was intact, every vestige of organization had disappeared; the commanders, and officers generally, had become separated from their units."[1]
"Prince Imeretinski succeeded in forming stragglers into the following improvised units:
3 provisional companies of the Libau Regiment.
2 " " " " Susdal "
2-1/2 " " " " Vladimir "
1 detachment of 100 men of the Reval Regiment.
"These re-formed stragglers were despatched to Skobeleff's assistance and made a successful assault on Work No. 2 from Work No. 1."[2]
"These stragglers subsequently formed the nucleus of the garrison of Work No. 2. During the night of the 11/12 September, the Russians succeeded in gathering 1000 more men, which were assembled in companies irrespective of the regiments to which they originally belonged. This gathering of stragglers lasted, by the way, up to the afternoon of the 12th of September. The continuance of the fight was made possible only by constantly re-forming the remnants into new organizations and then sending these forward into the fight."[3]
The remedies provided by the regulations against these
evils are, above all else: Restriction of the front of the several
units, the deployment of tactical units side by side in action
(instead of in rear of each other) and the use of every
opportunity for re-establishing the original organizations.
Other suggestions for stemming the tide of disorder as made
by the author of Summer Nights Dream (1888) (platoons
formed in single rank, volley firing, and constant closing
toward the center) are impracticable in a serious action. The
disintregating effect of a battle is stronger than tactical
cohesion. It is better to recognize this fact than to face the
enemy with illusory ideas.
It is necessary to train the men in peace time to follow willingly any officer, whether he belong to their own or to another organization; and, for that reason, exercises in provisional organizations are requisite for tactical training—a large number of officers being told to fall out at these exercises to assimilate losses which would occur in action. The
