Maneuvers

Comment

Comment by Greg Bullock on February 3, 2009 at 11:25am

I agree, it is a good idea to know both manuals. Depending on the unit being represented at an event you may need to switch manuals. I know we typically drill in Gilhams in our unit. But we have fallen in with others who use Hardees or when we did the sharpshooter impression for Cedar Creek a few years back, they were using Hardee revised manual.

Comment by Aaron Sparks on February 3, 2009 at 10:55am

Yeah i caught that too. They are doing hardees. . . it could still be useful as i know that despite my unit using Gilhams it wouldn't hurt to know both. Thanks for the heads up though.

Comment by Greg Bullock on February 3, 2009 at 10:16am

Do we know what manual they are using to form the company?

http://home.att.net/~Cap1MD/Drill.htm

From Gilhams 1860 manual:
MANNER OF FORMING THE COMPANY.

216. THE whole company being assembled on its parade ground, or in the rendezvous, the first, or orderly sergeant, will command:
Fall in - COMPANY.

At this command the corporals and privates will form in one rank, faced to the right, and in the order of height from right to left, the tallest man on the right (now head of the company), the next tallest man immediately covering the first, and so on to the left or rear of the rank, in which position will be placed the shortest man. The other sergeants will take post in the rank of file-closers, two paces the right of the company, and assist the first sergeant in forming the company.

When the men have their places, the first sergeant will command:
FRONT.

The second sergeant, who is the left guide of the company, will now place himself on the left of the company, and the orderly sergeant will promptly command:
1. In two ranks, form company. 2. Left - FACE. 3. MARCH.

At the command left face, the whole company will face to the left, except the guide and man on the left, who stand fast.

At the command march, the whole of the men who have faced to left, will step off together; the second man, counting from the left, will place himself in the rear rank, behind the man next to the guide, and face to the front; the two following men will, in like manner, on closing up, form the next file, the third man in the front, and the fourth in the rear rank behind him, and all the other men will come successively to form files, two deep, to the right of those already formed.1

1.(When the company is in good discipline, the files may be formed in two ranks at once, each man having his proper number in the company depending upon his height, and being able to take his appropriate place without creating confusion.)

The officers will now take their posts as prescribed in No. 8; if the captain has to discharge the duties of instructor, the first lieutenant will take his place on the right of the front rank, the second lieutenant replacing the first behind the fourth section.
The instructor will then cause the files to be numbered, and for this purpose will command

In each rank - count TWOS.

At this command the men count in each rank from right to left, pronouncing in a loud and distinct voice, in the same tone, without hurry and without turning the head, one, two, according to the place each one occupies. He will also cause the company to be divided into platoons and sections, taking care that the first platoon is always composed of an even number of files.

From Hardee's 1855 manual:
1. In two ranks, form company. 2. Company, right-FACE. 3. MARCH.

365. At the second command, the company will face to the night: the right guide and the 'Man on the right will remain faced to the front.

366. At the command march, the men who have faced to the right, will step off, and form files in the following manner: the second man in the rank will place, himself behind the first to form the first file; the third will place himself by the side of the first in the front rank; the fourth behind the third in the rear rank. All the others will, in like manner, place themselves, alternately, in the front and rear rank, and will thus form files of two men, on the left of those already formed.

367. The formations above described will be habitually executed by the right of companies; but when the instructor shall wish to .have them executed by the left, be will face the company about, and post the guides in the rear rank.

368. The formation will then be executed by the same commands and according to the same principles as by the front rank; the movement commencing with the left file, now become the right, and in each file by the rear rank man, now become the front; the left guide will conform to what has been proscribed for the right.

369. The formation ended, the instructor will face the company to its proper front.


In both of these manuals, it has the company only count off once which reduces the amount of confusion to people trying to remember was I a 1 or 2 and in which sequence were they a 1 or a 2. In the above commands you are only given a single number.