Part 127

Formerly in the British service every commander in chief, or officer commanding a corps, adopted or invented such manœuvres as he judged proper, excepting in the instance of a few regulations for review: neither the manual exercise, nor quick and slow marching were precisely defined by authority. In consequence when regiments from different parts were brigaded, they were unable to act in line till the general officer commanding had established some temporary system to be observed by all under his command.

These inconveniences were at length obviated by the rules and regulations compiled by general Dundas on the system of the Prussian discipline, as established by Frederic the Great.

During the American revolution, a committee of officers was appointed by congress to digest a system of discipline for the military forces of the United States. A considerable body of materials were thrown together by the several officers, which proving too voluminous, amounting to three volumes folio, Baron Steuben, an officer who had been in the Prussian service, was appointed to make a digest, which was afterwards adopted, and continues still to be the only regulation for discipline. This work which is very brief, was of much use where there was no sort of order established, or rather where utter disorder prevailed; but is not by any means adapted to the uses of a good discipline in the present state of military knowlege. It is confined to the duties of a regiment of infantry only, and is in fact no more than an abstract modification of the Prussian system of 1741. The war department of the United States, has had the provision of a more enlarged and competent system under preparation for three or four years, and the commander in chief (general Wilkinson) had made great progress in a general arrangement of a system comprehending all the details of drill, exercise, manœuvre, formations of separate, and co-operating bodies, and of various kinds of troops; as well as the police of camps, garrisons, rank, and rotation; and other regulations, but public service having called him off to the southern frontier, and general Dearborne having resigned, the system of Steuben remains, while the new discipline of Europe has become known to all the volunteer corps of the Union, commanded by intelligent officers; and the old discipline of Steuben, has from actual deficiency been superceded.

Infantry EXERCISE, includes the use of the firelock and practice of the manœuvres for regiments of foot, according to the regulations issued by authority.

When a regiment of foot is drawn up, or paraded for exercise, the men are placed two and sometimes three deep, which latter is the natural formation of a battalion. In order to have the manual exercise well performed, it is in a particular manner requisite, that the ranks and files be even, well dressed, and the file leaders well covered: this must be very strictly attended to both by the major, and his adjutant: all officers also, on service in general, where men are drawn up under arms, or without, must be careful, that the ranks and files are exactly even; and the soldiers must learn to dress themselves at once, without the necessity of being directed to do it. The beauty of all exercise and marching, consists in seeing a soldier carry his arms well, keep his firelock steady and even in the hollow of his shoulder, the right hand hanging down, and the whole body without constraint. The musquets when shouldered, should be exactly dressed in rank and file; the men must keep their bodies upright, and in full front, not having one shoulder too forward, or the other too backward. The distances between the files must be equal, and not greater than from arm to arm, which gives the requisite room for the motions. The ranks are to be two paces distant from each other. Every motion must be done with life, and all facings, wheelings, and marchings, performed with the greatest exactness. Hence a regiment should never be under arms longer than three hours without rest. See FIRINGS, MANUAL and MANŒUVRES.

Cavalry EXERCISE, is of two sorts, on horseback, and on foot. The squadrons for exercise are sometimes drawn up three deep, though frequently two deep; the tallest men and horses in the centre and front. When a regiment is formed in squadrons, the distance of 24 feet, as a common interval, is always to be left between the ranks; and the files must keep boot top to boot top. The officers commanding squadrons must, above all things, be careful to form with great celerity, and, during the whole time of exercise, to preserve their several distances. In all wheelings, the flank which wheels, must come about in full gallop. The men must keep a steady seat upon their horses, and have their stirrups at a fit length.

Cavalry Sword EXERCISE. See SWORD EXERCISE.

Artillery EXERCISE, is the method of teaching the corps of artillery the use and practice of all the various machines of war, viz.

EXERCISE of the light field pieces, teaches the men to load, ram, and spunge the guns well; to elevate them according to the distance, by the quadrant and screw; to judge of distances and elevations without the quadrant; how to use the port fire, match, and tubes for quick firing; how to fix the bricole and prolonge, and use them in advancing, retreating, and wheeling with the field pieces; how to fix and unfix the trail of the carriage on the limbers, and how to fix and unfix the boxes for grape shot on the carriages of each piece.

EXERCISE of the garrison and battering artillery, is to teach the men how to load, ram, and spunge; how to handle the handspikes in elevating and depressing the metal to given distances, and for ricochet; how to adjust the coins, and work the gun to its proper place; and how to point and fire with exactness, &c.

Mortar EXERCISE, is of two different sorts, viz. with powder and shells unloaded, and with powder and shells loaded; each of which is to teach the men their duty, and to make them handy in using the implements for loading, pointing, traversing, and firing, &c. See PRACTICE.

Howitz EXERCISE, differs but little from the mortar, except that it is liable to various elevations; whereas that of the mortar is usually fixed to an angle of 45°; but the men should be taught the method of ricochet firing, and how to practise with grape shot: each method requiring a particular degree of elevation. See PRACTICE.

EXERCISE of guns with reduced numbers. When 15 men are attached to the service of a gun in the field, they may be classed to the right and left sides of the gun; or they may be placed in a kind of roster, by a succession of numbers from 1 to 15; the two first numbers of each gun being the first and second gunner; and the remaining 13 as aids. This numerical distribution, upon a little practice, will be found as easy as the regulation of the guard duties, and is well calculated for service where discipline is good. It is by this arrangement also well suited to use, where there are men not well disciplined, as these can be placed on the remotest numbers. So it is also well calculated for horse artillery, where it will require some men to take care of the horses; and it is also well adapted to service where men are lost by the casualties of war.

