Casey's Infantry Tactics - School of the Battalion

PART THIRD.

ARTICLE FIRST.

To march in column at full distance.

161. When the colonel shall wish to put the column in march, he will indicate to the leading guide two distinct objects in front, on the line which the guide ought to follow. This guide will immediately put his shoulders in a square with that line, take the more distant object as the point of direction, and the nearer one as the intermediate point.

162. If only a single prominent object present itself in the direction the guide has to follow, he will face to it as before, and immediately endeavor to catch on the ground some intermediate point, by which to give steadiness to his march on the point of direction.

168. There being no prominent object to serve as the point of direction, the colonel will despatch the lieutenant colonel or adjutant to place himself forty paces in advance, facing the column, and by a sign of the sword establish him on the direction he may wish to give to the leading guide; that officer being thus placed, this guide will take him as the point of direction, conforming himself to what is prescribed in the school of the company No. 87.

164. These dispositions being made, the colonel will command:

1. Column forward. 2. Guide left (or right). 3. MARCH (or double quick-MARCH).

165. At the command march, briskly repeated by the chiefs of subdivision, the column will put itself in march, conforming to what is prescribed in the school of the company No. 200 and following.

166. The leading guide may always maintain himself correctly on the direction by keeping steadily in view the two points indicated to him, or chosen by himself; if these points have a certain elevation, he may be assured he is on the true direction, when the nearer masks the more distant point.

167. The following guides will preserve with exactness both step and distance; each will march in the trace of the guide who immediately precedes him, without occupying himself with the general direction.

168. The lieutenant colonel will hold himself, habitually, abreast with the leading guide, to see that he does not deviate from the direction, and will observe, also, that the next guide-marches exactly in the trace of the first.

169. The major will generally be abreast with the last subdivision; he will see that each guide marches exactly in the trace of the one immediately preceding,: if either deviate from the direction, the major will promptly rectify the error, and prevent its being propagated; but he need not interfere, in this way, unless the deviation has become sensible, or material.

170. The column being in march, the colonel will frequently cause the about to be executed while marching; to this effect, he will command:

1 Battalion, right about. 2. MARCH. 3. Guide right.

171. At the second command, the companies will face to the right about, and the column will then march forward in an opposite direction; the chiefs of subdivision will remain behind the front rank, the file closers in front of the rear rank, and the guides will place themselves in the same rank. The lieutenant colonel will remain abreast of the first division, now in rear; the major will give a point of direction to the leading guide, and march abreast of him.

172. The colonel will hold himself habitually on the directing flank; he will look to the step and to the distances, and see that all the principles prescribed for the march in column, school of the company, are observed.

173. These means, which the practice in that school ought to have rendered familiar, will give sufficient exactness to the direction of the column, and also enable it to form forward or faced the rear, on the right, or on the left, into line of battle, and to close in mass.

174. But when a column, arriving in front, or in rear of the line of battle, or, rather, on one of the extremities of that line, has to prolong itself on it, in order to form to the left or to the right into line of battle, then, as it is essential, to prevent the column from cutting the line, or sensibly deviating from it, other means, as follows, will be employed.  

The column arriving in front of the line of battle, to prolong it on this line.

175. If the column right in front arrive in front of the line of battle, as it should cross it and find itself four paces beyond it after having changed direction, the colonel will cause to be placed, in advance, a marker on the line to indicate the point at which the column ought to cross it, and another marker to indicate the point where the first subdivision should commence to wheel; he will be so placed that when the wheel is executed, the left guide will find himself four paces within the line of battle. The chief of the leading subdivision, when the head of the column shall have arrived near the line, will take the guide to the right, and this guide will immediately direct himself on the second marker. On arriving abreast of him, this subdivision will be wheeled to the left, and when the wheel is completed, the guide will be changed again to the left; this guide will then march parallel to the line of battle by the means to be hereinafter indicated.

176. The instant the first subdivision wheels, the right general guide, who, by a caution from the lieutenant colonel, will before have placed himself on the line of battle at the point where the column crosses; it, and who will have faced to the two points of direction in his front, indicated by the colonel, will march forward correctly on the prolongation of those points.

177. The color-bearer will place himself in like manner on the line of battle; and, at the instant the color subdivision wheels, he will prolong his march on that line, abreast with this subdivision, taking care to carry the color-lance before the centre of his, person, and to maintain himself exactly in the direction of the general guide who precedes him, and the point of direction in front which will have been indicated to him.

178. Finally, the left general guide will place him self in the same manner on the line of battle; and, at the instant the last subdivision of the battalion wheels, he will march correctly in the direction 3f the color-bearer, and the other general guide.

179. The guide of the first subdivision will march steadily abreast with the right general guide, and about four paces to his right; each of the guides of the following subdivisions will march in the trace of the guide who immediately precedes him, as pre scribed No. 167.

180. The colonel, placed outside of the general guides, will see that the column marches nearly parallel to, and about four paces within, these guides.

181. The lieutenant colonel and major will look to the direction of the general guides, and, to this end place themselves sometimes in rear of the color-bearer, or the left general guide.

182. If the column be composed of several battalions, the general guides of each will successively place themselves on the line of battle to prolong their march on this line, as the leading subdivision, that of the color, and the one in the rear of their battalion, shall wheel into the new direction; these guides will conform themselves respectively, as will also the colonel, lieutenant colonel, and major, to what is prescribed above for those of the leading battalion.

183. In the case of several battalions, the lieutenant colonel of each will maintain steadily the guide of his leading subdivision about four paces within the line of general guides, even should the last subdivisions of the battalion immediately preceding deviate from the parallelism, in order that the false direction of one battalion may not influence that of the battalions which follow.

The column arriving behind the line of battle, to prolong it on this line.

