272 



MILITARY TACTICS. 



Change of 

 front. 



Of forming 

 front to the 

 rear. 



Of forming 

 front to the 

 Sank. 



Of forming 

 column. 



is incompatible with the preservation of order even for 

 a short spaced The quick marches, therefore, are only 

 used in sight of the enemy, or when the troops are ex- 

 ercised to it on parade. In ordinary marching, the 

 soldier is not required to keep exact time and cadence. 



All changes of the order of battle of a battalion on 

 the spot, consist in forming front to the rear, or to either 

 side. The changes on a march are to place the troops 

 in column, and to march forward, backwards, to either 

 side, in an oblique direction ; and in all these varieties 

 of marching, to place them in order of battle towards 

 any side at pleasure. 



To form front to the rear, is most easily effected by 

 facing to the right about. The third rank then becomes 

 the first, and the whole position of the battalion is re- 

 versed. It is easy for the officers to change their places 

 according to this alteration of position. If it is intend- 

 ed that the entire order of the battalion should remain 

 unchanged, it would be necessary to bring round the 

 front by a counter-march of the whole ; a movement 

 which, with a whole battalion, would require consider- 

 able time, even were it performed at thedouble quick step. 

 (See Plate CCCLXXXI. Fig.l.) If it be wished that the 

 order of the rank only should be preserved, each platoon 

 might be made to counter-march in itself; by which, 

 however, the platoons would be thrown round, which 

 has its inconveniences. (Fig. 2.) To make a whole 

 battalion wheel about, is a movement much easier con- 

 ceived than executed ; besides, that it would then oc- 

 cupy a different position. (Fig. 8.) If performed 

 round the centre, then one half of the battalion would 

 be obliged to wheel backwards ; while, on the other 

 hand, it would be better that one half, before the 

 wheeling, should face to the right about. (Fig. 4.) 



Many methods may be imagined of forming front 

 towards the flank. 1. The battalion faces to the right 

 or left, and either form entirely by marching up, (Fig. 

 5.) or by deploying. (Fig. 6.) 2. By a single quarter 

 wheel. (Fig. 7.) 3. By each company making one 

 eighth wheel, with the exception of the flank company 

 forming the centre, which makes an entire wheel ; to- 

 wards which the others then march straight up to the 

 flank of their next platoon, and take their proper 

 place in the new front. (Fig. 8.) This is the only 

 method at present practised. In all these methods 

 the troops might be made to wheel equally well round 

 the centre. (Fig. 9.) 



There are two methods of placing the troops in co- 

 lumn. 1 . By forming in column ; and, 2. by wheeling 

 with any parts of the battalion at pleasure. In forming 

 in column, the whole battalion, with the exception of 

 the head division or section, faces to the right or left. 

 All march off at once, in order to place themselves, ac- 

 cording to their order, behind each other, and all be- 

 hind the head or leading division. (Fig. 10, 11.) The 

 reverse of this is deploying, in which a battalion in co- 

 lumn places itself again in order of battle by a contrary 

 movement. A battalion may also be formed on the 

 centre, and the deploying likewise be performed from 

 the centre ; the one half of the battalion facing to the 

 right, and the other to the left. (Fig. 12.) In this 

 movement, it will be observed, 1. That the intervals 

 between the divisions are almost entirely done away ; 

 and, therefore, that the wheeling cannot take place se- 

 parately, nor, in case of a bend m the road, without 

 making a halt ; first behind, and then again before, in 

 order that the rear sections may have time to advance. 

 Farther, a troop, standing thus in column, cannot, 

 without a tedious movement, form front to the flank. 



Finally, it is impossible, according to this method, to Of Hard*- 

 form in column upon a very small front ; and jf this * 

 were to be done by several battalions, it would not """"V"" 1 '' 

 only cause the last battalion to go a considerable way 

 to no purpose, but would often be attended with diffi- 

 culties. The forming into column by wheeling is per- 

 formed by each section of a battalion making a wheel 

 of one quarter by itself; so that they all stand behind 

 each other at intervals, corresponding to their front. 

 When, after wheeling, the battalion marches, so that 

 the first platoon forms the head, it is called to the right ; 

 but if the wheeling has been to the left, and the eight 

 platoon has the head, they are said to march off to th 

 left. (Fig. 13, 14.) In this manner, the march may 

 take place, not only to the flank, but to the front, or 

 the rear. In marching to the flank, all the sections 

 wheel to the right or left, and march off at once. In 

 marching forwards, all the sections wheel, except the 

 one which forms the head, which inarches straight for- 

 ward ; and as soon as it has passed the second section, 

 the latter wheels again towards the opposite side, in 

 the true line of march, and follows the first ; the others, 

 in the same manner, follow the second, wheeling as 

 above, upon the same spot. (Fig. 15.) In marching- 

 to the rear, the liuail seclioii makes a half, the others a 

 quarter wheel. All the sections then march straight 

 forward ; and when the second is exactly on the spot 

 where the first has just made its half wheel, the Tatter 

 wheels again into the new line of march ; and the like 

 it done by the others as they arrive at the same spot. 

 (Fig. 16.) In the same manner a perfect counter- 

 march may be executed ; the head section making im- 

 mediately a three-quarter's wheel ; and the others, at 

 they arrive at the same spot, making a half wheel. (Fig. 

 17.) 



From this method of forming in column, the follow- 

 ing advantages are derived. 1 . When the road becomes 

 more narrow, so that it is necessary to break off, this, 

 as well as the march forwards again, can take place 

 without halting. (Fig. 18.) 2. The column can in- 

 stantly form front to the flank, merely by wheeling in- 

 wards, which is of great advantage, when any thing is 

 apprehended from the enemy in that quarter. 3. The 

 march proceeds immediately without farther prepara- 

 tion ; and the columns may be formed on as large or as 

 small a front as we please. The only disadvantage 

 attending this method is, that it requires a tedious move- 

 ment to place the troops in order of battle to the front 

 of the column, whether this is performed by filing, 

 which besides can only take place on the ground with 

 a long column in a large plain ; or by marching up, 

 especially if the head section arrives first on the ground 

 where it is intended to remain. In order to unite all 

 possible advantages, it is usual to make the troops com- 

 mence the march, while the columns are formed by 

 wheeling. On approaching more to the enemy in front, 

 divisions are formed at half distance, which at length 

 advance altogether, in order to place themselves there- 

 after in order of battle, by deploying in double qick 

 time. The most simple mode of marching towards 

 every side, and in all directions, is the flank march with 

 facing to the right or left. When moving under arms, 

 in the neighbourhood of the enemy, and at short dis- 

 tances, this method is extremely useful ; and the troops 

 ought to be particularly well exercised in it. But it is 

 not adapted for marches in general, because the co- 

 lumns would require to be immensely extended, in or- 

 der to enable the soldier to march in this manner with- 

 out constraint For thi* reason the method has been in 



