approach were well swept by his guns. The position of the Albis was, moreover, rather a strategic position, that of Waterloo being simply a battle-ground.
The rules to be generally observed in selecting tactical positions are the following:—
- To have the communications to the front such as to make it easier to fall upon the enemy at a favorable moment than for him to approach the line of battle.
- To give the artillery all its effect in the defense.
- To have the ground suitable for concealing the movements of troops between the wings, that they may be massed upon any point deemed the proper one.
- To be able to have a good view of the enemy's movements.
- To have an unobstructed line of retreat.
- To have the flanks well protected, either by natural or artificial obstacles, so as to render impossible an attack upon their extremities, and to oblige the enemy to attack the center, or at least some point of the front.
This is a difficult condition to fulfill; for, if an army rests on a river, or a mountain, or an impenetrable forest, and the smallest reverse happens to it, a great disaster may be the result of the broken line being forced back upon the very obstacles which seemed to afford perfect protection. This danger—about which there can be no doubt—gives rise to the thought that points admitting an easy defense are better on a battle-field than insurmountable obstacles.2
- Sometimes a want of proper support for the flanks is remedied by throwing a crotchet to the rear. This is dangerous; because