Modern Manuel of Military Manoeuvres Under G2R

8/7/2019 Modern Manuel of Military Manoeuvres Under G2R

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Modern Manuelof

Military ManoeuvresUnder HR H G 2R

Assembled by observations of His Royal Higness recrea ted army

And diverse period treatisesBy Captain Stephens,

3/60 th regiment of Royal Americans.

Montreal, Lower Canada

A.D. MMVII


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Modern Manuel of Military Manoeuvres.Stephens, MMVII

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TABLE of CONTENTS__________________________________________________________

Advertisement ....3Introduction ...4

Assembly ....6Inspection ...7Marching ...10Field Evolutions ...11Battalions ..22Sustaining sections .......34Sources ..37

Glossary .38A note on giving orders ...40

Note : Latest revision 2 Decembre 2007.

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ADVERTISEMENT__________________________________________________________

he author would like to point out that he isbut the compiler and writer of the findings

made by many others. The present is, in fact, awork in progress. If the reader finds periodsources that corroborate, add to or would modifythe information within, please contact the authorso he can include these findings in furthereditions. The author wishes to thank, for services

already rendered to H RH forces :

His Lordship Thomas Nesbitt, Captain Christian Cameron, Captain Christopher Cook, Captain James Parillo,

And last, but not the least, the authors mentor,

Lt-Colonel Horst Dresler.

In service of HRH recreated forces,

Captain Stephens,Prevosts Coy of Royal Americans.www.reenacting.net/60thRAR/

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__________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION__________________________________________________________

t has been noticed that when a great army of His Royal Highness assembles, the cohesion

of its troops evolutions on the field are putthrough duress. Well intentioned officers havedone their best to train their soldiers in theManual of Arms and to have them go throughthe evolutions studied in the diverse treatisesavailable in this modern age. I have everyconfidence that their exemplary tutelage was

most efficient, but sadly in many cases, notshared by the other captains of the army. It is inan effort to harmonize the tutelage of these fineofficers that this manual has been assembled. Inso doing, the author has taken some liberties tochange the formulation of some commands tokeep with a certain logic instead of solely relying

on plain memory to find the proper commands tocall out.

I

It is a sad truth that most of us do not have theleisure to practice ordering companies aroundregularly and that the men we command areoften even more at a loss than we are when tryingto figure out how they are supposed to respondto the orders called out. To remedy thissituation, within this text, every care has beentaken to make clear in print what is expected to

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be understood by the officers and subalterns

reading it. The words in italics refer to the termsin the Glossary, order action markers are in boldlettering and Exempli Gratia are given to guidethe commanding officer in the calling out of orders. Where it was deemed necessary, sketcheswere made to accompany the text.

Soldiers who will go through with these

manoeuvres should be familiar withCumberlands 1757 Manual of Arms. Notionsmight be mentioned here which will not bedescribed within these pages. Please refer to theExercise of Foot previously mentioned.

A last warning : the reader should consider thiswork only as an introduction. There is no betterway to perceive the military mind of the XVIII th century than to read their thoughts on the subjectas written in the many period treatises that arestill accessible today.

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__________________________________________________________

ASSEMBLY__________________________________________________________

hen assembly is beat, soldiers willpresent themselves facing their officersand colours. The corporal will take

position to the right of the formation and act asright marker of the first rank. He is to stand atthe Poise , to make himself noticed, until orderedotherwise. The other soldiers are to assemble intwo ranks to his left and behind him.

W

The men are to stand in close order , which is tosay the distance between the soldiers in a rank should be that of the point of the elbow when thefist is held at the hip. A soldier should stand at adistance behind another so he can lay his handupon the shoulder of the soldier preceding himwhile his arm is out stretched or one pace (24).(Source : Cum57)

Company and officers on parade (Cum57)

D C

L

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cpl cpl

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INSPECTION__________________________________________________________

nspections may be called for at any timeor whim of the commanding officer.Usually this will be the first thing done

upon assembly. To be inspected, the troopsshould be in open order , an arms length betweenfiles and 6 paces between ranks. If not, they willbe ordered to do so. E.G. Company will takeopen order MARCH! Upon this order themen will outstretch their right arm and shuffle tothe left until the soldier to their right can only bereached by their fingers. When the left-mostsoldier in the rear rank has completed themanoeuvre, the commander calls : Rear Rank!Take your distance! Upon which the rear rank does a right -about face, marches 5 paces to therear (Cum 57) and does a final right -about toface front . If there is not enough space, the NCOshould position himself with his halberd toreduce this distance.

