|
|
|
|
|
TITLE
II. SCHOOL
OF THE SOLDIER
GENERAL
RULES AND DIVISION OF THE SCHOOL OF THE SOLDIER.
77.
The object of this school being the individual and progressive
instruction of the recruits, the instructor never requires a
movement to be executed until he has given an exact explanation of
it; and he executes, himself, the movement which he commands, so as
to join example to precept. He accustoms the recruit to take, by
himself, the position which is explained-teaches him to rectify it
only when required by his want of intelligence-and sees that all the
movements are performed without precipitation.
78.
Each movement should be understood before passing to another. After
they have been properly executed in the order laid down in each
lesson the instructor no longer confines himself to that order; on
the contrary, he should change it, that he may judge of the
intelligence of the men.
79.
The instructor allows the men to rest at the end of each part of the
lessons, and oftener, if he thinks proper, especially at the
commencement; for this purpose he commands REST.
80.
At the command REST,
the soldier is no longer required to preserve immobility, or to
remain in his place. If the instructor wishes merely to relieve the
attention of the recruit, he commands, in place-REST; the soldier is
then not required to preserve his immobility, but he always keeps
one of his feet in its place.
81.
When the instructor wishes to commence the instruction, he
commands-ATTENTION; at the command, the soldier takes his position,
remains motionless, and fixes his attention.
82.
The School
of the Soldier will
be divided into three parts: the first, comprehending what ought to
be taught to recruits without arms,; the second, the manual of arms,
the loadings and firings; the third, the principles of alignment,
the march by the front, the different steps, the march by the flank,
the principles of wheeling, and those of change of direction; also,
long marches in double quick time and the run.
83. Each
part will be divided into lessons, as follows:
PART
FIRST.
LESSON
1. Position of the soldier without arms: Eyes right, left and front.
LESSON 2 Facings.
LESSON 3. Principles of the direct step in common and quick time.
LESSON 4. Principles of the direct step in double quick time and the
run.
PART
SECOND.
LESSON
1. Principles of shouldered arms. LESSON 2. Manual of arms. LESSON
3. To load in four times, and at will. LESSON 4. Firings, direct,
oblique, by file, and by rank. LESSON 5. To fire and load, kneeling
and lying. LESSON 6. Bayonet exercise.
PART
THIRD.
LESSON
1. Union of eight or twelve men for instruction in the principles of
alignment. LESSON 2. The direct march, the oblique march, and
the different steps. LESSON 3. The march by the flank.
LESSON 4. Principles of wheeling and change of direction.
LESSON 5. Long marches and double quick time, and the run, with arms
and knapsacks.
PART
FIRST.
84.
This will be taught, if practicable, to one recruit at a time; but
three or four may be united, when the number is great, compared with
that of the instructors. In this case, the recruits will be placed
in a single rank, at one pace from each other. In this part, the
recruits will be without arms.
LESSON
I. POSITION
OF A SOLDIER.
85.
Heels on the same line, as near each other as the conformation of
the man will permit:
The feet
turned out equally, and forming with each other something less than
a right angle;
The knees straight without stiffness;
The body erect on the hips, inclining a little forward;
The shoulders square and falling equally;
The arms hanging naturally;
The elbows near the body;
The palm of the hand turned a little to the front, the little finger
behind the seam of the pantaloons ;
The head erect and square to the front, without constraint;
The chin near the stock, without covering it;
The eyes fixed straight to the front, and striking the ground about
the distance of fifteen paces.
REMARKS
ON THE POSITION OF A SOLDIER.
Heels
on the same line;
86.
Because, if one were in -rear of the other, the shoulder on that
side would be thrown back, or the position of the soldier would be
constrained.
Heels
more or less closed;
Because
men who are knock-kneed, or who have legs with large calves, cannot,
without constraint, make their heels touch while standing.
The
feet equally turned out, and not forming too large an angle;
Because,
if one foot were turned out more than the other, a shoulder would be
deranged, and if both feet be too much turned out, it would not be
practicable to incline the upper part of the body, forward without
rendering the whole position unsteady.
Knees
extended without stiffness;
Because,
if stiffened, constraint and fatigue would be unavoidable.
