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LIEUTENANT-COLONEL.
529. IN the English Service the Lieutenant-Colonel is the
Commander of the Regiment. In our Service there are no duties specified by Law for this officer. In
practice he takes the place of the Colonel in his absence, and succeeds to the same powers and
responsibility. He should therefore be equally well informed in the duties of Regimental Commander,
as the Colonel. When the Colonel is present, the Lieutenant-Colonel performs such duties
as he may be required by the Colonel, being such usually as pertain to the Commander of the
Regiment, and yet capable of being attended to by a Subordinate.
530. The Lieutenant-Colonel, when not the senior officer of the
Regiment, has precisely the same kind of duties that the Major is required to perform: Field
Officer of the Day, the Command of Detachments, Field Officer’s Court-Martial, etc.
Four companies are sufficient to constitute a Lieutenant-Colonel’s Command, when the Regiment is
divided about among several posts.
531. As he stands nearest the Colonel, and is his
First-Lieutenant, and because much the most important duty he has to perform is to take command of the
Regiment in the absence of his superior, what is laid down for the Colonel, and the Commanding
Officer is equally applicable to him, and should be quite as well understood by him; it being in
reality just what he should know, even in his subordinate capacity.
COLONEL.
532. THE Colonel is the senior officer, and therefore the most
important in the Regiment, and the Regiment takes its character and standing from him. A
Regiment, no matter how well trained under a competent commander, will soon deteriorate and suffer in
reputation under an incompetent man, and it is fair to presume that when a Regiment
possesses a bad name, it is due to the incompetency of its commander. The terms Colonel and
Regimental Commander are synonymous.
533. The Colonel’s peculiar and exclusive duty is to command
the Regiment, and it is only his duty as commander that will here be considered. His duty in other
capacities will be found under the proper headings. It is proper to state, however, that a
Colonel may be Commanding Officer of a Brigade, or Division, or Department, President or member of
a Court-Martial, or chief of an independent expedition, by special assignment.
534. Like the company, the command of the Regiment has two
distinct varieties of duty relating to it, that call for distinct and separate qualifications in its
commander, viz., Government and
Administration, and under
these general heads we will consider the subject.
GOVERNMENT.
535. UNDER this general heading will be considered the following
special headings pertaining to the government of a Regiment, viz.:
Organization.
Routine.
Instruction in Tactics.
Discipline, including Rewards and Punishments.
Appointment and Reduction of Non-Commissioned Officers.
Parades, Reviews, Inspections, and Musters.
536. ORGANIZATION.—The
Law fixes the organization of the Regiment, and it is different for each arm of the Service, and there may be different
organizations for the same ann. The changes in the Military Art have required corresponding changes
in the organization of armies, and many changes have been made of late years in our service.
There are two organizations each for the Artillery and Infantry, and the Cavalry arm has but
recently received the same organization throughout.
537. There is no difference in the general principles of forming
a Regiment in the Regular or Volunteer Service. In the former, the officers are appointed by
the President of the United States, and confirmed by the Senate; in the latter, the Governors make
the appointments. In both Services the Law authorizing the troops to be raised, govern the
organization, and both, when completed, are generally inspected by an Inspector-General, or a
Mustering Officer, who would reject all officers and men in excess of the legal
organization.
538. The raising, equipping, and preparation for Service of a
Regiment, is a task of no small dimensions, even where the Colonel is a competent man, assisted
by experienced Captains, but when from the Colonel down, all are called suddenly from civil
pursuits to organize, and proceed to the Field of War, as most of the Regiments were required to
do, in the late great Civil War; it is not to be wondered at that disasters occurred upon the field,
and great loss of life resulted in the Hospitals of the Camps.
539. It will be well to state here the main points to be regarded
in the organizing of a Regiment, as was required finally after much experience, by the War
Department, during the Rebellion. Governors of States adopted their own systems of recruiting and
appointing, but before a Regiment was considered in the Service, it was first inspected
and mustered by a duly authorized officer, generally of the Regular Service, whose duty it was to
see that the Regiment conformed to the Law in its organization, and that it was properly supplied
with the necessary equipments, and that it was neither over-supplied, nor deficient in its
allowances. The pay and emoluments of officers and men commenced generally from the date of muster-in.
Provision, however, was made for the expenses incurred in recruiting the men out of the
funds appropriated for that particular purpose.
540. It was found that in many cases the officers who possessed
the means and influence to raise men under the Volunteer System were unfit to command them in the
field, and it required some service and experience before they were displaced, and the right
men were found in the right place. The popularity and amiability that could induce the men to
Volunteer, could exist without the necessary qualifications for an officer.
