St. Mary's gazette., 1867-08-22
Infantry Tactics.


;D,eres, to our young men to learn that the
system Of infantry tactics under which they
are now drilling, and which is OF Euro
pean origin, has been dispensed With in the
army of the United States By general or
der, and an original system. prepared by
an American officer, adopted in its stead.
The author Of this system is Gen. Up
ton . native of New York aud a grad uate
Of West Point. The experience Of Gen.
Upton in the field during the late war con-
v;nced him that some change was needed
in our infantry tactics. and. long before
the cessation of hostilities, be had COM
menced the development Of his present
system, which is equally applicable to dou-
bic and single-rank formations, and is a0ap-
ted to the topography of our country and
the improved kind of FIRE arms now in use
THE entire system" says the New York
Tribune, is based upon front OF four men,
A, a unit, and various changes of front, &C,
are perfected by wheeling this unit on one
ar the other Of it. ianks as pivot, al
thouob Of course, the advance By company
or repimental front is not eschewed Inc
mammal of arms resembles that OF the
Seventh regiment in many particulars 1t
takes some time to make recruit good
soldier, but the principles of the new sys-
tenn arc so simple that they can be readily
ACQUIRED by one wholly unacquainted with
the requirements. About year ago, when
the Secretary IF War appointed board of
.fcers to consider the subject of infantry
tactics, General Upton drilled the corps OF
cadets before the members of the board to
their entire satisfaction. and demonstrated
also the readiness with which the principle
of his system can be acquired. Thus readl-
ness of acquisition. however, was by many
nlaced to the credit Of the ability of the
cadets. and not to the simplicity of tactics.
So when the boards, of which Gen. Grant
was president, convened at West Point.
Gen. Upton was required to drill IN his
tactics company ofengineer soldiers but
still it was found that these men also had
no trouble in adapting themselves to the
new system. To illustrate the Upton tao
tics. we will give few of the company
moyem ents. which are. of course, the basis
of the drill of regiment or brigade. For
instance, if the company be ln line, and 1t
is desired to march it to the right flank,
the commands will be: |, fours right 2,
MARCH; 3, FORWARD; 4, g"'de tJt At
the command march each four will. wheel to
the right on fixed pivot; at the command
hf,rora. given the instant the wheel Is
completed, all the fours will step oft, each
rank dressing to the left at the fourth COM
mand. If the company be marching III
column of front, and it is desired to form
the line to the right or left. the command
would bo, /, fours right. Cor tJt ) =
MARCH. 1t must be remembered that IN
the wheeings the front rank is always IN
front. and that in the new tactics all move
mcnts by inversion are done away with.
This abolition of inversion is something
that has long been needed ; for movements
BY inversion have proved pons ds'norum
to many luckless wight who was for the
first time trying to iuduct some knowledge
of tactics into his unmilitary soul.
To illustrate the company drill still fur
ther If the company be in line. and 1t is
desired to form it in column of four to the
front, the command will be; l, right for
payd; Q, fo,.rs right; 8, MARCH. Attic third
command the right four will move straight
to the front shortening the first three or
four steps, and the other fours will wheel
to the right. The second four will wheel
to the left the instant its first wheel IS com
pleted. and will follow the first four the
remaining tours will wheel to the left on
the same grounds as the second. All the
movements in the system can be executed
equally we'll By the right or left fanS. for
the old constraint which was produced by
the fixed right aud left flank is entirely
done away with.
Another peculiarity of Upton's system is
illustrated in the manner in which COM
rany is brought from column into line
According to Casey's system, IT the COM
papy were marching by the right flank 1t
could only be brought into line on the LETT
of the leading file. According to the pre-
sent system, the company can be brought
into line on the right or left of the leading
man without confusion. To illustrate :
The company being in column OF tours IN
march, it is desired to form line to the
front on the right of the leading man: the
commands to be given are-l, r'gM front
into line 2, MARCH; 3. guide lctt: At the
command march, the first four will move
straight to the front the other tours VIII
take the double step and oblique to the right
till opposite their intervals; then march to
the front, taking, upon arriving. in line,
the quick step and touch of elbows toward
the guide. Left front into line is executed
in similar manner, except the succeeding
fours oblique to the left.
Again. if the company is in line or col
umn of fours and i. is desired to march IN
retreat, the commands are tours r'gh
(or lfft) about ,. MARCH at which the
tours make wheel of half circle TO the
right or left This movement Is very pref
ty when executed by battalion in line.
The method of forming from single into
double rank is simple, and is "A follows !:
The company being in single rank 1t is
desired to form it in single rank by the
rirh, faux, the captain will command l.
form, single rank: > tours rtght 3 MARCH.