Frederick The Great - To Cavalry.pdf - Strategia - materiały po ang - kyclawok

The "Particular Instruction of the King of Prussia to the Officers of his Army,

and especially those of the Cavalry

by: Fredrick the Great

The "Particular Instruction of the King of Prussia to the Officers of his Army, and especially

those of the Cavalry" were written by Frederick the Great and translated from French into

English by Lieut.-Colonel T. Foster at the end of the 18th century and published together with

the "Military Instruction from the Late King of Prussia to His Generals" in one book. The

dedication to Major General Goldworthy is dated March 1797. I have typed in the 5th edition of

1818.

ARTICLE I.

Of advanced Guards.

When the whole of an army, or a part of it, is on the march, the guards in front and rear, as well

as the flank patroles, are furnished by the light troops. They are intended also, for the most part,

to form the advanced guards. When the army is arrived at the ground of encampment, the guard

in front divides itself into several parties, so extended as to cover the whole front of the camp,

whilst the infantry are employed in pitching tents and posting sentries. The same precautions

are to be observed by the rear guard and flank patroles. Whilst the army is thus employed, it is

the peculiar business of the light troops that are advanced to send forward patroles to search

and scour minutely all the woods, copses, ravines, or defiles that may be in their front, and it

may be, occupied by the enemy, who taking advantage of the army's being employed in

arranging their camp, might fall upon it, and throw it into confusion. When all this business is

finished, and the camp properly settled, the major-general of the day, or some other

commanding officer, arrives, places the guards, and appoints to every officer his proper post.

All the advanced posts should be so contrived, that the piquets be placed on elevated situations

and concealed by trees: the main body of the guard should be posted seven, eight, or nine

hundred paces in the rear of the piquets, either in some small wood o r behind houses, to

prevent being seen, and their force discovered by the enemy, but the advanced guards should

never allow the piquets to be out of their sight.

When the officer has taken possession of his post, and the advanced guards are properly

placed, if he be a stranger tot he country, he must procure a man from some neighboring house

or village, and question him (whilst he carefully examines his map of the country) concerning the

names of the surrounding villages, if there be in the neighborhood any defiles, swamps, ravines,

or other necessary objects of his attention: he must also carefully observe all the roads and bye-

paths that are in his front, enquiring particularly whither they lead, if passable by cannon, and if

the enemy can advance to his post by any indirect approach. He must get himself informed of

all these particulars as minutely as possible, that he may be qualified to give satisfactory

answers if called upon, be able to take proper measures if occasion present, and give particular

instructions to his patroles who are to march in front.

When he is perfectly acquainted with these circumstances, he must repair to his vedettes, who

should always be double on each post, and assign to each his particular charge, on what part of

the neighborhood he is continually to have his eye, especially on the ravines, causeways, or

villages.

These dispositions having taken place, and the posts sufficiently instructed, if there be time, the

officer may allow the advanced guard to dismount and feed their horses. But if his post be not

perfectly secure, one half of the detachment must remain saddled and bridled till the other half

are fed and mounted. No feeding or dismounting is to be allowed at night, as that is supposed to

have taken place just before dark; so that during the night the horses may be saddled and

bridled, and at least one half mounted, to be prepared for any accident that may happen.

If the main body of the advanced guard should be placed near a village, the commanding officer

may send a man or two to the top of the steeple, or of some high house, that he may be able to

discover the enemy, and by discharging a pistol, give notice of their approach.

When the general of the camp comes near the advanced guard, they are to mount and advance

their carbines; but if the body of the guard be so situate as to be entirely discernible by the

enemy, it will not be advisable to mount, as the enemy will thereby be informed of the presence

of the general or some superior officer, who may, in consequence, be disturbed in the visiting of

his posts. If any detachment passes in front of an advanced guard, the guard also mount and

advance their carbines.

The officer must scrupulously examine all persons who come towards his post from without, of

whatever degree, whether peasants or travellers; enquiring whence they come, whither they are

agoing, what their business in camp or elsewhere, or if they have any knowledge of the enemy

or their situation; after which he will either suffer them to pass on, or send them back, agreeably

to the orders he has received. He must conduct himself in the same manner towards the people

who bring provisions into the camp, and, if he be forbidden to suffer them to pass, send them

back in a civil manner, doing every thing in his power to conciliate the affections of the

inhabitants, as by this means he may often gain information very material to the army.

The officer must visit his vedettes both by night and day, enquiring of them what their duty is on

that post, and what they have observed there, to convince himself that they are properly

acquainted with their charge. He should also be provided with a good spy-glass, to enable him

to reconnoitre the environs of his post. During the night, his posts are to be visited hourly by a

non-commissioned officer, and once by himself, to keep his people waking and alert.

