TITLE THIRD
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY.
General Rules and Division of the School of the Company.
1. Instruction by company will always precede that by battalion, and the object being to prepare the soldiers for the higher school, the exercises of detail by company will be strictly adhered to, as well in respect to principles, as the order of progression herein proscribed.
2. There will be attached to a company undergoing elementary instruction, a captain, a covering sergeant, and a certain number of file closers, the whole posted in the manner indicated, Title First, and, according to the same title, the, officer charged with the exercise of such company will herein be denominated the instructor.
3. The School of the Company will be divided into six lessons, and each lesson will comprehend five articles, as follows:
5. Alignments, and manual of arms in closed ranks.
1. To load in four times and at will.
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON I.
1. To march in line of battle.
2. To halt the company marching in line of battle, and to align it.
3. Oblique march in line of battle.
4. To mark time, to march in double quick time, and the back step.
5. To march in retreat in line of battle.
2. To change direction by file,
3. To halt the company marching by the flank, and to face it to the front.
1. To break into column by platoon either at a halt, or while marching.
1. To break into platoons, and to re-form the company.
2. To break files to the rear, and to cause them to re-enter into line.
3. To march in column in route, and to execute the movements incident thereto.
5. Being in column by platoon, to form on the right or left into line of battle.
4. The company will always be formed in two ranks. The instructor will then cause the files to be numbered, and for this purpose will command:
In each rank-Count Twos.
5. At this command, the men count in each rank, from right to left, pronouncing in a loud and distinct voice, in the same tone, without hurry and without turning the head, one, two, according to the place which each one occupies. He will also cause the company divided into platoons and sections, taking care that the first platoon is always composed of an even number of files.
6. The instructor will be as clear and concise as possible in his explanations; he will cause faults of detail to be rectified by the captain, to whom he will indicate them, if the captain should not have himself observed them; and the instructor will not otherwise interfere, unless the captain should not well comprehend, or should badly execute his intentions.
7. Composure, or presence of mind, in him who commands, and in those who obey, being the first means of order in a body of troops, the instructor will labor to habituate the company to this essential quality, and will himself give the example.
To open ranks.
8. The company being at ordered arms, the ranks and file closers well aligned, when the instructor shall wish to cause the ranks to be opened, be will direct the left guide to place himself on the left of the front rank, which being executed, he will command:
1. Attention. 2. Company. 3. Shoulder-ARMS. 4. To the rear open order.
9. At the fourth command, the covering sergent, and the left guide, will step off smartly to the rear, four paces from the front rank, in order to mark the alignment of the rear rank. They will judge this distance by the eye, without counting the steps.
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON I.
10. The instructor will place himself at the same time on the right flank, in order to observe if these two non-commissioned officers are on a line parallel to the front rank, and if necessary, to correct their positions, which being executed, he will command:
5. MARCH.
11. At this command, the front rank will stand fast.
12. The rear rank will step to the rear, without counting the steps, and will place themselves on the alignment marked for this rank, conforming to what is prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 321.
13. The covering sergeant will align the rear rank on the left guide placed to mark the left of this rank.
14. The file closers will march to the rear at the same time with the rear rank, and will place themselves two paces from this rank when it is aligned.
15. The instructor seeing the rear rank aligned, will command:
6. FRONT.
16. At this command, the sergeant on the left of the rear rank will return to his place as a file closer.
17. The rear rank being aligned, the instructor will direct the captain and the covering sergeant to observe the men in their respective ranks, and to correct, if necessary, the positions of persons and pieces.
Alignments in open ranks.
18. The ranks being open, the instructor will, in the first exercises, align the ranks, man by man the better to inculcate the principles.
19. To effect this, he will cause two or four men on the right or left of each rank to march two or three paces forward, and, after having aligned them, command:
By file right (or left)-DRESS.
20. At this, the men of each rank will move up successively on the alignment, each man being preceded by his neighbor in the same rank, towards the basis, by two paces, and having correctly aligned himself, will cast his eyes to the front
21. Successive alignments having habituated the soldiers to dress correctly, the instructor will cause the ranks to align themselves at once, forward and backward, sometimes in a direction parallel, and sometimes in one oblique, to the original direction, giving, in each case, two or four men to serve as a basis of alignment to each rank. To effect which, he will command:
1. Right (or left)- DRESS. 2. FRONT.
or
1. Right (or left) backward- DRESS 2. FRONT.
22. In oblique alignments, in opened ranks, the men of the rear rank will not seek to cover their file leaders, as the sole object of the exercise is to teach them to align themselves correctly in their respective ranks, in the different directions.
23. In the several alignments, the captain will superintend the front rank, and the covering sergeant the rear rank. For this purpose, they will place themselves on the side by which the ranks are dressed.
24. In oblique alignments, the men will conform the line of their shoulders to the new direction of their rank, and will place themselves on the alignment as has been prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 317 or No. 321, according as the new direction shall be in front or rear of the original one.
25. At the end of each alignment, the captain and the covering sergeant will pass along the front of the ranks to correct the positions of persons and arms.
Manual of arms.
