Chapter 8

MARCHES.

_TRAINING AND DISCIPLINE._

623. Marching constitutes the principal occupation of troops in campaign and is one of the heaviest causes of loss. This loss may be materially reduced by proper training and by the proper conduct of the march.

624. The training of infantry should consist of systematic physical exercises to develop the general physique and of actual marching to accustom men to the fatigue of bearing arms and equipment.

Before mobilization troops should be kept in good physical condition and so practiced as to teach them thoroughly the principles of marching. At the first opportunity after mobilization the men should be hardened to cover long distances without loss.

625. With new or untrained troops, the process of hardening the men to this work must be gradual. Immediately after being mustered into the service the physical exercises and marching should be begun. Ten-minute periods of vigorous setting-up exercises should be given three times a day to loosen and develop the muscles. One march should be made each day, with full equipment, beginning with a distance of 2 or 3 miles and increasing the distance daily as the troops become hardened, until a full day's march under full equipment may be made without exhaustion.

626. A long march should not be made with untrained troops. If a long distance must be covered in a few days, the first march should be short, the length being increased each succeeding day.

627. Special attention should be paid to the fitting of shoes and the care of feet. Shoes should not be too wide or too short. Sores and blisters on the feet should be promptly dressed during halts. At the end of the march feet should be bathed and dressed; the socks and, if practicable, the shoes should be changed.

628. The drinking of water on the march should be avoided. The thirst should be thoroughly quenched before starting on the march and after arrival in camp. On the march the use of water should, in general, be confined to gargling the mouth and throat or to an occasional small drink at most.

629. Except for urgent reasons, marches should not begin before an hour after daylight, but if the distance to be covered necessitates either breaking camp before daylight or making camp after dark, it is better to do the former.

Night marching should be avoided when possible.

630. A halt of 15 minutes should be made after the first half or three-quarters of an hour of marching; thereafter a halt of 10 minutes is made in each hour. The number and length of halts may be varied, according to the weather, the condition of the roads, and the equipment carried by the men. When the day's march is long a halt of an hour should be made at noon and the men allowed to eat.

631. The rate of march is regulated by the commander of the leading company of each regiment, or, if the battalions be separated by greater than normal distances, by the commander of the leading company of each battalion. He should maintain a uniform rate, uninfluenced by the movements of troops or mounted men in front of him.

The position of companies in the battalion and of battalions in the regiment is ordinarily changed daily so that each in turn leads.

632. The marching efficiency of an organization is judged by the amount of straggling and elongation and the condition of the men at the end of the march.

An officer of each company marches in its rear to prevent undue elongation and straggling.

When necessary for a man to fall out on account of sickness, he should be given a permit to do so. This is presented to the surgeon, who will admit him to the ambulance, have him wait for the trains, or follow and rejoin his company at the first halt.

633. Special attention should be paid to the rate of march. It is greater for trained than for untrained troops; for small commands than for large ones; for lightly burdened than for heavily burdened troops. It is greater during cool than during hot weather. With trained troops, in commands of a regiment or less, marching over average roads, the rate should be from 2-3/4 to 3 miles per hour. With larger commands carrying full equipment, the rate will be from 2 to 2-1/2 miles per hour.

634. The marching capacity of trained infantry in small commands is from 20 to 25 miles per day. This distance will decrease as the size of the command increases. For a complete division the distance can seldom exceed 12-1/2 miles per day unless the division camps in column.

635. In large commands the marching capacity of troops is greatly reduced by faulty march orders and poor march discipline.

The march order should contain such instructions as will enable the troops to take their proper places in column promptly. Delay or confusion in doing so should be investigated. On the other hand, organization commanders should be required to time their movements so that the troops will not be formed sooner than necessary.

The halts and starts of the units of a column should be regulated by the watch and be simultaneous.

Closing up during a halt, or changing gait to gain or lose distance should be prohibited.

(_C.I.D.R., Nos. 2 and 12._)

_PROTECTION OF THE MARCH._

_General Considerations._

636. A column on the march in the vicinity of the enemy is covered by detachments called "advance guards," "rear guards," or "flank guards." The object of these covering detachments is to facilitate the advance of the main body and to protect it from surprise or observation.

