176. The company being at a halt, in line of battle, the instructor, wishing to break it into column, by platoon to the right, will command:
1. By platoon, right wheel. 2. MARCH.
177. At the first command, the chiefs of platoon will rapidly place themselves two paces before the centres of their respective platoons, the lieutenant passing around the left of the company. They need not occupy themselves with dressing one upon the other. The covering sergeant will replace the captain in the front-rank.
178. At the command march, the right front-rank man of each platoon will face to the right, the covering sergeant standing fast; the chief of each platoon will move quickly by the shortest line, a little beyond the point at which the marching flank will rest when the wheel shall be completed, face to the late rear, and place himself so that the line which he forms with the man on the right (who had faced), shall be perpendicular to that occupied by the company in line of battle; each platoon will wheel according to the principles prescribed for the wheel on a fixed pivot, and when the man who conducts the marching flank shall approach near to the perpendicular, its chief will command:
1. Platoon. 2. HALT.
179. At the command halt, which will be given at the instant the man who conducts the marching flank shall have arrived at three paces from the perpendicular, the platoon will halt; the covering sergeant will move to the point where the left of the first platoon is to rest, passing by the front-rank; the second sergeant will place himself, in like manner, in respect to the second platoon. Each will take care to leave between himself and the man on the right of his platoon a space equal to its front; the captain and first lieutenant will look to this, and each take care to align the sergeant between himself and the man of the platoon who had faced to the right.
180. The guide of each platoon, being thus established on the perpendicular, each chief will place himself two paces outside of his guide, and, facing toward him, will command:
3. Left—DRESS.
181. The alignment being ended, each chief of platoon will command, FRONT, and place himself two paces before its centre.
182. The file closers will conform themselves to the movement of their respective, platoons, preserving always the distance of two paces from the rear-rank.
183. The company will break by platoon to the left, according to the same principles. The instructor will command:
1. By platoon, left wheel. 2. MARCH.
184. The first command will be executed in the same manner as if breaking by platoon right.
185. At the command march, the left front-rank man of each platoon will face to the left, and the platoons will wheel to the left, according to the principles prescribed for the wheel on a fixed pivot; the chiefs of platoon will conform to the principles indicated Nos. 178 and 179.
186. At the command halt, given by the chief of each platoon, the covering sergeant on the right of the front-rank of the first platoon, and the second sergeant near the left of the second platoon, will each move to the points where the right of his platoon is to rest. The chief of each platoon should be careful to align the sergeant between himself and the man of the platoon who had faced to the left, and will then command:
Right—DRESS.
187. The platoons being aligned, each chief of platoon will command, FRONT, and place himself opposite its centre.
188. The instructor wishing to break the company by platoon to the right, and to move the column forward after the wheel is completed, will caution the company to that effect, and command:
1. By platoon, right wheel. 2. MARCH.
189. At the first command, the chiefs of platoon will move rapidly in front of their respective platoons, conforming to what has been prescribed No. 177, and will remain in this position during the continuance of the wheel. The covering sergeant will replace the chief of the first platoon in the front-rank.
190. At the command march the platoons will wheel to the right, conforming to the principle herein prescribed; the man on the pivot will not face to the right, but will mark time, conforming himself to the movement of the marching flank; and when the man who is on the left of this flank shall arrive near the perpendicular, the instructor will command:
3. Forward. 4. MARCH. 5. Guide left.
191. At the fourth command which will be given at the instant the wheel is completed, the platoons will move straight to the front, all the men taking the step of twenty-eight inches. The covering sergeant and the second sergeant will move rapidly to the left of their respective platoons, the former passing before the front-rank. The leading guide will immediately take points on the ground in the direction which may be indicated to him by the instructor.
192. At the fifth command, the men will take the touch of elbows lightly to the left.
193. If the guide of the second platoon should lose his distance, or the line of direction, he will conform to the principles hereinafter prescribed, Nos. 207 and 208.
194. If the company be marching in line to the front, the instructor will cause it to break by platoon to the right by the same commands. At the command march, the platoons will wheel in the manner already explained; the man on the pivot will take care, to mark time in his place, without advancing or receding; the instructor, the chiefs of platoon, and the guides, will conform to what has been prescribed Nos. 189, and following.
195. The company may be broken by platoons to his left, according to the same principles, and by inverse means, the instructor giving the command prescribed Nos. 188 and 190, substituting left, for right, and reciprocally.
196. The movements explained in Nos. 188 and 194 will only be executed after the company has become well established in the principles of the march in column, Articles Second and Third.
REMARKS.
197. The instructor, placed in front of the company, will observe whether the movement be executed according to the principles prescribed above; whether the platoons, after breaking into column, are perpendicular to the line of battle justoccupied; and whether the guide, who placed himself where the marching flank of his platoon had to rest, has left, between himself and his front-rank man on the right (or left), the space necessary to contain the front of the platoon.
198. After the platoons have broken, if the rearmost guide should not accurately cover the leading one, he will not seek to correct his position, till the column be put in march, unless the instructor, wishing to wheel immediately into line, should think it necessary to rectify the direction of the guides, which would be executed as will be hereinafter explained in Article V. of this Lesson.
199. The instructor will observe, that the man on the right (or left) of each platoon, who, at the command march, faces to the right (or left) being the true pivot of the wheel, the front-rank man next to him ought to gain a little ground to the front in wheeling, so as to clear the pivot-man.