26. The ranks being open, the instructor will place himself in a position to see the ranks, and will command the manual of arms in the following order:
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON II.
|
Present arms. Order arms. Ground arms. Raise arms. Support arms. Fix bayonet. Charge bayonet. Trail arms. Unfix bayonet. Secure arms. |
Shoulder arms.
Shoulder arms. Shoulder arms. Shoulder arms. Shoulder arms. Shoulder arms. Shoulder arms. Shoulder arms. |
Load in nine times.
27. The instructor will take care that the position of the body, of the feet, and of the piece, be always exact, and that the times be briskly executed and close to the person.
To close ranks.
26. The manual of arms being ended, the instructor will command:
1. Close order. 2. MARCH.
29. At the command march, the rear rank will close up in quick time, each man directing himself on his file leader.
Alignments, and manual of arms in closed ranks.
30. The ranks being closed, the instructor will cause to be executed parallel and oblique alignments by the right and left, forward and backward, observing to place always two or four files to serve as a basis of alignment. He will give the commands prescribed, No. 21.
31. In alignments in closed ranks, the captain will superintend the front rank, and the covering sergeant the rear rank. They will habituate themselves to judge the alignment by the lines of the eyes and shoulders, in casting a glance of the eye along the front and rear of the ranks.
32. The moment the captain perceives the greater number 'of the front rank aligned, he will command FRONT, and rectify, afterwards, if necessary, the alignment of the other men by the means prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 320. The rear rank will conform to the alignment of the front rank, superintended by the covering sergeant.
33. The ranks being steady, the instructor will place himself on the flank to verify their alignment. He will also see that each rear rank man covers accurately his file leader.
34. In oblique alignments, the instructor will observe what is prescribed No. 24.
35. In all alignments, the file closers will preserve the distance of two paces from the rear rank.
36. The alignments being ended, the instructor will cause to be executed the manual of arms.
37. The instructor, wishing to rest the men, without deranging the alignment, will first cause arms to be supported, or ordered, and then command:
In place-REST.
38. At this command, the men will no longer be constrained to preserve silence or steadiness of position; but they will always keep one or other heel on the alignment.
39. If, on the contrary, the instructor should wish to rest the men without constraining them to preserve the alignment, he will command:
REST.
40. At which command, the men will not be required to preserve immobility, or to remain in their places.
41. The instructor may, also, when he shall judge proper, cause arms to be stacked, which will be executed as prescribed, school of the soldier.
42. The instructor, wishing to pass to the second lesson, will cause the company to take arms, if stacks have been formed, and command:
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON II.
1. Attention 2. Company 3 Shoulder- ARMS
43. The instructor will then cause loadings and firings to be executed in the following order:
To load at four times and at willl.
44. Loading in four times will be commanded and executed as prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 251, and following. The instructor will cause this exercise to be often repeated, in succession, before passing to load at will.
45 Loading at will will be commanded and executed as prescribed in the school of the soldier, No 256. In priming when loading in four times, and also at will, the captain and covering sergeant will half face to the right with the men, and face to the front when the man next to them, respectively brings his piece to the shoulder.
46. The instructor will labor to the utmost to cause the men, in the different loadings, to execute what has been prescribed in the school of the soldier Nos. 257 and 258.
47. Loading at will, being that of battle, and consequently the one with which it is most important to render the men familiar, it will claim preference in the exercises the moment the men be well established in the principles. To these they will be brought by degrees, so that every man may be able to load with cartridges, and to fire at least three rounds in a minute with ease and regularity
To fire by company.
48. The instructor, wishing to cause the live by company to be executed, will command:
Fire by Company. 2. Commence firing.
49. At the first command, the captain will promptly place himself opposite the centre of his company, and four paces in rear of the line of file closers: the covering sergeant will retire to that line, and place himself opposite to his interval. This rule is general for both the captain; and covering sergeant in all the different firings.
50. At the second command the captain will add:
1. Company; 2. READY 3. AIM; 4. FIRE; 5. LOAD
51. At the command load, the men will load their pieces and then take the position of ready, as prescribed in the school of the soldier
52. The captain will immediately recommence the firing by the commands:
1 Company. 2. AIM, 3. FIRE. 4. LOAD.
53. The firing will be thus continued until the signal to cease firing is sounded.
54. The captain will sometimes cause aim to be taken to the right and left, simply observing to pronounce right (or left) oblique, before the command aim.
The fire by file.
65. The instructor wishing to cause the fire by file to be executed, will command
1. Fire by file. 2. Company. 3; READY. 4. Commence firing.
56. The third and fourth commands will be executed as prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 275 and following.
57. The fire will be commenced by the right file of the company; the next file will take aim at the instant the first brings down pieces to re-load, and so on to the left; but this progression will only be observed in the first discharge, after which each man will re-load and fire without regulating himself by others, conforming himself to what is prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 280.
The fire by rank.
58. The instructor wishing the fire by rank to be executed, will command:
1. Fire by rank. 2. Company. 3. READY. 4. Rear rank- AIM. 5. FIRE. 6. LOAD.
59. The fifth and sixth commands will be executed as is prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 285 and following.