541. The appointment and promotion of the Regimental Officers
rested with the Governors, and much delay, and often confusion, resulted in the filling of
vacancies, until the system of Mustering Officers was in complete working order, and even then
the regulations required such conditions that officers were often performing the duty of an
increased grade, long before they had an opportunity to muster-in, and receive the pay of the new
grade.
542. The Governors of the different States each adopted their own
method for raising troops, and organizing Regiments, and it would be difficult to ascertain
which should be regarded as the best, as the course pursued in one section would not do in
an-other, and the plan adopted at the beginning of the war, when patriotism was not checked by sad
experience, would not work towards the close, when townships taxed themselves voluntarily
beyond all precedent to buy substitutes, to avoid a draft.
543. As all great wars in this country must depend upon the will
of the people, none can take place that the people will not be willing to enlist in, and
therefore the plan of raising troops by voluntary enlistment will be the basis upon which our future
armies will be organized; it proved eminently successful in the past, and will therefore be resorted
to until it fails in the future.
544. The Colonel of the Regiment is appointed by the Governor,
and the other officers should, at least, believe that their appointments have originated with the
Colonel, and that their future success and promotion depend upon his good-will; this is absolutely
necessary in volunteer organizations for temporary service, as in the late Rebellion, to
secure their hearty cooperation. The Colonel then, as the Superintendent of the Recruiting Service
for his Regiment, gives his orders as to the stations to be taken, respectively, by the
officers for recruiting purposes.
545. A circular should be carefully prepared, containing complete
instructions for the guidance of the officers, giving sufficient details to enable the officers
fully to comprehend their duties, for it is in the first formation that the greatest care is necessary
in order to get started right. (Part. 479.) Much depends upon the completeness of the instructions, for
little progress can be made where the first steps taken are not correct.
546. The officers are distributed about in localities where
recruits may be expected, and are directed in their duties from the Headquarters of the Regiment, by the
Colonel, through the Adjutant of the Regiment. The Headquarters should be favorably
located for supplying the troops, and for transportation and communication.
547. Those companies where the men and officers came from the
same district, were found to be much less efficient than where the officers were strangers to the
men. The men are apt to presume on officers who were friends and neighbors in civil life,
and this evil existed in the most aggravated form where the men elected their own officers.
548. As soon as a company had recruited the number of men
contemplated by law, it was ordered to the rendezvous, and the course of instruction began in daily
routine and Tactics. It added much more to the efficiency of a Regiment, where recruits were
sent in detachments, and organized into companies, without reference to locality, or who
recruited them; as soon as a sufficient number of men were assembled at the Rendezvous to form
a company, the senior Captain, and senior First and Second Lieutenants, were assigned
to it, and the nucleus was formed for the Regiment. The next company was formed in the same
way, and this was found to be the best way to build up the Regiment.
549. Full details should be contained in the circular of
instructions to the Recruiting Officers, as to the subsistence and quartering of the men, and the time and
means of transportation of the recruits to the depot. Clothing should be supplied to the recruits as soon
as possible, as the uniform assists greatly in controlling and disciplining the men. The mode
of procuring the clothing, and from what source, and in what quantity it should be drawn and
issued, should be fully explained, and the more inexperienced the officers are in military matters,
the more detailed should be the instructions.
550. ROUTINE—Having
taken all necessary measures to procure the men, and to provide for them, until they reach the depot or rendezvous where the Regiment
is to be organized, the next thing is to establish the routine or order in which the camp
duties are to be performed. No camp can be well governed without system, and no Regiment can be
properly instructed without established hours for the different exercises.
551. A Regimental Order should be published, setting forth the
hours for the various Roll-Calls, and when the Drills are to take place, and in an entirely new
Regiment it will be necessary to explain the mode of doing, and the object of the various duties
required. An explanation under this head of the various duties is given, in paragraph
423.
552. The enforcement of these duties is the task of the Commander
He must see that his orders are rigidly obeyed and executed. He uses his Field Officers as
his inspecting officers, and requires them to attend at the various hours of duty to see that
his orders are obeyed. It may not be necessary to require all his Field Officers at the same time,
but he should assure himself that everything is properly done, and to this end he should use them
all, if necessary.
553. The Officer of the
Day, and the Officer
of the Guard, are two of the
most important aids in enforcing the routine of Camp duties. He should hold them rigidly
to the performance of their respective duties. It is through them mainly that order is preserved, and
punctuality observed in the hours of duty.
