AN ABRIDGEMENT OF THE ENGLISH Military Discipline By His Majesties permission LONDON Printed by the Assigns of John Bill and Christopher Barker Printers to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty 1676. AN ABRIDGEMENT OF THE ENGLISH Military Discipline Of the Exercise of the Foot WHen a Body of Men are drawn up to Exercise the distance of their Ranks must be at six Foot and their Files at three Foot that they may have liberty to use their Arms. The Officers of the Body he onely excepted that is to give the Words of Command are to draw off to the Right and Left forming a Rank on each Wing opposite the one to the other The Officer Commanding is to place himself before the Middle of the Pikes about ten Foot distance from them the better to observe what is done and to be the more easily understood by the whole Body The Words of Command must be given Leisurely that the Souldiers may perform their Postures without Confusion The Officer must first Command Silence and then proceed as followeth to the Exercise of the Musquet SHoulder your Musquet Lay your right hand on your Musquet Poyse your Musquet Rest your Musquet Handle your Match Blow your Match Cock and try your Match Guard your Pan. Blow your Match Open your Pan. Present Give Fire Recover your Arms. Return your Match Clean your Pan with your Thumb Handle your Primer Prime your Pan. Shut your Pan with a full Hand Blow off your loose Corns Cast about to Charge Handle your Charger Open it with your Teeth Charge with Powder Draw forth your Scowrer Shorten it to an Inch against your right Breast Charge with Bullet Ram down Powder and Ball. Withdraw your Scowrer Shorten it to a handful Return your Scowrer Poyse your Musquet Shoulder your Musquet Order your Musquet Exercise of the Pike ADvance your Pikes Charge to the Front To the Right To the Right To the Right To the Right To the Right about To the Left about as you were Charge to the Left To the Left To the Left To the Left To the Left about To the Right about as you were Advance your Pikes From Advance Shoulder your Pikes From Shoulder Charge to the Front Shoulder as you were From your Shoulder Charge to the Right Shoulder as you were Charge to the Right about Shoulder as you were Charge to the Left Shoulder as you were To the Left about Shoulder as you were From your Shoulder Port. From your Port Comport From your Comport Charge to the Front From your Charge Trail Facing to the Right about Charge as you were Advance your Pikes Exercise of the Musquet and Pike together SHoulder your Musquet Musqueteers Make ready At which time the Musqueteers must Leisurely and Distinctly perform every particular Posture of the Musquet together The Musqueteers being ready the Pikes are to Charge as the Musqueteers are Faced To the Right To the Right To the Right To the Right To the Right about To the Left about as you were To the Left To the Left To the Left To the Left To the Left about To the Right about as you were Advance your Pikes Return your Matches Shoulder your Musquets Order your Arms. Pikes to your inside Order Lay down your Arms. Which Posture is to be performed with their Left Legs and stooping all together their Arms being upon the ground they must take care to Rise all together every one observing his Right hand man at the Word of Command Quit your Arms. Face all to the Right about March clear off your Arms. To the Left about to your Leader March to your Arms. Handle your Arms. Which must be done stepping forward with their Left Legs and stooping Laying their hands upon their Arms expecting the Word of Command Order your Arms. Pikes to your outside Order Poyse your Musquets Advance your Pikes Shoulder your Musquets March This way of Exercise is not altogether the same with what hath been hitherto in use wherein it was thought fit to make some alteration by leaving out some Words as superfluous and changing some of the Postures for others that are of greater Use and readiness Closings and Openings RRanks close forward to Order Ranks close forward to close Order Ranks open backwards to Order Ranks open backwards to open Order Ranks open backward to double distances The Ranks fall back without changing aspect Files close to the Right Files close to the Left Files close to the Center Files open from the Right Files open from the Left Files open from the Center For performing of which the Body faces to the hand named and moves If to the Right the second File from the right first takes its distance by moving slower then its Leader the rest of the Files do the like successively and the left hand File moves not at all Doublings Ranks to the right hand double March Ranks to the left hand as you were March Ranks to the left hand double March Ranks to the right hand as you were March The Ranks that double are to observe their right hand Man to move at the same time with him They begin their motion with the foot next the hand named and are to come into their places at three steps In this doubling the even Ranks double into the odd And if you would have the odd Ranks also double Face the Body to the Rere and the same Words of Command will perform it To reduce the Ranks The Ranks that doubled are first to Face to the contrary hand then beginning with the contrary foot at three steps to come into their former ground Files doubling is perform'd in the same manner and is the same thing with the reduction of doubled Ranks the reduction of doubled Files is the same thing with doubling Ranks Doubling of half Files with the Reduction Rere half Files to the Right double your Front March To the Left about as you were March Rere half Files to the Left double your Front March To the Right about as you