A study of Casey's Schools of Instruction

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Charge To The Instructor

This lesson is used as the introductory session for the author’s Seminar on Casey’s schools of instruction. It  draws upon Casey’s instructions and the author’s personal experience as  a coach and instructor. It sets the stage for developing a uniform  impression within a battalion composed of individual and often unique  companies. And builds upon Casey’s instruction found in  the SCHOOL OF THE BATTALION, General Rules and Division of the School of  the Battalion, instruction 19: 

19. This school has for its object the instruction of battalions  singly, and thus to prepare them for manoeuvres in line. The harmony so  indispensable in the movements of many battalions can only be attained  by the use of the same commands, the same principles, and the same means  of execution. Hence, all colonels and actual commanders of battalions  will conform themselves, without addition or curtailment, to what will  herein be prescribed.
 

Commands

This lesson focuses on the phrase from SCHOOL OF THE BATTALION 19:  “…The harmony so indispensable in the movements of many battalions can  only be attained by the use of the same commands, the same principles,  and the same means of execution. …”. It further examines the  instructions found in INFANTRY TACTICS, TITLE I, ARTICLE II, INSTRUCTION  OF THE BATTALION. It also stresses the importance to  proper execution of a maneuver, for the Commanding Officer to pause  between issuing Preparatory Commands and Commands of Execution, and  between multiple Commands of Execution to enable Officers, NCOs, and  Soldiers to properly execute their required movements.

Position Of The Soldier 

The lesson examines the instructions found in TITLE II, SCHOOL OF THE  SOLDIER, General Rules and Division of the School of the Soldier.  Proper Alignment of each rank, and hence the company, is critically  dependent on the proper position of each soldier. The improper position  of a single soldier has the potential to derange the alignment of a rank  which can then be compounded into deranging the alignment of the  company and subsequently the alignment of the battalion. 

Alignment

This lesson examines the instructions found in the SCHOOL OF THE  SOLDIER, lesson on ALIGNMENTS. It appears early in the author’s seminar  to mitigate the challenge faced by reenactors of having (making?) too  little drill time to focus sufficiently on the fundamentals upon which  all other instructions build. Throughout this seminar, the author groups  complimentary sets of instruction to effectively use the limited amount  of drill time available, e.g., Position of the Soldier plus Alignment  plus Facings plus Mechanism of the Step. This section in particular focuses on the principles and use of Right (or Left) DRESS and Right (or Left) backward-DRESS.

The following two lessons focus on the proper execution of facings  from the halt and while marching (facings and flanking respectively).  Because of the volume of material, the lessons are broken up into two  parts.

Facings & Flanking Part One
Facings and Flanking Part One examines the fundamentals of facing and the requirement and importance of all facings being executed on the left heal. It then focuses on the mechanisms of Doubling. It introduces the instructional language “When faced in the direction of the Company Right Guide – the 2’s always double” and “When faced in the direction of the Company Left Guide – the 1’s always double.”  It examines doubling when the ranks are faced to the front (typical  practice) and when they are faced to the rear (rarely practiced) and  illustrates how the recommended instructional language “in the direction of the Company Right (Left) Guide”  enables the soldier to properly execute the facing/flanking regardless  of starting faced to the front or rear and whether facing/flanking to  the left or right.

Facings & Flanking Part Two

Facings and Flanking Part Two continues the lesson begun in Facings  and Flanking Part One and focuses on the mechanisms of Undoubling. It  examines closely the SCHOOL OF THE SOLDIER instruction 376 that  instructs that when undoubling, the “it is the men who are in the rear who always move up to form into single rank, and in such manner as never to invert the order of the numbers in the rank.”. Note the instruction’s use of “always” and “never”. A number one man should always be next to the Right Guide.

Marching Fundamentals

This lesson examines the fundamentals of marching: properly stepping  off as the unit-commanded (squad, platoon, company, battalion, etc…),  halting properly, proper pace and cadence, and always maintaining  alignment regardless of cadence.

Guides

This lesson examines the role and positions of the 1st Sgt (Covering Sergeant & Company Right Guide), the 2nd Sgt (Company Left Guide), and the Captain when marching in battalion line. It illustrates the general movement of Guides and Officers on the command “Guides-POSTS”.

Obliques

This lesson examines the fundamentals for marching at the oblique,  both to the front (rear) and by the flank. Proper execution of marching  by the flank at the oblique is critical to proper execution of the  instructions for passing the company from the flank march into line.

The following three lessons focus on the proper execution of the Turn  and Wheel commands (both as a rank and by file) used to change  direction of units regardless of whether the soldiers are marching in  column or by the flank.

Turns

This lesson examines the fundamentals for changing direction to the side of the guide,  the Turn. The Turn is NOT executed as a wheel-in-motion; it is  comprised of marching by the flank and marching at the oblique.  Therefore  the soldier must first be proficient at marching by the flank and  marching at the oblique in order to properly execute the Turn.

