699. The battalion, marching in the line of battle, when the colonel shall wish to halt it, he will command:
1. Battalion. 2. HALT.
700. At the second command, the battalion will halt; the color-rank and the general guides will remain in front; but if the colonel should not wish immediately to resume the advance in line, nor to give a general alignment, he will command:
Color and general guides—POSTS.
701. At this command, the color-rank and general guides win retake their places in line of battle, the captains in the left wing will shift to the right of their companies.
702. If the colonel should then judge it necessary to rectify the alignment, he will command:
Captains, rectify the alignment.
703. The captains will immediately cast an eye toward the centre, align themselves accurately on the basis of the alignment, which the lieutenant-colonel will see well directed, and then promptly dress their respective companies. The lieutenant-colonel will admonish such captains as may not be accurately on the alignment, by the command: Captains of (such) company, or captains of (such) companies, move up or fall back.
704. But when the colonel shall wish to give the battalion a general alignment, either parallel or oblique, instead of rectifying it as above, he will move some paces outside of one of the general guides (the right will here be supposed) and caution the right general guide and the color-bearer to face him, and then establish them by signal of the sword, on the direction which he may wish to give to the battalion. As soon as they shall be correctly established, the left general guide will place himself on their direction, and be assured in his position by the senior major. The color-bearer will carry the color-lance perpendicularly between his eyes, and the two corporals of his rank will return to their places in the front rank the moment he shall face to the colonel.
705. This disposition being made, the colonel will command:
1. Guides—ON THE LINE.
706. At this command, the right guide of each company in the right wing, and the left guide of each company in the left, will each place himself on the direction of the color-bearer and the two general guides, face to the color-bearer, place himself in rear of the guide who is next before him at a distance equal to the front of his company, and align himself upon the color-bearer and the general guide beyond.
707. The captains in the right wing will shift to the left of their companies, except the captain of the color-company, who will remain on its right, but step into the rear rank; the captains in the left wing will shift to the right of their companies.
708. The lieutenant-colonel will promptly rectify, if necessary, the positions of the guides of the right wing, and the senior major those of the other; which being executed, the colonel will command:
2. On the centre—DRESS.
709. At this command, the companies will move up in quick time against the guides, where, having arrived, each captain will align his company according to prescribed principles, the lieutenant-colonel aligning the color-company.
710. If the alignment be oblique, the captains will take care to conform their companies to it in conducting them toward the line.
711. The battalion being aligned, the colonel will command:
3. Color and guides—POSTS.
712. At this command, the color-bearer, the general and company guides, and the captains in the right wing, will take their places in the line of battle, and the color-bearer will replace the heel of the color-lance against the right hip.
713. If the new direction of the line of battle be such that one or more companies find themselves in advance of that line, the colonel, before establishing the general guides on the line, will cause such companies to be moved to the rear, either by the back step, or by first facing about, according as there may be less or more ground to be repassed to bring the companies in rear of the new direction.
714. When the colonel shall wish to give a general alignment, and the color and general guides are not on the line, he will cause them to move out by the command:
1. Color and general guides—ON THE LINE.
715. At this command, the color-bearer and the general guides will place themselves on the line, conforming to what is prescribed No. 704.
0-716. In the alignments, the companies of skirmishers will conform to the movements of the first and last battalion companies respectively, and preserve their relative positions to them.