"The Battle in the Teutoburg Forest", signed: Fritz, March 20, 1813, Breslau. Drawing by Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia.

An ambush ( also called a surprise attack) is a long-established military tactic. It is a surprise attack from a hidden position against an enemy. The enemy may be moving or they may have stopped. Ambush uses the element of surprise to confuse the enemy soldiers long enough to be successful.