“The 7th of Sept. (1631) before sunrise, the Swedish army marched from Dieben to a large field about a mile from Leipsic, where we found old Tilly’s army in full battalia in admirable order, which made a show both glorious and terrible. “Tilly, like a fair gamester, had taken up but one side of the plain, and left the other side clear and all the avenues open to the King’s approach, nor did he stir to the charge until the Swedish army was fully drawn up and was advancing toward him. He had with him 44,000 old soldiers and a better army I believe never was so soundly beaten.… “Then was made a most dreadful slaughter, and yet there was no flying. Tilly’s men might be killed or knocked down, but no man turned his back, nor would give an inch of ground, save as they were marched, wheeled, or retreated by their officers.… About six o’clock the field was cleared of the enemy except at one place on the King’s front, where some of them rallied; and though they knew that all was lost, they would take no quarter, but fought it out to the last man, being found dead the next day in rank and file as they were drawn up.” * * * * * Perfection in Organization is attained when troops instantly and intelligently act according to order and execute with exactness and precision any and every prescribed evolution. TOPOGRAPHY _“Let us not consider where we shall give battle, but where we may gain the victory.”--Phocion._ * * * * * _“There can be no discretion in a movement which forsakes the advantage in ground.”--Gustavus Adolphus._ * * * * * _“That battlefield is best which is adapted to the full use of the chief constituents of your army and unfavorable to the mass of the enemy.”--Napoleon._ TOPOGRAPHY _“The ground is the CHESSBOARD of we cannibals; and it is the selection and use made of it, that decides the knowledge or the ignorance of those by whom it is occupied.”--Frederic the Great._ _The highest use of Topography consists in reducing a superior adverse force to the inferior force, by minimizing the radius of action of the hostile Corps d’armee._ _This is effected by so posting the kindred corps that in the resulting Strategetic Horizons, impassable natural barriers are presented to the march of hostile corps toward their respective objectives._ On the surface of the earth such natural barriers are formed by mountains, rivers, lakes, swamps, forests, deserts, the ocean, and the boundaries of neutral States. On the Chess-board these topographical conditions are typified by peculiarities and limitations in the movements of the Chess-pieces, viz.: I. The sides of the Chess-board which terminate all movements of the chess pieces. II. That limitation of the movements of the Chesspieces which makes it impossible for them to move other than in straight lines.