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON II.
60. When the instructor sees one or two pieces in the rear rank at a ready, he will command:
1. Front rank. 2. Aim. 3. FIRE 4. LOAD.
61. The firing will be continued thus by alternate ranks, until the signal is given to cease firing.
62. The instructor will sometimes cause aim to be taken to the right and left, conforming to what is prescribed No. 54.
63. The instructor will cause the firing to cease, whether by company, by file, or by rank, by sounding the signal to cease firing and at the instant this sound commences, the men will cease to fire, conforming to what is prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 282.
64. The signal to cease firing will always be followed by a bugle note; at which sound, the captain and covering sergeant will promptly resume their places in line, and will rectify, if necessary, the alignment of the ranks.
65. In this school, except when powder is used, the signal, to cease firing will be indicated by the command cease firing, which, will be pronounced by the instructor when he wishes the semblance of firing to cease.
66. The command posts will be likewise substituted, under similar circumstances, for the bugle note employed as the signal for the return of the captain and covering sergeant to their places in line which command will be given when the instructor sees the men have brought their pieces to a shoulder.
67. The fire by file being that which is most frequently used against an enemy, it is highly important that it be rendered perfectly familiar to the troops. The instructor will, therefore, give it almost exclusive preference, and labor to cause the men to aim with care, and always, if possible, at some particular object. As it is of the utmost importance that the men should aim with precision in battle, this principle will be rigidly enforced in the exercises for the purposes of instruction.
To fire by the rear rank.
68. The instructor will cause the several fires to be executed to the rear, that is, by the rear rank. To effect this, he will command:
1. Face by the rear rank. 2. Company. 3. About-FACE.
69. At the first command, the captain will step out and place himself near to, and facing the right file of his company; the covering sergeant, and file closers, will pass quickly through the captain's interval, and place themselves faced to the rear, the covreign sergeant a pace behind the captain, and the file closers two paces from the front rank opposite to their places in line, each passing behind the covering sergeant.
70. It the third command, which will be given at the instant the last file closer shall have passed through the interval, the company will face about; the captain will place himself in his interval in the rear rank, now become the front, and the covering sergeant will cover him in the front rank, now become the rear.
71. The company having faced by the rear rank, the instructor Will cause it to execute the fire by company, both direct and oblique, the fire by file, and the fire by rank, by the commands and means prescribed in the three preceding articles; the captain, covering sergeant, and the men will conform themselves, in like manner, to what is therein prescribed.
72. The fire by file will commence on the left of the company, now become the right. In the fire by rank, the firing will commence with the front rank, now become the rear.
73. To resume the proper front, the instructor will command:
1. Face by the front rank. 2. Company. 3. About-FACE.
74. At the first command, the captain covering sergeant and file closers will conform to what is prescribed Nos. 60 and 70.
75. At the third command, the company having faced about, the captain and covering sergeant will resume their places in line.
76. In this lesson, the instructor will impress on the men the importance of aiming always at some particular object, and of holding the piece as prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 178.
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON III.
77. The instructor will recommend to the captain to make a short pause between the commands aim and fire, to give the men time to aim with accuracy.
78. The instructor will place himself in position to see the two ranks, in order to detect faults; he will charge the captain and file closers to be equally watchful, and to report to him when the ranks are at rest. He will remand, for individual instruction, the man who may be observed to load badly.
79. The instructor will recommend to the soldiers, in the firings, the highest degree of composure or presence of mind; he will neglect nothing that may contribute to this end.
80. He will give to the men, as a general principle, to maintain, in the direct fire, the left heel in its place, in order that the alignment of the ranks and files may not be deranged; and he will verify, by examination, after each exercise in firing, the observance of this principle.
81. The instructor will observe, in addition to these remarks, all those which follow:
82. When the firing is executed with cartridges, it is particularly recommended that the men observe, in uncocking, whether smoke escapes from the tube, which is a certain indication that the piece has been discharged; but if, on the contrary, no smoke escapes, the soldier, in such case, instead of reloading, will pick and prime again. If, believing the load to be discharged, the soldier should put a second cartridge in his piece, he ought, at least, to perceive it in ramming, by the height of the load; and he would be very culpable should he put in a third. The instructor will always cause arms to be inspected after firing with cartridges, in order to observe if the fault has been committed, of putting three cartridges, without a discharge, in the same piece, in which case the ball screw will be applied.
83. It sometimes happens when a cap has missed fire, that -the tube is found stopped up with a hard, white, and compact powder; in this case, picking will be dispensed with, and a new cap substituted for the old one.
To advance in line of battle.
84. The company being in line of battle" and correctly aligned, when the instructor shall wish to exercise it in marching by the front, he will assure himself that the shoulders of the captain and covering sergeant are perfectly in the direction of their respective ranks, and that the sergeant accurately covers the captain; the instructor will then place himself twenty-five or thirty paces in front of them, face to the rear, and place himself exactly on the prolongation of the line passing between their heels.
