Lieutenant Ralston: “I would not do it that way.”
The Director: “Why?”
Lieutenant Ralston: “Well, sir, the men would be too much exposed. Suppose the enemy appeared on the road with as much as a troop. We fire into him. Perhaps the hostile captain’s orders are to check the advance of our main body. He decides to take his losses and charges down the road. Our small detachment would be in a precarious situation, only eight men against an entire troop. The men know they have no means of getting out of the way. They would be thinking more of their own safety than of hitting the enemy. They would shoot wild, and the chances are that the squad would be ridden down and destroyed. On the other hand, if we put the men on the other side of the wire fences, they will know that a mounted charge cannot hurt them. They will have more confidence in their ability to stop it and the firing will be much more effective.”
The Director: “Then you would place your men on the other side of the fence, would you?”
Lieutenant Ralston: “Yes, sir.”
The Director: “On which side of the road would you place them?”
Lieutenant Ralston: “On both sides, sir. Half a squad on each side. This disposition would give me a good cross-fire on the road.”
The Director: “Have you any objections to that disposition, Captain Harvey?”
Captain Harvey: “Yes, sir. It divides the force and makes it very difficult for Sergeant Wilkins to control and direct the fire.”
The Director: “Captain Hodges, do you see any other objections?”