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664.
The battalion being halted, if it be the wish of the colonel to
cause it to march in retreat, he will command:
1.
Face to the rear. 2. Battalion, about-FACE.
665.
At the second command, the battalion will face about; the
color-rank, and the general guides, if in advance, will take their
places in line; the colorbearer will pass into the rear rank, now
leading; the corporal of his file will step behind the corporal next
on his own right, to let the color-bearer pass, and then step into
the front rank, now rear, to re-form the color-file; the colonel
will place himself behind the front rank,-become the rear; the
lieutenant colonel and major will place themselves before the rear
rank, now leading.
666.
The colonel will take post forty paces behind the color-file, in
order to assure the lieutenant colonel on the perpendicular, who
will place himself at a like distance in front, as prescribed for
the advance n line of battle.
667.
If the battalion be the one charged with the direction, the colonel
will establish markers in the manner indicated No. 589, except that
they will face to the battalion, and that the first will be placed
twenty-five paces from the lieutenant colonel. If the markers be
already established, the officer charged with replacing them in
succession will cause them to face about, the moment that the
battalion executes this movement, and then the marker nearest to the
battalion will hasten to the rear of the two others.
668.
These dispositions being made, the colonel will command:
3.
Battalion, forward.
669.
At this command, the color-bearer will advance six paces beyond the
rank of file closers, accompanied by the two corporals of his guard
of that rank, the centre corporal stepping back to let the
color-bearer pass; the two file closers nearest this centre corporal
will unite on him behind the colorguard to serve as a basis of
alignment for the line of file closers: the two general guides will
place themselves abreast with the color-rank, the covering sergeants
will place themselves in the line of file closers, and the captains
in the rear rank, now leading; the captains in the left wing, now
right, will, if not already there, shift to the left of their
companies, now become the right.
670.
The colonel will then command:
4.
MARCH (Or double quick-MARCH).
671.
The battalion will march in retreat on the same principles which
govern the advance in line: the centre corporal behind the
color-bearer will march exactly in his trace.
672.
If it be the directing battalion, the colorbearer will direct
himself on the markers, who will, of their own accord, each place
himself in succession behind the marker most distant, on being
approached by the battalion; the officer charged with the
superintendence of the markers will carefully assure them on the
direction.
673.
In the case of a subordinate battalion, the color-bearer will
maintain himself on the perpendicular by means of points taken on
the ground.
674.
The colonel, lieutenant-colonel, and major will each discharge the
same functions as in the advance in line.
675.
The lieutenant colonel, placed on the outside of the file closers of
the color-company, will also maintain the three file closers of the
basis of alignment in a square with the line of direction: the other
file closers will keep themselves aligned on this basis.
676.
The colonel having halted the battalion, and wishing to face it to
the front, will command:
1.
Face to the front. 2. Battalion, about-FAXE.
677.
At the second command, the color-rank, general guides, captains, and
covering sergeants, will all retake their habitual places in line of
battle, and the color-bearer will repass into the front rank.
678.
The battalion marching in line of battle by the front rank, when the
colonel shall wish to march it in retreat, he will command:
1.
Battalion, right about, 2. MARCH.
679.
At the command march, the battalion will face to the rear and move
off at the same gait by the real rank. The principles prescribed
Nos. 669 and following will be carefully observed.
680.
If the colonel should wish the battalion to march again by the
front, he will give the same commands.
681.
A battalion retiring in line will change direction by the commands
and means indicated No. 652 and following; the three file closers,
united behind the color-rank, will conform themselves to the
movement of this rank, and wheel like it; the centre file closer of
the three will take steps of fourteen or seventeen inches, according
to the gait, and keep himself steadily at the same distance from the
colorbearer; the line of file closers will conform themselves to the
movement of its centre, and the lieu tenant colonel will maintain it
on that basis.
682.
The battalion advancing in line will be supposed to encounter an
obstacle which covers one or more companies; the colonel will cause
them to ploy into column at full distance, in rear of the next
company towards the color, which will be executed in the following
manner. It will be supposed that the obstacle only covers the third
company, the colonel will command:
Third company, obstacle.
683.
At this command, the captain of the third company will place himself
in its front, turn to it, and command,
1.
Third company, by the left flank, to rear into column. 2. Double
quick. 3. MARCH. Ht will then hasten to the left of his company.
684.
At the command march, the company will face to the left in marching;
the two left files will promptly disengage to the rear in double
quick time; the left guide, placing himself at the head of the front
rank, will conduct it behind the fourth company, directing himself
parallelly with this company; the captain of the third will himself
halt opposite to the captain of the fourth, and see his company file
past; when its right file shall be nearly up with him, he will
command,
1.
Third company. 2. By the right flank. 3. MARCH. 4. Guide right, and
place himself before the centre of his company.
685.
At the command march, the company will face to the right, preserving
the same gait, but the moment it shall be at the prescribed
distance, its captain will command:
1.
