William
Gilham, born in 1818 in Indiana, graduated 5th in his class at
West Point in 1840, and served his country in both the Seminole War and
the war with Mexico. In 1846, he was appointed a professor at
VMI. Interestingly, Gilham was not only comandant of cadets, but
instructor of Infantry tactics, while his colleague, Thomas Jackson,
was instructor of Artillery Tactics.
After John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, Governor Wise, of Virginia, ordered Major Gilham
to write a manual to train volunteers and militia. Finished in the fall
of 1860, it was entitled Manual of Instruction for the Volunteers and Militia of the United States. This volume is presented here.
As
the war began, in 1861, Gilham was commissioned a Colonel in the
Confederate Army, and commanded Camp Lee, a camp of instruction for
Virginia volunteers. Colonol Gilham organized and commanded the 21st
Viginia Infantry, but was quickly promoted to brigade command, though
retaining the rank of Colonel.
In
1862, Gilham realized that his true calling was as a teacher, and left
the army for his beloved VMI. After the war, Virgina's economy in
tatters, he took a business position, and was quite successful.
His health failing, he left Virgina for Vermont, there passing to
his reward in 1872.
While
Major Gilham (to give him the rank conferred by his beloved VMI) did
not play a major part on the battlefields of the Civil War, his great
work, the Manual of Instruction for the Volunteers and Militia of the United States lives after him, and keeps his name alive.
MANUAL
OF INSTRUCTION
FOR
THE
VOLUNTEERS
AND MILITIA
OF
THE
UNITED
STATES.
_____________________________________
With
Numerous Illustrations.
______________________________
BY
MAJOR
WILLIAM GILHAM,
INSTRUCTOR
OF TACTICS, AND COMMANDANT OF CADETS
OF THE
VIRGINIA
MILITARY INSTITUTE.
__________________________________________
PHILADELPHIA:
CHARLES
DESILVER,
1229
CHESTNUT STREET.
CUSHINGS
& BAILEY, BALTIMORE, MD.
1861
Entered
according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, by
CHARLES
DESILVER
inthe Clerk's Office of the District
Courtof the United States for the Eastern District
of
Pennsylvania.
PREFACE.
The following work
was undertaken with the
hope of meeting, to some extent at least, a long-felt want among the
volunteers
and militia; that is, a manual, which, besides containing every thing
which may
be necessary for mere tactical instruction, should also embrace more or
less
instruction on various other subjects of equal importance with tactics;
subjects that few men who have not been regularly trained in the
military
service, have much familiarity with. In the regular service the
necessity for
such a work is not felt, at least not to the same extent as among the
volunteers and militia, from the fact that the military system being in
constant operation, and each individual, no matter what his present
rank may
be, having gradually risen from a low, or perhaps the very lowest
grade, has
abundant opportunities for becoming familiar with it in all its
details, before
he is called upon for any extensive exercise of his professional
knowledge.
With the volunteers and militia, however, where no such process for the
acquisition of important practical knowledge is attainable, the case is
very
different. Called suddenly into active service, from the various
pursuits of
civil life, all, even the highest in rank and the best informed, meet
with
difficulties on every side; what would seem to be comparatively plain
and
simple to the old campaigner, must of be more or less obscure to the
volunteer
or militia officer, whose opportunities for the attainment of military
knowledge have been limited.
It is not intended, nor indeed would it
be desirable, that
the present work should embrace every thing which is proper to be known
by our
citizen soldiery; its aim is, simply to aid the inexperienced so far as
to
enable them to become familiar with such principles, and practical
details of
the military service, as are absolutely essential to those who would be
competent officers. If it accomplishes this, it will not have been
compiled in
vain.
The Introduction, or "Glossary," will,
it is
hoped, be found useful to the student of military art or science, and
to the reader
of military history.
Article I., On Army Organization,
commences with a
general account of the four arms of the service,--Infantry, Cavalry,
Artillery,
and Engineers,-- the duties of each in the conduct of a campaign, and
the
proportion they should bear to each other in an army. The latter part
of the
Article enters more fully into the details of the organization of each
of the
three leading arms, and closes with a short account of the duties of
the
various departments of the staff.
In Article II., upon Arms and
Ammunition, will be found a
condensed account of the various arms and kinds of ammunition used by
infantry,
cavalry, and artillery, together with the manner of preparing and using
the
latter.