They facilitate the advance of the main body by promptly driving off small bodies of the enemy who seek to harass or delay it; by removing obstacles from the line of advance, by repairing roads, bridges, etc., thus enabling the main body to advance uninterruptedly in convenient marching formations.

They protect the main body by preventing the enemy from firing into it when in close formation; by holding the enemy and enabling the main body to deploy before coming under effective fire; by preventing its size and conditions from being observed by the enemy; and, in retreat, by gaining time for it to make its escape or to reorganize its forces.

637. Tactical units should not be broken in making details for covering detachments.

638. The march order of the whole command should explain the situation, and, among other things, detail the commander and troops for each covering detachment. It should specify the route to be taken and the distance to be maintained between the main body and its covering detachments. It should order such reconnaissance as the commander specially desires to have made.

The order of the commander of a covering detachment should clearly explain the situation to subordinates, assign the troops to the subdivisions, prescribe their distances, and order such special reconnaissance as may be deemed necessary in the beginning.

An advance or flank guard commander marches well to the front and, from time to time, orders such additional reconnaissance or makes such changes in his dispositions as the circumstances of the case demand.

_Advance Guards._

639. An _advance guard_ is a detachment of the main body which precedes and covers it on the march.

640. The advance guard commander is responsible for its formation and conduct. He should bear in mind that its purpose is to facilitate and protect the march of the main body. Its own security must be effected by proper dispositions and reconnaissance, not by timid or cautious advance. It must advance at normal gait and search aggressively for information of the enemy. Its action when the enemy attempts to block it with a large force depends upon the situation and plans of the commander of the troops.

641. The strength of the advance guard varies from one-twentieth to one-third of the main body, depending upon the size of the main body and the service expected of the advance guard.

642. The formation of the advance guard must be such that the enemy will be met first by a patrol, then in turn by one or more larger detachments, each capable of holding the enemy until the next in rear has time to deploy before coming under effective fire.

643. Generally an advance guard consisting of a battalion or more is divided primarily into the _reserve_ and the _support_. When the advance guard consists of less than a battalion, the reserve is generally omitted.

644. In an advance guard consisting of two battalions or less, the reserve and support, if both are used, are approximately equal; in larger advance guards, the reserve is approximately two-thirds of the whole detachment.

In an advance guard consisting of one battalion, the machine guns, if any, form part of the reserve. In an advance guard consisting of two or more battalions, the machine guns form part of the support.

645. The _support_ sends forward an _advance party_. The _advance party_, in turn, sends a patrol, called a _point_, still farther to the front. Patrols are sent out to the flanks when necessary. When the distance between parts of the advance guard or the nature of the country is such as to make direct communication difficult, connecting files march between the subdivisions to keep up communication. Each element of the column sends the necessary connecting files to its front.

646. A battalion acting as an advance guard should be formed about as follows: The _reserve_, two companies; the _support_, two companies; the _advance party_, three to eight squads (about a half company), depending upon the strength of the companies and the reconnaissance to be made; the _point_, a noncommissioned officer and three or four men. Or the reserve may be omitted. In such case the advance party will consist of one company preceded by a strong point. The remaining companies form the support.

647. The distances separating the parts of an advance guard vary according to the mission of the whole force, the size of the advance guard, the proximity and character of the enemy, the nature of the country, etc. They increase as the strength of the main body increases; they are less when operating in rolling, broken country than in open country; when in pursuit of a defeated enemy than against an aggressive foe; when operating against cavalry than when against infantry.

If there be a mounted point, it should precede the dismounted point by 250 to 600 yards. The advance party may be stronger when there is a mounted point in front. The infantry maintains its gait without reference to the mounted point, the latter regulating its march on the former, (_C.I.D.R., No. 2._)

648. To afford protection to an infantry column, the country must be observed on each side of the road as far as the terrain affords positions for effective rifle fire upon the column. If the country that it is necessary to observe be open to view from the road, _reconnaissance_ is not necessary.

