1866 (Bohemia), guns were present on both sides in great numbers, the
average for both sides being three guns per 1000 men. Artillery,
however, played but a small part in the Prussian attacks, this being due
to the inadequate training then afforded, and also to the mixture of
rifled guns and smooth-bores in their armament. In Prussia, however, the
exertions of General v. Hindersin, the improvement of the _materiel_,
and above all the better tactical training of the batteries, were
rewarded four years later by success on the battlefield almost as
decisive as Napoleon's. In 1870 the French artillery was invariably
defeated by that of the Germans, who were then free to turn their
attention to the hostile infantry. At first, indeed, the German infantry
was too impatient to wait until the victorious artillery had prepared
the way for them by disintegrating the opposing line of riflemen. Thus
the attack of the Prussian Guards at St Privat (August 18, 1870) melted
away before the unbroken fire-power of the French, as had that of the
Federals at Fredericksburg and that of the Confederates at Gettysburg.
But such experiences taught the German infantry commanders the necessity
of patience, and at Sedan the French army was enveloped by the fire of
nearly 600 guns, which did their work so thoroughly that the Germans
annihilated the Imperial army at the cost of only 5% of casualties.