I

The inspecting officer should have the menRecover their firelocks and then Open pansand half-cock, the latter stated in the order to besure the soldiers do so, as in the prime and load

sequence (Cum.57). The officer should thenhave the men Shut pans, at which they will casttheir muzzles about and reach for their rammers.The officer will call Draw rammers to which

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the men will draw their rammers and insert them

in their muzzles leaving only 12 out. As theofficer goes through the ranks we will callRam! to each soldier as he desires them to doso. As soon as each soldier has done this he willcount 1, 2 and then draw out his rammer andinsert it in the pipes leaving the head 2 out.Once the inspecting officer has completed this

part of the inspection, he will order Returnrammers.

The men will then be ordered to Poise to easethe officers inspection of the lock. The officerwill inspect the tightness of the flint andflashguard, the presence of a hammer stall andthe holding capacity of the half-cock bydepressing the trigger.

The final step is to inspect the mens cartridges.The officer should have the men Shoulder andthen order them to Open cartridge boxes so hecan inspect random cartridges for size (# of grains) and proper construction. The soldiers areto remain still while the officer goes through theranks, using their right hand to keep the flap of their cartridge box open. All that remains is toorder the men to Close cartridge boxes!

The company may now be ordered to closeorder . This is done in one direct manoeuver.Upon the Company will Close order

MARCH! the front rank will shuffle to the rightuntil every man is within the correct distance of about 12 (men touching the soldier next to themif they raise their right elbow while keeping their

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fist on their hips), as the rear rank marches to the

front by 5 paces and take their proper spacing asthey are moving, aligning themselves on their fileleaders (Blands).

Company Closing Ranks

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__________________________________________________________

MARCHING__________________________________________________________

march is always begun with the left foot.Eyes of the soldiers are looking in thedistance towards where they are facing.

The cadence should be approximately of 75 pacesa minute and every soldier should be in step withthe others. If a drummer is present, he shouldbeat the left step; otherwise, the right marker should call it once in a while to keep everyone instep.

A

According to Blands 59, field evolutions,specifically when troops are called upon tomarch , fire or wheel , ranks should be in closeorder.

S

D

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cpl cpl

and / or

Company on parade march.

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In the absence of better source material, the

author suggests two methods to modify the speedof the troops. The first is to change the stepdistance. The normal step distance on the march is of 24; and the Half Step is of 12. E.G. Half STEP! and to return to the norm call :MARCH!

The second is to change the pace cadence.

Quick MARCH! should be beat at 120 beats aminute while Slow MARCH! should be beat at60 beats a minute. The drummer should adjustto conform.

When the formation has to cross unevenground, an obstacle or if they are to trek in theruff, the commanding officers may have thesoldiers dispence from walking in step. This isdone by ordering : Route STEP!

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FIELD EVOLUTION__________________________________________________________

oving a company around a battlefield isno easy task without all involved beingfamiliar with the proper commands and

the actions they will entail. All the followingmanoeuvres may be called in either direction :

left or right.

M

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To the right TURN!

The most simple way to have a company changedirection is the turn .

becomes

The turn is a quarter pivot done by each soldierwithin the formation, effectively changing thefront . When a turn is ordered, it will be called forin a certain direction. It is so basic that, in theDuke of Cumberlands Exercise of the Foot, theturn isnt even called, its implied. E.G. Tothe RIGHT! This last form should only beused on parade with practiced troops. Underfire, the soldiers need a time to respond after adirection is called. Giving the direction and thenthe order will make it easier on the soldier andreduce the risk of confusion on the field.

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To the right WHE EL!

The next evolution that should be endeavoredto master is the wheel .

The whole formation makes a turn towards thedirection mentioned. The soldier at the end of the first rank, standing to the side where thewheel has been called, will step in place while

slowly turning. All soldiers look out towards thesoldier at the outside end of the wheelingformation to keep in line with him. This endsoldier is the only one looking in towards thepivot point man.

It is practical for the troops to make sure theirright elbow keeps contact with the soldier next tohim, as in the close order description. Since onesoldier is unseen, as all troops are looking out, itis the only way the rank can maintain a semblanceof cohesion.