649. The advance guard is responsible for the necessary reconnaissance of the country on both sides of the line of march.

Special reconnaissance may be directed by the commander of the troops, or cavalry may be reconnoitering at considerable distances to the front and flanks, but this does not relieve the advance guard from the duty of local reconnaissance.

650. This reconnaissance is effected by patrols sent out by the leading subdivisions of the advance guard. In a large advance guard the support commander orders the necessary reconnaissance.

Patrols should be sent to the flanks when necessary to reconnoiter a specified locality and should rejoin the column and their proper subdivision as soon as practicable. When the advance party is strong enough, the patrols should be sent out from it. When depleted by the patrols sent out, the advance party should be reenforced during a halt by men sent forward from the support. If it be impracticable to send patrols from the advance party, they will be sent from the support.

Where the country is generally open to view, but localities in it might conceal an enemy of some size, reconnaissance is necessary. Where the road is exposed to fire and the view is restricted, a patrol should be sent to examine the country in the direction from which danger threatens. The object may be accomplished by sending patrols to observe from prominent points. When the ground permits and the necessity exists, patrols may be sent to march abreast of the column at distances which permit them to see important features not visible from the road.

Mounted scouts or cavalry, when available, should be used for flank patrols.

651. Cases may arise where the best means of covering the head and flanks of the column will be by a line of skirmishers extending for several hundred yards to both sides of the road, and deployed at intervals of from 10 to 50 yards. A column may thus protect itself when passing through country covered with high corn or similar vegetation. In such case, the vegetation forms a natural protection from rifle fire beyond very short ranges.

652. Fixed rules for the strength, formation, or conduct of advance guards can not be given. Each case must be treated to meet conditions as they exist. That solution is generally the best which, with the fewest men and unbroken units, amply protects the column and facilitates the advance.

_Rear Guards._

653. A _rear guard_ is a detachment detailed to protect the main body from attack in rear. In a retreat, it checks pursuit and enables the main body to increase the distance between it and the enemy and to re-form if disorganized.

The general formation is that of an advance guard reversed.

654. Its commander should take advantage of every favorable opportunity to delay the pursuers by obstructing the road or by taking up specially favorable positions from which to force the enemy to deploy. In this latter case care must be taken not to become so closely engaged as to render withdrawal unnecessarily difficult. The position taken should be selected with reference to ease of withdrawal and ability to bring the enemy under fire at long range.

655. In large commands artillery and cavalry form a very important part of the rear guard.

_Flank Guards._

656. A _flank guard_ is a detachment detailed to cover the flank of a column marching past, or across the front of, an enemy. It may be placed in position to protect the passage, or it may be so marched as to cover the passage.

657. The object of the flank guard is to hold the enemy in check long enough to enable the main body to pass, or, like the advance guard, to enable the main body to deploy.

Like all other detachments, it should be no larger than is necessary, and should not be detailed except when its protection is required.

658. When a flank guard consists of a regiment or less, its distance from the main body should not exceed a mile and a half. Practicable communication must exist between it and the main body.

659. The flank guard is marched as a separate command; that is, with advance or rear guards or both, as circumstances demand, and with patrolling on the exposed flank.

660. At times it may be necessary for an advance-guard commander to send out large reconnoitering parties which temporarily assume the character and duties of a flank guard. Such parties should be given specific orders as to when and where they are to rejoin the column.

CAMPS.

_SANITATION._

661. If the area of the available ground is sufficient and suitable, the camp of the battalion or regiment should conform to the plates published in the Field Service Regulations. Under similar favorable conditions, the brigade may camp in column or in line of columns. In the latter formation the interval between regiments should be about 50 yards. When the camp site has a restricted area, intervals and distances are reduced.

Under service conditions, camp sites that will permit the encampment of regiments and brigades as above indicated will not often be available and regularity must be sacrificed.

662. In large commands the halt order should assign camp sites to the next smaller commands, and the commanders of the latter should locate their respective commands to the best advantage on the area assigned them.

