TELEGRAPH LINES.—­Number of wires, along ronds or railroads, stations, etc.

VILLAGES.—­Size, kind of houses, nature of streets, means of defense, etc.

HILLS AND RIDGES.—­Whether slopes are gentle or steep; whether top is narrow or wide; whether ground is broken or smooth, wooded or clear; whether difficult or easy to cross, etc.; whether commanded by other hills.

DEFILES.—­Their direction, length, and width; whether surrounding heights are passable for infantry and artillery; kind of country at each opening of the defile, etc.

RAVINES, DITCHES, ETC.—­Width and depth; banks, whether passable for infantry, cavalry, and wagons; whether suitable for trenches, or for movement of troops therein, etc.

In general, every soldier should be constantly on the lookout to obtain information that might be of some military value.  Remember that information of the enemy and of the country is worthless unless made known to the proper officials in time to be of use.

Every soldier should be able to find his way in a strange country; should know how to use a compass; should know how to locate the North Star; should be able to travel across country, keeping a given direction, both by day and by night, and by observing landmarks he should be able to return to the starting point either over the same route or by a more circuitous one.  This can easily be learned by a little practice.

It adds a great deal to the value of a soldier if he knows how to use a map to find his way.  If he knows how to make a rough sketch of the country, showing the position of roads, streams, woods, railroads, bridges, houses, villages, fields, fences, hills, etc., he has added to his value as a soldier very much, indeed, because a rough sketch of a country will give more and better information at a glance than can be obtained by reading many pages of written description.

PATROLLING is one of the most important duties a soldier can learn.  Any enlisted man who understands thoroughly his duties as a member of a patrol will understand also most of his duties when with advance or rear guards or when on outpost duty.  Patrolling can not be learned merely by reading books nor by work indoors.  Thoroughness comes only by actually going out in the country and acting as a patrol.

In carrying out this idea the following scheme is recommended: 

Let four or more men and a noncommissioned officer act as a patrol.  They assemble at a certain time, at a convenient point on some country road.  An officer, whom we will call Captain A, acts as the director; the noncommissioned officer, whom we will call Sergeant B, acts as patrol leader; and the others (Privates C, D, E, etc.) act as members of Sergeant B’s patrol.

Assume that the company (battalion. etc.) has just made camp in this vicinity find that the inhabitants are friendly (or hostile).