To the left (or right) into line of battle.
Column at fun distance, right in front, to the left into line of battle.
464. A column, right in front, being at a halt, when the colonel shall wish to form it to the left into line, he will assure the positions of the guides by the means previously indicated, and then command:
1. Left into line, wheel. 2. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
465. At the first command, the right guide of the leading company will hasten to place himself on the direction of the left guides of the column, face to them, and place himself so as to be opposite to one of the three right files of his company, when they shall be in line: he will be assured in this position by the lieutenant-colonel.
466. At the command march, briskly repeated by the captains, the left front-rank man of each company will face to the left, and rest his breast lightly against the right arm of his guide; the companies will wheel to the left on the principle of wheeling from a halt, conforming themselves to what is prescribed in the S. C., No. 244: each captain will turn to his company, to observe the execution of the movement, and, when the right of the company shall arrive at three paces from the line of battle, he will command:
1. Such company. 2. HALT.
467. The company being halted, the captain will place himself on the line by the side of the left front-rank man of the company next on the right, align himself correctly, and command:
3. Right—DRESS.
468. At this command, the company will dress up between the captain and the front-rank man on its left, the captain directing the alignment on that man; the front-rank man on the right of the right company, who finds himself opposite to its right guide, will lightly rest his breast against the left arm of this guide.
469. Each captain, having aligned his company, will command FRONT, and the colonel will add: Guides—POSTS.
470. At this command, the guides will return to their places in line of battle, each passing through the nearest captain’s interval; to permit him to pass, the captain will momentarily step before the first file of his company, and the covering sergeant behind the same file. This rule is general for all the formations into line of battle.
471. When companies form line of battle, file closers will always place themselves exactly two paces from the rear rank, which will sufficiently assure their alignment.
472. The battalion being correctly aligned, the colonel, lieutenant-colonel, and majors, as well as the adjutant and sergeant-major, will return to their respective places in line of battle. This rule is general for all the formations into line of battle; nevertheless, the battalion being in the school of elementary instruction, the colonel will go to any point he may deem necessary.
473. A column, with the left in front, will form itself to the right into line of battle, according to the same principles; the left guide of the left company will place himself, at the first command, on the direction of the right guides, in a manner corresponding to what is prescribed, No. 465, for the right guide of the right company.
474. At the command guides posts, the captains will take their places in line of battle, as well as the guides. This rule is general for all formations into line of battle, in which the companies are aligned by the left.
475. A column by division may form itself into line of battle by the same commands and means, but observing what follows: if the right be in front, at the command halt, given by the chiefs of division, the left guide of each right company will place himself on the alignment opposite to one of the three files on the left of his company; the left guide of the first company, facing toward the right, will be assured on the direction by the lieutenant-colonel; the left guides of the other right companies will align themselves correctly on the division guides; to this end the division guides (on the alignment) will invert, and hold their pieces up perpendicularly before the centre of their bodies, at the command left into line, wheel. If the column by division be with the left in front, the right guides of left companies will conform themselves to what has just been prescribed for the left guides of right companies, and place themselves on the line opposite to one of the three right files of their respective companies.
476. A column in march will be formed into line, without halting, by the same commands and means. At the command march, the guides will halt in their places, and the lieutenant-colonel will promptly rectify their positions.
0-477. The platoon columns of the companies of skirmishers will be wheeled into line by the means prescribed in the S. C., No. 262, and following, observing what follows: if the battalion column be at a halt, at the first command by the colonel, the captain of each platoon column will command Forward, guide left (or right), and at the command march, by the colonel, each platoon column will march to the front a platoon distance, and then be wheeled into line as above indicated; if the battalion column is on a march, at the first command by the colonel, the captain of each platoon column will caution his column to continue the march to the front, and at the command march, by the colonel, they will continue the march, and wheel into line as above indicated.
478. If, in forming the column into line, the colonel should wish to move forward, without halting, he will command:
1. By companies left wheel. 2. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
479. At the command march, briskly repeated by the captain, each company will wheel to the left on a fixed pivot, as prescribed in the S. C., No. 266; the left guides will step back into the rank of file closers before the wheel is completed, and when the right of the companies shall arrive near the line, the colonel will command:
3. Forward. 4. MARCH. 5. Guide centre.
480. At the fourth command, given at the instant the wheel is completed, the companies will march directly to the front. At the fifth command, the color and the general guides will move rapidly six paces to the front. The colonel will assure the direction of the color; the captains of companies and the men will, at once, conform themselves to the principles of the march in line of battle, to be hereinafter indicated, No. 648 and following.
0-481. At the first command by the colonel, the captain of each platoon column will caution his column to march straight to the front; at the second command by the colonel each platoon column, after marching to the front a platoon distance, will be wheeled into line by the commands and means prescribed in the S. C., No. 265 and following.
0-482. At the fourth command, the men of each company of skirmishers will move off. together, each captain placing himself two paces in front of the centre of his company; the first sergeant will step into the front-rank. At the fifth command, the captains of the first and second companies of skirmishers will command guide right, and left, respectively, and the right guide of the first, will march in the trace of the right guide of the first battalion company, and at a distance from the latter of thirty-three paces; the left guide of the second will march in the trace of the left guide of the left battalion company, and at the distance above indicated.
483. The same principles are applicable to a column left in front.
By inversion to the right (or left) into line of battle.
484. When a column, right in front, shall be under the necessity of forming itself into line faced to the reverse flank, and the colonel shall wish to execute this formation by the shortest movement, he will command:
1. By inversion, right into line, wheel. 2. Battalion guide right.
485. At the first command, the lieutenant-colonel will place himself in front, and facing to the right guide of the leading subdivision: at the second command, he will rectify, as promptly as possible, the direction of the right guides of the column; the captain of the odd company, if there be one, and the column be by division, will promptly bring the right of his company on the direction, and at company distance from the division next in front;, the left guide of the leading subdivision will place himself on the direction of the right guides, and will be assured in his position by the lieutenant-colonel; which being executed, the colonel will command:
3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
486. At this the right front-rank man of each subdivision will face to the right, rest his breast lightly against the left arm of his guide, and the battalion will form itself to the right into line of battle, according to the principles prescribed; which being executed, the colonel will command: Guides—POSTS.
487. If the column be with the left in front, it will form itself, by inversion, to the left into line, according to the same principles.
488. If the colonel should wish the battalion, when formed into line of battle, to be moved forward, the movement will be executed by the commands, and according to the principles indicated in No. 478; always preceding the command, by companies right (or left) wheel, by the command, by inversion.
0-489. When the column wheels into line by inversion, either at a halt, or on a march, at the first command by the colonel, the first platoon column will be faced to the right and filed to the left, and the second platoon column will be faced to the left, and filed to the right around the flanks of the column, and take post as prescribed No. 61. When the line again breaks into column, at the first command by the colonel, each company of skirmishers will be broken by platoon, either by wheeling or ploying, and at the command march, they will be moved into their proper positions in column, according to the principles prescribed for similar movements.
Successive Formations.
490. Under the denomination of successive formations are included all those formations where the several subdivisions of a column arrive one after another on the line of battle; such are formations on the right, or left, and faced to the rear into line of battle, as well as deployments of columns in mass.
491. The successive formations which may be ordered when the column is marching, and is to continue marching, will be executed by a combination of the two gaits, quick and double quick time.