155. The company being in march by the right flank, the instructor will order the captain to form it into line; the captain will immediately command:
1. By company, into line. 2. MARCH.
156. At the command march, the covering sergeant will continue to march straight-forward; the men will advance the right shoulder take the double quick step, and move into line by the shortest route, taking care to undouble the files, and to come on the line one after the other.
157. As the front-rank men successively arrive in line with the covering sergeant, they will take from him the step, and then turn their eyes to the front.
158. The men of the rear-rank will conform to the movements of their respective file leaders, but without endeavoring to arrive in line at the same time with the latter.
159. If the company, marching either by the right or left flank, be faced about previous to forming line, the men will come into line by twos, and according to the means as above indicated, taking care to undouble files, the two front-rank men taking their places in the line at the same time, to be covered by their rear-rank men taking an oblique step.
160. At the instant the movement begins, the captain will face to his company in order to follow up the execution; and, as soon as the company is formed, he will command, guide left, place himself two paces before the centre, face to the front, and take the step of the company.
161. At the command guide left, the second sergeant will promptly place himself in the front-rank, on the left, to serve as guide, and the covering sergeant who is on the opposite flank will remain there.
162. When the company marches by the left flank, this movement will be executed by the same commands, and according to the same principles; the company being formed, the captain will command guide right, and place himself in front of his company as above; the covering sergeant who is on the right of the front-rank will serve as guide, and the second sergeant placed on the left flank will remain there.
163. Thus, in a column by company, right or left in front, the covering sergeant and the second sergeant of each company will always be placed on the right and left, respectively, of the front-rank; they will be denominated right guide, and left guide, and the one or the other charged with the direction.
164. The company being in march by the flank if it be the wish of the instructor to cause it to form platoons, he will give an order to that effect to the captain, who will command:
1. By platoon, into line. 2. MARCH.
165. The movement will be executed by each platoon according to the above principles. The captain will place himself before the centre of the first platoon, and the first lieutenant before the centre of the second, passing through the opening made in the centre of the company, if the march be by the right flank, and around the left of his platoon, if the march be by the left: in this last case, the captain will also pass around the left of the second platoon, in order to place himself in front of the first. Both the captain and lieutenant, without waiting for each other, will command guide left (or right) at the instant their respective platoons are formed.
166. At the command guide left (or right), the guide of each platoon will pass rapidly to the indicated flank if not already there.
167. The right guide of the company will always serve as the guide of the right or left of the first platoon, and the left guide of the company will serve, in like manner, as the guide of the second platoon.
168. Thus in a column, by platoon, there will be but one guide to each platoon; he will always be placed on its left flank, if the right be in front, and on the right flank, if the left be in front.
169. In these movements, the file closers will follow the platoons to which they are attached.
170. The instructor may cause the company, marching by the flank, to form by company, or by platoon, into line, by his own direct commands, using those prescribed for the captain, No. 155 or 164.
171. The instructor will exercise the company in passing, without a halt, from the march by the front, to the march by the flank, and reciprocally. In either case, he will employ the commands prescribed in the S. S., No. 374, substituting company for squad. The company will face to the right or left, in marching, and the captain, the guides, and file-closers, will conform themselves to what is prescribed for each in the march by the flank, or in the march by the front of a company supposed to be a subdivision of a column.
172. If, after facing to the right or left, in marching, the company find itself faced by the rear-rank, the captain will place himself two paces behind the centre of the front-rank, now in the rear, the guides will pass to the rear-rank, now leading, and the file closers will march in front of this rank.
173. The company being in march either by the front or flank, and if the instructor should wish to face it by a flank without continuing the march it will be executed by the commands and means prescribed in the S. S., Nos. 379–380, substituting company for squad.
174. The company marching in column by platoon, can be faced to the right or left, by the commands, as above indicated. At the first command, the chiefs of platoons and the guides, will go quickly to the indicated flank. At the command march, each subdivision will face, and be led off in the new direction by its chief. If the right be in front, the subdivision can be filed to the left, immediately after being faced either to the right or left, by the command by file left before the command march. If the left be in front, the command will be by file right before the command march.
175. The instructor, in order to avoid fatiguing the men and to prevent them from being negligent in the position of shoulder arms, will sometimes order support arms in marching by the flank, and arms on the right shoulder, when marching in line.