Illustrations by:

Left:  By the Right of Companies - to the Front

Right:  By the Right of Companies - to the Rear

To break to the rear, by the right or left, into column, and
to advance or retire by the right or left of companies.

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 sergeants will step into the front rank.

    90. At the command, march, the first file of each company will wheel to the right; the covering sergeant, placed before this file, will conduct it perpendicularly to the rear. The other files will come successively to wheel on the same spot. The captains will stand fast, see their companies file past, and at the instant the last file shall have wheeled, each captain will command:

1. Such company. 2. HALT. 3. FRONT. 4. Left - DRESS.

    91. At the instant the company faces to the front, its left guide will place himself so that his left arm may touch lightly the breast of his captain.

    92. At the fourth command, the company will align itself on its left guide, the captain so directing it, that the new alignment may be perpendicular to that which the company had occupied line of battle, and, the better to judge this, he will step back two paces from the flank.

    93. The company being aligned, the captain will command:

FRONT,

and take his place before its centre.

1. By the right of companies to the rear into column.  2. Battalion, by the right flank.
3. MARCH (or double quick - MARCH).

    96. At the command, march, the battalion will face to the right; each captain will move rapidly to the right of his company and cause it to break to the right; the first file of each company will wheel to the right, and the covering sergeant placed in front of this file will conduct it perpendicularly to the rear; the other files will wheel successively at the same place as the first.

    The captains will see their companies file past them; when the last files have wheeled, the colonel will command:

3. Battalion, by the left flank - MARCH. 4. Guide left.

    97. At the command, march, the companies will face to the left, and march in column in the new direction. The captains will place themselves in front of the centres of their respective companies At the fourth command, the guides will conform to the principles of the march in column; the leading one will move in the direction indicated to him by the lieutenant colonel. The men will take the touch of elbows to the left.

    98. To break to the rear by the left, the colonel will give the same commands as in the case of breaking to the rear by the right, substituting the indication left, for that of right.

    99. The movement will be executed according to the same principles. Each captain will hasten to the left of his company, cause the first two files to break to the rear, and then place his breast against the right file of the company next on the left of his own, in the manner prescribed above.

    100. As soon as the two files break to the rear, the left guide of each company will place himself before the front rank man of the head most file, to conduct him.

    101. The instant the companies face to the front, the right guide of each will place himself so that his right arm may lightly touch the breast of his captain.

    103. If there be an odd number of companies and the battalion breaks by division to the rear, whether by the right or left, the captain of the left company will conform to what is prescribed, [SoB]No. 77.

    104. This manner of breaking into column being at once the most prompt and regular, will be preferred on actual service, unless there be some particular reason for breaking to the front.

    105. If the battalion be in line and at a halt, and the colonel should wish to advance or retire by the right of companies, he will command:

1. By the right of companies to the front (or rear). 2. Battalion, right - FACE. 
3. MARCH (or double quick - MARCH). 4. Guide right, (left) or (centre).

    107. At the second command, the battalion will face to the right, and each captain moving quickly to the right of his company will cause files to break to the front, according to the principles indicated, No. 89. 

    108. At the command, march, each captain placing himself on the left of his leading guide will conduct his company perpendicularly to the original line. At the fourth command, the guide of each company will dress to the right, left, or centre, according to the indication given, taking care to preserve accurately his distance.

    109. If the colonel should wish to move to the front, or rear, by the left of companies, the movement will be executed by the same means and the same commands, substituting left for right.

    110. If the battalion be in march, and the colonel should wish to advance or retire by the right of companies, he will command:

1. By the right of companies to the front (or rear). 2. Battalion, by the right flank.
3. MARCH (or double quick - MARCH). 4. Guide right (left) or (centre).

    111. Which will be executed according to the principles and means prescribed, Nos. 95 and following, and Nos. 106 and following. At the first command, the color and general guides will take their places as in column.

    112. If the colonel should wish to advance or retire by the left of companies, the movement will be executed by the same means and the same commands, substituting left for right.

1. By companies into line. 2. MARCH (or double quick - MARCH).  3. Guide centre.

    114. At the command, march, briskly repeated by the captains, each company will be formed into line, as prescribed in the school of the company, No. 154.

    115. At the third command, the color and general guides will move rapidly to their places in line, as will be hereinafter prescribed, [SoB] No. 405.

    116. If the battalion be retiring by the right or left of companies, and the colonel should wish to form line facing the enemy, he will first cause the companies to face about while marching, and immediately form in line by the commands and means prescribed, No. 113 and following.

NOTE

    When companies break to the rear and face about as noted in SoB 113, they become inverted.  Hardee does not address this in his manuals.  The 1862 Casey's manual also fails to address the problem; however, the 1865 reprint of Casey's manual does:

SoC 159. If the company, marching either by the right or left flank, be faced about previous to forming line, the men will come into line by twos, and according to the means as above indicated, taking care to undouble files, the two front rank men taking their places in the line at the same time, to be covered by their rear-rank men taking an oblique step.

    This is a difficult manoeuver for weekend troops to perform.  It is surprising that neither Hardee nor Casey resolved the problem when they each published their manuals of tactics in 1862.  An easier manoeuver for reenactors to perform instead of facing about would be to halt, front, and perform a left turn.  The quickness of a left turn is more in keeping with forming a company into line as both are performed at the double quick step.  Dress would be upon the color company.

Manual of Battalion Drill for the First Confederate Division

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