Ordnance officer

“ They are not entitled, except the authorized aides and in some other particular cases, when ordered by the War Department, to additional allowances; but if they are foot officers, and are properly detailed for mounted duty, the quartermaster of the staff on which they serve is obligated to furnish them a horse and equipments. Divisions usually have an ordnance officer, whose duty it is to take charge of the ammunition of the division, keep the quantity ordered, and supply the troops in time of battle. ”

“ A singular feature of this branch of administration is that the navy long since lost direct control of ordnance matters, through the duties connected with naval gunnery, formerly in the hands of the master-general of the ordnance, and those of the Board of Ordnance—a department common to the sea and land services—being vested in 1855 in the secretary of state for war. A more satisfactory state of things has grown up through the appointment of the director of naval ordnance, taking the place of the naval officer who formerly advised the director of artillery at the War Office. ”

“ At the termination of a cruise the guns composing the battery of every vessel-of-war of the United States, shall be carefully examined by the Ordnance Officer of the Yard, and such others as may be directed, with the view to discover and report any injuries which they may have sustained in service, or any defects which may not have been developed in the original proof. ”

“ When the individuals of the guns' crews have become expert in the performance of their particular duties, then each man shall be instructed by the officer of his division, until he shall have become acquainted with the special duties of every station at the gun. ”

“ Impartial history will in due time do justice to all. The distinguished judgment, ability and zeal of our engineer officers of both corps, will then stand out in broad relief, and the providence and skill of our ordnance officers will also be conspicuous, and justly so, as they are not content with service under cover in the arsenals, preparing guns and ammunition, but they follow to the field their heavy ordnance, and under the fire of the enemy give practical proof of its excellence and power. ”

“ There are no acting ordnance officers on duty in the field, and I learn on inquiry that the persons so designated are in reality merely employees of the Ordnance Bureau for the performance of ordnance duties in the field in the absence of legislation authorizing the appointment of officers. ”

“ Their number is uncertain, and they are not subdivided, as their employment depends wholly upon the quality and quantity of artillery that are used. One man is attached to small field pieces, and two to those of larger calibre; so that instead of being distributed by companies, they are ordered upon duty according to the nature and number of the ordnance.
They have no other officer, besides the one already mentioned, attached to them, which officer is subordinate to the Bacha of the province, as their service does not require subaltern officers. ”

“ All the Division Officers on the spar-deck shall be First Boarders, except the officer commanding the quarter-deck division, who shall lead the Pikemen. On gun-decks the officer commanding the second division shall be a First Boarder; the commanding officers of the other divisions shall be Second Boarders. If there are two officers in any division, the second shall lead those Boarders who do not go with his principal. A Lieutenant or other responsible officer should be detailed to command the gun-deck in the absence of the boarders and pikemen. ”

“ When a vessel returns from a cruise to be refitted or repaired, or placed in ordinary, the Gunner, or person performing the duty of Gunner, is not to leave the ship, unless specially authorized by the Secretary of the Navy, until all the guns, powder, small arms, ammunition, and other articles under his charge, shall have been examined and surveyed, and turned over to his successor, or other person appointed to receive them, or to the Inspector of Ordnance, the receipt for which he shall show to the officer to whom he applies for leave. ”

“ An admiral of any grade, when appointed as the commander-in-chief of a fleet or squadron, is authorized to nominate to the Navy Department an officer not below the grade of a commander to serve as the head of his staff, or as the captain of the fleet, and to be borne on the books of the vessel carrying his flag in addition to her established complement. ”

“ The terrible effect of the explosion of a Magazine or Shell-room, ashore or on board ship, can only be imagined. To avert it, by every human precaution, is an imperative duty with every one. The Bureau therefore directs that the Inspectors of Ordnance on shore and the Commanders of all vessels afloat will cause the existing Powder Regulations to be read, and copies placed within the reach of every officer and man connected in the remotest degree with the service of the Magazine and Shell-rooms ”

“ All cannon for the navy, cast at private foundries, will be fabricated in strict accordance with the terms of the contract made with the Bureau of Ordnance, and subject to the inspection of an officer detailed to supervise the operations. ”

“ Commanding officers learn the amount of strain which they can impose on their men; the conditions under which transport can and must be brought up for the use of the troops can be studied with almost as much accuracy as in warfare; the cavalry commander learns the value, from a war point of view, of his men as scouts and on detached duties, while the artillery officer finds out, as he never could without manœuvre experience, the possibilities of gun transport, and the business of ranging positions with a view to rendering them untenable by shellfire. ”

“ The officer of the watch shall, on taking the deck, ascertain that the means of making and answering signals and a competent signal-man are always at hand. It is his duty to make himself fully acquainted with all the day and night signals. ”

“ As soon as the crew is received on board the vessel, he shall cause a fire-bill to be prepared, the crew shown their stations, and see that they are duly stationed at quarters for battle (See Articles 78 to 103) , and exercised at general quarters, and by divisions, particularly the powder division (See Articles 180 to 201) , until each officer and man is thoroughly instructed in his duties; after which the exercises are to be frequent during the cruise. Exercises which are short and spirited are preferable to those which are long and fatiguing. ”

“ All Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, when assembled for drill or inspection, or voluntarily doing any naval duty either afloat or on shore, will be under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, or Senior Naval Officer of the district within which such Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers are undergoing drill or inspection, or doing duty. ”