From Article III. to Article XI.,
inclusive, will be found
the tactical portion of the work; it embraces very full instructions
for every
kind of Infantry troops, from the School of the Soldier to that of the
Battalion; Cavalry tactics, from the School of the Trooper to the
Instruction
of the Regiment; and Artillery tactics, from the School of the Piece to
the
Evolutions of a Battery. The whole will be found to be in strict
conformity
with the requirements of the United States service.
Article XII. embraces directions and
forms for the conduct
of every form of parade; the kinds and duties of guards; together with
much
other matter of a kindred nature.
In Article XIII. the duties of captains,
and other company
officers, in regard to the internal management, police, and morale
of
their companies; together with the proper equipment of
officers and men,
to secure efficiency as well as comfort, when in the field, camps,
marches,
etc., are discussed.
Article XIV. is devoted to the Staff,
and embraces such
directions for the conduct of those departments of the staff upon which
the
efficiency of an army in the field must mainly depend, as seemed most
necessary. In this Article will also be found directions and
forms for
the preparation of the morning reports of Companies, Regiments,
Brigades, and
Divisions, together with such forms for requisitions, returns, etc., as
are in
most frequent use.
In Article XV. will be found some
account of the various
orders of battle, together with an outline of the manner in which the
different
kinds of troops should be handled in action.
Article XVI. contains
directions for the organization and conduct of Military Courts; and
lastly, the
Appendix, containing the Articles of War, presents us with the Military
Law now
in force.
W. G.
VIRGINIA
MILITARY INSTITUTE December,
1860.
CONTENTS.
[The numbers
refer to paragraphs and not to pages.]
1. Army
corps; 2. Infantry - Proportion of infantry to the other arms -
Distinction
between heavy and light troops - The musket - Uses and formation of
infantry
of the line; 3. Light infantry and riflemen - The rifle and
sword-bayonet
- Duties, and mode of formation of light troops; 4. Cavalry - Its rank,
and the proportion it should bear to the infantry - Distinguishing
qualities
and uses; 5. Artillery and its
rank - Proportion
to other arms - Light and heavy artillery - Distinction between mounted
and horse artillery - Uses of
artillery; 6. Engineer
troops.
ORGANIZATION
OF INFANTRY
7. The
company and its officers - The platoon - Formation of the company -
Comrades
in battle; 8. Posts of officers, etc.;
9.
The regiment - Its officers; 10. Posts of the field and staff of the
regiment;
11. Pioneers, field music, and band; 12. Color guard; 13. General
guides
and markers; 14. Battalion in column; 15. Posts of officers in column;
16. Brigades and divisions - Posts of general officers in line and in
column.
ORGANIZATION OF CAVALRY
17. The
company - Posts of officers, etc.; 18. The squadron - Posts of officers
and file-closers; 19. The regiment in line - Posts of field and staff,
etc.; 20. The regiment in column by twos and fours; 21. In column of
platoons;
22. In column by division; 23. Order in close column of squadron,
cavalry
brigades and divisions.
ORGANIZATION
OF FIELD ARTILLERY
25. Batteries
- Guns and howitzers - Relative proportions of these - Caissons; 26.
Complement
of officers and men necessary to man the battery; 27. The order in
line;
28. The order in column; 29. The order in battery; 30. Two or more
batteries
united; 31. The position of artillery.
THE STAFF
32. The
different departments of the staff; 33. Adjutant-general's department;
34. The inspector-general's department; 35. The quartermaster's
department;
36. The Commissary department; 37. The engineer department; 38. The
ordnance
department; 39. The pay department; 40. The medical department.
41. Small
arms now in use; 42. The smooth bore musket; 43. The rifled musket -
The
cylindro-conical baIl; 44. The "altered musket"; 45. The rifle (Minie);
46. Rifled carbines, and breech-loading rifles; 47. Pistols, and
pistol-carbines;
48. Sabres; 49. Artillery - Guns - Howitzers - Mortars - The different
calibres of each in use; 50. Field guns - Siege and garrison guns -
Sea-coast
guns; 51. Howitzers - Field - Mountain - Siege and garrison -
Sea-coast;
52. Field howitzers; 53. Mortars; 54. Trunnions; 55. Field gun
carriages;
56. Caissons; 57, 58. Cartridges for small arms, and how to prepare
them;
59. Ball, and ball and buck-shot cartridges; 60. To fill cartridges;
61,
62. Cartridges for elongated projectiles; 63. How to use them; 64.
Cartridges
for artillery-Fixed ammunition; 65. Dimensions, and how made; 66. The
charges
of powder; 67, 68. Sabots; 69. Canister shot, and bow prepared; 70. To
attach the cartridge to the projectile; 71, 72. Cartridge blocks, and
paper
caps; 73, 74. Shells and their charges: 75. Spherical-case shot; 76. To
load spherical-case; 77. The fuze; 78, 79. The Boarman fuze, and how to
use it; 80. Priming and friction tubes; 81. Port-fires and their uses.
