One great advantage which results from having an army in camp is,
that it is easier to direct its spirit and maintain its discipline
there. The soldier in cantonments abandons himself to repose; he ends
by finding a pleasure in idleness, and in fearing to return to the
field. The reverse takes place in a camp. There, a feeling of _ennui_,
and a severer discipline, make him anxious for the opening of the
campaign, to interrupt the monotony of the service and relieve it with
the chances and variety of war. Besides, an army in camp is much more
secure from a surprise than in cantonments--the defect of which usually
consists in their occupying too great an extent of ground. When an army
is obliged to go into quarters, the Marquis de Feuquière recommends
a camp to be selected in front of the line, where the troops can be
frequently assembled--sometimes suddenly, in order to exercise their
vigilance, or for the sole purpose of bringing the different corps
together.