Part 534

As you WERE. A word of command in the British service which corresponds with the French remettez vous. It signifies to return to the same position from which you had faced or wheeled, &c. and is generally used when any motion of the firelock or movement of the body has been done improperly.

WERST. A Russian measure in travelling. The Werst contains seven hundred and fifty geometrical paces.

WHEEL, in artillery. A circular body which turns round on its axis. The strength of these wheels is always, or should be, proportional to the weight they carry: the diameters of the wheels of heavy gun-carriages are 85 inches, and those for light field-pieces 52 only.

To WHEEL, (Faire conversion, Fr.) In a military sense, to move forward or backward in a circular manner, round some given point. See PIVOT. Wheeling is one of the most essential and important operations of the squadron, necessary in many changes of position, and in the formation of column and of the line.

WHEEL of the squadron. When the entire squadron is to wheel, a caution is given to that purport, and to which hand. At the word March, the front rank of the squadron remains dressed to the centre, the leader fixes his eye and makes his circle on the standing flank man; the standard follows him exactly, and the squadron wheels with the same uniform front, at such a pace as is requisite to keep every where dressed with the standard. The rear rank and the serrefiles look to the wheeling flank, and incline, at the same time that they wheel, so as always to cover their front leaders.

The standard must take care, never to oblige the wheeling man to exceed a moderate gallop, otherwise the rear rank, which has still more ground to go over, cannot keep up; the squadron will wheel loose and in disorder, and be longer in dressing than if it had come about at a slower pace, but close and connected.

The flanks must always conform to the centre, in case the leader does not take his ground as exactly as he ought. At any rate, the standard is the guide for the pace, and the point from which the distance of files is to be preserved.

The leader must take care to time his word Dress the instant before the wheel is completed, otherwise an over wheel or reining back will be the consequence. The whole dress by the centre.

The squadron breaks into column of any of the divisions in which it is told off, by each of those divisions wheeling up the quarter circle. If the body is in motion (as in column) the wheels of the divisions all begin at the word Wheel! If halted, they are begun at the word March!

In all division wheelings, the whole look to the wheeling hand. In all wheelings, the rear rank must rein back at the standing flank, and incline towards the wheeling hand, in order to cover.

At the word mark time! halt! given when the wheel is completed, the whole turn eyes and dress to the standing flank, and remain so till a new direction is given.

Wheelings of the squadron, or its parts, from the halt, are made on the flanks, except those of ranks by threes, which are made on the middle man of each.

WHEEL of divisions into squadron. When the squadron is to be formed by the wheeling up of its divisions, there must not be any intervals, and the rear ranks must rein back, and incline so as not to interrupt the front ranks coming up together.

In division wheelings, the whole keep closed lightly towards the hand they wheel to, and must avoid pressing the pivot man off his ground. The outward man looks to his rank, he of course regulates the pace at which the wheel is made; he must not press in on his rank, nor turn his horse’s head towards the standing flank; all the horse’s heads must be kept rather outwards (for to attempt to bend them inwards, would certainly occasion a crowding on the standing flank) and the croupes lightly closed inwards with the leg. The pivot man of the wheel turns his horse on his fore-feet, keeps his ground, and comes gradually round with his rank.

WHEELS of divisions made on a halted, or on a moveable Pivot. Wheels of divisions of the squadron or line are made on a HALTED, or on a MOVEABLE pivot. When on a halted pivot, they are made from line into column, or from column into line; and also generally by the column of manœuvre or march, when moving on a considerable front, and when the wheel by which its direction is to be changed, approaches to, or exceeds the quarter circle. When on a moveable pivot, they are generally used and ordered when the front of the column is small, and its path winding and changeable.

Whenever the wheel, made on a halted pivot, is less than the quarter circle, the pause after the wheel will be considerable; should the wheel be greater than the quarter circle, it must be accelerated, otherwise more than one division will be arrived, and arrested at the wheeling point.

WHEEL on a moveable pivot. When wheels or changes of direction of bodies in column, are made on a MOVEABLE PIVOT, both flanks are kept in motion; the pivot one always describing part of a circle, and the reverse flank, and intermediate men of the division, by a compound of inclining and wheeling, conforming to the pivot movement.

WHEEL made to the pivot hand, and moveable. When the change is made to the PIVOT hand, (the whole being in motion) the leader of the head division, when at the distance of twenty or thirty yards from the point of intersection of the old and new direction, will give the word, right or left quarter wheel, which is a caution for each man to give a small turn of his horse TOWARDS the pivot hand, and the leader himself carefully preserving the rate of march, without the least alteration of pace, will in his own person begin to circle BEFORE the line, from the old, so as to enter the new direction twenty or thirty yards from the point of intersection, which he in this case leaves at some distance WITHIN his pivot hand. When this is effected (the rest of his division having, during the transition, and on the principle of gradual dressing, conformed to the direction he is giving them) he will give the word Forward! for the division to pursue the right line. The leader of the second, and of every other division, when he arrives on the ground on which the first began to wheel, will in the same manner follow his exact tract, always preserving his proper distance from him.

WHEEL made to the reverse flank. When the change is made to the REVERSE hand, the pivot leader having arrived as before, at the spot where he gives his word right or left quarter wheel! for each man to give a small turn of his horse’s head FROM the pivot hand, will begin in his own person to circle BEHIND the line from the old, so as to enter the new direction twenty or thirty yards from the point of intersection, which, in this case, he leaves at some small distance WITHOUT his pivot hand. The rest of his division, by giving way, having gradually conformed to his movement, he will at the proper instant order Forward! and resume a straight line.

During the change to either hand, the whole continue looking to the pivot flank, which never alters the rate of the then march; but the reverse flank is in the one case obliged to slacken, and in the other to quicken its movement.

In this manner, without the constraint of formal wheels, a column, when not confined on its flanks, may be conducted in all kinds of winding and changeable directions; for if the changes be made gradual, and circling, and that the pivot leaders pursue their proper path at the same uniform equal pace, the true distances of divisions will be preserved, which is the great regulating object on this occasion, and to which every other consideration must give way.

The wheelings of cavalry being more difficult than those of infantry, we have, on that account, been more particular; but the subject is handled more amply in the American Military Library. The French do not make use of any word that immediately corresponds with Wheel, as a term of command. They say briefly, by platoons, &c. To the right or left into line, march. Par pelotons, àdroite ou à gauche en bataille, marche. The act of wheeling in general is expressed by quarter or half-quarter wheel.

WHEELINGS. Are different motions made by horse and foot, either to the right or left, or to the right and left about, &c. forward or backward.

WHEELING. The old aukward method of oblique moving and wheeling, is now superceded by half and quarter wheeling.

General rules for WHEELING. The circle is divided into four equal parts: thence, wheeling to the right or left, is only a quarter of the circle; wheeling to the right or left about, is one half of the circle.

When you wheel to the right, you are to close to the right, so near as to touch your right hand man, but without pressing him; and to look to the left, in order to bring the rank about even.

When you wheel to the left, you are to close to the left, and look to the right, as above directed. This rule will serve for all wheeling by ranks; as when a battalion is marching by subdivisions with their ranks open, then each rank wheels distinctly by itself, when it comes to the ground on which the ranks before it wheeled, but not before.

In wheeling, the men are to take particular care, neither to open nor close their ranks, and to carry their arms well.