Читать книгу American Civil War For Dummies - Keith D. Dickson - Страница 105

The defender tactically seeks to present the strongest position to the attacker, with sufficient combat power to overwhelm the attacker at his point of attack. If the defender has chosen well, the terrain (the lay of the land) will strengthen the defense and weaken the enemy’s ability to maneuver and employ combat power. On a battlefield, some terrain is considered critical. As the name implies, critical terrain means that whoever controls this specific piece of ground will have a significant advantage over the enemy. Troops and artillery occupying critical terrain can mass firepower to destroy an attacker. If the defender loses this terrain, the army usually would be exposed to further attacks on its flanks or rear and be unable to defend itself effectively. The loss of critical terrain spells defeat and disaster. In the Civil War, critical terrain was usually single hills or ridges.