Part 144

FORELAND, in fortification, called by the French pas de souris, relais, retraite, berm or lizier, a confined space of ground between the rampart of a town or fortified place, and the moat. Whenever a fortification can be completed without having recourse to this substitute for stone, (with which the rampart ought to be faced) it certainly is advisable to go to the expence. For a bold enemy, who has once made his way over the moat, will derive considerable advantage from having this path to stand on. It is generally from 3 to 8 or 10 feet wide. This space serves to receive the demolished parts of the rampart, and prevents the ditch from being filled up. In Holland the foreland is planted with thickset, but it is generally faced with palisades. See BERM.

FORELAND, or FORENESS, any point of land which juts out into the sea.

FORGE, in the train of artillery, is generally called a travelling forge, and may not be improperly called a portable smith’s shop: at this forge all manner of smith’s work is made, and it can be used upon a march, as well as in camp. Formerly they were very ill contrived, with 2 wheels only, and wooden supporters to prop the forge for working when in the park. Of late years they are made with 4 wheels, which answers the purpose much better.

FORGE for red hot balls, is a place where the balls are made red-hot before they are fired off: it is built about 5 or 6 feet below the surface of the ground, of strong brick work, and an iron grate, upon which the balls are laid, with a very large fire under them. See RED-HOT BALLS.

FORKHEAD. See BARB.

FORLORN-hope, in the military art, signifies men detached from several regiments, or otherwise appointed to make the first attack in the day of battle; or at a siege, to storm the counterscarp, mount the breach, &c. They are so called from the great danger they are unavoidably exposed to; but the expression is old, and begins to be obsolete.

To FORM, in a general acceptation of the term, is to assume or produce any shape or figure, extent or depth of line or column, by means of prescribed rules in military movements or dispositions.

To FORM from file, among cavalry. The front file halts at a given point: the rest, or remaining files successively ride up at a very smart gallop, taking care to halt in time, and not to over-run the ground. If the formation is by doubling round the front file, (in a formation, for instance, to the rear of the march, or to the right when marched from the right,) the files must double as close round as possible and with the utmost expedition. In forming from file, particular attention should be given to make the men put their horses quite straight as they come in. They must keep their bodies square, dress by a slight cast of the eye towards the point of formation, and close and dress in an instant. A dragoon, in fact, must no sooner get into the ranks, than his attention should be given to remain steady, well closed and dressed. It is generally required, that when the cavalry forms, each man must come up in file to his place, and by no means move up to his leader, till that leader has formed to which ever hand the file is forming to. The whole must follow the exact track of the first leader, and come up one by one into their respective places in squadron.

To FORM to the front. To move nimbly up from file into ranks, and close to your leader, whether on foot, or horseback.

To FORM to the rear. To double round your leaders, who have themselves turned and faced.

To FORM to a proper flank. To turn and close in to your leader.

To FORM to a reverse flank. To pass, turn and successively close to your leaders.

In all formations from file, the whole, till otherwise directed, dress to the hand to which the squadron, or division forms. See Am. Mil. Lib.

To FORM by moving in front, and successively arriving in line, is by divisions, or distinct bodies, to advance forward by word of command towards any given point of alignement. On these occasions the eyes of the whole are turned to the hand to which they are to form, and from which they preserve required distances. The leading officer must be on the inward flank of his division; he conducts it to its point of junction in line, and from thence dresses and corrects it on the person, who is previously placed beyond him, and prolonging the general line. The outward flank of the last formed and halted body, is always considered as the point of conjunction (necessary intervals included) of the succeeding one. Thus the looking and lining of the soldier is always towards that point, and the flank of the line formed to; and the correction of dressing by the officer is always made from that point towards the other flank. Therefore on all occasions of moving up, forming and dressing in line, by the men lining themselves to one hand (inwards) and the officers correcting to the other (outwards) the most perfect line may be obtained. Commanding officers of regiments, when a considerable line is forming, must take every advantage from timeously throwing out intelligent guides to give them true points in the general line. In the French service these persons are called jalonneurs from jalonner, to fix any thing, by which any true direction, perpendicular or otherwise, may be obtained; the word guide is the best translation of the word jalonneur, and it is so used in the American Military Library.

To FORM line, is to wheel to the right or left from open column of divisions, subdivisions, or sections, according to prescribed rules, so as to present one continued front or straight line; or to deploy from close column for the same end, or to file to the front.

To FORM rank entire, is to extend the front of a battalion or company by reducing it to the least possible depth, from any existing number of ranks.

To FORM two deep, is from rank entire or from three deep to produce a regular line of files.

To FORM three deep, is to add the depth of one half file to two deep, and to produce the natural formation of a battalion in line.

To FORM four deep, is to diminish the natural extent of a battalion formed in line, by adding one half-file to its depth.

To FORM echellon, is, from line, or open column, to wheel a given number of paces forward or backward, so as to produce a diagonal or oblique direction in the different proportions of a line, the outward flank of each succeeding division, company or section, constantly preserving a perpendicular direction, at a regulated distance, from the inward flank of its leader, until it arrive at its point of junction.

To FORM line by echellon, is to advance in column towards any given object by a diagonal movement, so as eventually to produce a regular continuity of front. See ECHELLON or DIAGONAL movement.

To FORM close column, is to march by files in detached proportions of a line, till each proportion shall arrive in front or in rear of any given body.

To FORM open column, is to wheel backwards or forwards, or to march out by files, so that the several proportions of a line may stand in a perpendicular direction to one another, with intervals between them equal to the extent of their front.

To FORM circle, is to march a battalion or company standing in line from its two flanks; the leading files bringing their right and left shoulders forward, so as to unite the whole in a circular continuity of files. On the word of command--To the right and left, form circle, the two flank files bring their right and left shoulders forward; and on the word quick, march, the whole advance. The centre marks time, each file from the direct central one gradually inclining to right and left till the junction of the two extremes has been completed.

The general use which is made of this formation is to punish offenders, or to convey public orders to the men in such a manner, that every individual may have an equal opportunity of hearing what is read, or delivered to the whole battalion.

To FORM on, is to advance forward, so as to connect yourself with any given object of formation, and to lengthen the line.

To FORM on a front division, is from close, or open column, or by the march in echellon, to arrive by a parallel movement at the right or left of any given division, by which means a prolongation of the line is produced. When this formation takes place with the right in front, the officer of the second, or leading division (the first standing fast, and all the rest facing to the left) having stepped out to the right at the words quick march! allows his division led by his serjeant to go on a space equal to its front, and then gives his word front, dress, halt; his serjeant still remaining on the left of his division. The officer being still on the right of his division, immediately gives the word march! and the division proceeds at the ordinary step towards its place in the alignement. He steps nimbly forward, and obliques so as to be within the third file of the left flank of the preceding division, and is thus ready to give the words, dress, halt! at the instant his inward flank man joins that division. He then expeditiously corrects his men, (who have dressed upon the formed part of the line, on the distant given point) and resumes his proper post in line. Great care should be taken in these movements to prevent the outward flank of every advancing division from over-stepping its ground; as it is a general principle in dressing, to be rather behind the preceding formed division at the word dress, than before it; the word halt being the final and conclusive direction, and the dressing of ranks being more easily attained by a forward than a backward movement.

In this manner every other division proceeds; each officer advancing, with a firm, steady step, in a perpendicular direction towards his point of formation, while the flank serjeant remains at his point in the line, till the succeeding officer, who has dressed his division, arrives to replace him; after which the serjeant covers his own officer.