MOVEMENTS, AND CHANGES OF FRONT IN ECHELLON. S. 53. A Battalion wheeling forward by Companies from Line into Echellon. 1. Wheeling into Echellon from the Halt. WHEEL INTO ECHELLON OF COMPANIES, TO THE PACES TO THE RIGHT (OR LEFT) WHEEL. QUICK THE ECHELLON WILL ADVANCE. QUICK MARCH. Halt-Dress. Eyes front. 2. Wheeling into Echellon on moveable pivots. TAKE GROUND TO THE RIGHT (OR LEFT) IN ECHELLON OF COMPANIES (SUB-DIVISIONS, OR SECTIONS). ON THE MOVE BY COMPANIES (SUB-DIVISIONS, OR SECTIONS) RIGHT (OR LEFT) WHEEL. QUICK MARCH. FORWARD. If a Battalion is required to wheel into echellon to the rear, be faced about, and the companies, sub-divisions, or sections, will be wheeled forward, rear rank in front. 3. Wheeling into Echellon on the March. TAKE GROUND TO THE RIGHT (OR LEFT) IN ECHELLON BY COMPANIES (SUB-DIVISIONS, OR SECTIONS) RIGHT (OR it will S. 54. A Battalion in Echellon of Companies, wheeling back into Line parallel to that from which it has formed. WHEEL BACK INTO LINE. QUICK MARCH. Halt. Dress. Eyes front. This movement may also be performed on the march, the Captains marking time, and their Companies wheeling back on them into Line: the commanding officer will give the word FORWARD, when the wheels are completed. S. 55. A Battalion in Echellon, halted, forming Line in a direction oblique to that from which it was wheeled into Echellon. FORM LINE ON THE LEADING COMPANY, WHICH WILL WHEEL, &c., &c. RIGHT, (OR LEFT) (OR ON FORM LINE. QUICK MARCH. PACES TO THE THE RIGHT, OR Each company in succession. Right (or left) wheel. Halt, Dress up. Eyes front. S. 56. A Battalion in Line changing Front on a Flank Company, FORWARD. No. To the Right (or left) wheel; paces to the Right (or Eyes front. Quick S. 57. A Battalion in Line changing Front to a flank, by throwing backwards the rest of the Battalion. QUICK MARCH. * FORM LINE. QUICK No. MARCH. ward. front. Right (or left) wheel, ForHalt, Front. Dress up. Eyes S. 58. A Battalion in Line changing Front on a centre Company, or on the two centre Companies, by advancing one Wing, and retiring the other. CHANGE FRONT ON THE CENTRE FORWARD. If on the two centre Companies. Two centre Companies on the centre, Right (or left) wheel; Or paces, Right (or left) wheel. Quick march. Halt, Dress. Eyes front. LEFT (OR RIGHT) WING, RIGHT If the change of front is to be on the centre of a Company. No. on the centre, Right (or left) wheel; Or paces, Right (or left) wheel. Quick march. Halt, Dress. Eyes front. A Battalion on the march may be ordered to change front on a flank Company in echellon, without halting, the Company wheeling on moveable pivots; in this case the flank Company of formation will wheel at the double. In succession. S. 59. A Battalion in Line advancing, or retiring in direct Echellon of Companies from either Flank. THE BATTALION WILL ADVANCE,* (OR RETIRE†) IN DIRECT ECHELLON OF COMPANIES, AT WHEELING (OR PACES) DISTANCE, FROM THE RIGHT * No. By the Right (or Right about † Or, No. face. By the Right (or left) Quick march. S. 60. Re-forming Line from Direct Echellon. 1. Forming Line on the leading Company. RE-FORM LINE ON THE LEADING COMPANY. REMAINING COMPANIES, QUICK MARCH. 2. Forming Line, on the Rear Company. RE-FORM LINE ON THE REAR COMPANY. RE- Halt, Front, 3. Forming Line, on a Central Company. RE-FORM LINE ON NO. Dress up. Eyes front. Front Companies. Halt. Dress. Eyes front. A Battalion, in direct echellon on the march, may form Line in like manner: if to the Front, the leading Company will be halted, on the caution; if on the Rear, or a Central Company, the named Company will be halted, on the words "REMAINING COMPANIES, (OR COMPANIES IN FRONT) RIGHT ABOUT TURN." ·5. Forming Line, at right angles to the original Alignment. FORM LINE TO THE RIGHT. BY COMPANIES, RIGHT WHEEL, FORWARD; &c., &c. When the Advance has been made from the Right, Line may be formed to the Left, in like manner. S. 61. A Battalion in direct Echellon, forming Line in an oblique direction. FORM OBLIQUE ECHELLON ON THE LEADING COM- WHEEL BACK INTO LINE, QUICK MARCH, &c. Halt, Front, Dress. 1 A Direct echellon may be wheeled forward into Column, and then formed into Square, either on the centre, or on the leading Company at any moment; or the Companies of a direct echellon may be formed into Company Squares. STREET FIRING. S. 62. A column at open, half, or quarter distance, formed in a street or in narrow ground where deployment is impracticable, may be required to fire either when advancing, or retiring. It will be performed in the following manner : 1. Street firing, advancing.