The making of Grand Reconnaissance is a special privilege which
exclusively appertains to the advantage in _Time_. It always should be
made by the Commander-in-chief of that army which is able to put itself
in motion, while the opposing army must remain stationary, and it never
should be confounded with the advance of the Cavalry Corps, nor confused
with the work of scouts and spies; all of which are matters entirely
separate and distinct from Grand Reconnaissance.
In the Grand Reconnaissance of any given Strategetic Situation the
element of Numbers _primarily_ is to be considered, for the reason that
the basic fact of the Science of Strategetics is:
_“THE GREATER FORCE ALWAYS OVERCOMES THE LESSER.”--Napoleon._
Hence, unless more immediately vital considerations prevent, superiority
in Numbers, of itself, is _decisive_ of victory; and thus it readily
is to be deduced that all else being equal, the advantage in Time plus
the advantage in Numbers constitutes the easiest and simplest winning
combination known to Strategetic Art.
But it so happens that the advantage in Time may be combined not only
with the greater force, but also with an equal, or even with the lesser
force, and from this it is self-evident that Strategetic Situations are
divided into three classes, viz.: