nits. The men are armed with large sabres and a pair cn pistols ; some of them also with rifles.
The engineers are partieulariy useful in conducting all the scientific operations of war. They are generally divided into tortress-engineers and field-engineets. Tile former are employed in the construction of fortifica tions, and in conducting the attack and delence of for tified places. The duties of the latter consist in sur veying, reconnoitering, or drawing plans of positions, directing the movements of an army miring a march, choosing proper ground for encampments, construct ing field fortifications and entrenchments, and point ing out the proper mode of attacking the fortified posi tions of an enemy. See le ATI1S.
Beaides the various descriptions of troops already enumerated, almost every army is attended uy a num ber guides and pioneers The business of the form er is to point out the best roads for an artily on march ; that of the latter to render the roads passable, by remov iug obstructions, &c. The sappers and miners are employed in digging out ditches, and constructing other works. in order to facilitate tne approach to a fortress, and in excavating the earth, and undermining the ground, for the purpose of blowing up some part by the explosion of gunpowder.
The staff of an army consists of all those officers, to whom is confided the care of commanding, directing, and providing for the troops ; such as the general com manding, the quartermaster-general, adjutant-general, commissury-general, provost marshal, physician and chaphin to the forces, Sc. with their respective aides de-camp, deputies, assistants, &c.
The fatigues and dangers of war render it necessary to establish lazarettos and hospitals, with a requisite number of physicians and surgeons, for the care of the sick and wounded. Such of the sick as are danger ously ill. and require a tedious cure, arc placed in the lazarettos, which are generally situated in towns and villages at some distance from the army. Others, whose cases ate more slight, arc placed in the flying-hospitals, which follow the army, and require an hospital-train.
Spies are also necessarily employed by an army; that is, persons who, for money. endeavour to ascertain and communicate the circumstances and intentions of the enemy. These may be people belonging to the coun try occupied by the enemy ; persons who go in disguise to procure information ; or persons from among the enemy themselves, who are bribed to discover all that they know. Spi,.5 must always be well paid, especial
ly in the last mentioned case, and their information should be received with great caution, and compared with that obtained from other quarters Spit s giving false information, must be severely punished, unless, perhaps, we may be able to turn this circumstance to our own advantage.
The art of castrametation, or the choice of ground for a camp, and the disposition of the various (1-.scriptions of troops in it. was formerly a matter of infinite conse quence in war. Of late, however, it has become of much less •liportance, as troops, at present. seldom car ry tents along with them, but are placed in canton ments when intended to be kept in readiness for the field, or wuen obliged to lie in the fieid for a short pe riod, they have recourse to the bivouac.* But although regular encampments are now much less frequent than formerly, it is necessary that we snould explain the prin ciples of castrainetation. because these are applicable, not only to the choice of situations for camps, but also for positions in general, and will be found of especial use in determining the order of battle for an army acting chiefly on the defensive.
There are two general and fundamental rules for the choice of a camp. In the first place, the situation of the ground should be such that an attacking army can derive no benefit from it ; and secondly, such disposi tion must be made is to secure the camp from being so rprized.
In order that the enemy may derive no advantage, but the reverse, from an attack on the army encamped, the following special rules must be attended to. 1. The ground for the camp must neither be too large nor too small. 2. The enemy must not have it in his power to approach either on the flanks or the rear. 3. He must not have the power of making a sudden attack on the front without meeting with immediate resistance. 4. The approach to the front must be difficult, and on his advance, the enemy must, at every point, be constant ly kept under a stronger fire of artillery than he can oppose. The more difficult the approach, the stronger is the camp ; and when difficult of access at every point, it may be said to be unattackable. 5. Every part of the army encamped must be able to come to the assistance of the rest. 6. The outlets front the camp, on every side, must be easy.