_The Selection of Camp Sites._

663. In campaign, tactical necessity may leave little choice in the selection of camp sites, but under any conditions the requirements of sanitation should be given every consideration consistent with the tactical situation.

664. Great care should be exercised in selecting sites. In general, the following principles govern:

The site should be convenient to an abundant supply of pure water.

Good roads should lead to the camp. Interior communication throughout the camp should be easy. A camp near a main road is undesirable on account of dust and noise.

Wood, grass, forage, and supplies should be at hand or easily obtainable.

The ground should accommodate the command without crowding and without compelling the troops of one unit to pass through the camp of another.

The site should be sufficiently high and rolling to drain off storm water readily, and, if the season be hot, to catch the breeze. In cold weather it should preferably have a southern exposure, with woods to the north to break the cold winds. In warm weather an eastern exposure, with the site moderately shaded by trees, is desirable.

The site should be dry. For this reason porous soil, covered with stout turf and underlaid by a sandy or gravelly subsoil, is best. A site on clay soil, or where the ground water approaches the surface, is damp, cold, and unhealthful.

Alluvial soils, marshy ground, and ground near the base of hills, or near thick woods or dense vegetation, are undesirable as camp sites on account of dampness. Ravines and depressions are likely to be unduly warm and to have insufficient or undesirable air currents.

Proximity to marshes or stagnant water is undesirable on account of the dampness, mosquitoes, and the diseases which the latter transmit. The high banks of lakes or large streams often make desirable camp sites.

Dry beds of streams should be avoided; they are subject to sudden freshet.

665. The occupation of old camp sites is dangerous, since these are often permeated by elements of disease which persist for considerable periods. Camp sites must be changed promptly when there is evidence of soil pollution or when epidemic disease threatens, but the need for frequent changes on this account may be a reflection on the sanitary administration of the camp.

A change of camp site is often desirable in order to secure a change of surroundings and to abandon areas which have become dusty and cut up.

_Water Supply._

666. Immediately on making camp a guard should be placed over the water supply. If the water be obtained from a stream, places should be designated for drawing water (1) for drinking and cooking, (2) for watering animals, (3) for bathing and washing clothing. The first named should be drawn farthest up the stream; the others, in the order named, downstream.

If the stream be small, the water supply may be increased by building a dam. Small springs may be dug out and each lined with a gabion, or a barrel or box with both ends removed, or with stones, the space between the lining and the earth being filled with puddled clay. A rim of clay should be built to keep out surface drainage. The same method may be used near swamps, streams, or lakes to increase or clarify the water supply.

667. Water that is not known to be pure should be boiled 20 minutes; it should then be cooled and aerated by being poured repeatedly from one clean container to another, or it may be purified by approved apparatus supplied for the purpose.

668. Arrangements should be made for men to draw water from the authorized receptacles by means of a spigot or other similar arrangement. The dipping of water from the receptacles, or the use of a common drinking cup, should be prohibited.

_Kitchens._

669. Camp kettles can be hung on a support consisting of a green pole lying in the crotches of two upright posts of the same character.

A narrow trench for the fire, about 1 foot deep, dug under the pole, not only protects the fire from the wind but saves fuel. A still greater economy of fuel can be effected by digging a similar trench in the direction of the wind and slightly narrower than the diameter of the kettles. The kettles are then placed on the trench and the space between the kettles filled in with stones, clay, etc., leaving the flue running beneath the kettles. The draft can be improved by building a chimney of stones, clay, etc., at the leeward end of the flue.

Four such trenches radiating from a common central chimney will give one flue for use whatever may be the direction of the wind.

A slight slope of the flue, from the chimney down, provides for drainage and improves the draft.

670. The lack of portable ovens can be met by ovens constructed of stone and covered with earth to better retain the heat. If no stone is available, an empty barrel, with one head out, is laid on its side, covered with wet clay to a depth of 6 or more inches and then with a layer of dry earth equally thick. A flue is constructed with the clay above the closed end of the barrel, which is then burned out with a hot fire. This leaves a baked clay covering for the oven.

