286. The column being in march, when the colonel shall wish to halt it, he will command:
1. Column. 2. HALT.
287. At the second command, briskly repeated by the captains and by the chiefs of platoons of the companies of skirmishers, the column will halt; no guide will stir, though he may have lost his distance, or be out of the direction of the preceding guides.
288. The column being in march, in double quick time, will be halted by the same commands. At the command halt, the men will halt in their places, and will themselves rectify their positions in the ranks.
289. The column being halted, when the colonel shall wish to form it into line of battle, he will move a little in front of the leading guide, and face to him; this guide and the following one will fix their eyes on the colonel, in order promptly to conform themselves to his directions.
290. If the colonel judge it not necessary to give a general direction to the guides, he will limit himself to rectifying the position of such as may be without, or within the direction, by the command: Guide of (such) company, or guides of (such) companies, to the right (or to the left); at this command, the guides designated will place themselves on the direction; the others will stand fast.
291. If, on the contrary, the colonel judge it necessary to give a general direction to the guides of the column, he will place the first two on the direction he shall have chosen, and command:
Guides, cover.
292. At this, the following guides will promptly place themselves on the direction covering the first two in file, and each precisely at a distance equal to the front of his company, from the guide immediately preceding; the lieutenant-colonel will assure them in the direction, and the colonel will command:
Left (or right)—DRESS.
293. At this command, briskly repeated by the chiefs of subdivisions, each company will incline to the right or left, and dress forward or backward, so as to bring the designated flank to rest on its guide; each captain will place himself two paces outside of his guide, promptly align his company parallelly with that which precedes, then command FRONT, and return to his place in column.