85. The instructor, being aligned on the directing file, will command:
1. Company, forward.
86. At this, a sergeant, previously designated, will move six paces in advance of the captain: the instructor, from the position prescribed, will correctly align this sergeant on the prolongation of the directing file.
87. This advanced sergeant, who is to be charged with the direction, will, the moment his position is assured, take two points on the ground in the straight line which would pass between his own and the heels of the instructor.
88. These dispositions being made, the instructor will step aside, and command:
2. MARCH.
89. At this, the company will step off with life. The directing sergeant will observe with the greatest precision, the, length and cadence of the step, marching on the two points he has chosen; he will take in succession, and always a little before arriving at the point nearest to him, new points in advance, exactly in the same line with the first two, and at the distance of some, fifteen or twenty paces from each other. The captain will march steadily in the trace of the directing sergeant, keeping always six paces from him; the men will each maintain the head direct to the front, feel lightly the elbow of his neighbor on the side of direction, and conform himself to the principles prescribed, school of the soldier, for the march by front.
90. The man next to the captain will take special care not to pass him; to this end, he will keep the line of his shoulders a little in the rear, but in the, same direction with those of the captain.
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON III.
91. The file closers will march at the habitual distance of two paces behind the rear rank.
92. If the men lose the step, the instructor will command;
To the-STEP
93. At this command, the men will glance towards the directing sergeant, retake the step from him, and again direct their eyes to the front.
94. The instructor will cause the captain and covering sergeant to be posted sometimes on the right, and sometimes on the left of the company.
95. The directing sergeant, in advance, having the greatest influence on the march of the company, he will be selected for the precision of his step, his habit of maintaining his shoulders in a square with a given line of direction, and of prolonging that line without variation.
96. If this sergeant should fail to observe these principles, undulations in the front of the company must necessarily follow; the men will be unable to contract the habit of taking steps equal in length and swiftness, and of maintaining their shoulders in a square with the line of direction-the only means of attaining perfection in the march in line.
97. The instructor, with a view the better to establish the men in the length and cadence of the step, and in the principles of the march in line, will cause the company to advance three or four hundred paces, at once, without halting if the ground will permit. In the first exercises, he will march the company with open ranks, the better to observe the two ranks.
98. The instructor will see, with care that all the principles of the march in line are strictly observed; he will generally be on the directing flank, in a position to observe the two ranks and the faults they may commit; he will sometimes halt, behind the directing file during some thirty successive steps, in order to judge whether the directing sergeant or the directing file, deviate from the perpendicular.
To halt the company marching in line of battle, and to align it.
99. The instructor, wishing to halt the company will command:
1. Company. HALT.
100. At the second command, the company will halt; the directing sergeant will remain in advance unless ordered to return to the line of file closers. The company being at a halt the instructor may advance the first three or four files on the side of direction and align the company on that basis, or he any confine himself to causing the alignment to be rectified. In this last case, he will command: Captain, rectify the alignment. The captain will direct the covering sergeant to attend to the rear rank, when each, glancing his eyes along his rank, will promptly rectify it, conforming to what is prescribed in the school of the soldier No. 320.
Oblique march in line of battle.
101. The company being in the direct march, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to march obliquely, he will command:
1. Right (or left) oblique. 2. MARCH.
102. At the command march, the company will take the oblique step. The men will accurately observe the principles prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 331. The rear rank men will preserve their distances, and march in rear of the man next on the right (or left) of their habitual file leaders.
103. When the instructor wishes the direct march to he resumed he will command:
1. Forward. 2. MARCH.
104. At the command march, the company will resume the direct march. The instructor will move briskly twenty paces in front of the captain, and facing the company, will place himself exactly in the prolongation of the captain and covering sergeant; and then by a sign, will move the directing sergeant on the same line, if he be not already on it; the latter will immediately take two points on the ground between himself and the instructor, and as he advances, will take new points of direction, as is explained No. 89.
105. In the oblique march, the men not having the touch of elbows, the guide will always be on the
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON III.
side toward which the oblique is made, without any indication to that effect being given ; and when the direct match is resumed, the guide will be, equally without indication, on the side where it was previous to the oblique.
106. The instructor will, at first, cause the oblique to be made toward the side of the guide. He will also direct the captain to have an eye on the directing sergeant, in order to keep on the same perpendicular line to the front with him, while following a parallel direction.
107. During the continuance of the march, the instructor will be watchful that the men follow parallel directions, in conforming to the principles prescribed in the school of the soldier, for preserving the general alignment; whenever the men lose the alignment, he will be careful that they regain it by lengthening or shortening the step, without altering the cadence, or changing the direction.
108. The instructor will place himself in front of the company and face to it, in order to regulate the march of the directing sergeant or the man who is on the flank toward which the oblique is made, and to see that the principles of the march are properly observed, and that the files do not crowd.
To mark time, to march in double quick time, and the back step.
