245. The command halt, will be given when the marching flank of the platoon is three paces from the line of battle.
246. The chief of the second platoon, having halted it, will return to his place as a -file closer, Passing around the left of his subdivision.
247. The captain having halted the first platoon, will move rapidly to the point at which the right of the company will rest in line of battle, and command:

250. The instructor seeing the company in line of battle, will command:

251. At this command, the covering sergeant will cover the captain, and. the left guide will return to his place as a file closer.
252. If the column be left in front, and the instructor should wish to form it to the right into line of battle, lie will place himself at platoon distance in front of the leading guide, face to him , and rectify, if necessary the position of the guide beyond; which being executed, he will command:

253. At the command march, the front-rank man on the right of each platoon will face to the right and place his breast lightly against the left arm of the guide by his side, who stands fast; each platoon will wheel to the right, and will be halted by its chief, when the marching flank has approached near the line of battle; for this purpose the chief of each platoon will command:

254, The command halt, will be, given when the marching flank of the platoon is three paces from the line of battle. The chief of the second platoon having halted his platoon, will resume his place in the rank of file closers.
255. The captain having halted the first platoon, will move briskly to the point at which the left of the company will rest, and command:

256. At this command, the two platoons will dress up on the alignment; the man on the left of the second platoon, opposite the instructor, will place his breast lightly against the right arm. of, this officer) and the captain will direct the alignment from the left on the man. on the opposite flank of the company.
257. The company being aligned, the captain will command :

258. The instructor will afterwards command:

259. At this command, the captain will move to the right of his company, the covering sergeant will cover him, and the left guide will return to his place as a file closer.
260. The instructor may omit the command left or right dress, previous to commanding left or right into line, wheel, unless after rectifying the position of the guides, it should become necessary to dress the platoons, or one of them, laterally to the right or left.
261. The instructor, before the command left (or right) into line, wheel, will assure himself that the rearmost platoon is at its exact wheeling distance from the one in front. This attention is important, in order to detect negligence on the part of guides in this essential point.
262. If the column be marching right in front, and the instructor should wish to form it into line without halting the column, he will give the commands prescribed No. 243, and move rapidly to platoon distance in front of the leading guide.
263. At the command march, briskly repeated by the chiefs of platoon, the left guides will halt short, the instructor, the chiefs of platoon and the platoons, will conform to what is prescribed No. 244 and following.
264. If the column be in march left in front, this formation will be made according to the same principles, and by inverse means.
265. If the column be marching right in front, and the instructor should wish to form it into line without halting the column, and to march the company in line to the front, lie will command:

266. At the command march, briskly repeated by the chiefs of platoon, the left guides will halt: the man next to the left guide in each platoon will mark time: the platoons will wheel to the left, conforming to the principles of the wheel on a fixed pivot. When the right of the platoons shall arrive near the line of battle, the instructor will command:

267. At the fourth command, given at the instant the wheel is completed, all the men of the company will move off together with the step of twenty-eight inches; the captain, the chief of the second platoon, the covering sergeant, and the left guide will take their positions as in line of battle.
268. At the fifth command, which will be given immediately after the fourth, the captain and covering sergeant, if not already there, will move briskly to the side on which the guide is designated The, non-commissioned officer charged with the direction will move rapidly in front of the guide, and will be assured in his line of march by tile instructor, as is prescribed No. 104. That non-commissioned officer will immediately take points on the ground as indicated in the same number. The men will take the touch of elbows to the side of the guide, conforming themselves to the principles of the march in line.
269. The same principles are applicable to a column left in front.

To break the company into platoons, and to re
form the company.

270. The company marching in the cadenced step, and supposed to make part of a column, right in front, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to break by platoon, lie will give the order to the captain, who will command: 1. Break into platoons, and immediately place himself before the centre of the first platoon.

View Plate No. 23 - To Break Into Platoons

271. At the command break into platoons, the first lieutenant will pass quickly around the left to the centre of his platoon, and give the caution: Mark time.
272. The captain will then command: 2. March.
273, The first platoon will continue to march straight-forward; the covering sergeant will move rapidly to the left flank of this platoon (passing by the front rank) as soon as the Rank shall be disengaged.
274. At the command march, given by the captain, the second platoon will begin to mark time; its chief will immediately add: 1. Right MARCH. The last command will be oblique; 2. 1 given so that this platoon may commence obliquing the instant the rear rank of the first platoon shall have passed. The men will shorten the step in obliquing, so that when the command forward march is given, the platoon may have its exact distance.
275. The guide of the second platoon being near the direction of the guide of the first, the chief of the second will command Forward and add MARCH, the instant that the guide of his platoon shall cover the guide of the first.
276. In a column, left in front, the company will break into platoons by inverse means, applying to the first platoon all that has been prescribed for the second, and reciprocally.
277. In this case, the left guide of the company will shift to the right flank of the second platoon, and the covering sergeant will remain on the right of the first.

TO RE-FORM THE COMPANY.

278. The column, by platoon, being in march, right in front, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to form company, he will give the order to the captain, who will command: Form company.
279. Having given this command, the captain will immediately add: 1. First platoon; 2. Right oblique.
280. The chief of the second platoon will caution it to continue to march straight-forward.
281. The captain will then command: 3. MARCH.
282. At this command, repeated by the chief of the second, the first platoon will oblique to the right, in order to unmask the second; the covering sergeant, on the left of the first platoon, will return to the right of the company, passing by the front rank.
283. When the first platoon shall have nearly unmasked the second, the captain will command: 1. Mark time, and at the instant the unmasking shall be complete, he will add: 2. MARCH. The first platoon will then cease to oblique, and mark time.
284. In the mean time the second platoon will have continued to march straight-forward , and when it shall be nearly up with the first, the captain will command Forward, and at the instant the two platoons shall unite, add MARCH; the first platoon will then cease to mark time.
285. In a column, left in front, the same movement will be executed by inverse means, the chief of the second platoon giving the command Forward, and the captain adding the command MARCH, when the platoons are united.
286. The guide of the second platoon, on its right, will pass to its left flank the moment the platoon begins to oblique; the guide of the first, on its right, remaining on that flank of the platoon.
287. The instructor will also sometimes cause the company to break and re-form, by platoon , by his own direct commands. In this case, he will give the general commands prescribed for the captain above: 1. Break into platoons; 2. MARCH; and 1. Form company; 2. MARCH.
288. If, in breaking the company into platoons, the subdivision that breaks off should mark time too long, it might, in a column of many subdivisions, arrest the in arch of the following one, which would cause a lengthening of the column, and a loss of distances.
289. In breaking into platoons, it is necessary that the platoons which oblique should not shorten the step too much, in order not to lose distance in column, and not to arrest the march of the following subdivision.
290. If a platoon obliques too far to a flank, it would be obliged to oblique again to the opposite flank, to regain the direction and by the double movement arrest, probably, the march of the following subdivision.
291. The chiefs of those platoons which oblique will face to their platoons, in order to enforce the observance of the foregoing principles.
292. When, in a column of several companies, they break in succession, it is of the greatest importance that each company should continue to march in the same step, without shortening or slackening, whilst that which precedes breaks, although the following company should close up on the preceding one. This attention is essential to guard against an elongation of the column.
293. Faults of but little moment, in a column of a few companies, would be serious inconveniences in a general column of many battalions. Hence the instructor will give the greatest care in causing all the prescribed principles to be strictly observed. To this end, he will hold himself on the directing flank, the better to observe all the movements.