BATTERY.

137

pickets,— 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, of preceding diagram, forming the ditch tobe excavated. To this party should be added a Sapper in the proportion of oneto each gun, in order to instruct the men in their work: the whole party of exca-vators, each having a shovel and pick, will be arranged about 3 feet or the lengthof the shovel from the line of the berm, and 4 feet apart from each other: whenthus placed they will break ground with the pickaxe, and when a sufficient quantityis loosened, the shovel will be used and the earth thrown over the berm line for theparapet.

As soon as the first portion or excavators are steadily at work, the second portionmay be brought out from the trenches, one half placed on the berm to throw the earthforward, and the other half employed in adjusting it according to the line marked 12,1, 2, and 3, for the parapets.

In a few minutes more the third portion or revetters and party for the communi-cation may be set to work; and the first row of fascines (gabions, casks, or sand-bags,as may be afforded) will be laid, taking care to prepare a proper footing for the firstcourse. The relative merits of revetting materials is discussed in Section vin., andthe quantity necessary is provided in Table II.; as before intimated, one Sapper atleast per gun being attached to the revetters.

Assuming therefore that it is a Battery for five pieces of Ordnance , with one traverseand two shoulders, as described in diagram No. 3, and according to Table II., it willbe seen that of the 132 men employed—

42 are in the ditch as excavators,

42 on the berm, and adjusting the parapet,

42 revetting and assisting, and forming the communication to the rear,

6 men on the traverse.

For this work they have 44 picks, 88 shovels, 22 rammers, 7 hand saws, 22 fascinemallets, 168 fascines (if revetted with fascines), 1176 pickets, and 45 gabions.

The first party thus employed ought to excavate to the depth of 3 feet in the eighthours, or 1 cubic yard per hour for each in that time.

Task-work is advocated by Sir J. Burgoyne in the article ‘ Attackthat is, to givethe men a fair job, and if they finish one or two hours before the relief comes, theyshould be allowed to return to their camp, without waiting for the completion of thisterm.

The most simple plan of arranging task-work, and adapted to the comprehension ofthe men, seems to be, by telling them that so soon as they excavate to the depth ofthe length of the shovel, between the Hambro’ lines, they may go ; and explaining tothem that the breadth of the bottom part will be only 18 feet instead of 24, at thetop; this they will easily understand.

Diagram 4.—Section of Ditch of Battery, representing a double Task,

o, b, e, d, shewing the task of the first party; and e, e,f, d, that of the second, whichwill be about f- of the first; but they have a greater distance to throw the earth fromthe ditch.