LINE. 



JLlNB, To, from the French aligner, is to drefs any given 

 body of men, fo that every individual part niiill be fo difpofed 

 as to form colleftively a llraight continuity of points from 

 centre to flanks. 



Lime of March, denotes tlie orderly fiicceffiori of the 

 component parts of an army that is put in motion. 



Lines of March, are bodies of armed men marching in 

 given points to arrive at any ftraight alignment on whicii 

 they are to form. The line is faid to be well drejfd, when 

 no part is out of the ftraight alignment. That this may 

 be effefted, at the word drsfs, which is given by the com- 

 mander, it is immediately to commence from the centre of 

 each battalion, the men looking to their own colours, and 

 the correiSing officers lining them upon the colours of their 

 next adjoining battalion. 



LiiiiE-firings are executed feparately and independently 

 by each battalion. 



L.1SE of Fire. See Fire. 



Line, To form the, is to arrange the troops in order of 

 battle, or battle array. 



Line, Inverfion of the, is a manoeuvre which is effefted 

 by facing a batcahon or line to the right about, inftead of 

 changing its pofition by a countermarch ; fometimcs it may 

 be neceflary to form to a flank with its rear in front. The 

 column, with its line in front, may arrive on the left of its 

 ground, and be obliged immediately to form up and fupport 

 that point, fo that the right of the Ime will become the left. 

 Part of a fecond line may double round on the extremity of 

 a firft line, thereby to outflank an enemy. Thefe, and 

 various other movements, may be found neceflary, and they 

 can only be praftifed with fafety and expedition by the in- 

 verhon of the line. 



Lines, Retiring, denote bodies of armed men that have 

 advanced againlt an oppoling enemy in order of battle, with- 

 drawing themfelves with regularity from the immediate 

 Iccne of aftion. On this occallon, it is of the greateft 

 moment, that the line fhould be corre&ly drefled before 

 it faces to the right about ; and the battalions will prepare 

 for the retreat in the manner prefcribed for the fingle one, 

 by receiving the caution, that "the line will retire." 



Lines of Support, are lines of attack, which are formed to 

 fupport one another. If there are feveral, the fecond fliould 

 oiitflank the firfl:, the thkd the fecond, the advanced one 

 being thereby ilrengthenra and fupported on its outward 

 wing. 



To Line Men. Ofiicers and non-commiflSoneJ officers 

 are faid to line the men belonging to their feveral battalions, 

 divKioris, or companies when they arrive at their drafling 

 points, and receive the word drefs from the commander of 

 the whole. When a fingle battalion halts, it is dreffed or 

 lined on its right centre company, and muft, of courfe, be 

 in a ftraight hne. When feveral battalions drefs from the 

 centre of each on its next colour, the general line will be 

 ftraight, provided all the colours have halted regularly 

 in a hne. On thefe occafions, every thing will depend upon 

 the two centre dreffes of each battalion. 



To Line a Coafl, under the immediate prefllire of invafion, 

 requires not only great ability and exertion in the com- 

 manding officer of the particular diftriA againft which an 

 inf.ilt may be offered, but itis moreover necelfary, that every 

 individual officer in the different corps fhould minutely at- 

 tend to the particular fpot on which he may be llationed. 

 The Englifli coaft, efpecially where there are bays, isalmoft 

 always interfered by narrow paffes through the rocks or 

 fand-hills. On this account, when any body of men re- 

 ceives orders to line a fpecifitd extent of ground, the cfficers 

 who are entruited with the feveral parts of a battalion or 



brigade, (hould take care to make the moll of their men, 

 and to extend their files in fuch a manner, as not only to 

 prefent an impofing front from the crown of the hill, bul 

 to be able, at a moment's warning, to carry their whole 

 ftrength to prevent the enemy from getting upon the flanks 

 by fuddenly rufliing up the gap. Much coolnefs is required 

 on thefe occalions. 



To Line Hedges, izjc. to plant troops, artillery-, or fmall 

 arms, along them under their cover, to fire upon an enemy 

 that advances openly, or to defend them from the horfe, 

 &c. 



To Line a Street or Road, is to draw up any number of 

 men on each fide of the ilreet or road, and to face them in- 

 wards. This is frequently praftifed on days of ceremony, 

 when fome diftinguifhed perfon is received with mihtary 

 honours on his way throiigh places where troops are 

 ftationed. 



Line, To Ircak the, is to change the direction from that 

 of a ftraight line, in order to obtain a crofs-fire. 



Line, Turning out of the. The line turns out without 

 arms whenever the general commanding in chief comes along 

 the front of the camp. When the line turns out, the 

 private men are drawn up in a fine with the bells-of-arms ; the 

 corporals on the right and left of their refpedive companies ; 

 the picquet forms behind the colours, with their accoutre- 

 ments on, but without arms. The ferjeants draw up one 

 pace in the front of the men, dividing themfelves equally. 

 The officers draw up in ranks according to their commiffions, 

 in the front of the colours ; tvi-o cnfigns taking hold of the 

 colours. The iield-ofScers advance before the captains. 

 The camp -colours on the flanks of the parade are to be 

 ftruck, and planted oppofite to the bells-of-arms ; the 

 officers' fpontoons are to be placed between the colours, 

 and the drums piled up behind them ; the halberts are to be 

 planted between and on each fide the bells-of-arms, and the 

 hatchets turned from the colours. 



Line, or Line of Battle, in Naval Tallies, is applied to 

 the difpofition of a fleet on the day of engagement ; on 

 which occafion the veflels are ufually drawn up as much as 

 poffible, in a ftraight line, as well to gain and keep the 

 advantage of the wind, as to run the fame board. See 

 Eng.^gexient. 



This right hne, or long file, is prolonged from the keel 

 of the hindmoft to that of the foremoft, and paflTes longi- 

 tudinally through the keels of all the others, from the van 

 to the rear ; fo that they are, according to the fea-phrafe, 

 in the wake of each other. In the line, or order of battle, 

 all the fliips of which it is compofed are clofe hauled, upon 

 the ftarboard or larboard tack, about fifty fathoms diftant 

 from each other. When a fleet is drawn up in line, in pre- 

 fence of an enemy, it fhould be formed in fuch a manner • 

 as that the fhips may mutually fuftain and reinforce each 

 other, and yet preferve a fufficient fpace in their Rations, to 

 work or direft their movements with facility during, the 

 aftion. The line clofe -hauled is peculiarly chofen as the 

 order of battle, becaufe, if the fleet, which is to windward, 

 were arranged in any other line, the enemy might foon gain 

 the weather-gage of it ; and even if he thinks it expedient 

 to dechne that advantage, it will yet be in his power to 

 determine the dillance between the adverle fleets in an en- 

 gagement, and to compel the other to adlion. The fleet to 

 leeward, being in a line clofe-hauled, parallel to the enemy, 

 can more readily avail itfelf of a change of the wind, or of 

 the ncgleft of its adverfary, fo as to get to windward of 

 him ; or, at lealV, fo as to avoid coming to adion, if the 

 enemy is much fupcrior, or to prevent him from efcaping, 

 if he fhould attempt it. Belides, in this order, the fails of 



each 



