S. 28. Manual Exercife.

According to Regulation.

S. 29. Platoon Exercife.

According to Regulation.

S. 30. 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 inftructed at clofed ranks in firing.

Direct to their front.

Obliquely to the right and left.
By files.

S. 31.

Fig. 2.

Caution.

Marching to the Front and Rear.

The fquad, or divifion, is to be particularly well dreffed; files correct; arms carried; the rear ranks covering exactly, and each individual to have his just attitude and pofition before the fquad is ordered to move. The march will be made by the right or left flank, and a proper trained man will therefore conduct it.The word Squad, or Divifion, may be given as a cau

March. tion; and at the word March, each man fteps forward a full pace.-The recruit muft not turn his head to the hand to which he is dreffing, as a turning of the fhoulders would undoubtedly follow.His elbows must be kept fteady, without conftraint; if they are opened from his body, the next man must be preffed upon; if they are clofed, there arifes an improper distance which must be filled up; in either cafe waving on the march will take place, and muft therefore be avoided.

Halt, front,
March.

Turning to the right or left, or about, in march, is not to be at first practised; but the fquad is to halt, front by command, and then march.

On many occafions where a body, great or small, after a movement to the rear, or in file, is immediately to refume its proper front; inftead of the words to halt, and face about, the word Halt front, as one command, will be given, when it is inftantly to face to its proper front in line. Nor in general should there be any fenfible pausé between the halt front of any body; and it is after fronting, that the dreffing, if neceffary, is ordered to take place.

As the being able to march ftraight forward is of the utmoft confequence, he who commands at the drill will take the greatest pains in making his fquad do fo;-For this purpose he will often go behind his fquad, or divifion, place himself behind the flank file by which the fquad is to move in marching, and take a point, or object, exactly in front of that file; he will then command March, and, remaining in his place, he will direct the advance of the fquad, by keeping the flank file always in a line with the object.It is alfo from behind, that one fooneft perceives the leaning back of the foldier, and the bringing forward or falling back of a fhoulder; faults which ought instantly to be rectified, as productive of the worst confequence

fequence in a line, where one man, by bringing forward a fhoulder, may change the direction of the march, and oblige the wing of a battalion to run, in order to keep dreffed.

In short, it is impoffible to labour too much at making the foldier march straight forward, keeping always the fame front as when he fet off.-This is effected by moving folely from the haunches, keeping the body fteady, the fhoulders fquare, and the head to the front; and will without difficulty be attained by a ftrict attention to the rules given 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 time, muft always be preceded by a previous, but inftantaneous balt; although this may not appear effential for the movements of a fquad, divifion, or battalion, it is abfolutely fo for thofe of a larger body, and is therefore required in fmall ones.

Right Turn.

Left Turn.

Turning on the march, in order to continue it, though inaccurate and improper for a large body, is neceffary, when companies, or their divifions, are moving in file, and that without halting it is eligible to make them move on in front; or when maving in front, it is proper without halting to make them move on in file.

As helps for fixing the true time, or cadence of the march, the plummet must be frequently reforted to; the words left, right, may when neceflary be repeated, slowly for ordinary time, and quicker for quick time.-Strong taps of the drum, if in just time, and regulated by the plummet, are alfo directed to be given immediately before the word March, thereby to imprint the required measure on the mind of the recruit; but they are on no account, or in any fituation, to be given during the march.

S. 32. Open, and Clofe Order, on the March.

Rear Ranks take Open Order.

Rear Ranks

take Clofe Order.

The fquad, when moving to the front in ordinary time, receives the word Rear Ranks take Open Order; on which the front rank continues its march, without altering the pace, and the center and rear ranks mark the time, viz. the center once, and steps off at the fecond step; the rear ftepping off on the third pace.

On the word Rear Ranks take Clofe Order, the center and rear ranks step nimbly up to close order, and instantly resume the pace, at which the front rank has continued to march.

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 exercised to it. The whole battalion, as well as its divifions, is required to make this flank movement without the leaft opening out, or lengthening of the file, and in perfect cadence, and equality of step.

To the-face
March.

After facing, and at the word March, the whole fquad fteps off at the fame inftant, each replacing, or rather overstepping the foot of the man before him; that is, the right foot of the fecond man comes within the left foot of the firft, and thus of every one, more or lefs over-lapping, according to the clofenefs, or openness of the files, and the length of step.-The

front

front rank will march ftraight along the given line, each foldier of that rank muft look along the necks of thofe before him, and never to right or left: otherwife a waving of the march will take place, and of courfe the lofs, and extenfion of the line, and distance, whenever the body returns to its proper front.--The center and rear ranks muft look to, and regulate themfelves by, their leaders of the front rank, and always drefs in their file.-Although file marching is in general made in quick time; yet it must also be practised, and made in ordinary time. The fame pofftion of feet, as above, takes place in all marching in front, where the ranks are clofe, and locked up.

With a little attention and practice this mode of marching, which appears fo difficult, will be found by every foldier to be easier than the common method of marching by files, when on every halt the rear must run up to gain the ground it has unneceffarily loft.

S. 34. Wheeling in File.

The fquad, when marching in file, must be accuftomed to wheel its head to either flank; each file following fucceffively, without lofing, or encreafing diftance.-On this occafion, each file makes its feparate wheel on a pivot moveable in a very fmall degree, but without altering its time of march, or the eyes of the rear ranks being turned from their front rank.-The front rank men, whether they are pivot men, or not, must keep up to their diftance, and the wheeling men must take a very extended step, and lofe no time in moving

on.

The