Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	file_n	front_n	left_a	2,096	5	10.6385	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48253	The military duties of the officers of cavalry containing the way of exercising the horse according to the practice of this present time : the motions of horse, the function of the several officers, from the chief captain to the brigadeer / written originally in French by the Sieur de la Fontaine, ingineer in ordinary to the most Christain king and translated for the use of those who are desirous to be informed of the art of war as it is practised in France, by A.L.	La Fontaine, sieur de.; Lovell, Archibald.	1678 (1678)	Wing L178; ESTC R32445	50,400	157

are or pass for strangers are Colonels Lieutenant-Colonels the first Captains who are commonly Majors Lieutenants Cornets and Quarter-masters The Officers of the Gend'armes Are Lieutenants of the Gend'armes and Sub-lieutenants in the Kings Gend'armes Ensigns Guidons Quartermasters first and second Brigadeer They never fight but with the General and are not sent out on parties I mean they are not employed to beat the rode The Officers of the Light-horse of Ordinance Are Lieutenants Cornets Quartermasters first and second Brigadeer The particular Officers Are the Master de Camp the first Captain commanding the Regiment the Captains the Master de Camp 's Lieutenant Major the Lieutenant Cornets the Aid-major Quarter-Masters first and second Cavalier or Trooper We have besides in our Cavalrie the Kings Musketeers who attend his Majesty when they are commanded In the Cavalrie then we may observe six sorts of Horsemen 1. To wit the Kings Gend'armes 2. The Guards du Corps 3. The Light-Horse of the Kings Guard 4. The Kings Musketeers 5. The Cuirasseers 6. The Dragoons When two three or more Troopers as necessities require are sent out to scout on the avenues or to any place to discover the Enemy they are called the Vedette as in Foot the Sentinel Of the Exercise of Horse It is certain the Horse may perform the same motions as the Foot do whether it be by Caracols or by facing about and other words of Command which shall be shewed hereafter How a Squadron is to be formed Double the Cavalrie on the left Wing by three Ranks successively which is the usual depth of Squadrons and when they draw off to march they are to file off by files beginning at the right Wing or otherwayes the Squadron being formed they are to begin to march by one of the wings without breaking the Squadron and by Caracol the Squadron will be formed The Horse fight in a large Front three and sometimes four in depth according as the Army is strong in Cavalrie and sometime five or six deep c. and that is it which we call a Squadron The Horse march commonly Troop by Troop according to their Regiment and every Troop marches in two files if they march in body of a squadron they make a large Front and have their depth as is beforesaid Two Troops are sometimes squadroned together the one marching on the rear of the other and sometimes both a breast they are each of them to march in one file and the first has the right and the other the left hand but before the Command be given they must dress their files and ranks that is straighten their files and even their ranks as hath been shewed in the Exercise of the Foot To close the Files The right wing file stand Close your files to the right To the left as ye were The left wing file stand To the left by files close the squadron To the right as ye were The right and left-wing file stand By half ranks close your files to the right and ●●ft The Command may be given thus Cleave the Squadron by closing your files All these Motions are performed in Marching To close the Ranks File leaders stand By ranks close the squadron to the front On the front as ye were Or thus Open your ranks on the front to your first distances To double the Ranks By half files to the right double your ranks to the front File-leaders advance your ranks Half files take your ground The same Command is made to the left The first half-half-file stand By half-half-file leader on the left wing double your ranks to the front To reduce them again the Command must be given Right-wing half-rank advance your ranks Half file-leaders take your ground The first half-half-file stand By half file-leaders on the right and left wings double your ranks to the front caracolling to the right and left The last half-half-file stand The first half file by Caracol to the right and left on the wings double your ranks to the reare By half-file leader in the centre double your ranks to the front At this word of Command the first half file must open the half rank to the right and left The first half file by caracol to the right and left double your ranks to the reare To the front as ye were For obeying of this word of Command the last half file must open the half rank to the right and left It is to be observed that the Horse turn neither to the right nor left about to reduce themselves as they were nor to close their ranks to the rear A Fight of Foote against Foote Of Counter-marches Here the Command is to be given is it is done to the Foot but it is most necessary for Cavalrie to gain ground on the front How Conversion is to be performed Before we speak of Conversions we must distinguish between wheeling by conversion and wheeling by ●aracol wheeling by conversion is performed by the front of the squadron so that it is the rank and not the file which makes the motion Of wheeling by Caracol Wheeling by Caracol is made by ●he depth of the squadron and it is the file that makes the motion by Passades which is a serpentine moving on a ground some this and some tha● way Of the volte-face or facing about To face about one must turn to the right or left about as shall appear by the following words of Command The motions of Conversion and Caracol are performed by wheeling making a circle or part of one so that the only difference between them is that wheeling by Conversion is made by the front of the squadron and the Caracol by the depth or flank of it as may be seen by the following Commands The words of Command Mind me to the right by conversion At this word of command the right leg is to be closed to the Horse and the knee to touch the right hand mans The same command is made to the ●ft thus Close the left wing Close the left leg Words of Command By half ranks and by conversion divide the squadron into two Troops And to reduce the squadron this word of command is to be given Mind me by Conversion the squadron into one Troop Or otherwayes thus Mind me the left wing advance by conversion The words of Command for wheeling by Caracol Mind me the right wing to the left by Caracol face about to the rear The Caracol may be performed by half ranks but it is to be observed that they who command the half rank make use of the word of command above-mentioned The word of Command By quarter-ranks and by Caracol divide the squadron into four Troops To reduce them again Quarter Ranks mind me the squadron into one Troop To Command the Volte-face or to face about To the right about is taken for facing about as in the subsequent words of Command The words of Command Face about to the right Face to the right By conversion face about to the right By

