437. The column being closed in mass, right in front, and at a halt, when the colonel shall wish to form divisions, he will command:
1. Form divisions. 2. Left company, left—FACE. 3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
438. At the first command, the captains of the left companies will caution them to face to the left.
439. At the second command, the left companies will face to the left, and their captains will place themselves by the side of their respective left guides.
440. The right companies, and their captains, will stand fast; but the right and left guides of each of these companies will place themselves respectively before the right, and left files of the company, both guides facing to the right, and each resting his right arm gently against the breast of the front-rank man of the file, in order to mark the direction.
441. At the command march, the left companies only will put themselves in march, their captains standing fast; as each shall see that his company, filing past, has nearly cleared the column, he will command:
1. Such company. 2. HALT. 3. FRONT.
442. The first command will be given when the company shall yet have four paces to march; the second at the instant it shall have cleared its right company: and the third immediately after the second.
443. The company having faced to the front, the files, if there be intervals between them, will promptly incline to the right; the captain will place himself on the left of the right company of the division, and align himself correctly on the front rank of that company.
444. The left guide will place himself at the same time before one of the three left files of his company, face to the right, and cover correctly the guides of the right company; the moment his captain sees him established on the direction, he will command:
Right—DRESS.
445. At this, the left company will dress forward on the alignment of the right company; the front-rank man, who may find himself opposite to the left guide, will, without preceding his rank, rest lightly his breast against the right arm of this guide; the captain of the left company will direct its alignment on this man, and the alignment being assured, he will command, FRONT; but not quit his position.
446. The colonel seeing the divisions formed, will command:
Guides—POSTS.
447. At this, the guides who have marked the fronts of divisions will return to their places in column, the left guide of each right company passing through the interval in the centre of the division, the captains and covering sergeants stepping out for that purpose as hereinafter prescribed No. 470, and the captains will place themselves as prescribed No. 87.
448. The colonel, from the directing flank of the column, will superintend the general execution of the movement.
449. If the column be in march, instead of at a halt, when the colonel shall wish to form divisions, he will command:
1. Form divisions. 2. Left companies, by the left flank. 3. MARCH (or double quick—MARCH).
450. At the first command, the captains of the right companies will command, Mark time, the captains of the left companies will caution their companies to face by the left flank.
451. At the third command, the right companies will mark time, the left companies will face to the left; the captains of the left companies will each see his company file past him, and when it has cleared the column, will command: Such company, by the right flank—MARCH. As soon as the divisions are formed, the colonel will command:
4. Forward. 5. MARCH.
452. At the fifth command, the column will resume the gait at which it was marching previous to the commencement of the movement. The guides of each division will remain on the right and left of their respective companies; the left guide of the right company will pass into the line of file closers, before the two companies are united; the right guide of the left company will step into the rear rank. The captains will place themselves as prescribed No. 87.
453. If the column be at a halt and at full or half distance instead of closed in mass, divisions will be formed in the same manner; but the captains of the left companies, if the movement be made in quick time, after commanding FRONT, will each place himself before the centre of his company, and command, 1. Such company, forward. 2. Guide right. 3. MARCH. If the movement be made in double quick time, each will command as soon as his company has cleared the column:
1. Such company, by the right flank. 2. MARCH.
454. The right guide of each left company will so direct his march as to arrive by the side of the man on the left of the right company. The left company being nearly up with the rear rank of the right company, its captain will halt it, and the movement will be finished as prescribed No. 444 and following.
455. If the left be in front, the movement will be executed by inverse means; the right companies will conform themselves to what is prescribed above for the left companies; and the two guides, placed respectively, before the right and left files of each left company, will face to the left. At the command, Guides, posts, given by the colonel, the guides, who have marked the front of divisions, and the captains, will quickly retake their places in the column.
456. If the column be marching at full distance, the divisions will be formed as prescribed No. 236. If it be marching at half distance, the formation will take place by the commands and according to the principles indicated No. 449; if the column be marching in double quick time, the companies which should mark time will march in quick time by the command of their captains.
REMARKS ON THE FORMATION OF DIVISIONS FROM A HALT.
457. As this movement may be considered as the element of deployments, it ought to be executed with the utmost accuracy.
458. If companies marching by the flank do not preserve exactly their distances, there will be openings between the files at the instant of facing to the front.
459. If captains halt their companies too early, they will want space, and the files which have not cleared the flanks of the standing companies will not be able to dress into line without pushing their ranks laterally.
460. If, on the contrary, the companies be halted too late, it will be necessary for them to incline to the right or left in dressing; and, in deployments, either of these faults would lead to error in the following companies.
461. As often as the guide shall have to step out to place himself before his subdivision in order to mark the direction, he will be particularly careful to place himself so as to be opposite to one of the three outer files of the subdivision when they shall be aligned: if he take too much distance, and neither of those files finds itself against him, the chiefs of the subdivision will have no assured point on which to direct the alignment.
0-462. In the formation of divisions either from a halt or on a march, the platoon columns of the companies of skirmishers will retain their relative positions to the battalion column, and to this end the captain of the second platoon column, when tile right is in front, will move his column up until his leading platoon is on a line with the last division; and when the left is in front, the captain of the first platoon column will move his column up until his leading platoon is on a line with the first division.