BAT 



BAT 



eacli file following in fiicceflion, without lofiiig or increafing 

 <i;ftance. On this occafion, each file makes its feparate 

 wheel, on a pirot moveable in a verj' fmall degree, but with- 

 out altering its time of march, or the eves of the rear ranks 

 being turned from their front rank. The front rank men, 

 whether pivot-men or not, muft keep up to their diftance ; 

 - and the wheeling men mull take a vei^ extended ftep, and 

 lofe no time in moving on. 



XIII. OM'tQve Marching In Front. WTien the fquad is 

 marching in front, and receives the word to the r'l^ht oblique, 

 each man, the {irft time he raifes the right foot, will, inftead 

 of throwing it ftraight forward, carry it in the diagonal di- 

 reftion, as has been already explained in $ 8. of the drill 

 without arms ; taking care not to alter the pofition of his 

 body, fhoulders, or head. The grcatetl attention is to be 

 paid to the (hculders of every man in the fquad, that they 

 remain parallel to the line on which they firll were placed, 

 and that the right (houlders do not fall to the rear, which 

 thty are very apt to do in obliquing to the right, and which 

 immediately changes the direction of the front. On the 

 word foriuard, the incline ceafes, and the whole march 

 forward. In obliquing to the left, the fame rules are to be 

 obfei-ved, with the difference of the left leg going to the 

 left, and attention to keeping up the left ihoulder. The 

 fame inftructions that are given for ordinary time, fcrve alfo 

 for quick time ; but this movement, though it rrjay be made 

 by a fmall divifion, cannot be required from a larger body. 

 Obliquing to the right is fometimes to be praSifed with eyes 

 to the left ; and obliquing to the left, with eyes to the 

 right ; as being abfolutely neceffary on many occafions : 

 for if one of the battalions of a line in advancing be ordered 

 to oblique to the right or to the left, the eyes rauft ftill con- 

 tinue turned towards its centre. 



XIV. Oblique Marching in File. In obliquing to the 

 right or left by files, the centre and rear rank men will con- 

 tinue looking to their leaders of the front rank. Each file 

 is to confider itftlf as a rank entire, and is to preferve the 

 fame front, and pofition of the flioulders, during the oblique, 

 as before it began. This being a very ufeful movement, re- 

 cruits are to be often praftifed in it. 



XV. IVhe^Uiig forward from tb: Halt. The direflions 

 already given for the wheeling of a fingle rank, are to be 

 ftriftly attended to in this wheel of the fquad. On the word 

 right, or left '■j.'heel, the rear ranks, if at one pace diftance, 

 lock up. At . the v.ord march, the whole ftep together in 

 the quickefl time, and the rear ranks, during the wheel, in- 

 cline fo as to cover their proper front raiik men. At tiie 

 word halt, the whole remain perfeftly fteady. 



XVI. Whcdir.g baclivard. The fquad muft be much 

 praclifed in wheeling backward in the quickeft time. In 

 this wheel, the rear ranks may preferve their diftance of one 

 pace from each other. Great attention ftiould be paid to 

 prevent the recruits from fixing their eves on the ground. 



XVII. Wheeling from the March. The direitions for 

 wheeling on a halted, and on a moveable pivot, have already 

 been given under the drill without arms. The fquad (hould 

 liow be praftifed in both, until thoroughly confirmed in thofe 

 movements. 



XVIII. Stepping out, Sec. The fquad muft^ likewife be 

 praftifcd \n flipping out, Jleppingfhort, marking time, changing 

 the feet, the fide ftep, and flipping back ; the inftructions 

 for which have been fully detailed in the firll pan of the 

 <lrill. 



It can neither be too ftrongly inculcated, nor too often 

 remembered, that upon the corredl equality of march, efta- 

 bliHied and praftifed by all the troops of the fame army, 

 eveiT jiill movement and manceuvre depend. If this is not 



attended to, difunion and cor.mfioa will neceffarily take 

 place on the junction of fcveral battalions in corps; al- 

 though, taken individually, each may be in moft refpects 

 well trained. It is in the original inftruclion of the recruit 

 and fquad, that this great point is to be laboured at and 

 attained. The time and length of ftep, on all occafions, 

 are prefcribed. The time is infallibly afcertained by the 

 frequent corrections of the plummet, which, when lo ap- 

 plied, will foon give to each man that habitual meafure fo 

 much defired. Every driller muft therefore have it at hand ; 

 and, as already obfcrved, before any fquad or larger body 

 is put in march, five or fix ftrong taps of the drum may be 

 given, in exacl time, as regulated by the plummet, which 

 will imprint the true meafure on each ear, and prepare for 

 taking an accurate ftep at the word march. The length of 

 ftep is only to be acquired by repeated trial ; and therefore, 

 before the recruit is put in motion, each inftruftor (hould 

 afcertain the fpace on which he is to drill his m.en ; he wSl 

 therefore (fuppofing that he himfelf is accuiate in his paces, 

 and that there is ground for that purpofe) mark out an ob- 

 long fquare of forty paces by twenty or thirty, the corners 

 of which he will afcertain by halberts, ftones, or any other 

 \'ifible manner. Along the fides of this figure he will march 

 the pivot flank of his fquad, making correct wheeh and halts 

 at the angles. The time of march being exatlly afceitained, 

 he will then fee that the fides of the oblong are gone over at 

 the known number of Heps ; and if there be any inaccuracy, 

 he will lengthen or (horten the ftep, till the fquad marches 

 with the iitmoft precifion, every man preferving his juft po- 

 fition, and all the other indifpenfible attentions in marching 

 being ftriclly obfcrved. Where there is a fufSciency of 

 ground, the fquads will occafionally march over larger 

 fpaces ; but the diilances (hould in the fame manner be es. 

 actly determined, fo that there may be no doubt as to the 

 true length of the ftep. In proportion to the ftrength of 

 fquads or drills, one or more formed fcldiers (hould accom- 

 pany each, to march on the flank, give diftances, and in other 

 points regulate the motions of the drill. 



Formation and Exercife of the Platoon, or Company. 

 The recruit being thoroughly grounded in all the preced- 

 ing parts of the drill, is now to be inftrufted in the move- 

 ments of the platoon, as a more immediate preparation for 

 his joining the battalion. For this purpofe, from ten to 

 twenty files are to be alFembled, formed, and told off in the 

 following manner, as a company in the battalion. 



I. The platoon falls in three ranks, at clofe order, with 

 (houldered arms ; the files lightly touching, but without 

 crowding. Each man will then occupy a fpace of about 

 2 2 inches. The commander of the platoon takes poil on 

 the right of the front rank, covered by a ferjeant in the 

 rear rank. The other ferjeants will form a fourth, or fu- 

 pemumerarj' rank, three paces from the rear rank. The 

 platoon will be told off into fubdiviCons, and, if of fufli- 

 cient ftrength, into four fcdions ; but as a fection (hould 

 never be lefs than five tiles, it will often happen that, for the 

 purpofes cf march, three fedions only can be formed. 

 The four beft-trained folditrs arc to be placed in the front 

 rank, on the right and left of each fubdivifion. When thus 

 formed, the platoon will be praftifed in opening and clofing 

 of ranks ; drcfllng to the front, to the rear, or in an oblique 

 direftion, by the right or left ; and exercifed in the feveral 

 motions of the firelock. Clofe order is the chief and pri- 

 marj' order in which the battalion and its parts at all times 

 alTemble and form. Open order is only regarded as an ex- 

 ception from it, and occafionally ufed in fituations of parade 

 and (hew. In clofe order, the rear ranks are clofed up to 

 within one pace j the length of which is to be taken from 



the 



