March (military)

“ Marches made parallel to the front of the enemy will generally be performed by the lines on which the army is encamped, each marching by its flank, and occupying when in march the same extent of ground as when formed in line. Marches made perpendicular to the front of the enemy, either advancing or retiring, will be covered by strong van or rearguards. The columns will be formed of considerable divisions of the army, each generally composed both of cavalry and infantry: they will move at half or quarter distance, and the nature of the country will determine which kind of force precedes. ”

“ After all is agreed upon, the army commences its march to the sound of drums, and is always preceded by several advanced parties, to guard against surprise. During the march, the infantry as well as the cavalry are on horseback; but on coming to action, the infantry dismounts and is regularly marshalled in companies and battalions. All the soldiers have to provide their own horses arms and provisions; and as all are liable to military service, no one has to contribute towards the supply of the army. ”

“ Marches and movements constitute so essential a branch in military tactics, that on them almost wholly depends the issue of a campaign. It is consequently expected, that every officer belonging to the senior department, should be able to calculate the march of a column under all the various and desultory circumstances which are attendant on the movements of troops. ”

“ A successful march, whether in peace or war, is one that places the troops at their destination at the proper time and in the best possible physical condition. Therefore, every possible effort, by exercising care and judgment, and by enforcing march discipline, must be made by all officers and noncommissioned officers to have the troops reach their destination in good physical condition,—"ready for business." ”

“ Nothing is more essential in all deployments into line, and in the internal movements of the divisions of the battalion, than the accuracy of the march in file. After facing, and at the word march, the whole are directed to step off at the same instant, each man replacing, or rather overstepping the foot of his preceding comrade: that is the right foot of the second man comes within the left foot of the first, and thus of every one, more or less overlapping, according to the closeness, or openness of the files and the length of step. ”

“ Your main body in this order of march will consist of the first infantry, of the second battalion of the 8th field artillery, of the third brigade, of signal company “D,” and of the four ambulance companies. Your main body should move out so as to come along behind the advance guard, so that the tail of the advance guard will be 1,000 yards ahead of the head of the main body itself. Wagon trains should move out so that they in turn will come along behind the main body, so that the head of the lead horses will be 1,000 yards behind the tail of the main body. ”

“ Keep closed up, and during the last mile of your march have your company sing some real snappy song, and they will come in in jubilant spirits. Keep the muzzles of your rifles always elevated on the march so that men marching in rear wont be bothered.
On the march the first halt is for 15 minutes taken after 45 minutes of marching. The men should be taught to use this time to adjust their clothing and equipment, and answer the calls of nature. Do not halt where there are houses, etc., on this first halt, as a great many men want to relieve themselves. ”

“ Besides, we vary the march with little operations scarcely to be called military: touching, or trying to touch, the floor with the tips of our fingers without bending our knees, making our elbows meet behind our backs, &c. ”

“ The marches of the artillery are, of all the operations of war, the most delicate; because they must not only be directed on the object you have in view, but according to the movements the enemy make. Armies generally march in 3 columns, the centre column of which is the artillery: should the army march in more columns, the artillery and heavy baggage march nevertheless in one or more of the centre columns ”

“ If your march should be through a country full of defiles, some cavalry and other light troops must march at the head of the columns, followed by a detachment of grenadiers and a brigade of artillery; cannon being absolutely necessary to obstruct the enemy’s forming into order of battle. ”

“ MARCH—and to halt the squad he commands: 1. Squad, 2. HALT.
In executing the setting-up exercises on the march the cadence should at first be given slowly and gradually increased as the men become more expert; some exercises require a slow and others a faster pace; it is best in these cases to allow the cadence of the exercise to determine the cadence of the step.
The men should march in a single file at proved intervals. The command that causes and discontinues the execution should be given as the left foot strikes the ground. ”

“ A little after day-break on the 21st, the troops were ordered to be in readiness to march at a moment's notice; but whether we were to be engaged in pursuing or combating the enemy, no one could tell. Appearances, however, were in favour of the latter; for, instead of marching at the expiration of the usual period allowed to intervene between the sounding of the warning-horn and the advance, we remained two hours in camp, waiting instructions, before we could move to perform our part in the grand drama of the day. ”

“ The march through the boyaux (communicating trenches) :
Distance; often as much three or four miles. Order of march: company in single file, captain at the head; each platoon leader at the head of his platoon; a non-commissioned officer at rear of each platoon. The column must be kept closed up. Each man must consider himself a connecting file, guiding on the head, and behave accordingly. A guide should accompany the commander of the last platoon. Rate of march: roughly, about 40 yards per minute. It takes 250 men about 20 minutes to pass a given point. ”

“ This movement is performed on the march, and must be begun at a distance behind the line, proportionate to the body which is to oblique and form. It may be applied to one battalion, but hardly to a more considerable body, which would find great difficulty in the execution. It gives a gradual increase of front during a progressive movement. With justness it can be made on a front division only, not on a central or rear one: in proportion as the leading platoon shortens its step, will the one behind it, and successively each other come up into line with it. ”

“ Troops that are seldom assembled for the manœuvres of war, can hardly feel the necessity of the modes in which a considerable body of infantry must march and move.
The distance of columns from each other, during a march, depends on the circumstances of ground, and the object of that march, with regard to future formations. The more columns in which a considerable corps marches, the less extent in depth will it take up, the less frequent will be its halts, and the more speedily can it form in order of battle to the front. ”