were March If you do it upon a March let your Rere half Files move into the Front with a quicker motion the Front half Files still continuing theirs And for Reduction let the Rere half Files without facing about stand till the Front half Files have passed them and then fall after their proper Leaders Fireings THe Commander in chief gives no Command nor Direction besides Make ready Present Give fire And the first of these he uses but once The Souldiers are to be instructed and minded by subaltern Officers that when the two first Ranks make ready and advance forward the Body of Musqueteers is to make good the Front of Pikes and the two next Ranks unshoulder and make ready without any Word of Command and when the last Rank presents or both if both fire together to advance and this also without any Word of Command If the Ranks be at six Foot they are also at their advancing to close forward to three Foot without any Word of Command If
The Captains are to March with their Pikes Shouldered A Lieutenant to March with a Partizan And an Ensign to March with his Pike Comported which is to be the distinction between the Captains and other Officers Serjeants have no place assigned them in Marching but are to be moving up and down to observe that the Ranks and Files be at their due distance Of Drawing up a Body of Men and the Place of the Officers WHen a Regiment is to be Drawn up the easiest and readiest way of Placing the Companies is that the Eldest Company Draw up on the Right hand and the second Company on the Left the Third next to the First the Fourth next to the Second and so consequently to the youngest which is to be in the Center for which the Words of Command are Musqueteers to the Right and Left outwards Pikes to the Right and Left inwards Interchange Ground March When a Regiment hath so taken its Ground to Place the Officers you must divide the Lieutenants equally Placing one half of them at the head of the Right Wing of Shot and the other at the Left The Ensigns are to be at the Head of the Pikes upon the same Line with the Lieutenants and each of them at four Foot distance from the Body The Captains are likewise to be divided equally and Placed on each Wing four Foot before the Lieutenants None must stand before the Ensigns but he onely that Commands in Chief who is to be ten Foot before the Pikes there must be a Serjeant Placed at the Right and Left of every Rank and the Rest of the Serjeants are to be in the Rere at twelve Foot distance from the Body making a Parallel line to the last Rank The Drums must be divided likewise one half on the right Wing and the other on the left and are to stand on the same Line with the first Rank of the Souldiers It is to be understood that this way of Placing of the Officers is onely for Ordinary drawings out either for Musters or Parade For upon any occasion of Service they are to be otherwise placed as shall be shewn hereafter But if the Regiments March in a Body this Order of the Officers must be changed For then the Lieutenants are to be removed from the Front to the Rere the rest of the Officers keeping still their same Post and the Serjeants that were in the Rere must be moving up and down to see that the Ranks and Files March according to the Rules above given And if the Regiment March in Division the difference is yet greater for then one half of the Captains are to March at the Head of the first Division of Shot and the other in the Rere of the last Division One half likewise of the Lieutenants are to be in the Rere of the first Division of Shot and the other at the Head of the last The Ensigns are to March before the Pikes and no other Officer at their Head The Officers in Marching are to observe the same Distance from the Body as when they were Drawn up Of Salutes WHen a Regiment is Drawn up the Officers are to Salute one after another as the Person passes by whom they are to Salute If the Regiment March in Division the Officer that Commands must begin first to Salute and the Captains that March in a Rank behind him must not Salute till he hath done and then they must observe all one Motion The Lieutenants likewise when they Salute must keep the same Time as also the Ensigns which is much more Graceful then doing it one after another The Ensigns must further observe in their Salutes to bring their Colours all the same way otherwise they will be apt to meet and Entangle In making a Guard when the King or Queen passes by the Pikes must be Advanced Otherwise onely the Drums Beat the Musquets are Shouldered and the Pikes Ordered When the King or General comes in the Rere the Colours or Officers are not to March through the Ranks but to keep still at the Front If it be in the Field and the whole Army Drawn up then as the King Marches by every Battalion is to Charge their Pikes and Rest their Musquets which is a Posture of more Guard Of Wheeling when a Body Marches in Division WHen the Word of Command is given to Wheel if it be to the Right the Right-hand man is to keep his Ground and onely turn upon his Heel whilest at the same time the Left-hand man moves about quick till the Officer bids him Stand. The second Rank doth not begin to Wheel till they have taken the Ground of the first So every Rank is to take the Ground of that which is before them Upon which depends this way of Wheeling Of the Exercise of Horse THe Exercise of Horse consisting in fewer Words of Command then that of Foot is more generally known and there is little need of any Alteration to be made therein but what is rather for Shew then Use When a Troop or Squadron are to Exercise they must first have Charg'd their Carabins and Pistols And when the Corporals have been through