|
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.
163.
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 lock 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.
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 himself 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 of the colour-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 prescribed, 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 the 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, t 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.
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 markers.
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 far 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 head of
the column shall be near him, and so on in continuation. These
officers, without 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 marches 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 the 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.
|
|
