555. A. column in mass may be formed into line of battle:
1. Faced to the front, by the deployment.
2. Faced to the rear, by the countermarch and the deployment.
3. Faced to the right and faced to the left, by a change of direction by the flank, and the deployment.
556. When a column in mass, by division, arrives behind the line on which it is intended to deploy it, the colonel will indicate, in advance, to the lieutenant-colonel, the direction of the line of battle, as well as the point on which he may wish to direct the column. The lieutenant-colonel will immediately detach himself with two markers, and establish them on that line, the first at the point indicated, the second a little less than the front of a division from the first.
557. Deployments will always be made upon lines parallel, and lines perpendicular to the line of battle; consequently, if the head of the column be near the line of battle, the colonel will commence by establishing the direction of the column perpendicularly to that line, if it be not already so, by one of the means indicated No. 291 and following, or No. 366 and following. If the column be in march, he will so direct it that it may arrive exactly behind the markers, perpendicularly to the line of battle, and halt it at three paces from that line.
558. The column, right in front, being halted. it is supposed that the colonel wishes to deploy it on the first division; he will order the left general guide to go to a point on the line of battle a little beyond that at which the left of the battalion will rest when deployed, and place himself correctly on the prolongation of the markers established before the first division.
559. These dispositions being made, the colonel will command:
1. On the first division, deploy column. 2. Battalion, left—FACE.
560. At the first command, the chief of the first division will caution it to stand fast; the chiefs of the three other divisions will remind them that they will have to face to the left.
0-561. At the same command the chief of each platoon column will caution it that it will have to face to the left.
562. At the second command, the three last divisions will face to the left; the chief of each division will place himself by the side of its left guide, and the junior captain by the side of the covering sergeant of the left company, who will have stepped into the front rank.
563. At the same command, the lieutenant-colonel will place a third marker on the alignment of the two first, opposite to one of the three left files of the right company, first division, and then place himself on the line of battle a few paces beyond the point at which the left of the second division will rest.
0-564. At the same command the platoon columns will face to the left, and each chief of platoon will place himself by the side of his guide.
565. The colonel will then command: 3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
566. At this command, the chief of the first division will go to its right, and command: Right—DRESS.
567. At this, the division will dress up against the markers; the chief of the division, and its junior captain, will each align the company on his left, and then command: FRONT.
568. The three divisions, faced to the left, will put themselves in march; the left guide of the second will direct himself parallelly to the line of battle; the left guides of the third and fourth divisions will march abreast with the guide of the second; the guides of the third and fourth, each preserving the prescribed distance between himself and the guide of the division which preceded his own in the column.
569. The chief of the second division will not follow its movement; he will see it file by him, and when its right guide shall be abreast with him, he will command:
1. Second division. 2. HALT. 3. FRONT.
570. The first command will be given when the division shall yet have seven or eight paces to march; the second when the right guide shall be abreast with the chief of the division, and the third immediately after the second.
571. At the second command, the division will halt; at the third, it will face to the front, and if there be openings between the files, the chief of the division will cause them to be promptly closed to the right; the left guides of both companies will step upon the line of battle, face to the right, and place themselves on the direction of the markers established before the first division, each guide opposite to one of the three left files of his company.
572. The division having faced to the front, its chief will place himself accurately on the line of battle, on the left of the first division; and when he shall see the guides assured on the direction, he will command, Right—DRESS. At this, the division will be aligned by the right in the manner indicated for the first.
573. The third and fourth divisions will continue to march; at the command halt, given to the second, the chief of the third will halt in his own person, place himself exactly opposite to the guide of the second, after this division shall have faced to the front and closed its files; he will see his division file past, and when his right guide shall be abreast with him, he will command:
1. Third division. 2. HALT. 3. FRONT.
574. As soon as the division faces to the front, its chief will place himself two paces before its centre, and command:
1. Third division, forward. 2. Guide right. 3. MARCH.
575. At the third command, the division will march toward the line of battle; the right guide will so direct himself as to arrive by the side of the man on the left of the second division, and when the division is at three paces from the line of battle, its chief will halt it and align it by the right.