A recess can be similarly constructed with boards or even brushwood, supported on a horizontal pole resting on upright posts, covered and burnt out as in the case of the barrel.

When clay banks are available, an oven may be excavated therein and used at once.

To bake in such ovens, first heat them and then close flues and ends.

671. Food must be protected from flies, dust, and sun. Facilities must be provided for cleaning and scalding the mess equipment of the men. Kitchens and the ground around them must be kept scrupulously clean.

672. Solid refuse should be promptly burned, either in the kitchen fire or in an improvised crematory.

673. In temporary camps, if the soil is porous, liquid refuse from the kitchens may be strained through gunny sacking into seepage pits dug near the kitchen. Flies must not have access to these pits. Boards or poles, covered with brush or grass and a layer of earth may be used for this purpose. The strainers should also be protected from flies. Pits of this kind, dug in clayey soil, will not operate successfully. All pits should be filled with earth before marching.

_Disposal of Excreta._

674. Immediately on arriving in camp sinks should be dug. This is a matter of fundamental sanitary importance, since the most serious epidemics of camp diseases are spread from human excreta.

One sink is usually provided for each company and one for the officers of each battalion. Those for the men are invariably located on the side of camp opposite the kitchens. All sinks should be so placed that they can not pollute the water supply or camp site as a result of drainage or overflow. To insure this, their location and their distance from camp may be varied.

When camp is made for a single night, shallow trenches, 12 inches deep and 15 to 18 inches wide, which the men may straddle, will suffice.

In more permanent camps, the trenches should be about 2 feet wide, 6 feet deep, and 15 feet long. They should be provided with seats and back rests made of poles, and should be screened by brush or old tent flys.

675. In cold weather the contents of sinks should be covered once daily with quicklime, ashes, or dry earth. When filled to within 2 feet of the top, sinks should be discontinued and filled in.

Open pits are dangerous during the fly season. However, the danger may be greatly reduced by covering the excreta with earth or by a thorough daily burning of the entire area of the trench. Combustible sweepings or straw, saturated with oil, may be used for this purpose.

In fly season, trenches may be closed with seats covered down to the ground with muslin and supplied with self-closing lids. Urinal troughs, made of muslin and coated with oil or paint, should discharge into the trenches.

676. In permanent camps special sanitary facilities for the disposal of excreta will ordinarily be provided.

If necessary, urinal tubs may be placed in the company streets at night and removed at reveille. Their location should be plainly marked and thoroughly and frequently disinfected.

677. When troops bivouac for the night the necessity for extensive sanitary precautions is not great; however, shallow sink trenches should be dug to prevent general pollution of the vicinity. If the cooking be collective, shallow kitchen sinks should be dug. If the cooking be individual, the men should be required to build their fires on the leeward flank of the camp or bivouac.

Before marching, all trenches should be filled in.

_PROTECTION OF CAMP OR BIVOUAC._

_General Considerations._

678. The outpost is a covering detachment detailed to secure the camp or bivouac against surprise and to prevent an attack upon it before the troops can prepare to resist.

679. The size and disposition of the outpost will depend upon many circumstances, such as the size of the whole command, the proximity of the enemy and the situation with respect to him, the nature of the terrain, etc.

A suitable strength may vary from a very small fraction to one-third of the whole force. For a single company in bivouac a few sentinels and patrols will suffice; for a large command a more elaborate outpost system must be provided. It should be no stronger than is consistent with reasonable security.

The most economical protection is furnished by keeping close contact with the enemy by means of outpost patrols, in conjunction with resisting detachments on the avenues of approach.

The outpost should be composed of complete organizations.

680. In a brigade or smaller force on the march toward the enemy, the outpost is generally formed from the advance guard, and is relieved the following day when the new advance guard crosses the line of outguards. In a retreat, the detail for outpost duty is generally made from the main body. The new outpost becomes the rear guard the following day.

681. When, as in large forces, an advance and rear guard performs such duty for several days, the outpost, during this period, is furnished by the advance or rear guards.

When the command is small and stationary for several days, the outpost is relieved daily. In large commands, the outpost will, as a rule, be relieved at intervals of several days.

