By right of companies, to the rear into column

[john duffer]

At an impromptu officer's school held recently (using Hardee's), we were studying "By the right of companies, to the rear into column." We've always doubled when doing this based on the inference that you routinely double when facing but noticed the illustration for the movement shows it being made undoubled. Scott doesn't double so we can assume he's having us do the movement undoubled. His plates shows undoubled and he calls for breaking two files if in two ranks - three files if in three ranks - "the whole depth of the ranks". Hardee breaks two files,the first "the whole depth of the two ranks", "U.S INFANTRY TACTICS" and "GILHAM'S MANUAL FOR VOLUNTEERS AND MILITIA" are practically word for word with Hardee. Then comes Mr. Casey, his illustrations clearly show four ranks with a detail on breaking files. He breaks three files, the first "the whole depth of the four ranks". This is one of the more dramatic differences I've seen between Casey and Hardee and I wonder if there was some confusion about the practice that the 1862 work was trying to address. Has anyone else studied this area ?

SCOTT'S "INFANTRY-TACTICS", VOL II - School of the Battalion :
854. (Pl. XV, figs. 3 and 4.) When the colonel shall wish to cause the battalion to break to the rear, by the right, into column by company, he will command:
1. By the right of companies, to the rear into column. 2. Battalion, right-FACE.
3. Quick-MARCH.
855. At the first command, each captain will place himself before the centre of his company, and give it the necessary cautions, and the covering sergeants will step into the front rank.
856. At the second command, the battalion will face to the right; each captain will hasten to the right of his company, break three or two files (according as the formation may be in three or two ranks) to the rear; the first file will break the whole depth of the ranks; the second file less; the third, if three, will only advance the left shoulder; which being executed, the captain will place himself so that his breast may touch the lightly the left arm of the front rank man of the last file in the company next on the right of his own. The captain of the right company will place himself as if there were a company on his right, and will align himself on the other captains. The covering sergeant of each company will break to the rear with the right files, and place himself before the front rank man of the first file, to conduct him.

Hardee's "RIFLE AND LIGHT INFANTRY TACTICS" , VOL. II - SCHOOL OF THE BATTALION (1855 version, newer version seems to be word for word) :
87. When the colonel shall wish to cause the battalion to break to the rear, by the right, into column by company, he will command:
1. By the right of companies to the rear into column. 2. Battalion right-FACE. 3. MARCH
(or double quick-MARCH).
88. At the first command, each captain will place himself before the centre of his company, and caution it to face to the right; the covering ser*geants will step into the front rank.
89. At the second command, the battalion will face to the right ; each captain will hasten to the right of his company, and break two files to the rear; the first will break the whole depth of the two ranks; the second file less; which being executed, the captain will place himself so that his breast may touch lightly the left arm of the front rank man of the last file in the company next on the right of his own. The captain of the right company will place himself as if there were a company on his right, and will align himself on the other captains. The covering sergeant of each company will break to the rear with the right files, and place himself before the front rank of the first file, to conduct him.

[billwatson]

Re: By right of companies, to the rear into column

Not doubling makes a tremendous amount of excellent sense for this maneuver, when you think about it, and what it's supposed to do, where it ends up and what happens next. And diagrams are just full of help.

I'll give you something else that's made clearer once you see the diagram that goes with it, in Casey's this time: company into line. It usually produces some kerfuffle, even among well drilled reenactors. However, if you do it the way the diagram shows, it's effortless. In the diagram, when the command is given, the men UNDOUBLE before making the main move. So they have their file partner and they are back exactly where they belong, simply by taking one diagonal step before launching the forward move. It says to do this in the instructions, "taking care to undouble," but the diagram makes it extremely clear the entire company undoubles before going to the double quick and getting up into a front.

Thanks, John. Good stuff.

[Greg Renault]

Re: By right of companies, to the rear into column

Good point, John, and one I confess to having missed. I suspect that this is not a deviation from normal practice, but rather an ambiguity which Casey later clarifies. The basic point: facing by the flank does not double the number of ranks, but rather the number of men in the file of each rank.

