Part 1

Produced by Graeme Mackreth and The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

A TREATISE

ON THE

TACTICAL USE OF THE THREE ARMS:

INFANTRY, ARTILLERY, AND CAVALRY.

FRANCIS J. LIPPITT,

EX-COLONEL SECOND INFANTRY, CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS.

NEW YORK: D. VAN NOSTRAND, PUBLISHER, 192 BROADWAY. 1865.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865,

By D. VAN NOSTRAND,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.

ALVORD, PRINTER.

TO THE MILITARY PUBLIC.

The Author would feel obliged for any facts or suggestions which might enable him to render a future edition of this work more valuable.

PROVIDENCE, R.I., July, 1865.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PAGE

Tactical Use of Infantry 3

I. ITS ATTACK, GENERALLY 4 II. FORMATIONS FOR ATTACK 8 III. THE ATTACK, HOW MADE 19 IV. BAYONET CHARGES 24 V. DEFENCE AGAINST INFANTRY 27 VI. DEFENCE AGAINST ARTILLERY 34 VII. DEFENCE AGAINST CAVALRY 36 VIII. SQUARES 40 IX. SKIRMISHERS 49 A. THEIR USE 50 B. HOW POSTED 53 C. HOW HANDLED 55 D. RULES FOR INDIVIDUAL SKIRMISHERS 56

Tactical Use of Artillery 59

I. HOW POSTED WITH RESPECT TO THE GROUND 59 II. HOW POSTED WITH RESPECT TO OUR OWN TROOPS 63 III. HOW POSTED WITH RESPECT TO THE ENEMY 66 IV. POSTING OF BATTERIES AND OF PIECES AS BETWEEN THEMSELVES 68 V. HOW USED 70 A. GENERALLY 70 B. IN OFFENSIVE COMBAT 72 C. IN DEFENSIVE COMBAT 75 D. AGAINST INFANTRY 78 E. AGAINST CAVALRY 82 F. AGAINST ARTILLERY 83 VI. ITS FIRE 85 VII. ITS SUPPORTS 89

Tactical Use of Cavalry 93

I. ITS FORMATIONS 93 II. ITS STRONG AND ITS WEAK POINTS 98 III. HOW POSTED 99 IV. ITS SUPPORTS 104 V. HOW USED 106 VI. HOW IT FIGHTS 109 VII. ITS CHARGE 113 VIII. ITS ATTACK ON INFANTRY 122 A. GENERALLY 122 B. ON SQUARES 124 IX. GENERAL REMARKS 127

TACTICAL USE OF THE THREE ARMS.

Every complete military force consists of three arms,--INFANTRY, ARTILLERY, and CAVALRY.

In battle, these three arms are united; and, other things being equal, that commander will prove victorious who is best acquainted with their combined use in the field.

In order thoroughly to understand the proper use of the three arms combined, we must obviously begin by learning the proper use of each of them separately.

Hence the importance of the subject of the present treatise. In discussing it, we shall commence with the