Battle (Armies In ancient times)

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

a armies. In ancient times and the Middle Ages, the battle ground was often chosen by agreement, and the battle was a mere trial of strength , a duel en gros; and, as the armies of the ancients were imperfectly organized, and the combatants fought very little at a distance, after the battle had begun maneuvers were much more difficult , and troops almost entirely beyond the control of the general. Under these circumstances, the battle depended almost wholly upon the previous arrangements and the valor of the troops. In modern times, however, the finest combinations, the most ingenious maneuvers, are rendered possible by by the better organization of the armies, and it is the skill of the general rather than the courage of the soldier that now determines the event of a battle. Battles are distinguished as offensive or defensive on either side, but there is a natural and ready transition from one method to the other. As a rule , the purely defensive attitude is condemned by tacticians, except in cases where the only object desirable is to maintain a position of vital consequence, the weight of precedent being in favor of the dash and momentum of an attacking force, even where opposed to superior forces. Where the greatest generals have acted upon the defensive, it has almost always been with the desire to develop an opportunity to pass the offensive. Tacticians have divided a battle into three periods: those of disposition, combat , and the decisive moment.