Instructions for His Generals by Frederick the Great Thomas R. Phillips

Author:Frederick the Great, Thomas R. Phillips [Frederick the Great, Thomas R. Phillips]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780486163161
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 2012-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

VII

Detachments; How and Why Made

THERE is an ancient rule of war that cannot be repeated often enough: hold your forces together, make no detachments, and, when you are ready to fight the enemy, assemble all your forces and seize every advantage to make sure of success. This rule is so certain that most of the generals who have neglected it have been punished promptly.

Thus the great Prince Eugene was defeated at Denain because he did not have time to come to the support of Lord Albemarle’s detachment. Guido Stahremberg also was defeated at Almanza through the fault of the English, who had failed to join him. The Prince of Hildburghausen endured a similar affront at Banjaluka and Wallis on the banks of the Timoc, for being detached from the Imperial army, and finally the Saxons at Kesseldorf for not having called upon Prince Charles of Lorraine, who was only a day’s march distant. Likewise, we could have been defeated at Soor, if the exceptional courage of the troops and the skill of the generals had not pulled us out of the affair.

Hence the subject of detachments is extremely delicate. None should be made, except for good reasons, if you are acting offensively in open enemy country and are only master of some strong point. If you are actually waging war never throw out detachments except for convoys. In countries like Bohemia and Moravia, which are very mountainous, you will be obliged to leave detachments to guard the mountain gorges through which your convoys arrive, until the time when you have established your magazines in a fortified city. In such a case there are two precautions to take: first to choose strong encampments; the other, to place even these detachments where they are able to defend themselves in any situation until you can come to their help.

I do not call an army corps which is used as an advance guard a detachment, and as for other detachments, it is necessary to provide a secure retreat for them. I did this for ours in Upper Silesia, where, in case the enemy was too strong for them, they had a secure retreat in the fortresses of Ncissc, Bricg, or Cosel. Officers who command detachments should be determined men, intrepid and prudent. Light troops should never be able to disturb them, but at the unexpected approach of a large army corps they must look out for themselves, and they should know how to withdraw before a superior force and to profit in turn by advantage of numbers.

Ordinarily, most detachments are made in defensive wars. Petty geniuses attempt to hold everything; wise men hold fast to the most important points. They parry great blows and scorn little accidents. There is an ancient apothegm: he who would preserve everything, preserves nothing. Therefore, always sacrifice the bagatelle and pursue the essential! The essential is to be found where big bodies of the enemy are. Stick to defeating them decisively, and the detachments will flee by themselves or you can hunt them without difficulty.

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