When soldiers are on the alignment they have to occupy, and it is necessary to correct their dressing, the command Right (or Left)—Dress will be given, on which each man will look towards the flank by which he is ordered to dress with a smart turn of the head, as described in S. 8. Each man will then move up or back to his place successively, commencing with the man nearest the named flank, carrying his body backward or forward with the feet, moving to his dressing with short quick steps, without bending backward or forward. His shoulders must be kept perfectly square, and the position of Attention, retained throughout.
The instructor should invariably fix upon some object on which to dress his line.
It will be found useful to accustom men to dress on an alignment oblique to any well-defined adjacent line.
26. Turnings.
The recruit will next practice in single rank, judging the time, without any pause between the motions, the turnings he has been taught by numbers.
27. Marching in Squad.
Before a squad is ordered to march, the directing flank or man must be indicated by the caution, By the right, By the left, or By No.-. During the march, the shoulders must be kept perfectly square to the front, the body steady, eyes off the ground. Each man will preserve his position in the general alignment by an occasional glance towards the directing man.
The squad will first be taught to march straight to the front, by the right, by the left, or by any man. It will then be practised in all the varieties of step in quick time, and in marking time, after which it will be exercised in double time.
The recruit will be practised in changing the pace, without halting, from quick to double, on the command Double—March, and from double to quick. In breaking from double into quick time, on the command Quick—March, the arms will be dropped to their usual position.
The instructor will ensure that the recruit on the flank, or the named number, according to the caution, selects two distant points to march on, and before approaching the first takes another in advance on the same line, and so on. By occasionally remaining halted in rear of the directing man, and fixing his eyes on the distant objects, the instructor can ascertain if the squad is marching in the original direction.