School of The Company
When the recruits are well established in the principles and mechanism of the step, the position of the body, the manual of arms and the firings, the Instructor will unite eight men, at least, and twelve men, at most, in order to teach them the principles of alignment, the principles of the touch of elbows in marching to the front, the principles of the march by the flank, wheeling from a halt, wheeling in marching, and the change of direction to the side of the guide. He will place the squad in one rank elbow to elbow, and number the men from right to left.
Lesson I The alignments
The Instructor will at first teach the recruits to align themselves man by mail, in order the better to make them comprehend the principles of alignment; to this end, he will command the two men on the right fink to march two paces to the front, and having aligned them, he will caution the remainder of the squad to move up, as they may be successively called, each by his number, and align themselves successively on the line of the first two men.
Repeat this exercise until the men have a firm understanding of the alignment.
The instructor seeing the rank well aligned, will command:
FRONT
At this, the recruits will turn eyes to the front, and remain firm.
Alignments to the left will be executed on the same principles.
When the recruit,; shall have thus learned to align themselves man by man, correctly, and without groping or jostling, the instructor will cause the entire rank to align itself at once by the command:
Right (or left)- DRESS
At this, the rank, except the two men placed in advance as, a basis of alignment, will move up, and place themselves on the new line, according to the principles prescribed above.
The Instructor, placed five or six paces in front, and facing the rank, will carefully observe that the principles are followed, and then pass to the flank that has served as the basis, to verify the, alignment.
The Instructor seeing the greater number of the rank aligned, will command:
FRONT.
The Instructor may afterwards order this or that file forward or back, designating each by its number. The file or files designated, only, will slightly turn the head towards the basis, to judge how much they ought to move up or back, steadily place themselves on the line, and then turn eyes to the front, without a particular command to that effect.
After each alignment, the Instructor will examine the position of the men, and cause the rank to come to order arms, to prevent too much fatigue, and also the danger of negligence at shouldered arms.
Lesson II Marching
The men having learned, in the first and second parts, to march with steadiness in common time, and to take Steps equal in length and swiftness, will be exercised in the third part only in quick time, double quick time, and the run; the instructor will cause them to execute Successively, at these different gaits, the march to the front, the facing about in marching, the march by the flank, the wheels at a halt and in marching, and the changes of direction to the side of the guides.
The Instructor will inform the recruits that at the command march, they will always move off in common time, unless this command should be preceded by that of another time.
To march to the front
The rank being correctly aligned, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to march by the front, he will place a well instructed man on the right or the left, according to the side on which he may wish the guide to be, and command:
1. Squad, forward. 2.Guide right (or left.) 3. MARCH.
At the command march, the rank will step off smartly with the left foot; the guide will take care to march straight to the front, keeping the shoulders always in a square with that line.
The Instructor will observe, in marching to the front, that the men touch lightly the elbow towards the side of the guide; that they do not open out the left elbow, nor the right arm. That they yield to pressure coming from the side of the guide, and resist that coming from the opposite side. That they recover by in sensible degrees the slight touch of the elbow. If lost; that they maintain the head direct to the front, no matter on which side the guide may be; and if found before or behind the alignment, that the man in fault corrects himself by shortening or lengthening the step, by degrees, almost insensible.
The Instructor will labor to cause recruits to comprehend that the alignment can only be preserved, in marching, by the regularity of the step, the touch of the elbow, and the maintenance of the shoulders in a square with the line-of-direction. That if, for example, the step of some be longer than that of others, or if some march faster than others, a separation of elbows, and a loss of the alignment, would be inevitable. That if (it being required that the head should be direct to the front) they do not strictly observe the touch of elbows, it would be impossible for an individual to judge whether he marches abreast with his neighbor, or not, and whether there be not an interval between them.
The impulsion of the common step having a tendency to make men too easy and free in their movements, the instructor will be careful to regulate the cadence of this step, and to habituate them to preserve always the erectness of the body, and the due length of the pace.
The men being well established in the principles of the common time march, the instructor will exercise them in marching obliquely. The rank being in march, the instructor will command:
1. Right (or left) oblique. 2. MARCH.
At the second command, each man will make a half face to the right (or left), and will then march straight forward in the new direction. As the men no longer touch elbows, they will glance along the shoulders of the nearest files. towards the side to which they are obliquing, and will regulate their steps so that the shoulders shall always be behind that of their next neighbor on that side, and that his head shall conceal the heads of the other men in the rank. Besides this, the men should preserve the same length of pace, and the same degree of obliquity.
The Instructor, wishing to resume the primitive direction, will command:
1. Forward. 2.MARCH.
At the second command, each man will make a half face to the left (or right), and all will then march straight to the front, conforming to the principles of the direct march.
To march to the front in quick time
When the several principles, heretofore explained, have become familiar to the recruits, and they shall be well established in the position of the body, the bearing of arms, and the mechanism, length, and swiftness of the step, the Instructor will pass them from common to quick time, and the reverse, observing not to make them march obliquely in quick time, till they are well established in the cadence of this step.
The squad being at a march in quick time, the, instructor will command:
1. At the Double Quick. 2.MARCH.
At the command march, which will be given when either foot is coming to the ground, the squad will step off in quick time. The men will endeavor to follow the principles laid down in the first part of this book, and to preserve the alignment.
When the instructor wishes the squad to resume the step in quick time, he will command!
1. Quick time. 2.MARCH.
At the command march, which will be given when either foot is coming to the ground, the squad will retake the step in quick time.
The squad being in march, the instructor will halt it by the commands and means previously prescribed. The command halt, will be given an instant before the foot is ready to be placed on the ground.
The squad being in march in direct time, the instructor will occasionally cause it to mark time by the commands previously prescribed. The men will then mark quick time, without altering the cadence of the step. He will also cause them to pass from the direct to the oblique step, and reciprocally, conforming to what has been prescribed, and following.
The squad being at a halt, the instructor will cause it to march in quick time, by preceding the command march, by the quick.
The Instructor will endeavor to regulate well the cadence of this step.
To face about in marching.
If the squad be marching and the instructor should wish to march it in retreat, he will command:
1. Squad right (or left) about. 2.MARCH.
At the command march, which will be given at the instant the left foot is coming to the ground, the recruit will bring this foot to the ground, and turning on it, will face to the rear; he will then place the right foot in the new direction, and step off with the left foot.
When marching, the men will always carry their pieces on the right shoulder, unless ordered to change positions. In every case, at the command halt, the men will bring their pieces to the position of shoulder arms.