-Three companies will be ordered to advance from the column, leaving sufficient room between them and the remainder of the column for a gun, or body of cavalry to form. The second and third companies will close on the first. When required to fire, the two front companies will kneel down, and the third will fire over their heads; the second will then receive the word "Ready," on which it will spring up, and on the word "Present will deliver its fire; lastly, the front company will fire kneeling, each company loading as soon as it has fired. The leading company may then be ordered to rise and charge, or the first and second companies may be ordered to open -out to half distance from the rear, and the whole then wheeled back by sub-divisions to each side of the street to allow the gun to fire between them, or the cavalry to charge; it may occasionally be of use to extend files along each side of the streets to fire up into the windows. 2. Street firing, and retiring.—In retiring, the leading division will give its fire, slope arms, face outwards by sub-divisions, file to the rear, re-form company, load, and remain halted, until its front is again clear, or the whole column is put in motion. The moment the front of the second company is clear it will give its fire, face outwards by sub-divisions, and file to the rear as above directed; and so on by companies in succession; the companies thus follow each other in succession: when the front of the column occupies the whole breadth of the street, the outward files of companies will double in the rear, to give the companies, which have fired, room to pass. It must never be forgotten, in entering towns or villages occupied by the enemy, that the first thing to be done, on gaining a footing in the place, is to clear the houses on both flanks, and the column should on no account proceed through the streets without previously occupying the houses on either hand: the troops employed for that purpose breaking through partition walls, or pushing on from house to house, so as to accompany the march of the main body and protect its flanks. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PITCHING, AND STRIKING TENTS. 1. Whenever possible, the quartermaster, or an officer acting for him, with a non-commissioned officer and a camp colourman per company, will precede the corps to be encamped. 2. This officer will take up ground for the companies' and the officers' and other tents, &c., according to the directions he may have received, to conform to one or other of the methods laid down in the "Regulations for Encampments," marking by a picket the spot to be occupied by each tent-pole, and taking care that the lines of tents are perpendicular, and correctly covered. 3. Before arriving in camp the men will be told off for their several functions as pole-men, peg-men, and unpackers of tents, two men being allotted for each of these duties, and six in all for every tent. More than this number only impede each other. Each tent requires, therefore, one section of threes to pitch, or strike it. 4. From the remainder of the company, the parties will be told off for provisions, wood, water, fire, guards and pickets, and for the pitching of the officers' orderly-room, store-room, guard-tents, &c. To each tent, as far as possible, a non-commissioned officer will be told off. 5. It is known that the soldiers' tent, with its cords, occupies a space of nearly 6 yards-that is, between 7 and pole. paces from pole to 6. The pole-men, being stationed at the spots indicated by the pickets, the pole is lowered, and the cap of the tent fixed on, and all things prepared for the raising of the tent. On the signal, or word of command, the whole of the poles are raised together, the skirt of the tent being lifted over the pole-man's head. 7. It will be remembered, that, to insure stability, four of the cords which divide the circumference accurately into quarters, must be first made fast before any of the others. 8. Each cord must be stretched on the true prolongation of the tent seam. 9. The slides must be made fast at an equal distance from the tent and the ground peg, so as to permit shifting, as expansion or contraction of the cord ensues on atmospheric changes. 10. The non-commissioned officer sees that the door is properly placed, and attends especially to the fastenings of the first four pegs, with a view to the general uprightness of the pole and security of the tent, under the general superintendence of the company's officers; one being stationed at the flank, the more easily to detect and correct errors. 11. In order to strike the tents, all the pegs are drawn except the four first driven, and four men place themselves at these in readiness for the signal; they draw these pegs, and hold down the tent till the signal be given. 12. On the signal, the pole-men lower the poles to the rear, and come out by the door, bringing the poles with them. 13. In rolling up the tent, the cap is turned on one side, in such a manner as shall make it visible at one end when the tent is rolled. This prevents the cap from cutting the tent. |