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LESSON
FIRST.
ARTICLE
I.
To open Ranks.
8. The
company being at ordered arms, the ranks and file closers well
aligned, when the instructor shall wish to cause the ranks to be
opened, he will direct the left guide to place himself on the left
of the front rank, which being executed, he will command:
1.
Attention. 2. Company. 3. Shoulder-ARMS.
4. To the rear open order.
9. At the
fourth command, the covering sergeant and the left guide will step
off smartly to the rear, four paces from the front rank, in order to
mark the alignment of the rear rank. They will judge this distance
by the eye, without counting the steps.
10. The instructor will place himself at the same, time on the right
flank, in order to observe if these two non-commissioned officers
are on a line parallel to the front rank, and, if necessary, to
correct their positions, which being executed, he will command:
5.
MARCH.
11. At this
command, the front rank will stand fast.
12. The rear rank will step to the rear, wit], out counting the
steps, and will place themselves on the alignment marked for this
rank, conforming to what is prescribed in the S. S., No. 330.
13. The covering sergeant will align the rear rank on the left guide
placed to mark the left of this rank.
14. The file closers will march to the rear at the same time with
the rear rank, and will place themselves two paces from this rank
when it is aligned.
15. The instructor seeing the rear rank aligned, will command:
6.
FRONT.
16. At this
command, the sergeant on the left of the rear rank will return to
his place as a file closer.
17. The rear rank being aligned, the instructor will direct the
captain and the covering sergeant to observe the men in their
respective ranks, and to correct, if necessary, the positions of
persons and pieces.
ARTICLE
II.
Alignments
in Open Ranks.
18. The ranks being open, the instructor will,
in the first exercises,
align the ranks, man by man, the better to inculcate the principles.
19. To effect this, he will cause two or four men on the right or
left of each rank to march two or three paces forward, and, after
having aligned them, command:
By
file, right (or left)-DRESS.
20.
At this, the men of each rank will move up successively on the
alignment, each man being preceded by his neighbor in the same rank,
toward the basis, by two paces, and, having correctly aligned
himself, will cast his eyes to the front.
21. Successive alignments having habituated the soldiers to dress
correctly, the instructor will cause the ranks to align themselves
at once, forward and backward, sometimes in a direction parallel,
and sometimes in one oblique, to the original direction, giving, in
each case, two or four men to serve as a basis of alignment to each
rank. To effect which, he will command:
1.
Right (or
left)-DRESS. 2. FRONT.
OR
1. Right (or left) backward--DRESS. 2.
FRONT.
22. In
oblique alignments, in opened
ranks, the men of
the rear rank will not seek to cover their file leaders, as the sole
object of the exercise is to teach them to align themselves
correctly in their respective ranks, in the different directions.
23. In the several alignments, the captain will superintend the
front rank, and the covering sergeant the rear rank. For this
purpose, they will place themselves on the side by which the ranks
are dressed.
24. In oblique alignments, the men will conform the line of their
shoulders to the new direction of their rank, and will place
themselves on the alignment as has been prescribed in the S. S., No.
326 or No. 330, according as the new direction shall be in front or
rear of the original one.
25. At the end of each alignment, the captain and the covering
sergeant will pass along the front of the ranks to correct the
positions of persons and arms.
ARTICLE
III.
Manual
of Arms.
26. The
ranks being open, the instructor will place himself in a position to
see the ranks, and will command the manual of arms in the following
order:
Present
arms. Shoulder arms.
Order arms. Shoulder arms.
Ground arms. Shoulder arms.
Raise arms. Shoulder arms.
Support arms. Shoulder arms.
Fix bayonet. Shoulder arms.
Charge bayonet. Shoulder arms.
Trail arms. Shoulder arms.
Unfix bayonet. Shoulder arms.
Secure arms. Shoulder arms.
Load in nine times.
27.
The instructor will take care that the position of the body, of the
feet, and of the piece, be always exact, and that the times be
briskly executed and close to the person.
ARTICLE
IV.
To
Close Ranks.
28. The
manual of arms being ended, the instructor will command:
1.
Close order. 2. MARCH.
29. At the
command march, the
rear rank will close up in quick time, each man directing himself on
his file leader.
ARTICLE
V.
Alignments,
and Manual of Arms in Closed Ranks.