“ Formed in this manner, the whole corps moved from their bivouac in rear of Jaracejo, about eight o'clock in the evening of the 16th, towards the several points of attack. But a body of troops, when marching in the night, frequently meet with obstacles against which no human foresight can provide, particularly when cross roads, or difficult passes intersect, or branch out from the principal line of march. ”

“ The place of march of the artillery of the park and carriages will be specified in the order of march.
It is to be wished, that at all times each soldier be provided with 4 days bread in his haversack, and 4 days more carried in the regimental carriages. When this is delivered out, those carriages, under the guard of a serjeant and 4 men per battalion, and a corporal and 2 men per regiment of cavalry, will be sent to the bakery to be again loaded.
Each infantry soldier will always carry 20 rounds in his pouch, and 40 in his knapsack or magazine. Each horseman his cartouch box full. ”

“ As a rule, troops on the march pay no compliments; individuals salute when they address, or are addressed by, a superior officer.
1228. Protection on the march. Protection on the march is furnished by covering detachments known as advance guards, rear guards and flank guards.
1229. Fitting of shoes and care of feet. In view of the fact that the greater part of the Infantry soldier's occupation in the field consists of marching, too much stress cannot be laid upon the importance of his paying special attention to the fitting of his shoes and the care of his feet. ”

“ To March forward or advance in line, when the battalion has been halted and correctly dressed—Is to step off, according to any given word of command, in quick or ordinary time, and to march over a perpendicular line of direction, without deviating to the right or left, or unnecessarily opening or closing during the movement ”

“ The front rank will march straight along the given line, each soldier of that rank must look along the necks of those before him, and never to right or left. The centre and rear ranks must look to, and regulate themselves by their leaders of the front rank, and always dress in their file. File marching is always made in quick time.
March of a battalion in line, is a regular continuity of files advancing forward in two or three ranks, each rear file preserving a perpendicular direction to its leader, and the ranks being kept parallel to each other at given distances ”

“ Night marches; advance and rear guards. Long night marches should be made only over well-defined routes. March discipline must be rigidly enforced. The troops should be marched in as compact a formation as practicable, with the usual covering detachments. Advance and rear guard distances should be greatly reduced. They are shortest when the mission is an offensive one. The connecting files are numerous. (562)
585. Night advance followed by attack by day. A night advance made with a view to making an attack by day usually terminates with the hasty construction of intrenchments in the dark. ”

“ The march of artillery should be governed by the movements of the arms of the service to which it is assigned for duty. The care of men and horses is a combination of what has been laid down for cavalry and infantry. ”

“ The movement of a body of men from one place to another. In marching it cannot be too strongly inculcated that every just movement and manœuvre depends upon the correct equality of march established and practiced by all the troops of the same army, and that when this is not attended to confusion must follow on the junction of several battalions. ”

“ When they march through a country in which there is no cause to apprehend surprise or hostility, the infantry generally takes the lead, two or three days march, in front of the main army. The troops march in the loosest manner, being neither confined to particular companies, nor formed in columns. They chuse what roads they like best, halt where they please, and reach the camp in detached parties ”

“ When the movements of an army are to be concealed, the march must be undertaken at night through woods, vallies, and concealed ways; all frequented and inhabited places must be carefully avoided; no loud instruments must on any account be played; and if fires are made, they must only be lighted on the eve of breaking up camp; in which case they must be left burning, for the purpose of deluding the enemy into a supposition, that the troops have not moved. ”

“ In military movements, is to preserve that regular pace by which a line or column on a march, or in manœuvring, advances towards any given point without any chasms or fluctuations. When a regiment marches by files, it is almost impossible for the rear to keep up. On this account, divisions, sub-divisions, and even sections, are best calculated to preserve a regular depth and continuity of march. Keep up likewise signifies to attend to the interior management and discipline of a corps, so as to prevent the least deviation from established rules and regulations. ”

“ Nothing so much fatigues troops in a considerable column, and is more to be avoided than an inequality of march. One great reason is, that the rear of the column frequently and unnecessarily deviates from the line which its head traces out; and in endeavouring to regain that line, and their first distances, the divisions must of course run or stop, and again take up their march. It is unnecessary to attempt the same scrupulous observances in common route marching, as when going to enter into the alignement ”

“ At no time whatever ought a column of manœuvre, or of route, to occupy a greater extent of ground in marching than what is equal to its front when in order of battle; no situation can require it as an advantage. Therefore, the marching of great bodies in file, where improper extension is unavoidable, must be looked upon as an unmilitary practice, and ought only to be had recourse to when unavoidably necessary. Where woods, inclosures, and bad or narrow routes absolutely require a march in file, there is no remedy for the delay in forming, and man may be obliged to come up after man ”

“ Marching.—A cadence faster than 120 a minute adds snap to marching, but snap can not be gained in proportion as the cadence is run up. Snap is attained chiefly by the proper gait. Soldiers should march, not with knees always slightly bent, but should straighten them smartly at the end of each step. This adds drive to the step, and gives the men confidence and a mob spirit of courage. After long drill at attention, this spirit can be carried into extended order work. ”