Hardee's instructions for marching by the flank clearly indicate that the ranks are to double (School of the Soldier, paragraph 352; School of the Company, paragraphs 135-6). As we noted in the "reason for doubling" thread on this forum (http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...ead.php?t=5683), Steffens says doubling gives the men room to march. I think this makes sense, given that the light infantry tactics are meant to habitually be executed at a faster pace (quick time or double-quick time) than the common time pace used for infantry of the line. In my experience a company faced to the right without doubling will immediately stretch the intervals between files to allow a marching pace; files can only maintain their proper intervals at the "shuffle".

If "by the right of companies" is performed in two ranks, then it is the only case in the whole manual in which flank marching is done this way. But, if Hardee is making an exception to his general rule for facing/marching by the flank, he does not explicitly say so. Nor, when he has the captain make a preparatory caution is there any mention that the facing is to be done without doubling (paragraphs 88 & 95).

I think the key point here is that a company facing by the flank is still in two ranks, each of which is doubled. The phrase from Hardee in question here is "the first [file] will break the whole depth of the two ranks". He does not say that these ranks are undoubled; rather, as is the case whenever facing by the flank in this manual, we would expect them to be doubled. Hardee's discussion of a company facing by the flank refers only to the front and rear ranks, and notes "that when the movement [doubling] is completed, the files will be formed of four men aligned, and elbow to elbow." (SS, paragraph 136).

Doubling when facing or marching by the flank does not produce four ranks; it produces two ranks with doubled files in each rank. When executing "by the right of companies" the front file breaks/wheels "the whole depth of the two ranks", which as we see, is "four men aligned".

The good news: you have been doing it right all along.

[john duffer]

Re: By right of companies, to the rear into column

You make good points Greg but I'm still not convinced 100% that you wouldn't do it differently using Casey's than Hardee's. My experience with drill manuals is that the information is vast enough and compartmentalized enough that we can't always infer something happens based on other portions. There's the same situation for obstacles - the diagrams show undoubled but earlier lessons state that we always double when marching at the double quick. Do we ignore the picture because of a rule from a different lesson in a different school ? Quite possibly we should but I want to study a little more to convince myself that's the case. The fact that Scott breaks 2 file for 2 ranks & 3 for 3 ranks with Hardee breaking 2 & Casey breaking 3 may indicate something. Even though he's introducing a new system of drill, Hardee states when it's time for the battalion to operate within the brigade you revert to Scott's 1835 TACTICS so there's definitely a mixture of old and new. On a side note I had only studied the text for By company into line rather than the diagram. I believe Mr. Watson is correct, if done in this manner it becomes a more or less tidy right turn into line instead of a mob trying to sort itself out on the run.

[Greg Renault]

Re: By right of companies, to the rear into column

John,

Well, at least we agree on "by company, into line". Back in the last century (!), when I coordinated the drill program for units in Toronto, I had doubling/undoubling, and turns early in the curriculum, then combined them for "by company into line": just undouble, then perform a turn. As Bill Watson points out, undoubling first makes it easy.

[Greg Renault]

Re: By right of companies, to the rear into column

John,

Well, at least we agree on "by company, into line". Back in the last century (!), when I coordinated the drill program for units in Toronto, I had doubling/undoubling, and turns early in the curriculum, then combined them for "by company into line": just undouble, then perform a turn. As Bill Watson points out, undoubling first makes it easy.

As for the other, I've made my case for internal consistency, cited a period commentator, and referred to our own practical experience in drill. Next time you are in the field, form a column by the right of companies to the rear, using a large-ish company (50+) undoubled. and you will see what I mean. I guarantee a rediculous amount of "accordian behavior", as the line, which stretched out when moving by the right flank, has to compensate back leftwards towards the guide when faced into column. Then try it at the march, quicktime.

[john duffer]

Re: By right of companies, to the rear into column

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you Greg, I just like to make up my own mind based on the evidence and in this case haven't formed any definate conclusions one way or the other. I will note that a fifty man company is only about 50 feet long and I believe could move the 17 or 18 yard distance undoubled without coming completely unglued. :) I'm more inclined to throw out the diagram in the case of passage of obstacles since that movement is made at the double quick. Perhaps some of the drawings were left over from Scott's non-doubling manual and didn't get updated.