[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR:]
Sin.—Owing to an error in punctuation, &c., one sentence in my letter on the above subject in your issue of January 6th was rendered somewhat unintelligible. It should have, of course, run : 'Where our recent losses in action have been great, they have been due to our being surprised when in close formation." I should not have troubled you with this correction but for your article on the same date, which seems to advocate seriously the adoption of shields for the use
of infantry in action. Without repeating the obvious arguments used by me against this, I must ask leave to point out the fallacy of the statement of the writer of the article that "a single waggon would carry shields enough to equip a battalion." The capacity of a general service waggon would not allow of more than about sixty such shields being carried. There are eight hundred fighting men in a battalion. An addition of fourteen waggons to the regimental transport of a battalion would, therefore, be required to carry eight hundred shields, without taking their weight into consideration. As a matter of detail, how could the issue of these to the men be arranged, bearing in mind that waggons cannot be brought up closer to a position than three or four miles? The British infantry soldier carries a weight of 50 lb. in action, without his (packed) valise, which weighs 10 lb., and I strongly deprecate any addition to this weight, if he is to be expected to storm kopjes in the splendid way he has accustomed us to.—I am. Sir, &c.,
INFANTRY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL.
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