The
body erect on the hips;
Because
it gives equilibrium to the position. The instructor will observe
that many recruits have the bad habit of dropping a shoulder or
drawing in a side, or of advancing a hip, particularly the right,
when under arms. These are defects he will labor to correct.
The
upper part of the body inclining forward;
Because
commonly, recruits are disposed to do the reverse, to project the
belly, and to throw back the shoulders, when they wish to hold
themselves erect, from which result great inconveniences in
marching. The habit of inclining forward the upper part of the body
is so important to contract, that the instructor must enforce it at
the beginning, particularly with recruits who have naturally the
opposite habit.
Shoulders
square;
Because;
if the shoulders be advanced beyond the line of the breast, and the
back arched (the defect called round-shouldered,
not uncommon among
recruits), the man cannot align himself, nor use his piece with
address. It is important, then, to correct this defect, and
necessary to that end that the coat should set easy about the
shoulders and arm-pits; but in correcting this defect, the
instructor will take care that the shoulders be not thrown too much
to the rear, which would cause the belly to project, and the small
of the back to be curved.
The arms hanging naturally, elbows near the body, the palm of the
hand a little turned to the front, the little finger behind the seam
of the pantaloons;
Because these positions are equally important to the shoulder-arms,
and to prevent the
man from occupying more space in a rank than is necessary to a free
use of the piece; they have, moreover, the advantage of keeping in
the shoulders.
The
face straight to the front, and without constraint.
Because,
if there be stiffness in the latter position, it would communicate
itself to the whole of the upper part of the body, embarrass its
movements, and give pain and fatigue.
Eyes
direct to the front;
Because
this is the surest means of maintaining the shoulders in line-an
essential object, to be insisted on and attained.
87. The instructor having given the recruit the position of the
soldier without arms, will now teach him the turning of the head and
eyes. He will command -
1.
Eyes-RIGHT. 2. FRONT.
88.
At the word right, the
recruit will turn the head gently, so as to bring the inner corner
of the left eye in a line with the buttons of the coat, the eyes
fixed on the line of the eyes of the men in, or supposed to be in,
the same rank.
89. At the second command, the head will resume the direct or
habitual position.
90. The movement of Eyes-LEFT
will be executed by
inverse means.
91. The instructor will take particular care that the movement of
the head does not derange the squareness of the shoulders, which
will happen if the movement of the former be too sudden.
92. When the instructor shall wish the recruit to pass from the
state of attention to that of ease, he will command:
REST.
93.
To cause a resumption of the habitual position the instructor will
command:
1.
Attention. 2. SQUAD.
94.
At the first word, the recruit will fix his attention; at the
second, he will resume the prescribed position and steadiness.
LESSON
II.
FACINGS.
95.
Facing to the right and left will be executed in one time,
or pause. The
instructor will command:
1.
Squad. 2. Right (or left)-FACE.
96.
At the second command, raise the right foot slightly, turn on the
left heel, raising the toes a little, and then replace the right
heel by the side of the left, and on the same line.
97.
The full face to the rear (or front) will be executed in two times,
or pauses. The
instructor will command.
1.
Squad. 2.
ABOUT-FACE.
98. (First
time.) At the word about,
the recruit will
turn on the left heel, bring the left toe to the front, carry the
right foot to the rear, the hollow opposite to, and full three
inches from, the left heel, the feet square to each other.
99.
(Second time.) At
the word face, the
recruit will turn on both heels, raise the toes a little, extend the
hams, face to the rear, bringing, at the same time, the right heel
by the side of the left.
100.
The instructor will take care that these motions do not derange the
position of the body.
LESSON
III. PRINCIPLES
OF THE DIRECT STEP.
101.
The length of the direct step, or pace, in common time, will be
twenty-eight inches, reckoning from heel to heel, and in swiftness,
at the rate of ninety in a minute.
102.
The instructor, seeing the recruit confirmed in his position, will
explain to him the principle and mechanism of this step-placing
himself six or seven paces from, and facing to, the recruit. He will
himself execute slowly the step in the way of illustration, and then
command:
1.
Squad, forward. 2. Common time. 3. MARCH.
103.
At the first command, the recruit will throw the weight of the body,
on the right leg, without bending the left knee.
