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

PURSUIT AFTER BATTLE IN LORRAINE
immediately. The adjacent third battery, by making use of the
observations of this fire, was to begin at once to bracket the
target with shell. The first method does not quite conform to the
prescriptions of the Firing Regulations since such a hostile
battery target cannot be considered to be an instantaneous target.
But special conditions necessitate special methods. What
commanding officer of any grade would in time of war have
adhered scrupulously to the Regulations when circumstances
required that some success be attained as quickly as possible?
How ill adapted to entirely different and unexpected
circumstances have our Regulations often proved themselves,
and how quickly did we then have to learn over again because
the targets which present themselves in war compelled us to
change! This combined fire for adjustment and for effect of the
two batteries, notwithstanding the rather long range, at once
produced some results, as we could plainly see through the
scissors observing telescope. The hostile battery, the movements
of which we could follow very closely and which was still
engaged in preparing the guns for fire in an entirely different
direction, was visibly surprised by this sudden enfilading fire. At
first the limbers which had taken position not sufficiently far
behind the guns, took up the trot and wound their way
completely down the slope, endeavoring to get out of the line of
fire as quickly as possible, successfully doing so in a very short
time. I should have assigned these limbers as a special target to
one of my batteries from the very beginning in order to deprive
the enemy from the very start of his only means of mobility. I
would certainly do this if a similar case came up again, but we
are all wiser after a thing is over. The first thing that I noticed
about the hostile guns, was a part of the gun detachments
running away to take cover in a fold of the ground in rear of the
hostile position, a view of which was moreover obscured by
the high standing grain. Only one gun, very probably
commanded by a very energetic chief of section or platoon,
took up the unequal contest and at once was faced to the left
17