A military dictionary

by William Duane

To Form line from close column on a rear company facing to the rear, the whole of the column changes front by countermarching each company by files. The rear company stands fast, and the remaining companies face to the right, deploy, successively front, halt, dress, and move up into the alignement.

To Form line from close column on a central company facing to the rear, the central company countermarches and stands fast; the other companies face outwards, countermarch, deploy, and successively march up to the alignement.

Whenever the column is a retiring one, and the line is to front to the rear, the divisions must each countermarch before the formation begins. In which case the head would be thrown back, and the rear forward.

To Form en potence, to wheel the right or left flank of a body of men, or to march them forward by files, so as to make that proportion of a line face inwards, and resemble a potence or angle. A double potence may be formed by running out both flanks, so that they stand in a perpendicular direction facing towards each other like the letter Λ, or thus, \__/; these oblique lines are the potence, so named by the power of their cross fire. This formation is not only extremely useful on actual service, but it conduces greatly to the accommodation of any body of men which may be marched into a place that has not sufficient extent of ground to receive it in line.

FORMATION, in a military sense, the methodical arrangement, or drawing up of any given body of men mounted, or on foot, according to prescribed rules and regulations.

Cavalry Formation, consists of the following proportions.

Squadrons of cavalry are composed each of two troops; regiments are composed of ten.

Formation of a troop, is the drawing out of a certain number of men on horseback on their troop parade, in a rank entire, fixed according to the size roll, the tallest men in the centre.

Formation of the squadron, is the military disposition of two troops that compose it closed into each, from their several troop parades. In this situation, the officers move out, and form in a rank advanced two horses length, fronting to their troops. The serjeants and covering corporals rein back, and dress with the quarter-master in the rear. When the formation of a squadron has been completed, and its component parts have been accurately told off, the commanding officer is advanced a horse’s length before the standard. Two officers are posted, one on each flank of the front rank, covered by a non-commissioned officer. One officer is posted in the centre of the front rank with the standard, and is covered by a corporal. The serjeants are placed, one on the right of the front of each of the four divisions, except the right one, and each is covered by a corporal or private dragoon. The serre-files or supernumerary officers and serjeants, the quarter-masters and trumpeters, are in the rear of their several troops, divided in a line, at two horses distance from the rear rank. Farriers are behind the serre-files a horse’s length. Allowance is always made for sick and absent officers and non-commissioned officers; and if a sufficient number of any rank is not present, then serjeants replace officers, corporals replace serjeants, and lance-corporals or intelligent men replace corporals.

Formation, considered as to general circumstances, admits of a few deviations from the strict letter of the term. In order to preserve each troop entire, it is not material, if one division be a file stronger than another. The flank divisions indeed, both in cavalry and infantry regiments, will be strongest from the addition of officers. Officers, in the formation of squadrons, are recommended to be posted with their troops. Corporals not wanted to mark the divisions, or to cover officers or serjeants, will be in the ranks according to their size, or be placed in the outward flank file of their troops. Farriers are considered as detached in all situations of manœuvre.