554. Modifications are necessary in the routine of duties
depending upon the location of the Regiment, the season of the year, and the condition of the same,
whether it has been long in service, whether it requires improvement, whether it is in Camp
or Garrison, or on Campaign. System must be preserved at all these times. The rule is, to
adhere to the condition and routine of a Camp of Instruction, as near as possible, and according to the
necessities of the Regiment.
555. INSTRUCTION.—The
manner in which instruction in Tactics is imparted to the troops, is
through the theoretical instruction of the officers, and
practical exercises by the enlisted men. Schools are established, thus: The Non-Commissioned Officers of
each Company form a School, and recite to the Officers of the Company under the direction of
the Captain of the Company; their instructions should extend through the "School of the
Soldier," and "School of the Company." The Commissioned Officers of the Companies are
united into one or more Schools, under the Field Officers, and their recitations should cover the
entire range of Tactics.
556. The practical exercises are carried out, thus; the men of
each company are divided into
squads of three or more
men each, and exercised in the "School of the Soldier,"
under a Non-Commissioned Officer, and these exercises are superintended by the
Commissioned Officers of each Company, respectively. These exercises are continued daily,
until the men are sufficiently instructed to be united into platoons, when they are drilled by
the Commissioned Officers, until the men and officers are perfect in the School of the Company.
The Companies are then united and exercised in the "School of the Battalion," by the
Colonel and Field Officers of the Regiment.
557. The schools should progress with the exercises, and keep
about one lesson in advance, in order that the lesson as soon as understood in theory, may be
impressed on the mind by practice. Weekly reports should be made of all the recitations in the
various schools, in the form given for record of examinations, page 153. These reports will serve to
show that the schools are in operation, and what progress they are making, and also the relative merits
in the same school of the members composing it.
558. In nearly all climates there is a season when the exercises
are, for a portion of the year, suspended. When the season returns for the resumption of the exercises, they
should begin with the fundamental exercises, viz., the "School of the
Soldier," and proceed progressively through the whole subject, according to the character and composition of the
command.
559. When recruits are received, they are drilled more frequently
than the old soldiers in the "School of the Soldier," until they are sufficiently
proficient to be admitted to the exercises of the company, after which no distinction is made between them and
old soldiers, so far as relates to exercises.
560. Target practice is an exercise that has never been properly
enforced in our service, and yet if men do not know how to fire accurately, and have no confidence
in their weapons, all other qualifications of the soldier are virtually of no avail in the
hour of battle. This exercise, like the other, should combine theory with practice, the men should be
taught the principles involved in firing, and required to apply them in practice.
561. Other schools and gymnasium exercises are found of service
to the soldier, in European armies, particularly during such seasons of the year when
out-door exercises are, for the time, necessarily suspended. Soldiers are necessarily precluded from
promotion, unless they can read and write, and every man is valuable to the service in proportion
to his intelligence.
562. DISCIPLINE.—The
preservation of order, the prevention of all kinds of offenses, and
the faithful performance of every kind of duty, without delay or
interruption, is what is meant by discipline. It is maintained more by attention to
all
the duties of the Regimental
Commander, than by attention to any one particular duty, and consists not
alone in requiring every one to do his particular part, but also in doing his own towards his
command.
563. There are certain general principles that should be observed
in the requirements of duty that tend greatly to the preservation of discipline. The commanders of
companies, guards, and detachments, should be held responsible for the proper deportment and
attention to duty of their respective commands, and the Commander of the Regiment should never attempt
to make corrections or changes, except through the proper subordinate. Each
subordinate should have complete and exclusive control of his own command, and any orders or
instructions to it should be issued to the commander, and none other.
564. When an officer is relieved from the responsibility of any
duty by the interference of any one in authority, all interest is lost in the matter, he becomes
indifferent, and if he does not positively neglect it, he does no more than he is obliged to do.
This principle is universal, every one to be efficient in his position must feel a certain amount of
self-importance in it.
565. The duty is immensely simplified by requiring the officers
to do their duty; if successful in that, it follows as a matter of course, that the men do theirs.
It is much easier to direct a few officers of the Regiment, than to direct all the officers and men
individually; if the Captains can be made to do their duty, their companies will be efficient, and
consequently the Regiment.
566. The certainty of reward for meritorious conduct, and the
equal certainty of punishment for dereliction of duty, are pre-eminent in the preservation of
discipline. There should, therefore, be certain inducements in the way of promotion, furloughs, relief
from arduous duties, preference for special or desirable duty, medals, badges, etc., etc., to
encourage those who are faithful, anddo their duty well.