If an advanced guard be placed so near the enemy as to be able to discover all their

movements, much attention is required to discern if any number of troops arrive, what they are,

if they again quit the camp, and what route they take. Troops are often detached from the

enemy's camp, especially from the second or third line, without striking tents, the better to

conceal their march.

It is for this reason, that an officer commanding an advanced guard is required to be particularly

attentive, to be provided with a very good glass, and when such event takes place, to report it

immediately to the general commanding. This precaution is more particularly necessary at day-

break, that he may be assured whether the enemy's camp retain it's old position, or if any

change has taken place in the night.

By night it is easy to discover if troops enter or leave the camp, by the noise that is made: their

arrival will be known by the clashing of fire-arms, the voices of the waggoners and artillery

drivers, the cracking of whips, and the neighing of horses. If there be any cavalry amongst them,

it will also be manifested by the driving in of piquet-posts, and the lighting of fires. In this case

the officer should be constantly in front, perfectly quiet, and observing all that passes. But if the

army or a part of it decamp during the night, it will be discovered, in addition to the foregoing

circumstances, by the gradual decrease of noise, and lessening brightness of the fires. To this

last circumstance, however, it is not always prudent to trust, as the fires are often kept up by the

light troops after the army has decamped.

When the army moves by day, the advanced guards should mount at the moment that the

drums beat to march, watching the enemy, and moving forward as soon as their posts are fallen

back, and have formed (as they generally do) the rear guard. The moment of departure for the

advanced guards is at all times to be ordered by the general commanding. On these occasions

no particular movement is to be made before the time, but they are to remain in their former

position till the moment of departure, for by repeated movements, or too much hurry in

mounting, the enemy may conceive that the army is retreating, and send immediately some

troops in it's pursuit. It is not even necessary that the private soldier should be informed of what

is going forward; for which reason an officer or non-commissioned officer must be sent round in

proper time to relieve at once all the detached posts and vedettes.

As soon as the vedettes perceive the approach of an enemy's party, they are to fire; he that has

fired is then to hasten instantly to the advanced guard, and report what he has seen; the guard

ready a nd concealed, will remain on it's post, sending forward a non-commissioned officer with

a few men to reconnoitre the force of the enemy, and then reporting immediately to the general

commanding all that has passed, that he may make his dispositions accordingly, and reinforce

the advanced guard if necessary.

It often happens that the generals of the enemy approach the advanced guard under an escort,

in order to dislodge the vedettes from their heights, that they may gain possession of them, and

reconnoitre our camp. As soon as the officer commanding shall be informed of this by his

vedettes, he must betake himself to the spot, and if he see several people approaching the

height under an escort, send the intelligence instantly to the general officer under whose orders

he acts, exerting himself to the utmost of his power in defense of the height, that the enemy may

not become possessed of it and discover the situation of our camp.

When a trumpeter from the enemy's camp, either alone or accompanied by an officer, comes

toward a vedette and sounds a parley, one of the vedettes must advance towards him and

conduct him to his post, placing him with his face towards the country from whence he came, to

prevent his discovering any thing in our camp to our disadvantage: a vedette is then to repair to

the officer commanding the advanced guard, and to report him, who will immediately go himself

or send a non-commissioned officer to blind his eyes and conduct him to his post. He is then to

enquire of him the object of his visit, report it to the general, and obtain his leave to conduct him

to the camp. The same ceremonies are to be observed with respect to deserters from the

enemy, who are to have their arms taken from them at the advanced guard, and be conducted

to the general commanding under a proper escort. This circumstance happening at night

furnishes an additional reason for attending particularly to these cautions.

When an advanced guard is placed with a deep ditch, river, or brook in it's front, the officer

commanding the post is to survey the whole length of his district, to discover if there be any

bridges or fords which render the passage easy; if so, he will place his vedettes in such a

manner as to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of such circumstances to fall upon him.

In this case, the vedettes are not to be drawn in at night, as they generally are, but to remain

constantly on their posts. The bridge should be stripped, and the planks laid by, in readiness to

be replaced if any detachments or patroles should have occasion to pass. During the night,

small patroles should be pushed the whole extent of the ditches or rivulets, marching with great

caution and circumspection, and if the bank be much covered with brambles, stopping

frequently and listening to find if there be any rustling amongst them, as a company of infantry

might easily lie there concealed and annoy the patroles.

It is to be observed as a general rule, that the vedettes are on no account whatever to be placed

out of sight of each other.