82.
General directions; 83. Position of soldier;
84-86.
The facings; 87. Balance step - Direct step;
88-92.
Common time - Quick time - Double quick step - Double quick time; 93.
General directions for manual; 94-141. Manual
for the musket; 142-190. Manual for the
rifle; 191-196. The firings; 197.
Bayonet exercise; 198. Salute with the
sword or sabre; 199. Color Salute; 200-203.
The alignments; 204. To march to front;
205.
The oblique; 206, 207. The double quick
and the about; 208-210. To march by a flank;
211-215.
Wheeling and turning.
216.
To form the Company; 217. To open and close
ranks; 218-221. The alignments; 222-224.
To stack arms; 225-230. The firings; 231-236.
To advance in line - The oblique - Mark time - March in retreat - The
about;
237-239.
To march by flank; 240. On right by file
into line; 241. Marching by the flank to
form company or platoons; 242-245. Breaking
into, and the march of, a column of platoons; 246-248.
To form a column of platoons into line to the left or right; 249,
250. A company marching in line, to break it into column of platoons,
and to re-form company; 251. In column
of platoons, to break files to the rear; 252-255.
The route step; 256. The countermarch;
257.
In column of platoons, to form line on the right; 258-26l.
To form from two to four ranks, and reciprocally; 262.
General directions for skirmishers; 263.
Deployments; 264. To deploy forward; 265.To deploy by a flank; 266. To deploy
on the centre; 267, 268. To extend and
close intervals; 269. To relieve a company
deployed as skirmishers; 270-273. The advance,
retreat, changes of directions, etc.; 274-276.
The firings; 277-282. The rally; 283.
The assembly.
297. To
form the regiment or battalion; 298. To open and close ranks; 299. The
firings; 300. To break to the right into column; 301, 302. To break to
the right and rear into column; 303-305. To form close column; 306-308.
The march in column at full distance; 309-312. To close the column to
half
distance, or in mass; 313, 314. In column at half distance, or closed
in
mass, to take distances; 315-317. In column closed in mass, to change
direction;
318-320. In column by company, to form divisions; 321. The
countermarch;
322. Manner of determining the line of battle; 323-325. A column at
full
distance formed into line of battle to the left, or right; 327.
Successive
formations; 328. On the right into line; 329, 330. Column at full
distance
forward into line; 331, 332. Into line faced to the rear; 333-335.
Formation
of the line of battle by two movements; 336-339. Different modes of
passing
from a column at half distance into line of battle; 340-343.
Deployments
of columns closed in mass; 344-347. The advance and retreat in line of
battle, and the movements incident thereto; 348-350. The passage of
obstacles;
351. To pass a defile in retreat; 352, 353. To march by a flank; 351.
To
form the battalion on the right or left, by file, into line; 355-357.
Changes
of front; 358, 359. To form the battalion into double column; 360-363.
The
deployment of the double column; 364-379. Dispositions against cavalry,
or the formation of squares; 380. To deploy the battalion as
skirmishers;
881. The rally.
382-284.
Directions for, and position of trooper before mounting; 385. To mount;
386. Position of trooper mounted; 387-389. The use of the arms and
legs;
390. To march; 391. To turn to the right or left; 392. To the right or
left about: 393. To make a quarter turn to the right or left; 394. To
rein
back; 395. To dismount; 396. To file off; 397-429. Exercises in the
riding
house in single and in double ranks; 430-432. Principles of the gallop;
433-438. The wheelings in single and double ranks, and on fixed and
movable
pivots; 439-461. Sabre exercise; 462-466. Manual of carbine, or
breech-loading
rifle for horsemen; 467-469. Manual for Colt's revolvers.
470, 471.
General directions - Mounting and forming ranks; 472-476. The
alignments;
477. To open and close ranks; 478. To rein back; 479, 480. To break the
troop by file, and the direct march in file; 481. The oblique march;
482-484.
