294. The company being in march, and supposed to constitute a subdivision of a column, right (or left) in front, when the instructor shall wish to cause files to break off, be will give the order to the captain, who will immediately turn to his company, and command:
1. Two files from left (or right) to rear. 2. MARCH.
295. At the command march, the two files on the left (or right) of the company will face to the right (or left) and double the others will continue to march straight-forward. If the files are broken from the left the men will immediately file to the left, so that the odd numbers will cover the first and third, and the even numbers, the second and fourth files, from that flank of company. If the files are broken from the right, the men will immediately file to the right so that the even numbers will cover the first and third, and the odd numbers, the second and fourth files from that flank of the company. The men will be careful not to lose their distances and to keep aligned.
296. If the instructor should still wish to break two files from the same side, he will give the order to the captain, who will proceed as above directed.
297. At the command march, given by the captain, the files already broken, advancing a little the outer shoulder, will gain the space of two files to the right, if the files are broken from the left, and to the left, if the files are broken from the right, shortening, at the same time, the step, in order to make room between themselves and the rear-rank of the company for the files last ordered to the rear; the latter will break by the same commands, and in the same manner as the first. The men who double, should increase his length of the step, in order to prevent distances from being lost.
298. The instructor may thus diminish the front of a company by breaking off successive groups of two files, but the new files must always be broken from the same side.
299. The instructor, wishing to cause files broken off to return into line, will give the order to his captain, who will immediately command:
1. Two files into line. 2. MARCH.
300. At the command march, the first two files of those marching by the flank will return briskly into line, and the others will gain the space of two files by advancing the inner shoulder toward the flank to which they belong.
301. The captain will turn to his company, to watch the observance of the principles which have just been prescribed.
302. The instructor having caused groups of two files to break one after another, and to return again into line, will afterward cause two or three groups to break together, and for this purpose, will command: Four or six files from left (or right) to rear; MARCH. The files designated will face to the right (or left) and double and will then immediately file into their proper places as indicated No. 295, taking care that the distances are preserved.
303. The instructor will next order the captain to cause two or three groups to be brought into line at once, who, turning to the company, will command:
Four or six file into line—MARCH.
304. At the command march, the files designated will advance the inner shoulder, move up and form on the flank of the company by the shortest lines.
305. As often as files shall break off to the rear, the guide on that flank will gradually close on the nearest front-rank man remaining in line and he will also open out to make room for file ordered into line.
306. The files which march in the rear are disposed in the following order: the left files as if the company was marching by the right flank, and the right files as if the company was marching by the left flank. Consequently, whenever there is on the right or left of a subdivision, a file which does not belong to a group, it will be broken singly.
307. It is necessary to the preservation of distances in column, that the men should be habituated in the schools of detail to execute the movements of this article with precision.
308.If the new files broken to the rear do not step well off when filing to the left or right; if, when files are ordered into line, they do not move up with promptitude and precision, in either case, the following files will be arrested in their march, and thereby cause the column to be lengthened out.
309. The instructor will place himself on the flank from which the files are broken, to assure himself of the exact observance of the principles.
310.Files will only be broken off from the side of direction, in order that the whole company may easily pass from the front to the flank march.