“ It must be apparent to every officer that both the rapidity and the accuracy of fire to be obtained from guns in vessels at sea, must depend, in a great degree, upon the care which may be taken to explain to the men the best mode of performing their respective parts of the exercise, and the particular object for which each part is intended, and especially on such frequency of exercise and target-firing as will make the men perfectly familiar with their prescribed duties. ”

“ Intelligent non-commissioned officers should be sent to reconnoitre a road or ground that artillery is to pass over, and, when necessary, to report the state of it. When the march is connected with military operations, an officer should always be employed for this duty. ”

“ Officers of the general staff are known as general staff officers, while those of the other branch are called, for example, assistant or deputy-assistant adjutant or quartermaster-general, according to their several duties.
The formation in which distinct and separate units are first collected under one superior commander is known as a brigade. This, according to present establishment, consists of three battalions and a trench-mortar battery, the whole under a general officer called a brigadier-general, assisted by a staff of two officers—a brigade-major and a staff-captain. ”

“ It was upon them, after all, that the principal burden of the campaign rested. Upon them, their skill and industry, depended the adequacy of all supplies and their proper distribution, the precision of all arrangements for battle, the accuracy of all maps, orders and instructions, the clearness of messages and reports, the completeness of the information on which the Commander must base his decisions, and the correct calculations of time and space for the movement of troops, guns and transport. Their watchword was "efficiency."
"The Staff Officer is the servant of the troops." ”

“ Lieutenants and subalterns are given charge of a troop in the cavalry, a gun or section—according to the number of young officers available—in a battery and of a section of men in an infantry51 company. Nominally in command of their men, they are in practice largely dependent on their senior non-commissioned officers for the efficiency of the men under their command. An officer’s real efficiency, in peace service, does not begin until he “gets his company” or squadron: in other words, until he is promoted to the rank of captain. ”

“ The Signal Officer is to see that every thing is prepared for making and answering signals promptly, and will make all such as the Captain may direct. He will provide himself with a watch, pencil, and signal note-book properly ruled. ”

“ Except on particular occasions, there are no mounted officers on the ground, a peculiarity which gives a remarkably “National Guard” like appearance to the field. They are well dressed, but very independent in such movements as in carrying the sword, or changing flanks: after a few manœuvres, which partake more of the character of company than battalion exercise, the men order arms, and the captains, lieutenants, and ensigns all fall out for a few minutes, to smoke a leaf-full of tobacco, and chat with the commanding officer. ”

“ At another message from the Forward Officer the Battery Commander called for Section Commanders. The Sergeant-Major clapped megaphone to mouth and shouted, and two young subalterns and a sergeant jumped from their places, and raced for the dug-out. The Major spoke rapidly and tersely. 'We are putting down a belt of shrapnel in front of our own infantry—very close to them. You know what that means—the most careful and exact laying and fusing, and fire as hot and heavy as you can make it. The infantry can't hold 'em. They're depending on us; the line depends on us. Tell your men so. ”

“ The master general, who, in his military character, is commander in chief over the artillery and engineers, has, in his civil capacity, the entire control over the whole ordnance department: he can alone do any act, which can otherwise, if he does not interpose, be done by the board. He can order the issue of money, but that order must be executed in the usual mode, by three board officers.
The lieutenant general, who is second in command over the artillery and engineers, is, in his civil capacity, the first in rank among the members of the board ”

“ During an action the Carpenter will attend the pumps, sound the well frequently, and, should he discover indications of serious injury below the water-line, will immediately make them known personally, either to the Captain or to the Executive Officer, and to them only. ”

“ Having now spent six months in the infantry, and mastered the details of a soldier's common duties, I was heartily sick of the life. I sought a transfer to the ordnance department and obtained it, with the rank and pay of ordnance sergeant. ”

“ One serjeant, one corporal, and twelve privates, from each regiment, to parade every morning at six o'clock, and evening at five, and to be instructed in the exercise of the artillery; and when perfected, the commanding officer of artillery will report to the general or commanding officer on the spot, that they may be relieved by an equal number, to be taught in the same manner, that there may be no want of artillerymen to man and fight the guns on the batteries, in case of an attack. ”

“ Each brigade has a lieutenant-commander, and each battery a sub-lieutenant, chief petty officer, first and second-class petty officers, buglers, &c., while the staff includes a lieutenant-instructor, first-class petty officer instructor, surgeon, bugle-major, and armourer. ”

“ Battalion headquarters were behind a small house at the junction of a cross-roads. Here other people had collected—the stout officer, the doctor, and an artillery observing officer. The artillery observing officer was in telephonic communication with a heavy battery about two miles back, to which he was sending back messages about possible targets and the effect of fire. Outside the scout officer was making an early lunch off a piece of ham which he had found in the mess-box. I joined him, contributing a biscuit.
"The Major is an ass, you know," he said; "he will go showing himself." ”

“ A telephone connecting the post with the nearest command post (center of resistance or sector) .
The observers in these posts are directly under command of the intelligence officers of the regiment and are of a special personnel. They must be thoroughly familiar with the regulations of the posts, maps, panorama, etc.
The intelligence officer collects and coordinates all information gathered in the sector. Every morning he turns in a consolidated report made up from the information in the captains’ daily reports and from the records of the sector observatories. ”