumstances " only, in both of which I think you must allow the battery commander—and it is he against whom the moral blame of your article is directed—has no choice what- ever. The actual spot upon which he is to bring his battery into action may be pointed out to him by some superior authority—as often as not an infantry brigadier—and he is himself responsible for the whole of his command, and is unable to separate the six portions of which it is composed without at any rate obtaining special leave to do so. Pray do not suppose that the gunner is not as keenly alive to the ad- vantages of cover as the infantryman, but to find suitable- i.e., efficient—cover for six guns with their corresponding limbers, waggons, and horses when ordered into action in a hurry is a vastly different thing from ordering a body of men, however large, and encumbered only with a rifle, to conceal each himself as best be can. The old comparison, moreover, between the Boer Artillery and our own is not a fair one. The conditions under which they were severally called upon to do their work were absolutely different. That the differ- ence was so great was due, I maintain, in most instances to orders from superior authority,—orders which the battery commanders had no choice but to obey at once. Whether or not this wholesale giving and taking of orders should be modified by making the gun the " unit " of artillery, instead of the battery, is a very vexed professional question; but until it has been decided to do so I must ask you to remember what a very much more difficult task is that of a battery com- mander than that of any other regimental officer of equal [We agree, but unless the proposition " one gun is no gun " is freely criticised, there is no chance of any change being made. We do not for a moment suggest that Artillery officers are stupid, but we must continue to protest against rules, regulations, and orders that make them do stupid things.—ED. Spectator.]
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