The troop marching in column, by file, to form it into line to the
front,
to the left, or on the right; 485-487. To break the troop by twos and
by
fours, and the direct and oblique march; 488-490. The troop marching in
column by twos or by fours, to form it to the front, to the left, or on
the right into line; 491. To break the troop by the left; 492. To break
by twos and fours at the trot, and at the gallop; 493, 494. To form the
troop to the left into one rank, and to the right into two ranks;
495-499.
To form twos and fours at the same gait, and to break by twos and by
fours
at the same gait; 500-504. To form twos and fours in doubling the gait,
and to break by twos and fours in doubling the gait; 505, 506. Sabre
exercise;
507, 508. Direct march of the troop in line; 509. The countermarch;
510-512.
The troop being in line, to form it into column with distance, and the
march of this column; 513. The oblique march in column; 514-52l. In
column,
to break by fours, by twos, and by file, and to form twos, fours, and
platoons
at the same gait; 522-527. The same movements in doubling the gait;
528-529.
The about in column, and the halt; 530-532. To form line to left, and
right;
533, 534. To form line on the right, and on the left; 535, To form
front
into line; 536, 537. The formation of lines faced to the rear; 542.
Movements
by fours, the troop being in column with distance; 543-547. The changes
of direction of a troop marching in line; 548. Movement by fours, the
troop
in line; 549. The troop marching in line, to break it by platoons to
the
right, and to re-form it; 550, 551. The troop marching in line, to
break
it to the front by platoons, and to re-form it; 552-557. The charge;
558.
Rallying; 559. Skirmishing.
ARTICLE
IX
SCHOOL
OF THE SQUADRON
560, 561.
The movements of the squadron; 562. Successive alignments of platoons
in
the squadron; 563, 564. To break from the right to march to the left;
565.
To break by platoons to the right, and to advance; 566. To form line to
the front by inversion; 567. Break to the right by platoons, head of
column
to the left or half left; 568. To form line faced to the rear by
inversion,
on the rear of the column; 569. By platoons to the right head of column
to the right, or half right; 570. To form line face to the rear, by
inversion,
on the head of column; 571. The oblique; 572. The oblique by platoons;
573. By fours about, and to face to the front again; 574. The about by
platoons; 575. To break the squadron to the front by platoon, and to
re-form
it; 576, 577. The passage of obstacles; 578-581. Skirmishing; 582-587.
The column by division.
ARTICLE
X
EVOLUTIONS
OF THE REGIMENT
688. Positions
of the guides in column; 589, 590. The alignments; 591. To break the
regiment
by fours; 592, 593. Form platoons, and to break the platoons by fours;
594, 595. The same movements in doubling the gait; 596-598. To form the
regiment to the front, to the left, and upon the right into line; 599.
To form the regiment into column with distance; 600, 601. To break from
the right, to march to the left; 602-603. To form the regiment into
close
column; 606, 607. The march, and change of direction in column; 608.
Platoons
left about wheel; 609, 610. By fours to the right, and right or left
about;
611. The oblique; 612-620. Various methods of forming a regiment into
line
of battle; 621, 622. The deployments of a close column; 623. The march
in line; 624. The regiment marching in line to oblique by platoons;
625.
To gain ground to the right; 626. To march in retreat; 627, 628. The
changes
of front of the line; 629, 630. The passage of defiles; 631, 632. The
charge.
ARTICLE
XI
LIGHT ARTILLERY
TACTICS
633, 635.
Manner of forming the gun detachments, and posting the cannoneers;
636-643.
Loading and firing the piece; 644, 645. Moving the piece by hand; 646,
647. Changing posts, and equipments; 648-650. Limbering; 651. Posts of
cannoneers, the piece limbered; 652-656. To form the detachments, their
posts, and changing posts; 657. Moving the piece by hand, when
limbered;
658-660. Unlimbered and coming into action; 661. Movements with the
prolonge;
662 Service of the gun with diminished numbers; 663. Supply of
ammunition
when in action; 664-666. Pointing and ranges; 667 Composition of the
battery
The officers and men necessary to man it; 668. Posts of officers, etc.;
669. Manning the battery; 670, 671. To mount and dismount the
cannoneers;
672-684. To unpack, and to perform various movements in column;
685-687.
Various ways of passing from the order in column to the order in line;
688-695. To pass from the order in line to the order in column; 696,
697.
To form the double column into line; 698-700. To advance, to change
direction
in line, and to halt; 701-717. Formations in battery; 718. To pass from
the order in battery to the order in column; 719-723. The firings;
724-727
The changes of front in battery; 728-729. The passage of defiles.
