the field artillery journal - Fort Sill - U.S. Army

THE FIELD ARTILLERY JOURNAL
observing station and have the scissors observing telescope set
up. I cannot believe that all these movements of ours had
entirely escaped the attentive observation of the hostile
artillery, for, as we soon learned subsequently, the enemy was
already in position with a part of his artillery in order to
support the withdrawal of his own march columns then in a
very dangerous situation. In about fifteen minutes the batteries
were all in position. To the first battery emplaced, I assigned
the only visible and at the same time appropriate target,
namely, the hostile march columns on the road climbing up the
steep slope to Igney, a target which it was necessary for us to
take under fire before it disappeared behind this hill. But the
extreme range (about 5600 meters) which made it necessary to
dig holes for the trails and in very hard ground at that, delayed
the opening of fire very much. How often have we bewailed
this very circumstance, namely that the inadequate limit of
elevation of the gun when on level ground compels us to resort
to this unavoidable labor in such emergencies.
In continuing my observations with the scissors telescope
and while sweeping the objective over the panorama for the
purpose of directing the remaining two batteries upon some
other targets which I felt positive were surely out there, I
suddenly identified at a distance of about 4000 meters upon a
flat ridge a little lower than the one we occupied and in the
direction of what I believed to be the village of Rixingen a
dark, worm-like object creeping along through the terrain,
coming toward us and then halting. I looked a little closer and
now recognized it as a battery in double section column
moving into position with the drivers dismounted, and just
about to unlimber. I could feel my heart beat distinctly! This
battery was going into action with its front directed against an
entirely different part of the battlefield. It was impossible for it
to be aware of our position in observation. If it were a hostile
battery, then it was up to us to surprise our unsuspecting
enemy with an overwhelming fire and after that to finish up
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