Wheeling fundamentals

This lesson examines the fundamental for changing direction change direction to the reverse flank, or to the side opposite to the guide,  the Wheel. It examines the instructions for wheel from a halt, or on a  fixed pivot; and when wheeling in marching, or on a movable pivot. Note that the command “1. By file, left (or right). 2 MARCH”, is executed as a wheel in motion, one file at a time. Think  of it as a wheel-by-file. This lesson also illustrates the risk of  collisions for a battalion marching in column during the individual  companies execution of their wheel in motion when the companies are of  different sizes.

Wheeling, From Line To Column, and From Column To Line
This lesson examines two complementary sections of SCHOOL OF THE  BATTALION. The first is a mode of passing a battalion from order in  battle (i.e., in line of battle) to order in column (i.e., in column of  company). The second is a mode of passing from order in column to order  in battle.
 

On The Right, By File Into Line

This lesson examines the instruction for passing from a  battalion marching by the right flank to form the battalion on the right  or left, by file, into line of battle.
 

To Break Files To The Rear

This lesson examines the instructions for causing a company that is  marching in column to break files to the rear and to cause them to  re-enter into line. This command is useful in reducing the  width of the company front to enable it to pass through narrow spaces  while maintaining a significant portion of the company’s front without  having to pass into a march by the flank. The concept is fundamental to proper execution of breaking to the rear (front) by the right or left.

On The Right, By File Into Line

This lesson examines one method for passing from marching by the  flank into line by file. In this lesson the company is marching by the  flank and the line of battle is perpendicular to the line of the march.  Note the presence of “by file” in the command: “1. On the right, by file into line. 2. MARCH.”

On The Right Into Line (coming soon)

This lesson examines a different method for passing from column into  line. In this lesson the company is marching in column of companies and  the line of battle is perpendicular to the line of the march. Note the  absence of “by file” in the command: “1. On the right into line. 2. Guide right.”  To execute this maneuver properly, the company needs to know how to  march to continue to march to the front while its Comrades in Battle  sequentially perform right (left) turns.

To Break To The Rear Into Column

This lesson examines another method for passing from order in battle  to order in column and to advance or retire by the right or left of  companies. The lesson illustrates breaking from line into column and returning from column into line. The  soldiers need to know how to break files. Most importantly, this is one  of the commands where it is critically important for the Commanding  Officer to pause between commands to enable the component instructions  to be properly executed.

By Company Into Line

This lesson examines in detail the instructions for passing a company  from marching by the flank to marching by the front. Prerequisites for  proper execution of this command are: understanding guides, marching by  the flank, marching by the flank at the oblique, and undoubling files  while marching.

Parade Rest
This lesson examines the instructions for the execution of Parade Rest.

Inspection Arms
This lesson examines the instructions for executing Inspection Arms. It provides instructions to Inspectors for how to inspect the musket. It  cautions the soldier to be aware of the Inspector’s method of checking  the functioning of the trigger mechanism; and instructs the soldier to  refuse to present his musket to an Inspector that use improper  inspection “methods” that risk damaging the trigger and/or lock  mechanisms. 

Inspection Arms, Illustrated

This document illustrates in detail all the mechanisms for the soldier executing Inspection Arms.

Manual Of Arms,  Illustrated

This document illustrates in detail all the mechanisms for executing  the Manual of Arms by the Motion, except for the instructions on loading  and firing.
(Note this section includes the instructions for going from Support Arms  directly to Right Shoulder shift Arms, and to go from Right shoulder  shift Arms direct to Support Arms.)
 

Manual of Arms, Illustrated, Field Manual

This document repeats the introductory material from Manual Of Arms,  Illustrated and covers the same set of instructions but omits the  illustrations of the individual mechanisms of each motion and only  illustrates the desired end-state of each motion.
 

Manual Of Arms, the video
This video illustrates the manual arms, each instruction executed in one motion.
 

Manual of Arms, the video, by the motion.
This video illustrate the manual of arms, each instruction executed by the motion.

Load In Nine Times, Illustrated

This document illustrates in detail all the mechanisms for executing  by the motion the section on Load In Nine Times from the Manual of Arms.

Reenactor distances, and their impact on the execution of the oblique fire.

This paper discusses the distances reenactors close to when engaging  their adversary. It discusses the poor, not to mention the period  incorrect impression that this leaves with the spectators.  It also  examines the impact this close-behavior has on our ability to properly  execute the oblique fire instructions as instructed in Hardee's and  Casey's Manuals of Instruction.  It also addresses the debate within the  reenactor community as to whether firing at the left oblique is done  through the left interval of the rear rank's file partner or through the  right interval.  BLUF: the left oblique should be fired through the  *right* interval of the rear ranks's file partner the same as the direct  fire.
 

Firing Positions, the Footwork (coming soon)

This document provides a deeper examination of firing footwork and oblique firing.

Regimental Drill Day Lesson Plan
This is the detailed lesson plan for our Regimental Drill Day. It  provides the instructor's script for both the theoretical instruction  and practical instruction for the fundamental marching maneuvers.