A History of Tactics (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XX. THE BOER WAR. Having interpolated two chapters on Tactics as exemplified in "Small Wars," I now turn to that great struggle in S. Africa, which tried so severely our strength, both as a nation and as an empire. Before entering upon a description of some of its battles and of the tactical developments that came about, the reader should understand that this book is an attempt at a History of Tactics, and not at all a book in which the main aim is to argue out the correctness or incorrectness of the tactical ideas employed. Neither is it a mere chronicle of what soldiers did. Praise or blame is hardly to be avoided, if one is to give an intelligent and reasonably interesting account of what happened; but the writer has no mission in this chapter to plunge into controversy such as is naturally raging in the military magazines. His aim is to give as clear a picture as possible of the new things that were seen, and of the new things that were done in consequence. With this purpose in view, some battles and combats of the war are chosen for brief description, each to be followed by some comments, and the whole to be again followed by some more general remarks bearing on the whole effect of this war upon tactical ideas. Battle Of Belmont, 23RD November, 1899. At the date of this action the redoubtable Cronje was still 300 miles away, besieging Mafeking, the Boers who were collecting to bar Methuen's progress to Kimberley were estimated at under 5,000, and Methuen had over 8,000 men available at Orange River Station, not counting the Highland Brigade, some distance down the railway, and the 12th Lancers still at Cape Town. Methuen's plan was to fight rather than manoeuvre; to all suggestions that he should go round the Belmont position, he replied, " I...