The Popular Science Monthly, October, 1900: Vol. 57, May, 1900 to October, 1900 — John Shaqi
The Popular Science Monthly, October, 1900: Vol. 57, May, 1900 to October, 1900Various
History
The Popular Science Monthly, October, 1900: Vol. 57, May, 1900 to October, 1900
Various
Science -- Periodicals; Technology -- Periodicals
Refreshed by their supper the men are ready to turn in at tattoo; by
the time ‘taps’ have sounded most are soundly sleeping. But some are
awake; if doing their full duty, wider awake than ever they are likely
to be in times of peace. The same attention to the bodily comfort of
his men which impelled the colonel to give them a long rest at midday
and a comfortable meal, applies with increased force to those detailed
early in the morning for the night’s guard; during the march these
have been spared as far as possible, even being allowed a lift now and
then in an ambulance. Such privileges are not granted by a commander
who knows his craft as a concession to the laziness, but rather as a
preparation for the effectiveness of his men. This is a principle of
action, and may apply to business as well as war, that the strong head
never withholds reasonable and proper indulgence; the better, it may be
said, to enforce at needful times reasonable and proper exertions.
As soon as the camp is established the guards are posted. If great
precautions were needed during the day, much more are they by night.
If fifty were sufficient on the march we need a hundred during the
hours of darkness. In the case of a large army an elaborate system of
night guards is necessary: First, ‘advanced guards’, occupying strong
positions at some distance from the main body; beyond these are the
picket guards; further still towards the front what are called ‘grand
guards’, from which are thrown forward the outposts, to which the line
of sentinels is directly attached. In case of alarm, the sentinels fall
back upon the outposts; these upon the grand guards; they, in turn,
if necessary, upon the pickets; the necessities of the case and the
strength of the enemy’s demonstration determining the movements of the
defense, even perhaps to the ‘long roll’ and rousing of the entire army.
In our case, no such elaborate system is possible; we content ourselves
with outposts and the line of sentinels, all that will be needed, if
vigilant, to guard against surprise. The colonel, attended by the
officer in command of the guard, will select the sites for outposts.
These, five in number, are marked by stars upon the map. The direction
from which an attack is most probable is from the ridge (‘R’, ‘R’).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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