109. The company being in the direct march, and in quick time, the instructor, to cause it to mark time, will command:
1. Mark time. 2. MARCH.
110. To resume the march, he will command:
1. Forward. 2. MARCH.
111. To cause the march in double quick time, the instructor will command:
1. Double quick. 2. MARCH.
112. The command march will be pronounced at the instant either foot is coming to the ground.
113. To resume quick time, the instructor will command:
1. Quick time. 2. MARCH.
114. The command march will be pronounced at the instant either foot is coming to the ground.
115. The company being at a halt, the instructor may cause it to march in the back step; to this effect, he will command:
1. Company backward. 2. MARCH.
116. The back step will be executed according to the principles prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 247, but the use of it being rare, the instructor will not cause more than fifteen or twenty steps to be taken in succession, and to that extent but seldom.
117. The instructor ought not to exercise the company in marching in double quick time till the men are well established in the length and swiftness of the pace in quick time; he will then endeavor to render the march of one hundred and sixty-five steps in the minute equally easy and familiar, and also cause them to observe the same erectness of body and composure of mind, as if marching in quick time.
118. When marching in double quick time, if a subdivision (in a column) has to change direction by turning, or has to form into line, the men will quicken the pace to one hundred and eighty steps in a minute. The same swiftness of step will be observed under all circumstances where great rapidity of movement is required. But, as ranks of men cannot march any length of time at so swift a rate, without breaking or confusion, this acceleration will not be considered a prescribed exercise, and accordingly companies or battalions will only be habitually exercised in the double quick time of one hundred and sixty-five steps in the minute.
To march in retreat.
119. The company being halted and correctly aligned, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to march in retreat, he will command:
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON IV.
1. Company. 2. About-FACE.
120. The company having faced to the rear, the instructor will place himself in front of the directing file, conforming to what is prescribed, No. 84.
121. The instructor, being correctly established on the prolongation of the directing file, will command:
3. Company, forward.
122. At this, the directing sergeant will conform himself to what is prescribed Nos. 86 and 87, with this difference-he will place himself six paces in front of the line of file closers, now leading.
123. The covering sergeant will step into the line of file closers, opposite to his interval, and the captain will place himself in the rear rank, now become the front.
124. This disposition being promptly made, the instructor will command:
4. MARCH.
125. At this, the directing sergeant, the captain, and the men, will conform themselves to what is prescribed No. 89, and following.
126. The instructor will cause to be executed, marching in retreat, all that is prescribed for marching in advance; the commands and the means of execution will be the same.
127. The instructor having halted the company, will, when he may wish, cause it to face to the front by the commands prescribed No. 119. The captain, the covering sergeant, and the directing sergeant, will resume their habitual places in line, the moment they shall have faced about.
128. The company being in march by the front rank, if the instructor should wish it to march in retreat, he will cause the right about to be executed while marching, and to this effect will command:
1. Company. 2 Right about. 3. MARCH.
129. At the third command, the company will promptly face about, and recommence the march arch by the rear rank.
130. The directing sergeant will face about with the company, and will move rapidly six paces in front of the file closers, and upon the prolongation of the guide. The instructor will place him in the proper direction by the means prescribed No. 104. The captain, the covering sergeant, and the men, will conform to the principles prescribed for the march in retreat.
131. When the instructor wishes the company to match by the front rank, he will give the same commands, and will regulate the direction of the march by the same means.
132. The instructor will cause to be executed in double quick time, all the movements prescribed in the 3d, 4th, 5th and 6th lessons of this school, with the exception of the march backwards, which will be executed only in quick time. He will give the same commands, observing to add double quick before the command march.
133. When the pieces are carried on the right shoulder, in quick time, the distance between the ranks will be sixteen inches. Whenever, therefore, the instructor brings the company from a shoulder to this position, the rear rank must shorten a little the first steps in order to gain the prescribed distance, and will lengthen the steps, on the contrary, in order to close up when the pieces are again brought to a shoulder. In marching in double quick time the distance between the ranks will be twenty-six inches, and the pieces will be carried habitually on the right shoulder.
134, Whenever a company is halted, the man wilt bring their pieces at once to a shoulder at the command halt. The rear rank will close to its proper distance. These rules are general.
To march by the flank
135. The company being in line of battle, and at a halt, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to march by the right flank, he will command:
1.Company, right-FACE. 2. Forward. 3. MARCH.
136. At the first command, the company will face to the right, the covering sergeant will place
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON IV,
himself at the head of the front rank the captain having stepped out for the purpose, so, far as to find, himself by the side of the sergeant, and on his left; the front rank will double as is prescribed in the school of the soldier No. 352; the rear rank will, at the same time, side step to the right one pace, and double in the same manner; go that when the movement is completed, the files will be formed of four men aligned, and elbow to elbow. The intervals will be preserved.
137. The file closers will also move by side step to the right, so that when the ranks are formed, they will be two paces from the rearmost rank.
138. At the command march, the company will move off briskly in quick time; the covering sergeant at the head of the front rank; and the captain on his left, will march straight forward. The men of each file will march abreast of their respective front rank men, heads direct to the front; the file closers will march opposite their places in line of battle.
139. The instructor will cause the principles of the march by the flank to be observed, in placing himself pending on the march, as prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 357.
