The Monticellonian., 1917-08-02
TURNING THE SQUAD CON-
 PlETELY ABOUT.

We now return to the squad for fur
 ther instruction therein. squad
 right" which was explained in the thir-
 teenth article of this series, Is at once il movement SC difficult and so imper- tant-important as the basis for chang ing the front of platoon or company that if would be beneficial to go over 1t again in preparation for squad right about"
 Tn squad right" the right man on the front rank, at the command MARCH :" faces to the right in march i inG and marks time. He must cease absolutely to advance until the move ment is completed If he inches for ward. he then ceases to be q liked pivot :" and unless squad right Is per 1 formed upon a fixed pivot. the squads will not fit together properly when a column of squads swings into il com pany front. If, however, the pivot man turns upon the fixed spot and marks time as he should, the various squads in company front will slip into place like boards with tongues and grooves.
 At the command of execution, MARCH" the three other front=rank men obliquo to the right, place them selves abreast of the pivot man, and mark time. They do not stumble into position in loose and sagging circles. Each of these movements should be precise and military. Otherwise, the squad formation will he as slack as the movement of the slackest man.
 In the rear rank, the third man from the right tNe. }. ia the count off'9, followed iD column hy Nos. ? and l. moves straight to the front until he finds himself immediately to the rear of his front rank man. Nos. and 1 place themselves behind their front rank men likewise. Then all face to the right in marching and mark time The other man of the rear rank-No. 4-moves straight to the front, at the side of Nc. 2 for four paees and places himself abreast of the man on his right Each man, as he reaches the new line. glances toward the march ing fank-that is, those still to come on to the new line-while he marks time, and when the last man arrives on the line, both ranks proceed with forward march" without further com mand.
 For the guidance of the squad members, the movement has been worked out in six counts-at the quick time cadence of 120 steps q minute from the command MARCH" In other words, if each man will perform his appointed task while counting six, including the marking time. the squad will be ready to advance in the new direction upon the sixth count
 Squads left" is. of course, exc euted as above with the fourth man in the front rank as the fixed pivot.
 Now. in order completely to reverse the front of a company and the direc- ton of march, squads right" 0efD about" is executed. At this com mand, the pivot man tNo. 1. front rank> executes squad right" twice. He does not, however, make this Il sloppy merger of the two, but starts the second squad right" when the last man in the front rank on the first squad right" has arrived abreast of the rank. They execute the movement in two distinct counts of six.
 The front rank moves then, as in squad right The movement of the rear rank, however, is somewhat differ ent from the same ranks task in squad right and this difference should be carefully noted. Thus, in the rear rank, the third man from the right-No. g. followed by No. ? and No. l in col umn, moves straight to the front until on the prolongation of the line (40 inches in the rear of the front rank) to be occupied by the rear rank; changes direetion to the right; moves in the new direction until he, and Nos. 2 and l also are each in rear of his respective front rank man, when all face toward the right in marching, mark time. and glance toward the marching flank.
 The fourth man marches on the left of the third man to his new posi- tiOn, and, as he arrives on the line, both ranks execute forward march"-on the second count of six without further command