30. The
ranks being closed, the instructor will cause to be executed
parallel and oblique alignments by the right and left, forward and
backward, observing to place always two or four files to serve as a
basis of alignment. He will give the commands prescribed, No. 21.
31. In alignments
in closed ranks, the captain will superintend the front rank, and
the covering sergeant the rear rank. They will habituate themselves
to judge the alignment by the lines of the eyes and shoulders, in
casting a glance of the eye along the front and rear of the ranks.
32. The moment the captain perceives the greater number of the front
rank aligned, be will command FRONT,
and rectify afterward,
if necessary, the alignment of the other men by the means prescribed
in the S. S., No. 329.
The. rear rank will
conform to the alignment of the front rank, superintended by the
covering sergeant.
33. The ranks being steady, the instructor will place himself on the
flank to verify their alignment. He will also see that each
rear-rank man covers accurately his file leader.
34. In oblique alignments, the instructor will observe what is
prescribed No. 24.
35. In all alignments, the file closers will preserve the distance
of two paces from the rear rank.
36. The alignments being ended, the instructor will cause to be
executed the manual of arms.
37. The instructor, wishing to rest the men, without deranging the
alignment, will first cause arms to be supported, or ordered, and
then command:
In
place-- REST.
38. At this
command, the men will no longer be constrained to preserve silence
or steadiness of position; but they will always keep one or other
heel on the alignment.
39. If, on the contrary, the instructor should wish to rest the men
without constraining them to preserve the alignment, he will
command:
REST.
40. At
which command, the men will not be required to preserve immobility,
or to remain in their places.
41. The instructor may, also, when he shall judge proper, cause arms
to be stacked, which will be executed as prescribed in the S. S.
LESSON SECOND.
42. The instructor wishing to pass the second
lesson will cause the company to take arms, if stacks have been
formed, and command:
1.
Attention. 2. Company. 3. Shoulder-ARMS.
43. The
instructor will then cause loadings and firings, to be executed in
the following order:
ARTICLE
I.
To
Load in Four Times and at Will.
44. Loading
in four times will be commanded and executed as prescribed in the
S.S., No. 260, and following. The instructor will cause this
exercise to be often repeated, in succession, before passing to
loading at will.
45. Loading at will will be commanded and executed as prescribed in
the S. S., No. 265. In priming when loading in four times,
and also, at will,
the captain and covering sergeant will half face to the right with
the men, and face to the front when the man next to them,
respectively, brings his piece to the shoulder.
46. The instructor will labor to the utmost to cause the men, in the
different loadings, to execute what has been prescribed in the S.
S., Nos. 266 and 267.
47. Loading at will, being that of battle, and consequently the one
with which it is most important to render the men familiar, it will
claim preference in the exercises the moment the men are well
established in the principles. To these they will be brought by
degrees, so that every man may be able to load with cartridges, and
to fire at least three rounds in a minute with ease and regularity.
ARTICLE
II.
To
Fire by Company.
48. The
instructor, wishing to cause the fire by company to be executed,
will command:
1.
Fire by company. 2. Commence firing.
49. At the first command, the captain will
promptly place himself opposite the centre of his company, and four
paces in rear of the line of file closers: the covering sergeant
will retire to that line, and place himself opposite to his
interval. This rule
is general, for both the captain and covering sergeant, in all the
different firings.
50. At the second
command, the captain will add.. 1. Company;
2. READY; 3. AIM;
4. FIRE; 5. LOAD.
51. At the command load,
the men will load
their pieces, and then take the position of ready,
as prescribed in
the School of the Soldier.
52. The captain will immediately recommence the firing, by the
commands:
1.
Company. 2. Aim. 3. FIRE. 4. LOAD.
53. The
firing will be thus continued until the signal to cease firing is
sounded.
54, The captain will sometimes cause aim to be taken to the right
and left, simply observing to pronounce right
(or left)
oblique, before the
command aim.
ARTICLE
III.
The
Fire by File.
55. The instructor wishing to cause the fire by
file to be executed, will command:
1.
Fire by file. 2. Company. 3. READY. 4. Com
mence firing.
56. The third and fourth commands will be
executed as prescribed in the S. S., No.
284 and following.
57. The fire will be commenced by the right file of the company; the
next file will take aim at the instant the first brings down pieces
to reload, and so on to the left; but this progression will only be
observed in the first discharge, after which each man will reload
and fire without regulating himself by others, conforming himself to
what is prescribed in the S. S., No. 289.
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