576. The chief of the fourth division will conform himself to what has just been prescribed for the third.
0-577. At the command march, by the colonel, the platoon columns will be put in motion; the first column, conducted by its chief, will wheel by file to the left, and having marched a distance of thirty-three paces, counting from the guide of the, first platoon, it will be filed to the right and established in its proper position in rear of the first battalion company, the second platoon passing in rear of the first, as indicated No. 517. The second column will be marched obliquely forward until the right files of the platoons are abreast with the right file of the last battalion company and thirty-three paces from it, when its chief will halt and deploy it on its first platoon, according to the principles prescribed for deploying a battalion column.
578. The deployment ended, the colonel will command: Guides—POSTS.
579. At this command, the guides will resume their places in line of battle, and the markers will retire.
580. If the column be in march, and the colonel shall wish to deploy it on the first division without halting the column, he will make the dispositions indicated Nos. 557 and 558, and when the first division shall have arrived at a short distance from the line, he will command:
1. On the first division, deploy column. 2. Battalion, by the left flank. 3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
581. At the first command, the chief of the first division will caution it to remain faced to the front and will command, First division; the other chiefs will caution their divisions to face by the left flank.
0-582. At the same command the chiefs of the platoon columns will caution them to face by the left flank.
583. At the command march, given when the first division of the battalion companies is three paces from the markers, and briskly repeated by the chiefs of the rear divisions, the chief of the first division will command HALT, and the division will be aligned by the right against the markers as prescribed Nos. 566 and 567; the other divisions will face to the left, their chiefs hastening to the left of their divisions. The second division will conform its movements to what is prescribed Nos. 569 and following. The third and fourth divisions will execute what is prescribed No. 573 and following; but the chief of the fourth division will halt in his own person at the command march given by the chief of the division which precedes him, and when the right of each division arrives abreast with its chief, he will command:
1. Such division, by the right flank—MARCH. 2. Guide—RIGHT.
0-584. At the command march, by the colonel, each platoon column will face by the left flank, and be conducted to, its proper place in line by the means prescribed No. 577.
585. The lieutenant-colonel will assure the position of the guides, conforming to what is prescribed No. 520. The senior major will follow the movement abreast with the fourth division. The junior major will hold himself abreast with the third division.
586. If the colonel shall wish to deploy the column without halting it, and to continue the march, the markers will not be posted; the movement will be executed by the same commands and the same means as the foregoing, but with the following modifications:
587. At the first command, the chief of the first division will command, 1. Guide right. 2. Quick time. At the command MARCH (or double quick—MARCH), given by the colonel, the first division will march in quick time and will take the touch of elbows to the right; the captains will place themselves on the right of their respective companies.; the captain on the right of the battalion will take points on the ground to assure the direction of the march. The chief of the second division will allow his division to file past him, and when he sees its right abreast of him, he will command, 1. Second division by the right flank. 2. MARCH. 3. Guide right, and when this division shall arrive on the alignment of the first, he will cause it to march in quick time. The third and fourth divisions will deploy according to the same principles as the second.
0-588. At the first command, the platoon columns will be cautioned by their chiefs as indicated No. 582. At the command march (or double quick—MARCH), the platoons will face by the left flank, each chief placing himself as prescribed No. 564; each platoon column will be moved forward parallel to the line and when the right file of the first column is abreast with the right file of the first battalion company, its chief will cause it to execute what is prescribed for the second platoon column, No. 577, and when the company shall have attained its distance, it will take the quick step. The second platoon column will be moved parallel to the line, and when its right files shall arrive abreast with the right file of the last battalion company, it will be faced by the right flank, and execute what has been prescribed for the first platoon column.
589. The colonel will command, Guide centre, and at this the color-bearer and right general guide will move rapidly six paces in advance of the line, the colonel will assure the direction of the color-bearer. The lieutenant-colonel, junior major, and the right companies, will immediately conform themselves to the principles of the march in line of battle. The senior major, left companies, and the left general guide, as they arrive on the line, will conform themselves to the same principles. If the column be marching in double quick time, when the last company shall have arrived on the line, should the colonel wish to resume the double quick he will so command.