interlining if the infantry who have fired have suffered any check the Cavalrie which is at hand may maintain them and give them time to rally The most honourable Post of all is the Van-guard next the main body claims the honour but we must except the Regiment of Guards and the Kings Gend'arms because both are in service and are always put in the second line There is in every line also the honourable Post the old Bodies according to the Order of their Seniority have always the right Wing and the second in seniority is placed on the left and so from rank to rank so that the middle of the line is the lowest Post in honour If we consider the number of men who as we have said compose the Batallions which at most consist of a thousand men apiece and the number of Troopers that make up a Squadron which is at most of two hundred it is evident that though there be but very few Cavalrie in an Army yet the number of Squadrons is double yea and triple the number of Batallions so that for every Batallion in the middle of each of the three lines there will be two or three Squadrons in the Wings of the same line When an Army is drawn up in Batallia they observe five foot of interval interval between each Trooper and three foot between each foot man which is for the front or distance of one file from another but when they come to the shock the files close and the front is lessened almost one half There are left about an hundred paces between the first line and the second and two hundred between the second and third that the Troops if they be broken may have ground to rally on and if less ground were allotted them it would happen that the Troops of one line giving ground would break the Troops of the second as being too near them In every line the Batallions are distant from Batallions and the Squadrons from Squadrons to a distance almost equal to their front so that the front of a Squadron extending about two or three hundred foot the interval between two Squadrons shall be two or three hundered foot more or less and the front of a Batallion being between an hundred and seventy or a hundred and eighty foot the interval between two Batallions shall be within a little equal to their front These intervals are left because the Squadrons and Batallions of the second line are placed just behind the intervals of the first and in the same manner the Bodies of the Rear-guard are placed just behind the intervals that are between the bodies of the main Battel to the end that by these intervals both may more easily advance against the Enemy and that if the first line be broken instead of falling back upon the Troops of the second as must needs happen if the bodies of all the lines made but files it might rally behind its own ground and leave the intervals free for the second line to advance and maintain the other that gave ground If the Army on a march have the Enemy on head and that they march in an open and razed Country they keep together in a posture of fighting The Cavalrie are placed upon the Wings but the Gend'arms come behind the second line the Cannon march at the head of the first line next comes the second backed by the Gend'arms on the same front march the provisions baggage and equipage of Artillery and for the security of these equipages the Rear-guard comes after but if they must come to a fight the Rear-guard advances on head of them and leaves only two or three Squadrons on the rear of the baggage and provisions When the Enemy is on head of an Army in a close Country that is divided by cross ways by Lanes and Ditches covered with wood or beset with Hedges the front of each of the three lines must of necessity be contracted and one body must file off after another In such a Country the Horse and great Cannon are but of little use the Cavalrie being unable to fight there and having frequently need of succour Commonly the march begins by one or two Squadrons a Front then a Batallion or two a Front and so successively according as the passages are more or less open The Cannon Provisions and Baggage march only after the Troops of the second line for the Cannon would be so far from doing any good effect if it were on the Front that it would hinder the march of the Troops in case the Enemy were on head and would attack the first line In such kind of marches there are many skirmishing parties mingled amongst the Baggage to secure them against the Enemy who might cut them off by the advantage of the Woods The infantry hath a particular order for the march of the Baggages for the Baggage of the oldest Regiments march first though these old Regiments were even in the third line When there are two or three narrow Passes the Army marches in two or three Pillars to march in Pillars is when the lines instead of making a large Front make a long File so to march in three Pillars is to march in three long Files If an Army march by Pillars one half of the Cannon is placed in the intervals of the Troops of the Vanguard and the other half in the intervals of the main body There are but very few put in the Pillar of the Rear-guard because it is supposed to be weaker than the other Pillars and less able to defend the Artillery When the Enemy is on the flank in a large and open Country the Army marches likewise in three Pillars the first Pillar that sides to the Enemy shall be composed of the Regiments of the Van-guard the Cannon shall march between that first Pillar and the Enemy the second Pillar shall be made up of the Troops of the main Battel and the third of the body of the Rear-guard so that when the Enemy appears making the three Pillars turn to the right or left according as the Enemy shall appear to the right or left all the Army by that motion will be in order of Battallia and the Cannon on the Front Of a Council of War It is to be supposed that he who Commands an Army is a man endowed with all the good qualities that are necessary to the General of an Army The first thing that a General should do when he has received his Orders from the King written and countersigned by his Secretary of War is to endeavour to follow punctually the same orders that he may the better succeed in them and give no advantage to his Enemies who are jealous of his glory He ought have a Journal Book wherein he shall cause to be inserted by his chief Secretary all the Orders Letters and Answers which he shall have received or given that he may be thereby always in a condition to give his Soveraign an account of his duty