make it necessary for the guard to act on the
offensive, in order to mislead the enemy as
to the strength of the army opposed to him:
but its usual attitude is the defensive. Even
here, when the outposts are attacked, they
should fall back as slowly as possible, upon
the main body of the advanced guard— the
guard also retiring slowly, in order to give
the main body full time to prepare to strike
the decisive blow. It is most important
that the advanced guard should take up its
position along a line of ground from which it
can observe the enemy's movements, and prevent
the enemy from observing those of the
army it protects. In adopting this line, it is
also necessary to keep the outposts so near
together that they will be capable of offering a
vigorous resistance to an attack from any quarter;
and to retire upon the main body in good
order. Composed of the light troops of an
army, the advanced guard should be its right
hand; always on the alert; never in a wrong
position. It should keep the enemy in a state
of constant alarm, forcing him to take all
kinds of inconvenient precautions to protect
his flank and rear. This service, under the
command of an energetic general, is the
safeguard of an army; allowing soldiers
to rest in the field, within a short distance
of the enemy, as securely and freely
as in barracks. But men on out-post duty
have no easy time of it. To destroy them
all kinds of subtle plots are laid; they may
never take forty winks of sleep; for they
may be picked off at any moment from behind
the nearest bush. They are military policemen
for the time being; protecting those
encamped far away behind them. There lies the
army under the white tents upon which the
moon shines coldly! behind a fan of outer
posts, bristling with bayonets. Behind this
fan (the popular form for the outposts) the
army lies as securely as the lady listens to
love behind hers, protected by it from
the dragon eyes of her maiden aunt. To pass
the edge of this military fan is a dangerous
service. We remember how the forlorn
hope of the French army passed the Russian
outposts in the dead of night, crawling
upon their stomachs; how some Zouaves
braved Russian bullets to secure a bunch of
radishes from a Sebastopol garden.  When
we consider the system on which these military
fans are made, we shall understand the
extent of the danger.

The outer edge of the fan, behind which
the army lies in security, consists of a number
of outposts. The further these outposts can
be removed from the divisions which they
protect, the better. These posts are
established at short distances one from the other,
upon commanding ground, whence the enemy
may be satisfactorily observed, and with
facilities for communicating with one another.
The great object, of course, is to render the
passage of the enemy beyond the line impossible.
Thus behind the posts are stationed,
upon the main roads leading to the camp,
strong pickets, destined to come to the aid of
the outposts in the event of a sortie, or to
protect the outposts when they are compelled
to fall back before an overpowering force.
Another point which the general of the
advanced guard has to consider in the arrangement
of his outposts is, the prevention of
reconnoitering expeditions on the part of the
enemy. To see the enemy's position and
force, and to keep him in ignorance of the
extent and plans of the army which is before
him, are the most important duties of the
advanced guard.

An army generally encamps in a position
where the ground protects its flanks, and
where the vigilance of a slight force of light
cavalry and light infantry, kept in constant
intercommunication by mounted patrols
prevents surprise. The outposts are always, or
nearly always, in view of the pickets, or grand-
gardes, by which they are supported, and the
sentinels within view of the outposts to which
they belong. When this arrangement is
rendered impossible by the nature of the ground,
videttes are posted between the outposts and
their supports, to keep them in constant
communication. It is laid down as a rule,
that outposts of infantry should not be
more than six hundred paces from each
other, nor more than three hundred from
their sentinels; while outposts of cavalry
may be fifteen hundred paces from one
another, and six hundred from their videttes.
Each post should be four times as numerous
as the number of videttes or sentinels that it
furnishes. The grand-gardes— posted along
the main avenues leading to the camp, the
business of which is to support the outposts
—have generally double the strength of the
outposts, and are placed about two hundred
paces behind foot sentinels, and six hundred
paces behind mounted sentinels. Behind the
grand-gardes are pickets still more numerous;
whose business, in case of a serious attack, is
to oppose a sturdy opposition to the advance
of the enemy. They are generally posted in
good positions for defence, as in villages,
defiles, and other places offering cover.
If the ground be flat, they entrench themelves.
They send out sentinels or scouts,
who keep them in constant communication
with the outposts. These pickets,
when required to offer a vigorous resistance
to the enemy, consist of two or
three hundred soldiers of various arms.
Generally the grand-gardes and outposts in
advance of each picket muster altogether a
third of the force of the picket. Artillery is
rarely employed in these advanced positions
except to command an important defile or
passage; it is then strongly guarded. Behind
the pickets massed upon the central ground,
with the artillery, is the bulk of the advanced
guard, ready to carry help to any point where
it may be needed. Great care is taken to
acquaint the commanding officer of each