590. The colonel will see, pending the movement, that the principles just prescribed are duly observed, and particularly that the divisions, in deploying, be not halted too soon nor too late. He will correct promptly and quickly the faults that may be committed, and prevent their propagation. This rule is general for all deployments.
591. The column being at a halt, if instead of deploying it on the first, the colonel shall wish to deploy it on the rearmost division, he will cause the dispositions to be made indicated No. 556 and following; but it will be the right general guide whom he will send to place himself beyond the point at which the right of the battalion will rest when deployed.
592. The colonel will then command:
1. On the fourth (or such) division, deploy column. 2. Battalion, right—FACE.
593. At the first command, the chief of the fourth division will caution it to stand fast; the chiefs of the other divisions will caution them that they will have to face to the right.
0-594. At the same command, the chief of the first platoon column will caution it that it will have to face to the right; the chief of the second platoon column will caution it that it will have to face to the left.
595. At the second command, the first three divisions will face to the right; and the chief of each will place himself by the side of its right guide.
596. At the same command, the lieutenant-colonel will place a third marker between the first two, so that this marker may be opposite to one of the three light files of the left company of the division; the lieutenant-colonel will then place himself on the line of battle a few paces beyond the point at which the right of the third division will rest when deployed.
0-597. At the same command, the first platoon column will face to the right and the second to the left; the chief of each platoon will place himself by the side of his guide.
598. The colonel will then command:
3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
599. At this command, the three right divisions will put themselves in march, the guide of the first so directing himself as to pass three paces within the line marked by the right general guide. The chief of the third division will not follow its movement; he will see it file past, halt it when its left guide shall be abreast with him, and cause it to face to the front; and, if there be openings between the files, he will cause them to be promptly closed to the left.
600. The chief of the fourth division, when he sees it nearly unmasked by the three others, will command:
1. Fourth division, forward. 2. Guide left. 3. MARCH.
601. At the command march, which will be given the instant the fourth is unmasked, this division will approach the line of battle, and when at three paces from the markers on that line, its chief will halt it, and command: Left—DRESS.
602. At this command, the division will dress forward against the markers; the chief of the division and the junior captain will each align the company on his right, and then command: FRONT.
603. The instant that the third division is unmasked, its chief will cause it to approach the line of battle, and halt it in the manner just prescribed for the fourth.
604. The moment the division halts, its right guide and the covering sergeant of its left company will step on the line of battle, placing themselves on the prolongation of the markers established in front of the fourth division; as soon as they shall be assured in their positions, the division will be aligned as has just been prescribed for the fourth.
605. The second and first divisions which will have continued to march, will, in succession, be halted and aligned by the left, in the same manner as the third; the chiefs of these divisions will conform themselves to what is prescribed No. 573. The second being near the line of battle, the command will not be given for it to move on this line, but it will be dressed up to it.
0-606. At the command march, by the colonel, the platoon columns will be put in motion, the first conducted by the chiefs of platoon, will move straight-forward, the guide of the first platoon being so directed as to pass three paces within the line marked by the right general guide; when the column has arrived near that guide, the chief will command: 1. By the right flank. 2. March; and having moved such distance that the first platoon is thirty paces from the battalion line of file closers, its chief will command right about, halt. The guides will be established on a line passing through the right guide of the first battalion company, and each platoon dressed to the right by its chief. The column will then be deployed on its first platoon. The second platoon column will be put in march, and conducted so, that the right files of the platoons shall cover the right file of the last battalion company, when the column will be halted, faced to the front, and deployed on its first platoon.
607. The deployment ended, the colonel will command: Guides—POSTS.
608. At this command, the chiefs of division and the guides will resume their places in line of battle, and the markers will retire.