Soldiers in the rear rank should shuffle to theside as they are wheeling. The formation shouldkeep a clean rectangular shape through-out themanoeuvre. Troops will cease the wheel andcontinue marching only when the order :FR ONT will be called.

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To the right, centre WHEEL!

A centre wheel is a formation pivoting aroundthe centre-most soldier in the front rank. It is adifficult manoeuvre to accomplish, especially inthe heat of battle. To ease the cohesion of thismanoeuvre, the NCO should point out, beforegiving the order, which soldier is to be the pivotpoint. The soldiers, as in a normal wheel, should

look to the outside and keep contact with theirright elbow with the soldier next to him. Thedirection called is always that which the companyshould be striving to face.

To the right REAR WHEE L!

In some occasions, the C.O. might want to havetheir company to wheel to the rear. The principalis the same : the pivot point man is in the firstrank and all troops look outwards while they aremarching towards the rear.

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To the right INCLINE!

Troops March , keeping their proper facing butcross-stepping towards the direction called. Theformation going at a 45 o angle towards thedirection called. Troops will cease marching atan incline and continue marching when the order

: FR ONT will be called. (Source : Cum57)

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Company will march from ranks into files by the

right MARCH!

The file called out will march , the others face towards the proper direction and half-step to theposition of the file called out and then turn front ,when they get behind the forming file, uponwhich they shall proceed at the march . Thiscontinues until the whole formation is in one file.

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Company will Reform into two ranks to the

left REFOR M!

Called to break a file and reform troops rapidly.The lead soldier of the filing troops acts as Right (or left) Marker and the following troopsassemble to his left or right, according to the call,in close order .

To do so, the number of soldiers correspondingto the # of ranks called halt . The followingsoldiers incline towards the called direction untilthe next # of soldiers take their place as secondfile . Continue until no soldier remains.

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Company! Take care to perform street firing!

When the company is loaded, the order Frontrank, Make ready, Present, FIRE! will be given.The front rank will then retire by the flanks andreform behind the rear rank.

As the front rank is retiring, the following ranksare to march up 6 paces to take up the frontranks initial position. As soon as the retiring

rank is reformed, it will prime and load.In this way, the front rank is always loaded and

ready to give fire. If this manoeuvre is used withthree or more ranks, a company can maintainconstant fire upon the enemy. An effective tacticto quell rebellious civilians or natives in narrowpassages, hence its name.

This manoeuvre is deemed as essential tomaster by Grant in his Highland Discipline 57.

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Rear rank, to the left double your front...MARCH!

becomes

This to be done from Open Order . The rearrank is to march forward, taking the last 2 stepsto incline to the left and step in between thesoldiers in the first rank . (Source : Cum57)

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The next added for the newly implemented LightInfantry (sources pending) :

To be executed when marching parallel to theenemy, to cover more ground.

Take care to extend by 3 paces... MARCH!

The rear rank will halt and face the enemy.Further ranks, one by one will halt after havingmarched the distance called out and face theenemy. To improve the efficiency of thismanoeuvre, each halting rank will call outHALT! as they do so.

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__________________________________________________________

BATTALIONS__________________________________________________________

rom the start, the reader should understandthe different standards used for a battalionunder formation.

FIt is customary to field the companies in order

of seniority, the oldest company taking the rightor the lead.

Battalions are fielded, by default, as a numberof companies side by side. This is deemed theBattalion Front . When the battalion forms acolumn , it will have a front of one company, i.e.each company follows one after the other.

Orders given to a battalion will have allcompanies act as so many soldiers in formation.E.G. Battalion! To the right wheel, MAR CH!will have the whole battalion wheel as one entity.If the orders state by company, then each

company must, in turn, accomplish the calledorder.Its usually a good idea to have a battalion halt

before giving a more complex order. Eventhough HRH army is reputed to be the mostdisciplined and quiet within ranks, the noise of shuffling feet and equipment will probably drown

the commanders voice and prevent thecompanies from carrying out the ordersefficiently.

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Battalion! By company, form column, from the

right, MARCH!

4th 3rd 2nd 1st

Given when the battalion is marching in a

battalion front . The company at the side whichwas called (in this case the right) marches whilethe other companies will be ordered to turn towards the same side.

1st

__________________________________________________________

When the second company arrives in the spotthe front company has left, the company will beordered to turn front. E.G. Company! To thefront.. TURN!This will proceed with the following companies

until a column with a company front has beenformed.