the Ranks and seen that they are all ready the Officer must Command Silence and proceed as followeth Lay your Hands upon your Swords Draw your Swords Put your Swords into your Bridle Hands Lay your Hands upon your Pistols Draw your Pistols Cock your Pistols Hold up your Hands Give fire Return your Pistols The same Words of Command are given for the other Pistol and then as followeth Lay your hands upon your Carabins Advance your Carabins Cock your Carabins Present your Carabins Give Fire Let fall your Carabins Take your Swords from your Bridle Hands Return your Swords All which Motions the Officer must take care to see done exactly at the same Time and therefore must not give the Words of Command too fast When a Body of Horse is Drawn up the Officers must stand close to their Men onely he that Commands must be a Horse length before the Rest of the Officers And they must observe the same thing in Marching for nothing is more unseemly than to see the Officers at too great a Distance from their Men. It is thought necessary to make an Alteration in the manner of Wheeling of Horse For whereas formerly when a Squadron of Horse was Commanded to Wheel if it were to the Right the Right-hand Men closed to the Left Which way was found subject to put the Ranks out of Order and therefore the Practise now is That the Right-hand Men should keep their Ground onely turning their Horses Heads to the Right whilst the Left comes about in which Motion they must observe their Left-hand man When a Squadron of Horse is to Charge another it is better they should do it with their Swords in their Hands than either with their Pistols or Carabins The manner of Encamping for Horse or Foot THere must be allowed One hundred Paces for the
to their degrees The Lieutenants are to be Placed two in the Front two in the Rere and one on each Flank The Colours are to be in the Center of the Pikes The Serjeants are to be Placed one on the Right and Left of each Rank If a Battalion consist of more then Six Companies the respective Officers are to be Placed according to the discretion of the Commander of the Battalion It were not amiss to Place the Company of the Captain that Commands the left Wing of Shot on the left of all that Wing unless the Battalion be the outermost on the Line for then the Collonels Company is to be on the Left of all in this case the Right and Left Exchanging In a Battel the Captains and other Officers are to March in a Line but coming within Shot of the Enemy and the Musqueteers Marching ready with their Pans guarded the whole Line of Captains and other Officers is to retire each of them into the Intervals of his Files next after his Post yet so as they may look to the Right and Left of the Battalion Whilst they are Marching towards the Enemy they are to be very careful to keep themselves in this Posture and neither to be forwarder nor backwarder neither without the Battalion nor within it And when they begin to March with their Pikes Charged and that the Musqueteers are ready the Ranks are to be closed forward to one small Pace Assoon as the Battalion comes to thirty Paces distance from the Enemy let the Musqueteers Fire the manner of which Firing shall be ordered them before The Captain Commanding the Rere is to observe that the Battalion March still to cause the Souldiers to close forward easily and without noise or confusion His chief care ought to be to Command the Pikes ever to March even with the Wings of Musqueteers For it often happens that in Marching any considerable time in Battel the Wings Advance and form a Half-moon and the Pikes in the middle being extremely pressed upon the Battalion is broken Provided the motion of the Pikes be equal on the Right and Left the Battalion cannot be disordered by its March Above all we are carefully to preserve the distance of Ranks and Files according to what hath been said already The Grenadeers when there are any are to be drawn up on the Right of the Battalion and to augment it without intermixing with it or troubling the Order of it they being a separate number of Men that are to be always ready for whatever shall be Commanded them The Commander of a Battalion may be on Horsback at the Head of it when the Captains are on Foot with their Pikes in their hands in consideration that he is to be stirring to all parts to see that the distances be observed and above all that none speak except himself or the Major by his Order The Commander of a Battalion is to alight when the Musqueteers make ready and is to March with his Pike charged against the Enemy When an Army is Drawn up for Battel the distance between the Lines must be of three hundred Paces the same as is in a Camp Of Defiles TO pass a narrow Defile the readiest way to perform it and draw up again in Order assoon as past is to make the Ranks File if to the Right the Right-hand man Files first and the rest of his Rank follow him till the Defile be past then they Rank again as they were this seems better then Files fileing because it immediately makes a Front to the Enemy If the Rank be great let it File two abreast beginning with the two middlemost Files For larger Defiles the Commander draws off as he judges the way will easily receive in order to which the Battalion is divided before it Marches Serjeants taking care of the Subdivisions The places of the Lieutenants may be according to these Figures Captains and Ensigns keeping their places FINIS LONDON Printed by the Assigns of John Bill and Christopher Barker Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty 1676. * Note after they have given Fire they must still keep their Hands up till the Word of Command be given to Return their Pistols