9. Decisive Point of a Field of Battle 11. Tactical Base of Manoeuvres. ib. 14. Circle of Enemy's Activity CHAPTER IV. ON THE DETERMINATION OF THE DECISIVE POINT OF A FIELD OF BATTLE CHAPTER V. ON THE EXPLANATION, ILLUSTRATION, AND EXEMPLIFICATION OF THE 1. An account of the Battle of Rivoli, with a Plan 51 64 3. An account of the Battle of Albuera, with a Plan 82 4. An account of the Battle of Austerlitz, with a Plan . 109 Also, Explanations of those of the Principles and Maxims which seem to require it, and Exemplifications from all times of Military History 131 CHAPTER VI. ON THE PASSAGE OF A GREAT RIVER, WITH EXAMPLES AND A PLAN. CHAPTER VII. ON FORTIFICATION. 1. On the Principles of Fortification generally. 2. On Têtes-de-Pont, with a Plan 3. On the cheapest System of Fortresses, and the best, considered with respect to Military, Naval, and Commercial advantages, for the Defence of an Island possessing a decided maritime superiority; and on the strategical advantages of the system CHAPTER VIII. ON THE MEANS OF OBTAINING INFORMATION, AND OF DISCOVERING THE PAGE 37 CHAPTER I. ON DEFINITIONS. THIS brief chapter is devoted to a few definitions, which It being necessary that the definition of Strategy should be premised Def.-Strategy is that division of the science of war, which superintends the direction of all operations and the construction of all combinations, except during the intervals of action; the instant at which the opposing forces, of whatever magnitude, come in sight of one another, being, in all cases (whether the affair be a battle, attack of post, siege, or of whatever kind) the signal for strategy to leave its presidency, and the instant at which they lose sight of one another, that for its return. Def. 1.-Tactics is that division of the science of war which presides over all military operations whenever strategy does not preside. Def. 2.-The lines on which the divisions of an army manœuvre, after the armies come in sight of one another, are called Tactical Lines. In all the plans of battles attached to this treatise, the tactical lines, on which the armies moved from their first position to their second and again to their third, are represented by dotted lines, as is stated in the explanation of the plans, which explanation is placed immediately before the plans, must be attentively and had best be read here. In the accounts of the battles of Rivoli, Dresden, Albuera, and Austerlitz, which are given with plans in explanation, illustration, and exemplification of the Principles and Maxims, examples of tactical lines will be found. By turning to the Plan 3, which is the plan of the battle of Albuera, the reader may see the B PREFACE. THE Preface of a Treatise on Military Science should be concise. The Preface divides itself into two parts: 1. The Scope of the treatise. . 2. Reasons for writing it. The Scope is briefly and of necessity very imperfectly exhibited in the Table of Contents placed after this Preface, and to it the reader is referred, it being premised that the object the Author proposed to himself was to write an Analytical Elementary Treatise on the Science of Tactics, and on certain parts of the Science of Strategy, on the model of the best treatises on the Mathematical Sciences. It is, therefore, hoped, that the treatise is characterised in a special degree by definiteness, conciseness, order, and comprehensiveness. The necessary definitions are given, accompanied by examples, and it is hoped that every idea, principle, and thing, presented to the student in this treatise is perfectly clear and definite, because it is certain that the operations of a mind working with distinct, well-defined ideas and conceptions, are not only far less liable to error, but also much more rapid; in fact, a mind working with definite ideas, having before it the exact and perfect thing signified by every word used, possesses in rapidity and exactitude all |
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