609. The lieutenant-colonel will assure the positions of the guides by the means indicated, No. 520, and the senior major will follow the movement abreast with the fourth division. The junior major will hold himself abreast with the third division.
610. If the column be in march, and the colonel shall wish to deploy it on the fourth division, he will make the dispositions indicated No. 557, and following; and when the head of the column shall arrive within a short distance of the line, he will command:
1. On the fourth division, deploy column. 2. Battalion, by the right flank. 3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
611. At the first command, the chief of the fourth division will caution it to remain faced to the front, and will command, Fourth division: the chiefs of the other divisions will caution their divisions to face to the right.
0-612. At the same command, the chiefs of the first platoon column will caution it that it will have to face by the right flank, and the chiefs of the second platoon column will caution it that it will have to face by the left flank.
613. At the command march, briskly repeated by the chiefs of the first three divisions, the chief of the fourth will command: HALT. The first three divisions will face to the right, and be directed parallelly to the line of battle. The chief of each of these divisions will place himself by the side of its right guide. The chief of the third division will see his division file past him, and when his left guide is abreast of him, he will halt it, and face it to the front. The chief of the fourth division, when he shall see it nearly unmasked, will command: 1. Fourth division, forward; 2. Guide left; 3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH). This division will move toward the line of battle, and when at three paces from this line, it will be halted by its chief, and aligned by the left.
614. The chief of the third division will move his division forward, conforming to what has just been prescribed by the fourth.
615. The chiefs of the second and first divisions, after halting their divisions, will conform to what is prescribed No. 605.
0-616. At the command march, by the colonel, the platoon columns will be moved and established by the means prescribed Nos. 597 and 606.
617. If the colonel should wish to deploy on the fourth division without halting the column, and to continue to march forward, he will not have markers posted, and the movement will be executed by the same commands and the same means, with the following modifications: the fourth division, when unmasked, will be moved forward in quick time, and will continue to march, instead of being halted, and will take the touch of elbows to the left. The third division, on being unmasked, will be moved to the front in double quick time, but when it arrives on the alignment of the fourth it will take the quick step, and dress to the left until the command Guide centre, is given by the colonel. The chiefs of the second and first divisions will conform to what has been prescribed for the third. When the first division shall arrive on the line, the colonel may cause the battalion to take the double quick step.
0-618. The platoon columns will be moved and established as has been already prescribed, observing what follows: the first platoon column, in marching by the flank, will incline to the right, so as to permit the first division to pass, and when that division faces by the left flank, it will also face by the same flank, deploy on its first platoon, and shorten the step until the proper distance is attained.
619. The colonel and lieutenant-colonel will conform to what has been prescribed No. 589.
620. It is not necessary that the movement be entirely completed before halting the battalion. As soon as the part of the battalion already formed, shall have arrived on the line of battle, the colonel will halt the battalion; the divisions not in line will each complete the movement.
621. To deploy the column on an interior division, the colonel will cause the line to be traced by the means above indicated, and the general guides will move briskly on the line, as prescribed Nos. 558 and 591. This being executed, the colonel will command:
1. On such division, deploy column. 2. Battalion outward—FACE. 3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
622. Whether the column be with the right or left in front, the divisions which, in the order in battle, belong to the right of the directing one, will face to the right; the others, except the directing division, will face to the left; the divisions in front of the latter will deploy by the means indicated No. 593 and following; those in its rear will deploy as is prescribed No. 560 and following.
623. The directing division, the instant it finds itself unmasked, will approach the line of battle, taking the guide left or right, according as the right or left of the column may be in front. The chief or this division will align it by the directing flank, and then step back into the rear, in order momentarily to give place to the chief of the next for aligning the next division.
0-624. The platoon columns will be moved and established according to the principles which have been already prescribed.
625. The lieutenant-colonel will assure the positions of the guides of divisions, which, in the line of battle take the right of the directing division, and the senior major will assure the positions of the other guides. The junior major will hold himself abreast with the third division.
626. If the column be in march, the colonel will command:
1. On such division, deploy column. 2. Battalion, by the right and left flanks. 3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
627. The divisions which are in front of the directing one will deploy by the means indicated No. 611 and following; those in rear, as prescribed No. 581 and following.
