y at Waterloo that, although
every moment was precious, he delayed commencing the battle till his
chief of artillery had reported the ground, which had been covered by a
soaking rain, to be sufficiently dry for the movements and effectiveness
of that arm. The three hours' delay thus caused, would have sufficed him
to crush Wellington's army before the arrival of the Prussians.

8. _Stony_ ground is a bad location for a battery; for the enemy's shot
will scatter the stones around it with more or less fatal effect.

9. _Rough_ or _uneven_ ground immediately in front of a battery is not
objectionable, as it will stop the enemy's shot.

10. A battery, when it is possible to avoid it, should not be posted
within musket range of _woods_, _bushes_, _ravines_, _hedges_,
_ditches_, or other cover from which the enemy's sharpshooters might
kill off the gunners, or, by a sudden dash, capture the guns.

11. To prevent the enemy from approaching a battery under cover, it
should be so placed as to be able to sweep all _villages_, _hollows_,
and _woods_, in front and in flank.

12. In taking up a position, a battery should avail itself of all
_inequalities of the ground_, for the shelter of its pieces and gunners,
or of its limbers and caissons, at least.

For the same purpose, a battery posted on an eminence should have its
pieces some ten paces behind its crest.

13. Where the ground affords no shelter, and where the position of the
guns is not likely to be changed, it may be worth while to cover them by
an _epaulement_ or breastwork, some three feet, or more, high.

II.--How posted with respect to our own Troops.

1. In order to be ready to support the flanks of our attacking columns,
and to aid in the defence in every part of the field, batteries should
be placed at _several different points_ in the line of battle.

2. In a defensive battle especially, as it is uncertain on what point
the enemy will mass his principal attack, the artillery should usually
be distributed _through the whole line_.

3. A line of battle has been compared to the _front of a fortification_,
of which the infantry is the curtain, and the artillery batteries the
bastions.

4. The _lighter_ guns should be placed on the _salient_ points of our
line, from which they can be more easily withdrawn; the heavier guns,
constituting the stationary batteries, on the more retired points.

5. Pieces should not be placed _in prolongation with troops_; for