4th 3rd 2nd

1st

4th

3rd

2nd

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1st

2nd

4th 3rd

Care must be taken to preserve the interval

between companies. This should happen easilyenough if the commanders of the companies notyet in column watch their charges so they do notbunch up or arrive too early at the point wherethey will turn.

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

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Battalion! Take care to form battalion. To the

left, form BATTALION!

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

The lead company halts as the followingcompanies turn towards the called direction.These companies continue marching until theyhave reached a proper distance beyond the firstcompany. As they get to their battalion positions,they are to turn front and take their properpositions in the battalion front .

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

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2nd

1st

3rd

4th

__________________________________________________________

4th 3rd 2nd 1st

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Battalion! Take care to form battalion. To the

left wheel, form BATTALIO N!

1st

In order for this evolution to be executed

properly, and in proper order, the intervalsbetween companies must have been maintained.Each company simply wheels to the directioncalled to form the battalion front .

1st

4th

3rd

2nd

4th

2nd

3rd

becomes

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Battalion! Take care to form battalion. Bycompany, to the right wheel, formBATTALION!

1st

2nd

3rd

Being called by company, each company will, inturn, execute a wheel to bring them in battalionfront . Upon the order, the first company is towheel right and move but a few paces out of theoncomming columns way before halting. Thecolumn moves through and, as soon as the secondcompany is in the proper position past the first, it

also wheels to take its place in the battalion front .

4th

3rd

2nd

1st

4th

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Once all companies have wheeled and halted, the

battalion is presenting a proper front.

4th

3rd

2nd

1st

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Battalion! Take care to form column, from the

right. By company, to the left wheel, MAR CH!

1st

The first company marches but a few pacesbefore wheeling left to pass before the waitingbattalion front . As it goes past the secondcompany, this company does the same, advancingand wheeling to fall in behind the first.

Company commanders will have, again, to takecare to maintain intervals between companies to

permit wheeling into another formation. Theremaining companies will continue as the firsthave done until they all are in a column of acompany front.

2nd1st

3rd4th

2nd4th 3rd

2nd1st 4th3rd

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Battalion! Take care to form a square, FORM

SQUARE!

While marching in column , if an attack comesfrom multiple directions, as it often happens inthis North-American campaign, companies are toform a square to defend from all sides assuggested by Bland, Grant and others.

The first company halts as the second company

wheels right. The rest of the column to march until the third company reaches the right positionto wheel left to cover the left flank. Upon this,the fourth is to halt.

2nd

1st 4th

3rd

2nd

1st 4th3rd

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

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All that remains is to face the last company to

the rear so they can cover the battalions route of retreat.Officers and colours will take position in the

center, while serjeants take the corner to theright of their company.

The square has a few variations. If more than

four companies form the battalion, thecommander may want to expand the front or thesides of the square to form an oblong square.The easy way to do this is to keep the followingcompanies wheeling left and right as they arriveto elongate the square. Grant has a particularway of putting together what he calls the hollowsquare and Bouquet adapted it to the situation hewas in at the Battle of Bushy Run in 1763. Thereare plenty of examples that this formation wasknown, practised and used.

It is good to note that, whichever formation ischosen, Blands suggests to put sustainingcompanies within the square. See the Sustainingsection.

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Battalion! By company, from the right, advance

by files, MARCH !

______________________________

4th 3rd 2nd 1st

4th 3rd 2nd 1st

Each company marches off, from the right, fromranks into files, keeping the same front . Thisman uvre is ideal to cross rough terrain quickly.

To reform :Battalion! Take care to reform battalion,

FORM BATTALION!

Each company reforms into its original numberof ranks.

(CCMM, 1781)

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_________________________________________________________

SUSTAINING _________________________________________________________ he wise general, being confronted with along battle, or risk of being harassed bycavalry, will surely want to take measures to

keep sustained fire and yet, permit his troops to

maintain their arms by giving them a rest once ina while. This can be done easily in the closequarters of a defile or a street with street firing .This measure can be adapted to a battalion.Bland recommends this tactic specifically whenforming a square. He places extra sections,primed and loaded within the square to sustainthe outsides. The commander will have to keepspacing to permit passage of retiring sectionsthough.

Rear company will sustain the front!

To start with, the two companies should be onebehind the other at a proper distance. Thisdistance should be equal to the front of the rearcompany.

