Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-04
Captain French Expresses His Views
Of Disputed Points.
fHE INTERPRETATION OF TACTICS
Captain Shilling Sustained Upon
Two Points at Issue.
THE CLAUSES DISCUSSED


cent interstate drill at San Antonio, Tex.
Capt. French. then lieutenant in the 4th
Artillery. was recorder of the board of
tacticians which compiled the present drill
regulations and his constructions of un-
certain clauses Of the tactics were the au-
thority at that drill But he was not one
of the judges, being here at Washington
during the competition, and had no con-
nection with the contest except that his
published interpretations OF the regula-
lions were to be final.
1t will be remembered that the San An
tonic competition hung upon the interpre-
tatton of three clauses of the book of in
fantry tactics. the captain of the winning
company, the Governors Guards of Austin,
Tex, constituting them differently from all
the other competing company commanders.
In two of these three cases Capt. French
holds that the board which compiled the
book intended the clauses to operate as in
terpreted by Capt. Shilling of the Morton
Cadets and by all the other captains ex-
cept the captain of the Governors Guards.
Capt. Shilling's construction of the third
clause, says Capt. French, was erroneous.
Points I'm Dispute.
II was much interested to know the ex-
act points disputed at San Antonio" he
said. 1.-The Geographic reports to the local
newspapers were necessarily incomplete,
and have only just learned what those
points really were.
LAS I understand the matter, the prize
went to a company which would probably
have been altogether out of the race other
wise, on the construction of three para
graphs in the book of tactics. Mind 1 do
not say that that is the case; only that /
understand it to be SO. Those three para
graphs relate to the maneuvering of col
umn of files. to the load when the company
is lying down in double rank, and to the
~ Of 10 ra-
tory command in Right by platoons.'
I'm the first instance, the captain was di-
rected-frst, to form colt mn of files; Sec
ond, to change direction to the right when
leading file has advanced about fifteen
PAGES; third, to march in line to the right
rot less than twenty PAGES; fourth tc
arch by the left flank in column of files
and, NTH, to form column of tours. Capt
Roberdeau moved his company to the flank
by executing the following commands !:
Right by file,' Column right Company,
halt Right face. Forward, march, Com
pany, halt, Left face Forward. march,
and Form fcurs, right oblique In short
he would move his company in column of
files to either flank only by hating, facing
to the flank, and then hating again and
facing to the original direction. All the
other captains secured the same result by
executing simply BY the right flank and
BY the left flank without hating or fac
ing. Capt. Roberdeau's method was, 1 un-
derstand, approved by the judges.
The Drill Regulations.
Paragraph PIT of the Infantry Drill
Regulations, adopted October 3, 1891. reads
as follows: "A column of tours, twos or
files may be faced to the rear, or to a
flank, and marched short distance but
no other movements should be executed
until the column is again faced to the
original 'front.' This the captain of the
winning company took to mean that the
NM " hal holt o,,I
to march to either flank. / do not regard
that as its proper construction.
"A column of files is used only for the
purpose of reducing the front of the column
to enable 1t to pass a defle or other mar
row space, Immediately after which the
column of fours should be reformed. That
much Is stated In the book of drill regula-
lions. Any movement, then, which helps
the column through the defile or other mar
row place is countenanced and approved
in the service. The men would probably
execute it without command. At present,
can see no good reason why the column
should be halted and faced in order to get
through that defile, or any reason why the
flank movement, while marching, is not the
better of the two. / do not know just now
how my constructions may read on the
subject, but as far as I can see no valid
objection can be urged against the move
ment as executed by Capt. Shilling In
fact both the purpose of the board of tao
ttcians and the custom of the service con-
p AOI III " tidl COuStT uCtlOH.
Governing the Rear Ranks.
1.-The second question is whether or not
the rear rank should load while the COM
pany is lying down. On this point the book,
paragraph IS. reads as follows: When ly-
ing down in double rank the rear rank men
do not aim or fire. Lie down is move
ment intended for single rank. It is used
almost entirely when the company is in
that formation. What the rear rank docs
or does not do about the matter is then of
little Importance. But that paragraph ex-
lists and the movement was called for in
the program, and so something had to be
decided.
Being directed to neither aim nor fire,
and no mention being made of the load
whatever, the matter is not definitely pre-
scribed in the book. My impression is that
the understanding of the board was that
the rear rank should not load. But as the
book does not expressly prohibit it, as it
prohibits aiming and firing, I suppose the
captain is at liberty to teach his rear rank
to load If he chooses. But the whole mat
ter actually rests with the drill sergeant,
who gets his orders from the captain, and
think the various captains are at liberty
to teach the rear rank just as they please.
In the new book it is expressly provided
that the rear rank will not load. cannot
see that Capt. Shilling erred In not having
his company load.
The Platoon Movements.
"About the platoon movements, however,
must say think his construction wrong
The question is whether at the command
right by platoons, the platoons are to
come to the right shoulder at the COM
mand of the captain, or wait for the COM
mand of their platoon chiefs. 1 have occa-
sion to remember the purpose of the board
in this question very well. thought when
the board was sitting, and I think now,
that in all such movements whether in bat
talon or company formation 1t is best for
the unit of formation to wait for the COM
mand of the lowest officer. who gives a
command; that Is, in battalion movements
the companies should wait for the captains
command, and in platoon movements the
platoons should wait for the commands of
the lieutenants. Colonel Bates, who was
presiding officer of the board. agreed about
the battalion movements, but not about
the platoon movements, and the sense of
the board was that the company should
come to the right shoulder at the command
OF the captain. That, think, Is the con-
struction l gave the book. II not, know
changed 1t subsequently SO that should
be the construction. I think Captain Shil-
ling erred In teaching his men to wait for
the commands of the Heutenants in thai