BAT 



tli« lock, and tlien, as quick as poffible, cock tlie piece, hy 

 dropping the elbow, and forcing down tlie cock with tiie 

 thumb. Step at the fame time with the right foot a mo- 

 derate pace to the light, and keeping the left faft, feize the 

 fmall of the butt with the right hand. The piece mud be 

 h'.ld in this pofition perpendicular, and oppoiite the left fide 

 of the face, the butt clofe to the breaft, but not prefTed, the 

 body ftraight and full to the front, and the head eretl. 

 Preftnt, as in the foregoing explanation. 

 Fire. Pull the trigger ilrong with the middle finger ; 

 and, as foon as fired, bring the iirtlock to the priming poli- 

 tion. Prime and load as before, with this diiierence only, 

 that the left foot is to be drawn up to the riglit, at the fame 

 time that the firelock is brought down to the priming pofi- 

 tion ; and that, immediately after the firelock is thrown up 

 to the fhoulder, the men fpring to the left again, and cover 

 their file leaders. 



y/j Rear Rani:— male ready. Recover and cock as be- 

 fore dirtdted for the centre rank. As the firelock is brought 

 to the recover, Hep briflvly to the right a full pace, at the 

 fame time placing the left heel about fix inches before the 

 point of the right foot. The body to be kept If raight, and 

 as fquare to the front as poffible. 



Prefent, as in the foregoing explanation. 

 Fire, as before ; remembering only the difference of the 

 priming pofition for this rank. After firing and recovering 

 the (houider, the men ftep as the centre rank does. 



In firing with the front rank Handing, that rank makes 

 ready, &c. as mentioned in the firft part of the platoon ex- 

 ercife. The platoon cxercife is always to be performed with 

 ranks clofcd, except at the drill. 



VIII. Firings. When the recruits have acquired the 

 management of their arms, and are perfect in the motions 

 of the manual and platoon exercifes, they will be inflrutled 

 in clofed ranks, at firing, ill, direft to their front ; zdly, 

 obliquely to the right and left ; and, ^dly, by files. 



IX. Marcl/wg to the front ,ind rear. The divifion, or 

 fquad, is to be particularly well dreffed, files corredl, arrrs 

 carried, the rear ranks covering exacfly, and each ir.dividual 

 to have his juft attitude and pofition, before the fquad is or- 

 dered to move. Tiie march will be made by the right or 

 left flank, and a proper trained man will therefore conduft 

 it. The word di'.-lf:on may be given as a caution ; and at 

 iJie word march, each man fteps forward a full pace. The 

 recruit njuft not turn his head to the hand to which he is 

 dreffing, as a turning of the fhoulders would undoubtedly 

 follow. His elbows muft be kept fteady, without con- 

 llraint : if they are opened from lus body, the next man 

 muft be preffcd upon ; if they are cloied, there arifes an im- 

 proper diftance, which muft be filled up. In cither cafe, 

 waving on the march will take place, and if therefore to be 

 avoided. The going to the right, or left about, in march, 

 is not to be at firft praftifed, but the fquad is to halt, front 

 by command, and then march. As the being able to march 

 ftraight forward is of the utmoft conftquence, the officer 

 commanding the drill will take evei7 pains to perfeft his 

 fquad in it. For this purpofe, he will often go to the rear, 

 place himfelf behind the flank file which regulates the 

 inarch, and take a point or objeft exaftly in front of that 

 file. He will then command, march ; and remaining in his 

 place, will direft the advance of the fquad, by keeping the 

 flank file always in a line with the objeft. It is alfo from 

 behind he will fooneft perceive the leaning back of a (houi- 

 der, or the bringing it forward ; faults which ought inftantly 

 to be reftified, as produftive of the worft confequence in 

 a line, where one man, by bringing forward a fhoulder, may 

 change the diredion of the naurth, and oblige the wing of 



BAT 



a battalion to run, in order to keep dreffed. In fhort, it is 

 irnpoffible to labour too much at making the foldier march 

 ftraight forward, keeping always the fame front as when he 

 ftepped off. This is cff'edled by moving folely from the 

 haunches, keeping the body fteady, the (lio'dders fquare, 

 and the head to the front ; and will without difficulty be at- 

 tained by a ftridl attention to the rules for marching, and a 

 careful obfervance of an equal length of ftep, and an equal 

 cadence or time of march. 



Changing from ordinary to quick time, and from quick 

 to ordinary, muft always be TJreceded by a halt. Although 

 this may not appear elfcntial for the movements of a divifion 

 or batl;;lion, it is abfolutely fo for thofe of a larger body, 

 and is therefore required in fmall ones. Turning on the 

 march, in order to continue it, though inaccurate and im- 

 proper for a large body, is neceffary, and muft often be 

 allowed, in the movements of fmall divifions in file or front, 

 when connefted with others in line or column. As helps 

 for fixing the true cadence of the march, the plummet muft 

 often be reforted to. The words /•//, right, may, when, 

 neceffary, be repeated ; fiowly for ordinary, and more rapidly 

 for quick time. Strong taps of the drum, regulated by the 

 plummet, maybe allowed to be given immediately before the 

 word march, to imprint the required meafure on the mind 

 of the recruit ; but they are on no account, or in any fitu- 

 ation, to be given during the march. 



X. Open and clofe Order, on March. The fquad, when 

 moving to the front in ordinaiy time, receives the v. ord. 

 Rear rants take open order ; on which the front rank conti- 

 nues its march without altering the pace, and the centre 

 and rear ranks mark the time, viz. the centre once, and fteps 

 oft" at the fecond pace ; the rear rank moving forward on the 

 third. On the word Rear ranks take clofe order, the centre 

 and rear ranks ftep nimbly up to clofe order, and inftantly 

 refume the pace at which the firft rank has continued to 

 march. 



XI. March in File to a Flank. The accuracy of the 

 march in file is fo effential in all deployments into line, and 

 in the internal movements of the divifions of the battalion, 

 that the foldier cannot be too much exercifed to it. The 

 whole battahon, as well as its divifions, is required to make 

 this flank movement, without the leaft opening out, or 

 lengthening of the file, and in pcrfeA cadence and equality 

 of ftep. After facing, and at the word march, the whole 

 fquad fteps off at the fame inftant, each replacing, or rather 

 overftepping the foot of the man before him, i. e. the right 

 foot of the lecond man comes within the left foot of the 

 firft, and thus of every one ; more or lefs overlapping, ac- 

 cording to the clofenefs or opennefs of the files, and the 

 length of ftep. The front rank will marcli ftraight along 

 the given line, each foldier of that rank looking along the 

 necks of thofe before him ; never to the right or left ; other- 

 wife a waving of the march will take place, and of courfe 

 the lofs and extenfion of line and diftance, whenever the 

 body returns to its proper front. The centre and rear ranks 

 muft look to, and regulate themfclves by their leaders of the 

 front rank, and always drefs in their file. Although file 

 marching is generally in quick, yet it muft alfo be praftifcd 

 in ordinary time. The above pofition of feet takes place in 

 all marching in front, where tlie ranks are clofe, and locked 

 up. With a little attention and praftice, this mode of 

 marching, apparently fo difficult, will be found by every 

 foldier to be eafier than the common method of marching 

 by files, when, on every halt, the rear muft run up to gain 

 the ground it has unneceffarily loft. 



XII. Wheeling in File. The fquad, when marching in 

 file, muft be accuftoined to wheel its head to either flank ; 



each 