628. The directing division, when unmasked, will conform to what is prescribed for the fourth division, No. 613.
0-629. The platoon columns will be moved and established according to the means already indicated.
630. The colonel, lieutenant-colonel, senior and .junior majors, will conform to what has been prescribed Nos. 589 and 620.
631. In a column, left in front, deployments will be executed according to the same principles, and by inverse means.
REMARKS ON THE DEPLOYMENT OF COLUMNS, CLOSED IN MASS.
632. All the divisions ought to deploy rectangularly, to march off abreast, and to preserve their distances toward the line of battle.
633. Each division, the instant that it is unmasked, ought to be marched toward the line of battle, and to be aligned upon it by the flank next to the directing division; the latter, whether the right or left be in front, will always be aligned by the flank next to the point d’appui, when the deployment is made on the first or last division; but if the column be deployed on an interior division, this division will be aligned by the flank which was that of direction.
634. The chiefs of division will see that, in deploying, the principles prescribed for marching by the flank are well observed, and if openings between the files occur, which ought not to happen except on broken or difficult grounds, the openings ought to be promptly closed toward the directing flank as soon as the divisions face to the front.
635. If a chief of division give the command halt, or the command by the right or left flank, too soon or too late, his division will be obliged to oblique to the right or left in approaching the line of battle, and his fault may lead the following subdivision into error.
636. In the divisions which deploy by the left flank, it is always the left guide of each company who ought to place himself on the line of battle, to mark the direction; in divisions which deploy by the right flank, it is the right guide.
637. A column by company, closed in mass, may be formed to the left or to the right into line, in the same manner as a column at half distance, and by the means indicated No. 494 and following.
638. A column by company, closed in mass, may be formed on the right or on the left into line of battle, as a column at half distance; but in order to execute this movement, without arresting the march of the column, it is necessary that the guides avoid, with the greatest care, shortening the step in turning, and that the men near them, respectively, conform themselves rapidly to the movements of their guides. A column by company or division, closed in mass, can be formed into line faced to the rear, but the guide will move at double quick or a run.
REMARKS ON INVERSIONS.
639. Inversions giving frequently the means of forming line of battle, in the promptest manner, are of great utility in the movements of an army.
640. The application that may be made of inversions in the formations to the right and to the left in line of battle, has been indicated No. 484 and following. They may also be advantageously employed in the successive formations.
641. Formations, by inversion, will be executed according to the same principles as formations in the direct order; but the colonel’s first command will always begin by inversion.
642. The battalion being in line of battle by inversion, when the colonel shall wish, by forming it into column, to bring it back to the direct order, he will cause it either to break or to ploy by company, or by division, accordingly as the column may have been by company or by division before it had been formed into line of battle by inversion.
643. When a battalion in line of battle, formed by inversion, has to be ployed into column, the movement will be executed according to the same principles as if the line were in the direct order, but observing what follows.
644. If it be intended that the column shall be by division, with the first in front, or by company, with the first company in front, the colonel will announce in the second command – left in front, because the battalion being in line of battle by inversion, that subdivision is on the left.
645. Each chief whose subdivision takes position in the column in front of the directing one, will conduct his subdivision till it halts; and each chief whose subdivision takes position in rear of the directing one, will halt in his own person when up with the preceding right guide, and see his subdivision file past; and each chief will align his subdivision by the right. When the column is to be put in march, the second command will be – guide left, because the proper right is in front.
646. For the same reason, if it be intended that the last subdivision shall be in front, right in front, will be announced in the second command; the subdivisions will be aligned by the left, and to put the column in march, the second command will be, guide right, because the proper left is in front.
0-647. Whenever the line is formed by inversion, the companies of skirmishers will occupy the relative positions in rear of the first and last battalion companies respectively, as prescribed No. 489. When the column is formed, from a battalion in line by inversion, the platoon columns will be moved, and established on the proper reverse flank.