270. The company marching in the cadenced step, and supposed to make part of a column, right in front, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to break by platoon, he will give the order to the captain, who will command: 1. Break into platoons,and immediately place himself before the centre of the first platoon.
271. At the command break into platoons, the first lieutenant will pass quickly around the left to the centre of his platoon, and give the caution: Mark time.
272. The captain will then command: 2. March.
273. The first platoon will continue to march straight-forward; the covering sergeant will move rapidly to the left flank of this platoon (passing by the front-rank) as soon as the flank shall be disengaged.
274. At the command march, given by the captain, the second platoon will begin to mark time; its chief will immediately add: 1. Right oblique. 2. MARCH. The last command will be given so that this platoon may commence obliquing the instant the rear-rank of the first platoon shall have passed. The men will shorten the step in obliquing, so that when the command forward march is given, the platoon may have its exact distance.
275. The guide of the second platoon being near the direction of the guide of the first, the chief of the second will command Forward and add MARCH, the instant that the guide of his platoon shall cover the guide of the first.
276. In a column, left in front, the company will break into platoons by inverse means, applying to the first platoon all that has been prescribed for the second, and reciprocally.
277. In this case, the left guide of the company will shift to the right flank of the second platoon, and the covering sergeant will remain on the right of the first.
TO RE-FORM THE COMPANY.
278. The column, by platoon, being in march, right in front, when the instructor shall wish to cause it to form company, he will give the order to the captain, who will command:
Form company.
279. Having given this command, the captain will immediately add:
1. First platoon; 2. Right oblique.
280. The chief of the second platoon will caution it to continue to march straight-forward.
281. The captain will then command:
3. MARCH.
282. At this command, repeated by the chief of the second, the first platoon will oblique to the right, in order to unmask the second; the covering sergeant, on the left of the first platoon, will return to the right of the company, passing by the front-rank.
283. When the first platoon shallhave nearly unmasked the second, the captain will command: 1. Mark time, and at the instant the unmasking shall be complete, he will add: 2. MARCH. The first platoon will then cease to oblique, and mark time.
284. In the mean time the second platoon will have continued to march straight-forward, and when it shall be nearly up with the first, the captain will command Forward, and at the instant the two platoons shall unite, add MARCH; the first platoon will then cease to mark time.
285. In a column, left in front, the same movement will be executed by inverse means, the chief of the second platoon giving the command Forward, and the captain adding the command MARCH, when the platoons are united.
286. The guide of the second platoon, on its right, will pass to its left flank the moment the platoon begins to oblique; the guide of the first, on its right, remaining on that flank of the platoon.
287. The instructor will also sometimes cause the company to break and re-form, by platoon, by his own direct commands. In this case, he will give the general commands prescribed for the captain above: 1. Break into platoons; 2.MARCH; and 1. Form company; 2. MARCH.
288. If, in breaking the company into platoons, the subdivision that breaks off should mark time too long, it might, in a column of many subdivisions, arrest the in arch of the following one, which would cause a lengthening of the column, and a loss of distances.
289. In breaking into platoons, it is necessary that the platoons which oblique should not shorten the step too much, in order not to lose distance in column, and not to arrest the march of the following subdivision.
290. If a platoon obliques too far to a flank, it would be obliged to oblique again to the opposite flank, to regain the direction and by the double movement arrest, probably, the march of the following subdivision.
291. The chiefs of those platoons which oblique will face to their platoons, in order to enforce the observance of the foregoing principles.
292. When, in a column of several companies, they break in succession, it is of the greatest importance that each company should continue to march in the same step, without shortening or slackening, whilst that which precedes breaks, although the following company should close up on the preceding one. This attention is essential to guard against an elongation of the column.
293. Faults of but little moment, in a column of a few companies, would be serious inconveniences in a general column of many battalions. Hence the instructor will give the greatest care in causing all the prescribed principles to be strictly observed. To this end, he will hold himself on the directing flank, the better to observe all the movements.