Helmuth von Moltke: Memorandum on the Effect of Improvements in Firearms on Battlefield Tactics (1861)

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In covered, hilly, and cut up ground, the advantages are leveled out to the extent that they no longer afford the stationary component a wholly decisive superiority. The strength deriving from the terrain divisions will still always be to the advantage of the defense, but the moral aspect throws a strong weight onto the offense's side of the scale.

Once we have opted for the offensive, we will immediately organize our vanguard so that it alone can exploit the advantage of surprise to the widest extent.

We conceive of the vanguard of an army corps as consisting of the first infantry brigade, at least one light cavalry regiment, and a battery.

A relatively strong cavalry is of the highest importance for the vanguard. The safety of the army depends on it. It stays in immediate proximity with the enemy, because it can withdraw [from confrontation with the enemy] at any time. Once the infantry is engaged, however, it is not always within its power to break off the battle.

The vanguard's battery will, in any event, consist of rifled artillery. This artillery should, it is true, be thoroughly stable in battle, and it can do this owing to the extraordinary range and precision of its fire, although this is less significant at distances of up to 1000 paces. At the same time it is a light artillery, and in the rapid march formation it can follow every movement, even of the cavalry. It is important, right at the outset of battle, to oppose the adversary with an artillery that is superior to his, to start forcing his troops to develop their formation and to display his strength and position while still at a great distance from us. The terrain will decide whether the vanguard should not also be assigned half a howitzer battery. If the terrain is not overly perforated, then the reserve cavalry will initially follow behind the vanguard during an advance against the enemy. Under cover of the vanguard and cavalry, the rest of the corps will almost always have to use a different road for each brigade, even if these roads were to be a mile apart, for the concentration toward the middle column, which marches with the artillery on the main road, can always be affected within an hour's time. In this case, the vanguard also needs to have at least an hour's head start.