184. If the column, right in front, arrive behind the line of battle, as it ought to find itself four paces within this line, after having changed direction, the colonel will cause a marker to be placed at the point where, according to that condition, the first subdivision ought to commence wheeling. Another marker will be established on the line of battle, to indicate the point at which the general guides ought, in succession, to begin to prolong themselves on that line; he will be so placed that each subdivision, having finished its wheel, may find itself nearly in a line with this marker.

185. At the instant the first subdivision, after having wheeled to the right, begins to prolong itself, parallelly to the line of battle, the leading general guide, placed in advance on that line, will direct himself on the two points taken in his front; the color-bearer and the other general guide will successively place themselves on the same line the instant that their respective subdivisions shall have finished their wheel.

186. If the column be composed of several battalions, the general guides of the following battalions will successively execute what has been just prescribed for those of the leading battalion, and the whole will conform themselves, as well as the guides of subdivisions, and the field officers of the several battalions, to what is indicated, above, for a column arriving in front of the line of battle.

187. In a column, left in front, arriving in front or in rear of the line of battle, these movements will be executed on the same principles, and by inverse means.

The column arriving on the right or the left of the line of battle, to prolong it on this line.

188. If the column, instead of arriving in front or in rear of the line of battle, arrive on its right or left, and if it have to prolong itself on that line, in order afterwards to form to the left or right into line of battle, the colonel will bring the color and general guides on the flank of the column by the command color and general guides on the line: and these guides will prolong themselves on the line of battle, conforming to what is prescribed above.

Manner of prolonging a line of battle by marker.

189. When a column prolongs itself on the line of battle, it being all-important that the general guides march correctly on that line, it becomes necessary that colonels, lieutenant colonels, and majors, whose duty it is to maintain the true direction, should be able to see, as far as practicable, the two objects, on which the march of the general guides ought to be directed; consequently, when no prominent objects present themselves in the desired direction, the chief of the column will supply the want of them in advance by aids-de-camp, or other mounted officers, and in such number as may be necessary.

190. Three such officers may prolong a line as fair as may be desired in the following manner: they will place themselves in advance on the line of battle, the first at the point where the head of the column ought to enter; the second, three or four hundred paces behind the first, and the third, a like distance behind the second. The first of these officers will remain in position till the leading general guide shall have entered on the line of battle, and then, at a gallop, place himself at a convenient distance behind the third. The second will do the like in respect to the first, when the lead of the column shall be near him, and so on in continuation. These officers, with, out dismounting, will face to the column, and cover each other accurately in file. It will be on them that the general guides will steadily direct their march, and it will be so much the more easy for the latter to maintain themselves on the direction, as they will always be able to see the mounted officers over the heads of the preceding guides: thus the deviation from the direction, by one or more general guides, need not mislead those who follow.

191. A single mounted officer may suffice to assure the direction of a column, when the point of direction towards which it matches is very distinct. In this case, that officer will place himself on the line of battle within that point, and beyond the one at which the head of the column will halt, and remain in position till the column halts; serving thus as the intermediate point for giving steadiness to the march of the general guides.

192. For a column of one or two battalions, markers on foot will suffice to indicate the line to be followed by the general guides.

Remarks on the march in column.

193. Although the uncadenced step be that of columns in route marches, and also that which ought to be habitually employed in the Evolutions of the Line, because it leaves the men more at ease, and, consequently, is better adapted to movements on a large scale and to difficult grounds, nevertheless, as it is of paramount importance to confirm soldiers in the measure and the movement of the cadenced pace, the route step will be but little practised in the exercises by battalion, except in going to, and returning from, the ground of instruction, and for teaching thee mechanism and movements of columns in route.

194. It is highly essential to the regularity of the march in column that each guide follow exactly in the trace of the one immediately preceding, without occupying his attention with the general direction of the guides. If this principle be steadily observed, the guides will find themselves aligned, provided that the leading one march exactly in the direction indicated to him; and even should obstacles in his way force him into a momentary deviation, the direction of the column would not necessarily be changed; whereas, if the following guides endeavor to conform themselves at once to all the movements of the leading one, in order to cover him in file, such endeavors would necessarily cause corresponding fluctuations in the column, from right to left, and from left to right, and render the preservation of distances extremely difficult.

195. As a consequence of the principle, that each guide shall exactly follow in the trace of the one who immediately, precedes, if, pending the march of the column, the colonel shall give a new point of direction, too near to the first to require a formal change of direction, the leading guide, advancing the one or other shoulder, will immediately direct himself on this point; the other guides will only conform themselves to this movement as each arrives at the point at which the first had executed it. Each subdivision will conform itself to the movement of its guide, the men insensibly lengthening or shortening the step, and advancing or refusing (throwing back) the shoulder opposite to the guide, but without losing the touch of the elbow towards his side.

196. The column, by company, being in march, the colonel will cause it to diminish front by platoon, from front to rear, at once, and to increase front by platoon in like manner, which movements will be commanded and executed as prescribed in the school of the company Nos. 282 and 273 and following, changing the command form company to form companies. So may he increase and diminish or diminish and increase, front, according to the same principles and at once, by company, changing the command form companies to form divisions, and the command break into platoons to break into companies. In this case, the companies and divisions will execute what is prescribed for platoons and companies respectively.

197. The column being at a halt, if the colonel should wish to march it to the rear, and the distance to be gained be so inconsiderable as to render a countermarch a disproportionate loss of time, he will cause the column to face about, and then put it in march by the commands prescribed No. 164; the chiefs of the subdivisions will remain behind the front rank, the file closers before the rear rank, and the guides will step into the rear rank, now in front. In a column, by division, the junior captains, in the intervals between companies, will replace their covering sergeants in the rear rank, and these sergeants will step into the line of file closers in front of their intervals.