The company to the fore will be ordered toCompany will retire, from the flanks, by files,MARCH! while the rear company will be

ordered to march.

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The fore companys men face outwards andmarch. The flank men, after having taken twopaces, turn rear and retire by files.

As soon as they have past the rear company, theleaders of the retiring files incline to the centreonly two paces to mark the flanks of thereforming company.

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When the commander orders the halt , the

advancing company halts and so do the retiringfile leaders. The following file-men continuetheir incline m arch and fill in the gap between thefile leaders.

Halt

_________________________

Halt Halt

The only thing remaining is for the new rear

company to face front and they are then free topick their vents, brush pans and see to theirflintlocks. All the while, if the enemy takesadvantage of the manoeuvre to try and charge,they will have to face the already primed andloaded advancing company. A dreadfull thoughtindeed!

FINIS

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__________________________________________________________

SOURCES__________________________________________________________Exercice for the Foot, 1757,

HRH Duke of Cumberland.Historical Arms Series no.42 from theMuseum Restoration Service.

Concise Compendium of Military Manoeuvres,1781

Military Treatise, 1759, Webb

New Highland D iscipline, 1757, George G rant

Science of Military Posts, 1761, de La Cointe

System of Camp Discipline, 1760

Treatise of Military Discipline, 8 th edition,1759

Humphrey Bland

Turn Evolution, 20 th cent., Tom Nesbitt

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_________________________________________________________

GLOSSARY_________________________________________________________CO : Commanding officer, Lieutenant or Captain for a

company. Batta lions should be under thecommand of a Major at the very least.

NCO : Non-commissioned officer, specifically, serjeants orcorporals. Those under whose direct responsibilitythe soldiers fall under. Often those who commandsections.

E.G. : Exempli Gratia : used as exemple.Battalion : A regroupment of 2 to 10 companies.Battalion front : Each company formed one next to the

other, facing front, in order of seniority.Close order : see p.9Column : Battalion formed in a file, one company following

the other. See Battalion section.Colours : The companys flag(s). Usually carried by an

Ensign.Company : The soldiers serving under a captain. The basic

field unit. Composed of 25 to 100 men.Face : The direction the soldiers should be looking at.File : Line of soldiers standing behind one another.Flank : The side ofFront : The width of the first rank (frontage); also the

direction of the enemy; also the current directionwhen already on the march.

Halt : Soldiers come to a halt, the last step taken from theright. Soldiers keep their formation and positionof arms.

Incline : see p.15March : see p.10

Open order : see p.7Pace : The distance traveled by raising one foot and

bringing it down. Approximately 24. (Source :Cum57)

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Poise : see Cumber lands 1757. Holding up the firelock straight before the soldier.

Rank : Line of soldiers standing next to one another.Rear : The furthest from the front or towards the direction

opposed to the front .Recover : see Cumberlands 1757. Holding the firelock

before the right breast, with two hands, the barrelinwards.

Rest firelocks : see Cumberland 57. Firelock at the hip,muzzle slightly foreward.

Rest upon : see Cumberland 57. Firelock held before thesoldier, butt upon the ground.

Right-about Face : Turning in the direction opposite to thefront by the right.

Right marker : The right-most soldier in the first rank.Most evolutions and formations are to be alignedwith him.

Section : A sub-division of a company . About 15-30 men.

Street firing : see p.18Square : Defensive formation were men are facing all sides

at once. see p .31Wheel : see p.13Wing : A sub-division of a battalion . At least 2 companies.

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_________________________________________________________

A note on giving orders_________________________________________________________The key to smooth responses from the company

you are commanding is calling orders in a clearand strong voice. Do not expect the soldiers toguess what you wanted to say, this leads to

interpretation. If soldiers start interpreting, theunit cohesion will suffer because nothinggarantees they will all interpret the same thing!

Commanding officers should strive to give theirorders in a standard way, each time using thesame formulation. If the troops are alreadymarching orders should be called as is. E.G. Tothe right INCLINE ! The order March Shouldonly be given if the troops are not alreadymarching . Troops at the halt will only execute theorder called when told to march . E.G. To theright incline MARCH!

If want to give every chance to your company toexecute the order cleanly, give them forewarning.E.G. Take care to incline To the rightINCLINE! This works well because you are, infact, calling the orders twice, giving a furtheroccasion for the hard of hearing to understand

what you want him to do.

Modern Manuel of Military Manoeuvres Under G2R

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