RESERVE, in army affairs, has several meanings. First, in a battle, the reserve is a body of troops held somewhere in the rear, generally out of fire. and kept fresh, in order that they may interfere with decisive force at any point where yielding troops require support, or an advantage gained needs powerful following up. The reserve of ammuni tion is a magazine of warlike stores, situated between an army and its base of opera tions, sufficiently retired from the front to, be safe from sudden raids of the enemy, and at the same time advanced enough to allow of the supply actually in the field being speedily replenished.
The reserve of a nation is that force upon which the national defense is thrown. when its regular armies have failed in securing its safety. This reserve may be the farce da masse of the whole adult untie population, or it may consist of a smaller section of the people duly trained to arms. The latter is, of course, the preferable system. when the arms of scientific modern warfare are to be brought into action. In different countries the reserves are organized on very different principles. In Great Britain they comprise the army reserve, the enrolled pensioners—both of which consist of sol diers who have served in the army—the militia, yeomanry, volunteers, and trained con stabulary. The numbers of the reserve forces provided for in the army estimates of 1876-77 were as follows: • 139,619Yeomanry cavalry ... 15,078 Volunteers 168.750 Army reserve force (including enrolled pensioners)--first-class 10,000 second-class 2'1,000 354,447 • Of the volunteers. 31,823 were artillery volunteers, 366 light horse, 6,295 engineers, 139 Immured rifles, 1458 permanent staff, and 128.669 rifle volunteers.
The scheme of army reorganization, which has been carried out during the past few years, has had a very important bearing on the reserve forces. In 1870 it was
attempted, by modifying somewhat the conditions of enlistment into the regular army, to make the provisions for securing and maintaining a numerically strong army reserve more efficient than they had hitherto been. .Enlistment continued as before to he for twelve years; but service in regiments going abroad was to be for six years, while the remaining six years' service was to be in the reserve, the men being liable to be called out like the naval reserve, and receiving a pay of 4d. a day. In 1876 men commenced to pass from the colors into the reserve, which is expected ultimately to reach about 80,000 men.
By an order in council of March 31, 1871. the power of the lord lieutenant ceases, and the management of the reserve forces in counties is Vested in the ministers of the crown.
One of the objects chiefly kept in view in the comprehensive scheme of 1872 for the reorganization of the army was the bringing of the auxiliary forces into closer and more mutually helpful relations with the regular army. The main feature of that scheme is the localization of the combined military forces in certain territorial districts. so that there shall belong to each such district two line battalions, two militia battalions, and volunteers, formed into an administrative brigade, whole to rest on the brigade depot as center. Arrangements were made to secure that a larger of officers of the line regiments should pass into the militia and the yeomanry, and that the efficiency of the reserve should increase. The aim of the measure was " to unite the spontaneity, and all the other advantages of the auxiliary forces with the highest amount of training that the regular army could furnish to any other body of men."