Essentials for the guard
1. Target practice on the range. If the gallery practice and pointing and aiming drill recommended below be well done, comparatively little of this will answer. But it cannot be omitted, every man should have some practice. Where possible some of this practice should be in “field firing.” In many cases there is a tendency to give known distance firing an exaggerated value to the neglect of other training.
2. The mechanism of the deployments, the advance by rushes even after the line is mixed, control of fire, and all these directed by signals only; verbal commands should not be used.
3. Estimating distance must be taught.
4. Pointing and aiming drill and gallery practice, so that the man will always bring his piece up properly, look through the sights and pull the trigger only after careful aim, must be practiced until the necessary habit is formed.
5. There must be frequent close order drill. Knowledge of this is necessary for the orderly movement of troops and it is our greatest aid to discipline. But to be an aid to discipline it must be exact, otherwise it has a reverse effect. It is just as easy to do it correctly as to do it approximately if you only teach it so at the beginning and then give the subject attention ever afterward and do not allow the drill to become sloppy.
6. The use of the bayonet must be taught and practiced.
7. The men must be taught simple intrenching and the various uses of sand bags.
8. First aid and personal hygiene.
9. Patrolling; especially the combat patrols and those with advance and rear guards and outposts. As many as possible should know how to read a map.