682. The positions held by the subdivisions of the outpost should generally be prepared for defense, but conditions may render this unnecessary.

Troops on outpost keep concealed as much as is consistent with the proper performance of their duties; especially do they avoid appearing on the sky line.

Outpost troops do not render honors.

_Distribution of Outpost Troops._

683. The outpost will generally be divided into three parts. These, in order from the main body, are the _reserve_, the line of _supports_, and the line of _outguards_.

The distances separating these parts, and their distance from the main body, will depend upon the object sought, the nature of the terrain, and the size of the command. There can be no uniformity in the distance between supports and reserve, nor between outguards and supports, even in the same outpost. The avenues of approach and the important features of the terrain will largely control their exact positions.

The outpost of a small force should ordinarily hold the enemy beyond effective rifle range of the main body until the latter can deploy. For the same purpose the outpost of a large force should hold the enemy beyond artillery range.

684. The _reserve_ constitutes the main body of the outpost and is held at some central point from which it can readily _support the troops in front_ or _hold a rallying position_ on which they may retire. The reserve may be omitted when the outpost consists of less than two companies.

The reserve may comprise one-fourth to two-thirds of the strength of the outpost.

685. The _supports_ constitute a line of _supporting_ and _resisting_ detachments, varying in size from a half company to a battalion. They furnish the line of _outguards_.

The supports are numbered consecutively from right to left. They are placed at the more important points on the outpost line, usually in the line on which resistance is to be made in case of attack.

686. As a general rule, roads exercise the greatest influence on the location of supports, and a support will generally be placed on or near a road. The section which it is to cover should be clearly defined by means of tangible lines on the ground and should be such that the support is centrally located therein.

687. The _outguards_ constitute the line of small detachments farthest to the front and nearest to the enemy. For convenience they are classified as _pickets_, _sentry squads_, and _cossack posts_. They are numbered consecutively from right to left in each support.

688. A _picket_ is a group consisting of two or more squads, ordinarily not exceeding half a company, posted in the line of outguards to cover a given sector. It furnishes patrols and one or more sentinels, double sentinels, sentry squads, or cossack posts for _observation_.

Pickets are placed at the more important points in the line of outguards, such as road forks. The strength of each depends upon the number of small groups required to observe properly its sector.

689. A _sentry squad_ is a squad posted in _observation_ at an indicated point. It posts a double sentinel in observation, the remaining men resting near by and furnishing the reliefs of sentinels. In some cases it may be required to furnish a patrol.

690. A _cossack post_ consists of four men. It is an _observation_ group similar to a sentry squad, but employs a single sentinel.

691. At night, it will sometimes be advisable to place some of the outguards or their sentinels in a position different from that which they occupy in the daytime. In such case the ground should be carefully studied before dark and the change made at dusk. However, a change in the position of the outguard will be exceptional.

692. _Sentinels_ are generally used singly in daytime, but at night double sentinels will be required in most cases. Sentinels furnished by cossack posts or sentry squads are kept near their group. Those furnished by pickets may be as far as 100 yards away.

Every sentinel should be able to communicate readily with the body to which he belongs.

693. Sentinel posts are numbered consecutively from right to left in each outguard. Sentry squads and cossack posts furnished by pickets are counted as sentinel posts.

694. Instead of using outguards along the entire front of observation, part of this front may be covered by _patrols_ only. These should be used to cover such sections of the front as can be crossed by the enemy only with difficulty and over which he is not likely to attempt a crossing after dark.

In daylight much of the local patrolling may be dispensed with if the country can be seen from the posts of the sentinels. However, patrols should frequently be pushed well to the front unless the ground in that direction is exceptionally open.

695. Patrols or sentinels must be the first troops which the enemy meets, and each body in rear must have time to prepare for the blow. These bodies cause as much delay as possible without sacrificing themselves, and gradually retire to the line where the outpost is to make its resistance.

696. Patrols must be used to keep up connection between the parts of the outpost except when, during daylight, certain fractions or groups are mutually visible. After dark this connection must be maintained throughout the outpost except where the larger subdivisions are provided with wire communication.

