S U R

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S U R

If it be vour design to surprize anystrong holds, or particular posts, to fallsuddenly upon some detached general’scommand, or to carry the head quartersthemselves, you must he made tho-roughly acquainted with all the intri-cacies of ground about them, with thenumber of men which may he opposedto you ; and, when you have gainedthe necessary information respectingthese matters, particularly the latter,you must assemble a body of activeand zealous troops, whose number shallbe one-third at lease greater than thatof the enemy, to execute your plan.

When your project has been com-pleted, you must call your men together.For in all expeditious of this sort, de-sultory operations are unavoidably neces-sary, and the troops employed uponthem must be dispersed. Should any befound absent at the roll-calling of thedifferent companies or detachments, itmay reasonably be presumed, that theyare engaged in pillaging the place theyentered. In which case, you must setfire to the houses, if you cannot with-draw the free-booters by any othermethod.—Strict orders should he givenout, that no soldier, or follower of thearmy, shall move before the detachmentreturns to the main body, after havingeffected the surprize, or remain behindwhen it marches off. It frequentlyhappens, that a few irregular soldiers,ike. will avail themselves of the con-fusion of the moment, to conceal theproperty that may have fallen iuto thehands of the detachment, and therebyavoid sharing it with their comrades.Patroles must be sent out of the camp,and be posted along the road or roads,that lead to the place which has beensurprized, and strict injunctions to stopall stragglers; and the quarter and rearguards of the camp itself must see, thatnone enter before the detachment isregularly marched in. When any arefound guilty of this unmilitary practice,they must not only be stripped of theirbooty, but they must also be severelypunished, for the sake of example. Ifthere should not be a sufficient numberof wagons to bring off the wounded, thecavalry must dismount, and the woundedbe put upon their horses. But if it befound expedient to make use of thecavalry, you must then convey the dis-abled in die best manner you can, by

taking all the horses, Sic, which mayhave been found in the place you havesurprized.

After a surprize has been accom-plished, the troops, employed upon thatservice, must, if possible, he inarchedback to head-quarters by a different roadto the one they took in advancing againstthe enemy. For it would be extiemelyimpolitic to expose them, even thoughtheir number were a third greater thanthat of the enemy, to a second action;under the manifest disadvantages ofbeing fatigued with the march, and theattack they had just made, and of beingencumbered with the booty, &c. of theplace they had surprized. Their re-treat must be effected the shortestway back. But if there should be theleast ground to apprehend, that anyattempt might he made by the enemyto cut them off, the first movement mustbe upon the same road they came;and wheu night approaches, the troopsmust he suddenly countermarched, inorder to take a different road, and toavoid any ambush that might be laid bythe enemy. *

Under these circumstances, everymeasure must be embraced to deceivethe enemy. Some prisoners may besuffered to escape, before the troopshave been countermarched, in order togive false information ; some mules orhorses may he left on the road, andsmall parties of drummers, &c. be de-tached forward to keep beating alongthe first road, as if the whole bodywere marching that way. Fires mayalso he lighted by patroles sent forwardfor that purpose. Among other meanswhich may be resorted to, to induce theenemy to believe that the original lineof march has been continued, that ofsending horses and men forward to mis-lead them by their footsteps is not theworst imagined.

It is more than probable, that if theretreat he made during the night, andthrough an inclosed or intersectedcountry, the enemy will scarcely runthe risk of pursuing, lest ambuscadesshould he formed to surprize him on hismarch.

If, notwithstanding all your precau-tions, the enemy should get intelligenceof what lias happened, and, in conse-quence thereof, he should have time tocollect his forces together in order to