Towards the close of the evening, the officer commanding the advanced guard must report by a

non-commissioned officer all that he has observed at his post, and also all that he has learnt

from the peasants or his patroles: to be correct in this, he would do right to commit to paper the

occurrences of the day, and, if necessary, make his report in writing. At the same time he will

learn the parole and countersign. The countersign is to be given to each vedette the moment he

is posted, which will take place eve ry hour, or every two hours, according to the season and the

weather. Neither the parole , or any order of material import, is to be imparted by the officer to

any person whatever.

When the darkness of the night prevents a distant view, and especially in the vicinity of the

enemy's posts, the officer must fall back with his detachment two or three hundred paces; the

vedettes also must do the same, still preserving a convenient distance.

When the night is perfectly obscure, the horses are not to be allowed to feed, or even to be

unbridled. If occasion require, or if from contiguity of situation, a surprise be to be feared, the

detachment should remain mounted the whole night. If there be no danger, a part may

dismount, and if the season require, and circumstances allow, a little fire may be kindled,

provided it be in a hollow place, and not easily to be discovered. On the least alarm, the fire is to

be extinguished, to effect which, earth or sand may be used for want of water; otherwise it

would serve as a guide to the enemy, and prove an annoyance to the post.

The officer commanding an advanced guard should be particularly attentive tot he keeping his

people waking and alert, not allowing them on any account whatever to sleep, or fasten their

horses, but hold them by the end of the halter, with the reigns the bit and bridle on the saddle,

that at the first signal, they may be in readiness to mount.

Small patroles, according to the strength of the guard, are to be sent in front of the vedettes

every hour, or oftener, if necessary, who will advance two hundred paces beyond the vedettes

and traverse their whole front, halting frequently to discover if there be any noise or footstep

near; if it be the case, one of the patrole is to return immediately with the report to the advanced

guard, whilst the remainder place themselves as near the noise as possible, to discover the

cause: if it prove to proceed from a party of the enemy, the patrole will fire and fall back quickly,

under cover of the night, on the grand guard.

Whenever the vedettes hear any noise by night one of them should advance four or five

hundred paces, challenge and demand the countersign, and if he receives no answer, he

should fire and fall back quickly.

When troops detached from camp approach the vedettes, they are not to be allowed to come

within the line, even though they be provided with the countersign: the commanding officer of

the advanced guard must order the officer of the detachment to come forward in charge of a

non-commissioned officer and two men, and question him minutely, (unless he happen to know

him personally,) making him remain with the him whilst his detachment files off towards the

camp; as soon as the detachment has passed the post, the officer may be permitted to follow.

But if it happen that the detachment has been many days absent from camp, and consequently

ignorant of the countersign, it behoves the officer commanding the advanced guard to redouble

his care and diligence in making the most scrupulous examination, and if he find no reason to

the contrary, he may suffer the detachment to file off one by one, in front of his guard.

If an advanced guard should not be able, for want of sufficient strength, to extend properly it's

vedettes, particularly if the country be hilly or intersected with many little vallies or defiles, or the

night should be dark and gloomy, the vedettes must visit each other alternately from left to right,

taking care that one be always fixed on his post, that nothing may pass unobserved in the

hollow wa ys: on these occasions, the patroles should also be on the march, and the advanced

guard constantly in motion.

It frequently happens, that a general wishing to reconnoitre the enemy, takes the officer of the

advanced guard with him in front of his post, as a protection: in this case, the officer, leaving his

vedettes on their posts, must form with the remainder of his party a guard in front of the general,

and patroles on his flanks, to cover him and his suite: if the general proceed the whole length of

the line, the officer must keep himself four or five hundred paces towards the enemy on the

general's flank, in such a manner that he may be always covered: besides this, he may detach a

part of his troop towards the enemy, who marching by the general, one b y one at a certain

distances, with their eyes constantly looking towards the enemy, will prevent any thing from

approaching to the annoyance of the general whilst making his discoveries. When the general is

returned to camp, and safe within the line, the o fficer may return to his post.

When an officer commanding an advanced guard has reason to expect an attack by night, he

must give such instructions to his vedettes and non-commissioned officers that are detached,

that if the accident should arrive, they may not fall back immediately on his post, but a little to

one side of it. The advantage arising from this caution will be, that the enemy, though superior in

numbers, will not have it in their power to fall on the main body with the whole front of their

party, or even attack them on the flank or in the rear, and put them to route by favor of the night.

In these circumstances, the advanced guard, are to keep up a constant firing, and to retire very

slowly, skirmishing as they go, to allow time for the troops who are ordered to their support to

arrive, and that the army may have proper notice of the enemy's approach.

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