730. Honors
paid by troops to the President, Governor, General-in-chief, Major
General,
Brigadier General, etc., Members of the Cabinet, etc., Foreign
Ministers,
Officers, etc.; 731. Compliments paid by guards - Compliments paid by
officers
and soldiers to their Superiors; 732 Artillery salutes; 733. Escorts of
honor, how formed and conducted; 734. Funeral honors - the escort for
various
grades, the manner of Conducting the march, etc.; 735, 736. Manner of
inspecting
infantry and cavalry; 737-741. Forms of parade - Dress parade - Review
of infantry Review of cavalry - Review of artillery; 742. Guard
mounting
- Relieving sentinels and guards; 743. Method of escorting and
receiving
the color of an infantry regiment; 744. Method of escorting and
receiving
the standard of a cavalry regiment; 745. Method of receiving One body
of
troops by another; 746. Manner in which orders should be written and
communicated;
747. The manner of conducting musters of the troops; 748. The roster,
or
details for service, how made; 749. Sentinels are relieved, how often -
The countersign and parole - Duties of officers, non-commissioned
officers,
and privates of guards - Manner of challenging - Receiving the "grand
rounds,"
etc., etc.; 750. General arrangement of the guards of a camp or
position;
751. The different kinds of guards Police guards - Picket - Grand
guards
- Outposts - Patrols; 752. Strength and duties of the police guard -
Duties
of the regimental officer of the day; 763. Strength and duties of the
pickets;
754-757. Strength and duties of the grand guards and Outposts - Manner
of posting them, etc., etc.
DUTIES
OF CAPTAINS - COMPANIES - DUTIES IN CAMP AND
GARRISONS,
ETC.
758. Responsibility
of captains; 759. Manner of issuing arms to volunteer companies; 760.
The
uniform and equipment of volunteers and militia - The knapsack -
Haversack
- Bedsack - Blankets, etc.; 761. Tents - The Sibley tent - The shelter
tent - Tent knapsack - Half-faced camp; 762. The "kit," or necessary
equipment
for the field; 763. Interior police of companies - Method of keeping
the
arms, etc., in order - The ration, how cooked and served; 764, 765.
Duties
in camp and garrison - The reveille - Breakfast call - Troop -
Surgeon's
call - Dinner call - Retreat - Tattoo - Stable call - Drummers' call;
765.
Daily duties - General officers of the day - Field officers of the day
- Regimental officers of the day - Their duties; 766. Camp of infantry;
767. Camp of cavalry; 768. Camp of artillery; 769. Bivouacs; 770.
Cantonments;
771. Preliminaries for the march - The general - Long roll - Directions
for the conduct of the march; 772. The camping party - Going into camp
- Details for duty.
773-778.
Duties of the adjutant-general's department - Adjutant-generals and
assistant
adjutant-generals - Morning reports of brigades and divisions - Orders,
how distributed - The parole and countersign how issued, and to whom
sent
- Manner of folding the Countersign - Brigade and division inspectors -
Adjutants of regiments - Morning report of regiment; 779-785.
Quartermaster's
department - Quarters, and the allowance of Transportation - The forage
ration - Stationery - Camp and garrison equipage Depot quartermasters,
etc.; 786-789. Subsistence department - The ration - Provision returns
- Issues; 790, 791. The medical department - Surgeon's call, and
morning
sick report; 792. The pay department.
793. The
different kinds of battles; 794. When a defensive battle should be
given;
795. Conditions to be satisfied in a defensive position; 796. Offensive
battles; 797. The meeting of two armies; 798, 799. The different orders
of battle; 800-808. The infantry - The defence - Attack - Pursuit -
Retreat
- Means of prolonging the engagement - Defence against cavalry -
Against
artillery - Attack on artillery; 809-812. The position of cavalry - The
defence - Its attack upon infantry - Upon artillery; 813-815. Position
of artillery - Defence - Attack.
816. Courts
martial defined; 817. What officers eligible as members; 818. Kinds and
powers of courts martial; 819. Who may assemble general courts martial,
and manner of assembling them; 820. Number of officer's necessary to
compose
a court; 821. Revision of the proceedings, etc.; 822. Regimental and
garrison
courts, how convened, etc.; 823-828. The trial - Challenges - The oath
of the members, and of the judge advocate - The plea of the prisoner -
The examinations of the witnesses - The defence; 829-831. The findings;
832-834. The sentence; 835,836. Duties of the
judge advocate; 837.
Form of order convening a court; 838. Form of proceedings.