140. The instructor will cause the march by the left flank to be executed by the same commands, substituting left for right; the ranks will double as has been prescribed in the school for the soldier, No. 354; the rear rank will side-step to the left one pace before doubling.
141. At the instant the company faces to the left, the left guide will place himself at the head of the front rank; the captain will pass rapidly to the left, and place himself by the right side of this guide; the covering sergeant will replace the captain in the front rank, the moment the latter quits it to go to the left.
To change direction by file.
142. The company being faced by the flank, and either in march, or at a halt, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to wheel by file, he will command:
1.By file, left, (or right). 2. MARCH.
143. At the command march, the first file will wheel; if to the side of the front rank man, the latter will take care not to turn at once, but to describe a short are of a circle, shortening a little the first five or six steps in order to give time to the fourth man of this file to conform himself to the movement. If the wheel be to the side of the rear rank, the front rank man will wheel in the step of twenty-eight inches, and the fourth man will conform himself to the movement by describing a short are of a circle as has been explained. Each file will come to wheel on the same ground where that which preceded it wheeled.
144. The instructor will see that the wheel be executed according to these principles, in order that the distance between the files may always be preserved, and that there be no check or hindrance at the wheeling point.
To halt the company marching by the flank, and to face it to the front.
145. To effect these objects, the instructor will command:
1. Company. 2. HALT. 3. FRONT.
146. The second and third commands will be executed as proscribed in the school of the soldier, Nos. 359 and 360. As soon as the files have undoubled, the rear rank will close to its proper distance. The captain and covering sergeant, as well as the left guide, if the march be by the left flank, will return to their habitual places in line at the instant the company faces to the front.
147. The instructor may then align the company by one of the means prescribed, No. 100.
The company being in march by the flank, to form it on the right (or left)
by file into line of battle.
148. If the company be marching by the right flank, the instructor will command:
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON IV.
1.On the right, by file into line. 2. MARCH.
149. At the command march, the rear rank men doubled will mark time; the captain and the covering sergeant will turn to the right, march straight forward, and be halted by the instructor when they shall have passed at least six paces beyond the rank of file closers; the captain will place himself correctly on the line of battle, and will direct the alignment as the men of the front rank successively arrive; the covering sergeant will place himself behind the captain at the distance of the rear rank; the two men on the right of the front rank doubled, will continue to march, and passing beyond the covering sergeant and the captain, will turn to the right; after turning, they will continue to march elbow to elbow, and direct themselves towards the line of battle, but when they shall arrive at two paces from this line, the even number will shorten the step so that the odd number may precede him on the line, the odd number placing himself by the side and on the left of the captain; the even number will afterwards oblique to the left, and place himself on the left of the odd number; the next two men of the front rank doubled, will pass in the same manner behind the two first, turn then to the right, and place themselves, acccording to the means just explained, to the left, and by the side of, the two men already established on the line; the remaining files of this rank will follow in succession, and be formed to the left in the same manner. The rear rank doubled will execute the movement in the manner already explained for the front rank, taking care not to commence the movement until four men of the front rank are established on the line of battle; the rear rank men, as they arrive on the line, will cover accurately their file leaders.
150. If the company be marching by the left flank, the instructor Will cause it to form by file on the left into line of battle, according to the same principles and by the same commands, substituting the indication left for right. In this case, the odd numbers will shorten the step, so that the even numbers may precede them on the line. The captain, placed on the left of the front rank, and the left guide, will return to their places in line of battle, by order of the instructor, after the company shall be formed and aligned.
151. To enable the, men the better to comprehend the mechanism of this movement, the instructor will at first cause it to be executed separately by each rank doubled, and afterwards by the two ranks united and doubled.
152. The instructor will place himself on the line of battle, and without the point where, the right or left is to rest, in order to establish the base of the alignment, and afterwards, he will follow up the movement to assure himself that each file conforms itself to what is prescribed No. 149.
The company being in march by the flank, to form it by company, or by platoon,
into line, and to cause it to face to the right and left in marching.
153. The company being in march by the right flank, the instructor will order the captain to form it into line; the captain will immediately command: 1. By company, into line. 2. MARCH.
154. At the command march, the covering sergeant will continue to march straight forward; the men will advance the right shoulder, take the double quick step, and move into line, by the shortest route, taking care to undouble the files, and to come on the line one after the other.
155. As the front rank men successively arrive in line with the covering sergeant, they will take from him the step, and then turn their eyes to the front.
156. The men of the rear rank will conform to the movements of their respective file leaders, but without endeavoring to arrive in line at the same time with the latter
157. At the instant the movement begins, the captain will face to his company in order to follow up the execution; and, as soon as, the company is formed, he will command, guide left, place himself two paces before the centre, face to the front, and take the step of the company.
158. At the command guide left, the second sergeant will promptly place himself in the front rank, on the left, to serve as guide, and the covering sergeant who is on the opposite flank will remain there.
159. When the company marches by the left flank, this movement will be executed by the same commands, and according to the same principles; the company being formed, the captain will command guide right,
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON V.
and place himself in front of his company as above; the covering sergeant who is on the right of the front rank will serve as guide, and the second sergeant placed on the left flank will remain there.
