A concise system of instructions and regulations for the militia and volunteers of the United States : comprehending the exercises and movements of the infantry, light infantry, and riflemen, cavalry and artillery : together with the manner of doing duty in garrison and in camp, and the forms of parades, reviews, and inspections, as established by authority for the government of the regular army

Front matter

CONCISE SYSTEM OF INSTRUCTIONS AND REGULATIONS

THE MILITIA AND VOLUNTEERS

OF THE UNITED STATES, COMPREHENDING

Preface

In this country, the Militia, from the nature of the government, must be depended on principally for repelling sudden invasions, and suppressing domestic insurrections : it ought, therefore, to be properly organized and instructed in order to be effectual for those purposes. The great difficulty in the way of its becoming properly instructed, has thus far been the want of a simple and uniform system of instruction — one easily to be comprehended and readily applied. The books published for the regular army are too voluminous and diffuse to supply this want ; and the various works compiled as a substitute, are all more or less objectionable.

The present volume is intended to remove the difficulty as far as practicable. It embraces the substance of all our systems of tactics, whether for the Infantry of the Line, the Light Infantry, the Riflemen, the Artillery, or the Cavalry, together with such partsk of the regulations relative to camp and garrison duties, parades, reviews, and inspections, as may be necessary to the Militia.

As the same general principles regulate the tactics applicable to the different arms of service, those for the Infantry which constitute the main body of an army, are alone laid dow r n at large.

Artillery and Cavalry should be instructed as Infan-

IV PREFACE.

try, in order to act, when separated from their guns and horses.

The Artillery instruction in this work, embraces the service of the piece, and the manoeuvres in the field and in the batteries ; that for the Cavalry, from " the mounting horse" to the manoeuvres in squadron.

The words of command given by the instructor who represents the commanding officer, are printed in capi tals ; those of the subordinate officers in italics.

ERRATA.— Part I.

Page 15 — line 29 from the top — for head, read hand.

Page 17 — top line — for 3d mo., read 4th mo.

Page 18 — line 10 from the top — after the word thigh, insert the following — seize it with the left hand above the right.

Page 18 — line 30 from the top — after the word out, insert the following — the little Jinger resting against the thigh.

Page 22 — line 3 from the top — insert the word left immediately before the word knee.

Page 24 — line 16 from the top— for twenty, read ten.

Page 45 — line 28 from the top — and page 46 — line 4 from the top — for as a caution, read on a caution.

Page 50 — line 32 from the top — for left shoulder, read right shoulder.

Page 65 — line 17 from the top — after the words directing one, insert the following — conducts his subdivision till it halts ; and each chief whose subdivision takes post in rear of the directing one.

Page 93— line 5 from the bottom— for No. 5, read No. 6.

Page 110 — line 25 from the top — for centre-rank, read rear -rank.

Page 110 — line 30 from the top— after the word themselves, insert ten paces, and for files at the right, read files of the right.

ERRATA.— Part II.

Page 7 — under definition Front, for distance, read direction.

Page 8 — line 3 from the top — for each, read such.

Page 22 — in lieu of lines 21, 22, and 23, read as follows — The lieutenant-colonel in front of the centre of the first, and the major in front of the centre of the third squadron; both on a line with the colonel.

Page 23 — lines 24 and 25 — strike out the word two ; and for squadrons, read squadron.

Page 41 — last line of movement No. 7 — for No. 2, read No. 3.

ERRATUM.— Part III.

Page 9 — bottom line — for in halting, read in battery.