104.
At the third command, he will smartly, but without a jerk, carry
straight forward the left foot twenty-eight inches from the right,
the sole near the ground, the ham extended, the too a little
depressed, and, as also the knee, slightly turned out; he will, at
the same time, throw the weight of the body forward, and plant flat
the left foot, without shock, precisely at the distance where it
finds itself from the right when the weight of the body is brought
forward, the whole of which will now rest on the advanced foot. The
recruit will next, in like manner, advance the right foot and plant
it as above, the heel twenty-eight inches from the heel of the left
foot, and thus continue to march without crossing the legs, or
striking the one against the other, without turning the shoulders,
and preserving always the face direct to the front.
105.
When the instructor shall wish to arrest the march, he will command:
1.
Squad. 2. HALT.
106.
At the second command, which will be given at the instant when
either foot is coming to the ground, the foot in the rear will be
brought up, and planted by the side of the other, without shock.
107.
The instructor will indicate, from time to time, to the recruit, the
cadence of the step by giving the command one
at the instant of
raising a foot, and two at the instant it ought to be planted,
observing the cadence of ninety steps in a minute. This method will
contribute greatly to impress upon the mind the two motions into
which the step is
naturally divided.
108.
Common time will be employed only in
the first and
second parts of the School for the Soldier. As soon as the recruit
has acquired steadiness, has become established in the principles of
shouldered arms, and in the mechanism length and swiftness of the
step in common time, he will be practised only in quick time, the
double quick time, and the run.
109.
The principles of the step in quick time are the same as for common
time, but its swiftness is at the rate of one hundred and ten steps
per minute.
110.
The instructor wishing the squad to march in quick time, will
command:
1.
Squad, forward. 2.
MARCH
LESSON
IV. PRINCIPLES
OF THE DOUBLE QUICK STEP.
111.
The length of the double quick step is thirty-three inches, and its
swiftness at the rate of one hundred and sixty-five steps per
minute.
112.
The instructor wishing to teach the recruits the principles and
mechanism of the double quick step, will command:
1.
Double quick step. 2. MARCH.
113.
At the first command the recruit will raise his hands to a level
with his hips, the hands closed, the nails toward the body, the
elbows to the rear.
114.
At the second command, he will raise to the front his left leg bent,
in order to give to the knee the greatest elevation, the part of the
leg between the knee and the instep vertical, the toe depressed; he
will then replace his foot in its former position; with the right
leg he will execute what has just been prescribed for the left, and
the alternate movement of the legs will be continued until the
command:
1.
Squad. 2. HALT.
115.
At the second command, the recruit will bring the foot which is
raised by the side of the other, and dropping at the same time his
hands by his side, will resume the position of the soldier without
arms.
116.
The instructor placing himself seven or eight paces from, and facing
the recruit, will indicate the cadence by the commands one
and two, given
alternately at the instant each foot should be brought to the
ground, which at first will be in common time, but its rapidity will
be gradually augmented.
117.
The recruit being sufficiently established in the principles of this
step, the instructor will command:
1.
Squad, forward. 2. Double quick. 3.
MARCH.
118.
At the first command, the recruit will throw the weight of his body
on the right leg.
119.
At the second command he will place his arms as indicated No. 113.
120.
At the third command, he will carry forward the left foot, the leg
slightly bent, the knee somewhat raised-will plant his left foot,
the toe first, thirty-three inches from the right, and with the
right foot will then execute what has just been prescribed for the
left. This alternate movement of the legs will take place by
throwing the weight of the body on the foot that is planted, and by
allowing a natural, oscillatory motion to the arms.
121. The
double quick step may be executed with different degrees of
swiftness. Under urgent circumstances the cadence of this step may
be increased to one hundred and eighty per minute. At this rate a
distance of four thousand yards would be passed over in about
twenty-five minutes.
122.
The recruits will be exercised also in running.
123.
The principles are the same as for the double quick step, the only
difference consisting in a greater degree of swiftness.
124.
It is recommended in marching at double quick time, or the run, that
the men should breathe as much as possible through the nose, keeping
the mouth closed. Experience has proved that, by conforming to this
principle, a man can pass over a much longer distance, and with less
fatigue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