160. Thus, in a column by company, right or left in front, the covering sergeant and the second sergeant of each company will always to placed on the right and left, respectively, of the front rank; they will be denominated right guide and left guide, and the one or the other charged with the direction.
161. The company being in march by the flank, if it be the wish of the instructor to cause it to form platoons, he will give an order to that effect to the captain, who will command:
1. By platoon, into line. 2. MARCH.
162. The movement will be executed by each platoon according to the above principles. The captain will place himself before the centre of the first platoon, and the first lieutenant before the centre of the second, passing through the opening made in the centre of the company, if the march be by the right flank, and around the left of his platoon, it the march be by the left; in this last case the captain will also pass around the left of the second platoon in order to place himself in front of the first. Both the captain and lieutenant, without waiting for each other, will command guide left (or right), at the instant their respective platoons are formed.
163. At the command guide left (or right) the guide of each platoon will pass rapidly to the indicated flank of the platoon, if not already there.
164. The right guide of the company will always serve as the guide of the right or left of the first platoon, and the left guide of the company will serve, in like manner, as the guide of the second platoon.
165. Thus in a column, by platoon, there will be but one guide to each platoon; he will always be placed on its left flank, if the right be in front, and on the right flank, if the left be in front.
166. In these movements, the file closers will follow the platoons to which they are attached.
167. The instructor may cause the company, marching by the flank, to form by company, or by platoon, into line, by his own direct commands, using those prescribed for the captain, No. 153 or 161.
168. The instructor will exercise the company in passing, without a halt, from the march by the front, to the march by the flank, and reciprocally. In either case, he will employ the commands prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 363, substituting company for squad. The company will face to the right or left, in marching, and the captain, the guides, and file closers will conform themselves to what is prescribed for each in the march by the flank, or in the march by the front of a company supposed to be a subdivision of a column.
169. If, after facing to the right or left, in marching, the company find itself faced by the rear rank, the captain will place himself two paces behind the center of the front rank, now in the rear, the guides will pass to the rear rank, now leading, and the file closers will march in front of this rank.
170. The instructor, in order to avoid fatiguing the men, and to prevent them from being negligent in the position of shoulder arms, will sometimes order support arms in marching by the flank, and. arms on the right shoulder, when marching in line.
To break into column by platoon, either at a halt or in march.
171. The company being at a halt, in line of battle, the instructor, wishing to break it into column, by platoon to the right, will command:
1. By platoon, right wheel. 2. MARCH.
172. At the first command, the chiefs of platoon will place themselves rapidly two paces before the centers of their respective platoons, the lieutenant passing around the left of the company. They need not occupy themselves with dressing, one upon the other. The covering sergeant will replace the captain in the front rank.
173. At the command march, the right front rank man of each platoon will face to the right, the covering sergeant standing fast; the chief of each platoon will move quickly by the shortest line, a little beyond the point at which the marching flank will rest when the wheel shall be completed, face to the late rear, and place himself so that the line which he forms with the man on the right (who had
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON V.
faced,) shall be perpendicular to that occupied by the company in line of battle; each platoon will wheel according to the principles prescribed for the wheel on a fixed pivot, and when the man who conducts the marching flank shall approach to near to the perpendicular, its chief will command:
1. Platoon. 2. HALT.
174. At the command halt, which will be given at the instant the man who conducts the marching flank shall have arrived at three paces from the perpendicular, the platoon will halt; the covering sergeant will move to the point where the left of the first platoon is to rest, passing by the front rank; the second sergeant will place himself, in like manner, in respect to the second platoon. Each will take care to leave between himself and the man on the right of his platoon, a space equal to its front; the captain and first lieutenant will look to this, and each take care to align the sergeant between himself and the man of the platoon who had faced to the right.
175. The guide of each platoon being thus established on the perpendicular, each chief will place himself two paces outside of is guide, and facing towards him, will command:
3. Left-DRESS.
176. The alignment being ended, each chief of platoon will command, FRONT, and place himself two paces before its centre.
177. The file closers will conform themselves to the movement of their respective platoons, preserving always the distance of two paces from the rear rank.
178. The company will break by platoon to the left, according to the same principles. The instructor will command:
1. By platoon, left wheel. 2. MARCH.
179. The first command will be executed in the same manner as if breaking by platoon to the right.
180. At the command march, the left front rank man of each platoon will face to the left, and the platoons will wheel to the left, according to the principles prescribed for the wheel on a fixed pivot; the chiefs of platoon will conform to the principles indicated Nos. 173 and 174.
181. At the command halt, given by the chief of each platoon, the covering sergeant on the right of the front rank of the first platoon, and the second sergeant near the left of the second platoon, will each move to the points where the right of his platoon is to rest. The chief of each platoon should be careful to align the sergeant between himself and the man of the platoon who had faced to the left, and will then command:
Right-DRESS.
