The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1914-11-20
GUARDING AN ARMY !
Order of Advance of a Division
on the March.
TACTICS IN TIME OF BATTLE.
Careful and Elaborate Disposition of
the Detached Troops to Secure the
Main Body Against Surprise-The
Flanks and the Rear Guard.

the Detached lroops to Secure the |
Main Body Against Surprise-The
Flanks and the Rear Guard.
The civilian in reading stories of
battles and accounts of marches and at
tacks by IN army in times Of war
finds many expressions that he does
not clearly understand-such, for in
stance, as references to independent
cavalry, the advance guard, advance
cavalry. point and flank patrols. the
support. the reserve, the main body,
flank guard and rear guards-and it is
reasonable TO believe that there is con
fusion in many minds as to signif
canoe and relation of these things"
said an army officer
Let us assume that a division is on
the march, and. by tie way, division
is the basis in the United States or
ganiZation for the mobile army and is
unit made up of all necessary arms
and services complete for independent
action incident to ordinary operations.
"One or two marches ahead goes the
independent cavalry. which seeks to
check the enemy's cavalry and send
back information as to the enemy's
movements and his intentions. This
cavalry is SO far to the front that it
could not prevent the enemy slipping
in between it and the following army
and could not prevent the enemy's
patrol from observing the movement
rrI
are taken. and one or two marches be
hind the independent cavalry marches
the advance guard
First in the advance guard is the
advance cavalry. commonly one squad
ron. which sends ahead a point or
leading patrol and sends on both sides
to march across country or on roads
paralleling the line of march small
bodies called fianking patrols. All this
is TO clear the country of the enemy or
give timely notice Of his approach or
his presence> -Four or five miles in the
rear of the leading patrol rides the ad
vance party Of the advance cavalry.
'ln the rear of the advance cavalry
! marches the support commonly form
/ ed of one regiment of infantry and a
mounted detachment of engineers,
Five hundred yards ahead of the sup,
port marches its advance party. com
I posed Of one company and from 300
to 500 yards ahead of the advance
party is its point patrol. and other
! patrols may be sent out on the hanks
or to places on the line of march
where they can get good views of the
country
About 1000 yards behind the sup
port marches the reserve in the fol
lowing order in the United States
army: One battalion of infantry, one
battalion of artillery. one regiment OF
infantry one company OF engineers
less the detachment with the support
an ambulance company and perhaps
a detachment Of signal troops One OF
two miles behind the reserve marches
the main body If danger is suspected
on either flank flank guards are sent
out, and they may be mere patrols OF
detachments of all arms. according tC
the requirements of the situation Be
hind the main body marches the real
guard Its component parts are gen
orally as far behind the main body as
those of the advance guard are in from
of it, though on a night march it draws
closer 10 the main body
"This careful and elaborate disposi
ton of troops on the march is to Sc
cure the division against surprise, tt
prevent small parties of the enemy de
laying the march and. if the enemy il
, encountered in force to hold him Ions
, enough for the main body to prepare
for action and take up the best posi-
; tion offered by the country.
THE arrangement and position o
the various forces as given above,
? concluded the military man. ARE, as
, said at the beginning. the usual dis
position of advance troops of di
a vision on the march, and for large
commands than a division you wan
to increase the strength Of the inde
{ pendent cavalry. advance cavalry an
: patrols. support and reserve. and ais
r increase the distances In this you wi
:. see the reason for all the relativel
small but frequent and sharp collision
$ during the early stages of big bal
r tle"-W Washington Star