Supposing, therefore, that a 12 pound gun with 15 men, is required to exercise with 9 men. The six numbers, beginning with the 4th aid of the left, or Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, that is, the fourth of the left, fifth and sixth aids of the right and left, in the practice; they are either employed on other service, or engaged in securing the horses, or in preserving and securing the caisson. The first gunner has provided a return of the names and stations of each man at the gun. They are posted as follows: and the numbers which precede their stations are the numbers of their roster, and they should be prepared to answer by their number, whenever called for.

No. 1. First gunner on the right. 2. Second gunner on the left. 3. First aid on the right. 4. First aid on the left. 5. Second aid on the right. 6. Second aid on the left. 7. Third aid on the right. 8. Third aid on the left. 9. Fourth aid on the right. 10. Fourth aid on the left. 11. Fifth aid on the right. 12. Fifth aid on the left. 13. Sixth aid on the right. 14. Sixth aid on the left. 15. Thirteenth aid.

A reference to the number prefixed to these stations, simplifies the return, and points out the duty of each, which may be done by either telling them off in ranking, or giving them a ballot with their number on it, or any other arbitrary sign that may be devised. It is proposed then to post the artillerists to a gun on the march; and so of several guns. A twelve pounder is detached with 15 men, and they are numbered, it is required to know the stations of the artillerists according to their numbers, and according with the dipositions of the men to the same duties.

First rule, all the odd numbers are on the right side of the gun; all the even numbers on the left side. This is their position in battery, and prepared for action. The next rule is their positions in advancing.

Line of march. Nos. 2, 4, 6, and 8, are on the left, which numbers correspond with the second gunner, the first, second, and third aids of the left; so on the right of the gun, are the Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, answering to the first gunner of the right, and the first, second, third, and fourth aids of the right, making in all nine. The other six aids, that is to say, the fourth aid of the left, the fifth aids of right and left, the sixth aids of right and left, and the thirteenth aid, are thus dispensed with, and may be thus dispensed with, unless the men are required with their bricoles to manœuvre the gun; if this is done with horse, their aid is only required with the horses, and it exemplifies the excellent adaptation of the means of this new discipline to its proposed end.

The third rule is, to find the men, and their stations by their numbers, it is only requisite to refer to the preceding table of numbers, 1 and 2 are stationed opposite the trail, they are the two gunners; 3 and 4 are opposite the muzzle in the march, they load and ram the cartridge and shot; 5 and 6 are opposite the breech; they have charge of the port fire and priming; 7 and 8 march opposite the axletree of the limber; they are the third aids of right and left, and have to supply ammunition, and move the tumbril on unlimbering; they are purveyors of the gun; 9 leads the limber horse, and takes charge of the tumbril when the gun is in battery.

Duties of nine men as numbered in battery.

Light Artillery duties.

1 Commands the gun. 2 Stops the vent, and elevates the gun. 3 Rams and spunges. 4 Loads with cartridge and shot. 5 Fires the gun. 6 Clears the vent and primes. 7 {Supply 8 {cartridge. 9 Takes charge of the tumbril or caisson.

Positions.

1 At the right handspike. 2 At the left handspike. 3 Outside of the right wheel, in front. 4 Outside of the left wheel, in front. 5 }Covering 3 and 4, and dressing 6 }with the rear of the wheels. 7 {Cover the aids in front, at a distance 8 {of 5 yards in their rear. 9 Is posted with the tumbril or caisson, 25 yards in the rear.

Heavy guns.--The duties and positions are the same, only that 4 aids 3 in ramming home the charge.

Howitzers.--The positions and duties are nearly the same as at the heavy guns; only that 3 spunges, uncaps the fuze, and puts in the shell; 4 takes the sheep-skin out of the piece, lays it on the ground, with the woollen side up, loads with cartridge, wipes the bottom of the shell, (when 2 holds it up) puts in the sheep-skin again, and pulls it out with his left hand, on the word Ready: He stops the muzzle with it immediately, when the piece is fired; 6 serves the vent; 5 fires; 1 commands; 7 carries the slow match and bucket; 8 serves 4 with cartridges from a cartouch; 9 serves 3 with shells from the limber, which he lays on the sheep-skin. As from unavoidable accidents, the number of men attached to a gun may be reduced, it will be necessary, if the vacancies happen amongst those doing the most essential duties, to immediately replace them by those doing the most subordinate duties.

The following method of distributing the duties amongst a smaller number of men, will be equally applicable to all kinds of field ordnance.

+----+---------------------------------------------------------------+ | No | | | of | | |men.|KIND. Numbers retained. The vacancies, how supplied. | +----+---------------------------------------------------------------+ | 9 {Gun. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9{Complete. | | {How’r. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9{ | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 8 {Gun. 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9{No. 6 being dropt, No 8 does his | | {How’r. 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9{duties. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 7 {Gun. 1 2 3 4 5 7 9{No. 8’s pouch is laid on the ground; | | { {2 carries it when moving. | | {How’r. 1 2 3 4 5 7 9{No. 3 serves himself with ammunition. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 6 {Gun. 1 2 3 5 7 9{2 serves the vent with his left hand, | | { {pricks, primes, and carries tube box on the | | {How’r. 1 2 3 5 7 9{left side. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 5 {Gun. 1 2 6 7 9{No. 1 does all the duties of 5 like 2 in the | | { {last change, his own duties, and those of 2 | | {How’r. 1 2 6 7 9{at trail. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 4 {Gun. 1 2 6 9{No. 9 brings the ammunition; 6 serves the | | {How’r. 1 2 6 9{shells. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | 3 {Gun. 1 6 9{No. 6 serves and loads all the ammunition. | | {How’r. 1 6 9{No. 6 and 9 must change duties occasionally. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+