Manual of Military Training / Second, Revised Edition

by James A. Moss

Second battalion:

• Company E. White field, red square.
• Company F. White field, blue square.
• Company G. White field, red diagonals.
• Company H. White field, blue diagonals.

Third battalion:

• Company I. Blue field, red square.
• Company K. Blue field, white square.
• Company L. Blue field, red diagonals.
• Company M. Blue field, white diagonals.

Note.—An analysis of the above system of signal flags will show: 1. The color of the field indicates the battalion and the colors run in the order that is so natural to us all, viz: Red, White and Blue. Hence red field indicates the first battalion; white field, the second; blue field, the third.

2. The squares indicate the first two companies of each battalion, and the diagonals, the second two. Hence,

Companies			Indicated by
A	E	I	Squares
B	F	K
C	G	L	Diagonals
D	H	M

3. The colors of the squares and diagonals in combination with those of the fields, run in the order that is so natural to us all, viz.: Red, White and Blue, the color of any given field being, of course, omitted from the squares and diagonals, as a white square for instance, would not show on a white field, nor would a blue diagonal show on a blue field. For example, with a red field we would have white and blue for the square and diagonal colors; with a white field, red and blue for the square and diagonal colors; with a blue field, red and white for the square and diagonal colors.

4. From what has been said, the following table explains itself:

Battalion	Field	Co.	Squares	Diagonals
First	Red	A	White
		B	Blue
		C		White
		D		Blue
Second	White	E	Red
		F	Blue
		G		Red
		H		Blue
Third	Blue	I	Red
		K	White
		L		Red
		M		White