182. The platoons being aligned, each chief of platoon will command, FRONT, and place himself opposite its centre.
183. The instructor wishing to break the company by platoon to the right and to move the column forward after the wheel is completed, will caution the company to that effect, and command:
1. By platoon, right wheel. 2. MARCH.
184. At the first command, the chiefs of platoon will move rapidly in front of their respective platoons, conforming to what has been prescribed No. 172, and will remain in this position during the continuance of the wheel. The covering sergeant will replace the chief of the first platoon in the front rank.
185. At the command march, the platoons will wheel to the right, conforming to the principles herein prescribed; the man on the pivot will not face to the right, but will mark time, conforming himself to the movement of the marching flank; and when the man who is on the left of this flank shall arrive near the perpendicular, the instructor will command:
3. Forward. 4. MARCH. 5. Guide left.
186. At the fourth command, which will be given at the instant the wheel is completed, the platoons will move straight to the front, all the men taking the step of twenty-eight inches. The covering sergeant and the second sergeant will move rapidly to the left of their respective platoons, the former passing before the front rank. The leading guide will immediately take points on the ground in the direction which may be indicated to him by the instructor.
187. At the fifth command, the men will take the touch of elbows lightly to the left.
188. If the guide of the second platoon should lose his distance, or the line of direction, he will conform to the principles herein prescribed, Nos. 202 and 203.
189. If the company be marching in line to the front, the instructor will cause it to break by
SCHOOL OF THE COMPANY-LESSON V.
platoon to the right by the same commands. At the command march, the platoons will wheel in the manner already explained, the man on the pivot will take care to mark time in his place, without advancing or receding; the instructor, the chiefs of platoon, and the guides, will conform to what has been prescribed Nos. 184 and following.
190. The company may be broken by platoons to the left, according to the same principles, and by inverse means, the instructor giving the commands prescribed Nos. 183 and 185, substituting left for right, and reciprocally
191. The movements explained in Nos. 183 and 189 will only be executed after the company has become well established in the principles of the march in column, Articles Second and Third.
Remarks.
192. The instructor, placed in front of the company, will observe whether the movement be executed according to the principles prescribed above; whether the platoons, after breaking into column, are perpendicular to the line of battle just occupied; and whether the guide, who placed himself where the marching flank of his platoon had to rest, has left, between himself and the front rank man on the right (or left), the space necessary to contain the front of the platoon.
193. After the platoons have broken, if the rearmost guard should not accurately cover the leading one, be will not seek to correct his position till the column be put in march, unless the instructor, wishing to wheel immediately into line, should think it necessary to rectify the direction of the guides, which would be executed as will be hereinafter explained in Article Fifth of this lesson.
194. The instructor will observe, that the man on the right or left) of each platoon, who, at the command march, faces to go right (or left) being the true pivot of the wheel, the front rank man next to him ought to gain it little ground to the front in wheeling, so as clear the pivot-man.
To march in column.
195. The company having broken by platoon, right (or left) in front, the instructor, wishing to cause the column to march, will throw himself twenty-five or thirty paces in front, face to the guides, place himself correctly, on their direction, and caution the leading guide to take points on the ground.
196. The instructor being thus placed, the guide of the leading platoon will take two points on the ground in the straight line passing between his own and the heels of his instructor.
197. These dispositions being made, the instructor will step aside and command:
1.Column, forward. 2. Guide left (or right). 3. MARCH.
198. At the command march, promptly repeated by the chiefs of platoon, they, as well as the guides, will lead off, by a decided step, their respective platoons in order that the whole may move smartly, and at the same moment.
199. The men will each feel lightly the elbow of his neighbor toward the guide, and conform himself, in marching, to the principles prescribed in the school of the soldier, No. 327. The man next to the guide, in each platoon, will take care never to pass him, and also to march always about six inches to the right (or left) from him, in order not to push him out of the direction.
200. The leading guide will observe, with the greatest precision, the length and cadence of the step, and maintain the direction of his march by the means prescribed No. 89.
201. The following guide will march exactly in the trace of the leading one, preserving between the latter and himself a distance precisely equal to the front of his platoon, and marching in the same step with the leading guide.
202. If the following guide lose his distance from the one leading, (which can only happen by his own fault,) he will correct himself by slightly lengthening or shortening a few steps, in order that there may not be sudden quickenings or slackenings in the march of his platoon.
203. If the same guide, having neglected to march exactly in the trace of the preceding one, find himself sensibly out of the direction, he will remedy this fault by advancing more or less the shoulder opposite to the true direction, and thus, in a few steps, insensibly regain it, without the inconvenience of the oblique step, which would cause a loss of distance. In all cases, each chief of
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platoon will cause it to conform to the movements of its guide.
Remarks on the march in column.
204. If the chiefs and guides of subdivisions neglect to lead off and to decide the march from the first step, the march will be begun in uncertainty, which will cause waverings, a loss of step and a loss of distance.
205. If the leading guide take unequal steps, the march of his subdivision, and that which follows, will be uncertain; there will be undulations, quickenings, and slackenings in the march.
206. If the same guide be not habituated to prolong a given direction, without deviation, he will describe a crooked line, and the column must wind to conform itself to such line.
207.