567. For the insubordinate and vicious there should always be a
Court-Martial impending, and a punishment commensurate with the offense. There should be no
delay or shrinking, the first and highest offender should be always selected for an example. The
discomfiture of a leader in such a case is the intimidation of all his followers.
568. But all rewards and punishments must be administered
"without partiality, favor, or affection," with a just appreciation of the merits of all, and the strictest
regard for justice; there must be no "friends to reward, or enemies to punish," in the
government of a Regiment, and above all, there must be no feeling manifested, except such as it may be
desirable to excite in the minds and hearts of the officers and men; for the feelings which are
exhibited by the Commander excite corresponding feelings in the command.
569. APPOINTMENT AND
REDUCTION OF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.—
The Regulations have provided how Non-Commissioned Officers are
appointed and reduced. (Par. 410, 411. Reg. 73 and 79.) All Non-Commissioned Officers
are appointed by the Colonel or Commanding Officer; but those of the companies are appointed
upon the recommendation of the Company Commanders. The Non-Commissioned Staff of the
Regiment are entirely selected by the Colonel. Captains have the exclusive right to select their
First or Orderly Sergeant, from the Sergeants. (Reg. 80.)
570. There are but two ways of reducing Non- Commissioned
Officers: first, by order of the Regimental Commander, on the application of the Company
Commander; second, by sentence of a Court-Martial; any other means is irregular and contrary to
Regulations. (Reg. 79.) If the Captain and Colonel do not unite on the subject of the reduction
of a Non-Commissioned Officer, the only course left is to prefer charges and have him
tried by a Court-Martial. An officer of superior grade has no right to order the reduction of
a Non-Commissioned Officer, but he may prefer charges, like any other officer, and bring him to
trial.
571. The Colonel or Commanding Officer of the Regiment issues a
Warrant to each Non-Commissioned Officer, signed by himself and countersigned by the Adjutant of
the Regiment, corresponding to a Commission for a Commissioned Officer The
blanks for the Warrants are furnished by the Adjutant-General’s Department. (Reg. 80.) A
Regimental order is always made to announce the appointment of a Non-Commissioned Officer, in
which the grade and data of its commencement should be distinctly stated, and the Warrant should
be made out to correspond to it. The issuing of Warrants should not be neglected, for the
Non-Commissioned Officers place great value on them.
572. Much of the discipline of a Regiment depends upon the care
in the selection of the Sergeants and Corporals, and the distinction that is made in
these appointments. If they are well selected, properly sustained and directed, the Regiment will be
well governed, for they will furnish the material aid to govern the men.
573. As a rule, the Company Commanders being most interested, and
having greater opportunities to judge of the merits of the candidates, the
Colonel will have little else to do than to confirm the recommendations of the Company Commanders, for the
appointments. He should not oppose the wishes of the Captain, except for manifest
reasons. The appointing power is given to the Colonel as a check, and the fact that he possesses it is
sufficient to control the recommendations for the appointments in favor of the best
interests of the service.
574. Company and Post Commanders may make temporary appointments,
subject to the approval of the Colonel. (Reg. 74.) When a Non-Commissioned
Officer is reduced by sentence of a Court-Martial, at a Post not the Regimental Headquarters,
the Company Commander will forward a copy of the order to the Commander of the Regiment.
(Reg. 79.)
575. If in addition to the care in selecting Non-Commissioned
Officers, there is also the hope held out that where a Non-Commissioned Officer is recommended by
his Company Commander as a worthy candidate for a Commission, under the provisions of
the Act, August 4,1854, he will certainly receive an examination, and if found competent, be
recommended for promotion, the rank and file will feel that the gate of preferment is open to
them, and thus the greatest stimulus be given to meritorious conduct and ambition. There can be no
progress in human nature, in the ranks or out of it, unless there is a hope that time and
successful labor will bring its rewards.
576. PARADES, REVIEWS,
INSPECTIONS, AND MUSTERS.—These
are ceremonies instituted by Regulations for various purposes so closely related
and intermingled, yet all with different objects, that, although under one heading they require
to be treated of separately
577. A Parade is
a ceremony that in our service takes place daily when the weather
permits, at sundown; it may be required at other hours, but this is not
usual. (Reg. 337.) It consists of a display of the command in a manner established by Art. XXXII of
the Regulations; it is the occasion on which orders are published, and such other
information as may be necessary to communicate to the command collectively.
578. The form given is for the Infantry arm, there is no form
given in Regulations for Artillery or Cavalry. A form is generally provided in the Tactics for those
arms. In practice throughout the service, these different ceremonies in the Artillery and Cavalry
assimilate themselves as near as possible to the forms given for Infantry in the Regulations.
