The commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery Battalion studied university-level mathematics at the military academy. If they could not calculate a trajectory in under half a minute, they could forget about receiving their diplomas.
The artillery, meanwhile, spared no expense on live-fire training. A single month of practice matched an entire year's worth for the English Army.
What that extravagant spending bought was superhuman marksmanship.
Previously, the French Army's battles in the Southern Netherlands had gone too smoothly. The artillery had scarcely found any room to show its prowess before their own side had already won.
Now, at last, they had a chance to properly display their strength.
Normally, even a 12-pound Cannon would not begin firing until the enemy was within 800 paces—just over 400 meters—to ensure effective casualties.
But this was a defensive battle. The Royal Artillery Battalion could calmly choose its positions and measure the firing parameters in advance. It was practically easier than a military academy examination.
As a result, even firing at their maximum range of 1.3 kilometers, they maintained an extremely high hit rate—the artillery positions were all set on high ground, so that range was not particularly exaggerated. Howitzers could even reach 1.8 kilometers away, but at such a distance, with indirect fire, they had almost no practical battlefield value.
After coming under bombardment, the English officers even thought they had fallen into an ambush. They hurriedly ordered the Infantry Line to halt its advance and sent Skirmishers to search the surrounding area. Only after confirming that the shells were coming from the French Army positions did they resume the attack.
That delay left the Prussians attempting to outflank them exposed.
The French artillery immediately swung their barrels around and let the Prussian Army have a taste of precise, concentrated bombardment as well.