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IN a lost battle the power of an Army is broken, the moral to a greater
degree than the physical. A second battle unless fresh favourable
circumstances come into play, would lead to a complete defeat, perhaps,
to destruction. This is a military axiom. According to the usual course
the retreat is continued up to that point where the equilibrium of
forces is restored, either by reinforcements, or by the protection
of strong fortresses, or by great defensive positions afforded by the
country, or by a separation of the enemy's force. The magnitude of the
losses sustained, the extent of the defeat, but still more the
character of the enemy, will bring nearer or put off the instant of this
equilibrium. How many instances may be found of a beaten Army rallied
again at a short distance, without its circumstances having altered in
any way since the battle. The cause of this may be traced to the moral
weakness of the adversary, or to the preponderance gained in the battle
not having been sufficient to make lasting impression.
To profit by this weakness or mistake of the enemy, not to yield one
inch breadth more than the pressure of circumstances demands, but above
all things, in order to keep up the moral forces to as advantageous a
point as possible, a slow retreat, offering incessant resistance, and
bold courageous counterstrokes, whenever the enemy seeks to gain any
excessive advantages, are absolutely necessary. Retreats of great
Generals and of Armies inured to War have always resembled the retreat
of a wounded lion, such is, undoubtedly, also the best theory.
It is true that at the moment of quitting a dangerous position we have
often seen trifling formalities observed which caused a waste of
time, and were, therefore, attended with danger, whilst in such cases
everything depends on getting out of the place speedily. Practised
Generals reckon this maxim a very important one. But such cases must not
be confounded with a general retreat after a lost battle. Whoever
then thinks by a few rapid marches to gain a start, and more easily
to recover a firm standing, commits a great error. The first movements
should be as small as possible, and it is a maxim in general not to
suffer ourselves to be dictated to by the enemy. This maxim cannot be
followed without bloody fighting with the enemy at our heels, but the
gain is worth the sacrifice; without it we get into an accelerated pace
which soon turns into a headlong rush, and costs merely in stragglers
more men than rear-guard combats, and besides that extinguishes the last
remnants of the spirit of resistance.
A strong rear-guard composed of picked troops, commanded by the bravest
General, and supported by the whole Army at critical moments, a careful
utilisation of ground, strong ambuscades wherever the boldness of the
enemy's advance-guard, and the ground, afford opportunity; in short,
the preparation and the system of regular small battles,--these are the
means of following this principle.
The difficulties of a retreat are naturally greater or less according as
the battle has been fought under more or less favourable circumstances,
and according as it has been more or less obstinately contested. The
battle of Jena and La Belle-Alliance show how impossible anything like
a regular retreat may become, if the last man is used up against a
powerful enemy.
Now and again it has been suggested(*) to divide for the purpose
of retreating, therefore to retreat in separate divisions or even
eccentrically. Such a separation as is made merely for convenience, and
along with which concentrated action continues possible and is kept
in view, is not what we now refer to; any other kind is extremely
dangerous, contrary to the nature of the thing, and therefore a great
error. Every lost battle is a principle of weakness and disorganisation;
and the first and immediate desideratum is to concentrate, and in
concentration to recover order, courage, and confidence. The idea of
harassing the enemy by separate corps on both flanks at the moment when
he is following up his victory, is a perfect anomaly; a faint-hearted
pedant might be overawed by his enemy in that manner, and for such a
case it may answer; but where we are not sure of this failing in our
opponent it is better let alone. If the strategic relations after
a battle require that we should cover ourselves right and left by
detachments, so much must be done, as from circumstances is unavoidable,
but this fractioning must always be regarded as an evil, and we are
seldom in a state to commence it the day after the battle itself.
(*) Allusion is here made to the works of Lloyd Bullow and
others.
If Frederick the Great after the battle of Kollin,(*) and the raising of
the siege of Prague retreated in three columns that was done not out
of choice, but because the position of his forces, and the necessity of
covering Saxony, left him no alternative, Buonaparte after the battle of
Brienne,(**) sent Marmont back to the Aube, whilst he himself passed the
Seine, and turned towards Troyes; but that this did not end in disaster,
was solely owing to the circumstance that the Allies, instead of
pursuing divided their forces in like manner, turning with the one part
(Bluecher) towards the Marne, while with the other (Schwartzenberg),
from fear of being too weak, they advanced with exaggerated caution.
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