579. The form for Review is also found in Art. XXXII. This is a
ceremony of compliment to some superior officer, and usually precedes the prescribed
Inspections and Musters as an exercise. The form given is for a single Battalion or Regiment of
Infantry; Artillery and Cavalry are required to conduct their reviews on ‘similar principles,
and according to the systems of instruction for those arms of service." (Reg. 374.) For
larger commands the necessary modifications are suggested in the Regulations. (Reg. 371.)
580. An Inspection is a ceremony instituted to show the condition
of the command with regard to numbers, equipment, and general fitness for service. Art. XXX
of the Regulations relates to inspections. It prescribes the form of the ceremony, and requires
that stated Inspections should be made by Captains every Sunday, by the Colonel every month, and at
every muster for payment. (Reg. 304.) Inspection is usually preceded by Review. (Reg. 303.)
The Commanding Officer is also required to visit the Quarters, Hospitals, Guard House, and
other departments of his command. (Reg. 305.).
581. The form prescribed is for Infantry, which is totally
inapplicable to Artillery or Cavalry in the details. The form may be adhered to in the main, when
mounted; but for a minute inspection of individuals, they must be dismounted, and it is therefore
attended with much more inconvenience and difficulty. An established form is greatly
needed. It is the custom to make a cursory inspection, as near the form prescribed for Infantry, as
the dissimilarity of arms will admit, and then dismount the men to inspect in detail.
582. Muster is a ceremony required to be performed on the last
day of February, April, June, August, October, and December, for the purpose of ascertaining
the presence of the men and officers borne on the rolls, and to prepare the rolls for the
payment of the troops for the two preceding months. (Art. XXXI.) This ceremony cannot be dispensed
with; it is usually preceded by a Review and an Inspection. The muster is required to be
performed by an Inspector-General, or a Special Inspector, designated by the Corps, Division, or
Department Commander, but generally neither are present, in which case it is the duty of
the Commanding Officer of the Post. (Reg. 327.)
583. Military ceremonies are very important in the government of
troops, they serve to keep up an interest, to excite a military spirit and fondness for the
service, partly on account of the beauty and attractiveness of the displays themselves, but principally on
account of the attention they attract generally. They are often thrilling in their nature,
recalling brilliant and heroic deeds, stimulated by stirring music, and the reports of arms, the
presence of exciting crowds and public enthusiasm, making such a halo of military glory around the
soldier’s life as to enchant him with the profession in spite of the dangers and inconveniences that
every one is aware, attend it.
584. Inspections extending throughout all the matters pertaining
to a Regiment are the surest means of keeping every part in order. They require, however, a
thorough knowledge on the part of the Inspector of all the details, and much patience and
industry in making the inspections thorough. Where officers and men feel that their carelessness and
neglect will be observed and reproved, and their correctness and completeness commended and
approved, they will exert themselves to avoid the former, and attain the latter.
585. The Regiment should not be visited solely at stated
intervals, and upon due notice, but the inspector must avail himself of all times and all hours to visit
it, to know and fully understand the workings of a Regiment, and be able to state what its real merits
are. To see a Regiment on review will enable an inspector to judge its capacity for a
review, but does not furnish the least clue as to how it will behave on picket duty, or on the field of
battle.
586. Hence the Colonel should visit the company quarters,
kitchens, stables, etc.; he should examine carefully the company records and books, direct what he
finds to be wrong to be corrected, and also to see that the correction is made. He should
visit the grand guard, and observe the men and officers on picket duty, and how they conduct
themselves during an alarm. He should, himself receive the reports of the Company Commanders,
at the principal roll-calls, particularly at Reveille. If he requires the Company Commanders
to be present at Reveille, they will require the First Sergeants, and they will require the men,
and so the presence of the Colonel insures the presence of every other member of the
Regiment.
587.
The Quartermaster’s and Commissary Departments, and the Hospital,
should all be subject to his general supervision, and receive frequent visits from him.
These visits, however, must be made in an official way, not with a detective spirit, but in an
open way, requiring the responsible person to attend and explain the operations of his department;
otherwise the officer responsible might feel that he was not treated with sufficient respect in his
own department.
588. In these inspections there is nothing so essential to the
good feeling of the command, as for the individuals to be treated with full consideration in their
respective departments, by their commanders. To get the full amount of labor that a man is capable
of he must be allowed full confidence in his particular branch, the moment he is neglected
and ignored in his own department he becomes disgusted and discouraged, and in time
becomes neglectful and indifferent to his duty.
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