697. In addition to ordinary outguards, the outpost commander may detail from the reserve one or more _detached posts_ to cover roads or areas not in the general line assigned to the supports.

In like manner the commander of the whole force may order _detached posts_ to be sent from the main body to cover important roads or localities not included in the outpost line.

The number and strength of detached posts are reduced to the absolute needs of the situation.

_Establishing the Outpost._

698. The outpost is posted as quickly as possible so that the troops can the sooner obtain rest. Until the leading outpost troops are able to assume their duties, temporary protection, known as the _march outpost_, is furnished by the nearest available troops.

699. The halt order of the commander, besides giving the necessary information and assigning camp sites to the parts of the command, details the troops to constitute the outpost, assigns a commander therefor, designates the general line to be occupied, and, when practicable, points out the position to be held in case of attack.

700. The outpost commander, upon receipt of this order, should issue the outpost order with the least practicable delay. In large commands it may often be necessary to give the order from the map, but usually the outpost commander will have to make some preliminary reconnaissance, unless he has an accurate and detailed map.

The order gives such available information of the situation as is necessary to the complete and proper guidance of subordinates; designates the troops to constitute the supports; assigns their location and the sector each is to cover; provides for the necessary detached posts; indicates any special reconnaissance that is to be made; orders the location and disposition of the reserve; disposes of the train if same is ordered to join the outpost; and informs subordinates where information will be sent.

701. Generally it is preferable for the outpost commander to give verbal orders to his support commanders from some locality which overlooks the terrain. The time and locality should be so selected that the support commanders may join their commands and conduct them to their positions without causing unnecessary delay to their troops. The reserve commander should, if possible, receive his orders at the same time as the support commanders. Subordinates to whom he gives orders separately should be informed of the location of other parts of the outpost.

In large outposts, written orders are frequently most convenient.

After issuing the initial orders, the outpost commander inspects the outpost, orders the necessary changes or additions, and sends his superior a report of his dispositions.

702. The _reserve_ is marched to its post by its commander, who then sends out such detachments as have been ordered and places the rest in camp or bivouac, over which at least one sentinel should be posted. Connection must be maintained with the main body, the supports and nearby detached posts.

703. The _supports_ march to their posts, using the necessary covering detachments when in advance of the march outpost. A support commander's order should fully explain the situation to subordinates, or to the entire command, if it be small. It should detail the troops for the different outguards and, when necessary, define the sector each is to cover. It should provide the necessary sentinels at the post of the support, the patrols to be sent therefrom, and should arrange for the necessary intrenching. Connection should be maintained with adjoining supports and with the outguards furnished by the support.

704. In posting his command the support commander must seek to cover his sector in such manner that the enemy can not reach, in dangerous numbers and unobserved, the position of the support or pass by it within the sector intrusted to the support. On the other hand, he must economize men on observation and patrol duty, for these duties are unusually fatiguing. He must practice the greatest economy of men consistent with the requirements of practical security.

705. As soon as the posting of the support is completed, its commander carefully inspects the dispositions and corrects defects, if any, and reports the disposition of his support, including the patrolling ordered, to the outpost commander. This report is preferably made by means of a sketch.

706. Each _outguard_ is marched by its commander to its assigned station, and, especially in the case of a picket, is covered by the necessary patrolling to prevent surprise.

Having reached the position, the commander explains the situation to his men and establishes reliefs for each sentinel, and, if possible, for each patrol to be furnished. Besides these sentinels and patrols, a picket must have a sentinel at its post.

The commander then posts the sentinels and points out to them the principal features, such as towns, roads, and streams, and gives their names. He gives the direction and location of the enemy, if known, and of adjoining parts of the outpost.

He gives to patrols the same information and the necessary orders as to their routes and the frequency with which the same shall be covered. Each patrol should go over its route once before dark.

707. Every picket should maintain connection by patrols with outguards on its right and left. Each commander will take precaution to conceal his outguard and will generally strengthen his position by intrenching.