Quick time. 2. MARCH.
686.
This company will thus follow in column that behind which it finds
itself, and at wheeling distance, its right guide marching exactly
in the trace of the captain of that company.
687.
As soon as the third company shall have faced to the left, the left
guide of the second will place himself on the left of the front rank
of his company, and maintain between himself and the right of the
fourth the space necessary for the return into line of the third.
688.
The obstacle being passed, the colonel will command: Third company,
forward, into line.
689.
At this command, the captain, turning to his company, will add:
1.
By company, right half wheel. 2. Double quick. 3. MARCH.
690.
At the command march, the company will take the double quick step,
and execute a half wheel; its captain will then command,
1.
Forward. 2. MARCH. 8. Guide left.
The
second command will be given when the company shall have
sufficiently wheeled.
691.
At the command march, the company will direct itself straight
forward towards the line of battle, and retake its position in it
according to the principles prescribed for the formation forward
into line of battle.
692.
It will be supposed that the obstacle covers several contiguous
companies (the three companies on the right, for example), the
colonel will command:
1.
Three right companies, obstacle. 2. By the left flank, to the rear,
into column. 3. Double quick-MARCH.
693.
At the first command, the captains of the designated companies will
each place himself before the centre of his company, and caution it
as to the movement about to be executed.
694.
At the command march, the designated companies will face to the left
in marching, and immediately take the double quick step; each
captain will cause the head of his company to disengage itself to
the rear, and the left guide will place himself at the head of the
front rank; the captain of the third company will conform himself to
what is prescribed No. 684 and following; the captains of the other
companies will conduct them by the flank in rear of the third,
inclining towards the head of the column; and, as the head of each
company arrives opposite to the right of the one next before it in
column, its captain will himself halt, see his company file past,
and conform himself for facing it to the front, in marching, to what
is prescribed No. 684 and following.
695.
When the last company in column shall have assed the obstacle the
colonel will command:
1.
Three right companies, forward, into line.
696.
At this command, the captain of each of these three companies will
command, By company, right halt wheel. The colonel will then add:
1.
Double quick. 2. MARCH.
697.
At this, briskly repeated by the captains, of the three companies,
each company will conform sit self to what is prescribed No. 690 and
following.
698.
It is supposed, in the foregoing examples, that the companies
belonged to the right wing; if they make part of the other, they
will execute the passage of an obstacle according to the same
principles and by inverse means.
699.
When flank companies are broken off to pass an obstacle, the general
guide on that flank will place himself six paces in front of the
outer file of the nearest company to him remaining in line.
700.
In the preceding movements, it has been supposed that the battalion
was marching in quick time; but if it be marching in double quick
time, and the colonel shall wish to cause several contiguous
companies to break to the rear, he will first order the battalion to
march in quick time; the companies will break as indicated No. 692.
701.
When the movement is completed, the colonel will order the double
quick step to be resumed. He will also cause the battalion to march
in quick time when he shall wish to bring into line the several
companies which are to the rear in column; the movement will be
executed as previously indicated; and when the last company shall
have nearly completed its movement, the colonel will cause the
double quick step to be reamed.
702.
In the movement of a single company, or of several companies not
contiguous to each other, the battalion will continue to march in
double quick time; but in these cases the companies which are to
ploy into column, or re-enter the line, will increase the gait.
703.
In the march in retreat, these several movements will be executed on
the same principles as if the battalion marched by the front rank.
704.
When a battalion, advancing in line of battle, shall be obliged to
execute the right about in order to retreat, if there be companies
in column, behind the rear rank, these companies will alto execute
the right about, put themselves in march, at the same time with the
battalion, and will thus precede it in the retreat; they will
afterwards successively put themselves into line by the oblique
step, as the ground may permit.
705.
If the battalion be marching in retreat in double quick time, and
many contiguous companies be marching before the rear rank of the
battalion, the colonel will not change the gait of the battalion in
causing them to re-enter into line.
706.
When the color-company shall be obliged to execute the movement of
passing an obstacle, the color-rank will return into line at the
moment the company shall face to the left or right; the major will
place himself six paces before the extremity of the company behind
which the color - company marches in column, in order to give the
step and the direction; he, himself, first taking the step from the
battalion.
707.
As soon as the color-company shall have returned into line, the
front rank of the color-guard will again move out six paces in front
of the battalion, and take the step from the major; the latter will
immediately place himself twenty or thirty paces in front of the
color-bearer, and face to the colonel placed behind the centre of
the battalion, who will establish him on the perpendicular; and, as
soon as he shall be assured on it, the color-bearer will instantly
take two points on the ground between himself and the major.
708.
It is prescribed, as a general rule, that the companies of the right
wing ought to execute the movement of passing obstacles by the left
flank, and the reverse for the companies of the other wing; but if
the obstacle cover at once several companies of the centre, each
will file into column behind that, still in line, and of the same
wing, which may be the nearest to it. |
