Manual of Arms for Infantry: A Re-examination Part I
By Geoff Walden & Dom Dal Bello
Chapter I - Hardee's Revisions for Confederates
by Geoff Walden
Introduction
Most Civil War infantry reenactors use Hardee's Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics for
drilling in the Schools of the Soldier and Company, and with good reasons. Period sources
abound with mention of Hardee's "Tactics," and we have had several different
reprints of this work available for use since the 1970s. (See note 1)
But are we correct in using Hardee's work, and if so, are we using the right version of
Hardee's infantry drill? This series of articles will examine those questions in detail,
from both the Confederate and Federal viewpoints. Chapter I will detail some changes
Hardee made for Confederate editions of his manual, and Chapter II will present a broad
look at Federal infantry drill manuals (not just Hardee's). In conclusion we will make
some recommendations for changing the manual of arms used by reenactors.
Hardee and his "Tactics"
The early 1850s were a time for change in military circles around the world. Weapons
technology had advanced by leaps and bounds; where the Mexican War had been fought mostly
with flintlock smoothbore muskets, the Crimean War, and by the Model 1841
"Mississippi" rifle in the Mexican War, let the United States to adopt a 33-inch
barrel rifle in 1855 (a 40-inch barrel rifle-musket was adopted concurrently).
To go along with this new rifle, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis wanted a revised
system of infantry tactics. The current system had been written by Winfield Scott in the
1830s, based on French tactics dating ultimately from the 18th century, and had survived
virtually un-changed. Scott's tactics emphasized masses of men concentrated on the march
and on the battlefield, to reap the greatest benefit from their relatively inaccurate
firepower. By the 1850s, these movements were slow and outdated. The manual of arms was
particularly cumbersome: it took 12 separate steps to load the flintlock musket, which was
normally carried in an awkward position, held by the butt, nearly vertical at the left
side. (See note 2) A soldier wishing to move at any pace faster than common time (90 paces
per minute) had a difficult time controlling his musket at this "Shouldered
Arms" position. Partly because of this, common time was the norm in Scott's drill.
However, masses of troops moving at common time found themselves at a severe disadvantage
under rifle fire. Revisions were necessary to bring U.S. infantry tactics in line with the
long-range capabilities of the rifle.
Davis knew of the extensive studies being conducted in Europe in both weapon and
tactics, and he appointed a number of officer committees to observe these and recommend
changes to the U.S. systems. To revise U.S. infantry tactics, Davis chose Bvt. Lt. Col.
William Joseph Hardee, Second Dragoons. Davis chose well: Hardee had studied at Saumur,
the French cavalry school (and the home of the modern French armored forces) in 1841,
where he learned the value of skirmishers, rapidity of movement, and hit-and-run tactics
by light forces gained from the French experiences in Algeria in the 1830s. To this, he
added personal experience in such warfare on the Texas frontier in 1849-1851. He was
widely read in tactics, and he was familiar with the possibilities of the shorter and
longer range M1855 rifle. Finally, he had gained an excellent reputation during the
Mexican War. (See note 3)
Hardee drew extensively on his knowledge of the French military to accomplish his task.
He knew Davis wanted to thoroughly modernize the U.S. infantry into a faster, lighter
force, capable of taking advantage of the new rifle. His task was made simpler by the 1845
publication of a French manual that did just that for the French infantry. (See note 4)
Hardee's manual was finished in 1854; it was tested, approved, then published in June
1855.
This then, was Hardee's "Tactics:" a modernization of American infantry drill
at the company and battalion level, aimed at incorporating several important features of
light infantry tactics into the normal field functioning of infantry. The most important
tactical improvements, which took into account the long-range capabilities of the rifle,
were an increased tempo where quick time (110 steps per minute) was the norm, and double
quick time (165 steps per minute) was common, along with simplified instructions to deploy
a column into line at the double quick, without first halting. To be sure, many of these
innovations could be found in other manuals of the 1850s, but Hardee's became the official
manual for the U.S. Army. (See note 5)
Davis, Hardee, and others in official Army circles seemed to assume the M1855 rifle
would become the dominant arm in the U.S. Service, and the manual of arms in Hardee's
"Tactics" was naturally written for the 2-band rifle with sword bayonet.
However, the rifle never was issued in the numbers envisioned. The militia, and indeed
most of the army, were left with 42-inch barrel muskets or 40-inch barrel rifle-muskets,
both having socket bayonets. Not only did Hardee's "Tactics" produce difficulty
for militia units trying to learn the new evolutions, his manual of arms proved awkward,
and even sometimes impractical for the longer muskets (e.g., in fixing bayonets and
stacking arms). This manual of arms was essentially the same as the old Sergeants' Manual
in Scott's, but without Scott's primary manual for 3-banders.
Although Hardee himself recommended that militia units not try to adopt his manual
right away, evidence indicates that a number of progressive militia officers did just that
in the late 1850s and early 1860s. As a development from this, and "improved"
manual of arms, based on Hardee's "Tactics," but suited to the 3-bander musket
and rifle-musket, began to emerge. (See note 6) And, coincidentally, so did the War
Between the States.
Confederate Versions Of Hardee's "Tactics"
Hardee's manual was a natural for the infant Confederate forces. Although many Southern
officers and men were militia veterans, and doubtless were quite familiar with Scott's
older style drill, many others were just as familiar with Hardee's. Hardee was known
throughout the army, and he was, after all, a Confederate officer. (See note 7) Quite a
number of drill manuals were published in the new Confederacy, some using older militia
style musket drill, but Hardee's "Tactics" quickly became the manual of choice.
Editions were printed in Richmond, Nashville, New Orleans, Mobile, Memphis, Raleigh,
Charleston, Jackson, Little Rock, and Houston. When most soldiers spoke of drill learned
in their camp of instruction, Hardee's name eventually came out. (See note 8)
This profusion of Hardee's "Tactics" produced two problems for Hardee: he
received no royalties from these "bootleg" editions; and most of these were
simple reprints or abridgements of the 1855 version, and did not contain his own
"improvements and changes ... recently made, adapting the manual to the use of the
arms generally in the hands of the troops of the Confederate States." (See note 9)
The first of these problems was never satisfactorily solved. Hardee and his Mobile
publisher were thwarted in their attempts to secure a copyright until 1864, by which time
the rush to put out "bootleg" editions was over. The second problem, however,
provides the subject matter for the cord of this discussion: Hardee's "improvements
and changes" to his manual of arms.
Immediately after resigning from the U.S. Army, Hardee went to work for the Georgia
state forces, forming an infantry regiment in Savannah (the "First Regiment Georgia
Regulars," commanded by Col. C.J. Williams, not to be confused with the "First
Georgia Infantry Volunteers," commanded by A.R. Lawton and H.W. Mercer). (See note
10) After accepting a commission as a Confederate Colonel, Hardee was posted to Fort
Morgan, in Mobile, Alabama.
While in Mobile in the spring of 1861, Hardee entered into partnership with Mobile
publisher S.H. Goetzel & Co. to produce an edition of his "Tactics" that
included a revised manual of arms for the 3-band weapons commonly found in the Confederate
army. Goetzel advertised this edition as "Hardee's Correct, Complete, Perfect, and
Revised and Improved Infantry and Rifle Tactics," (see figure 1). Note that the
adjective "Light" has been removed from "Infantry," making this manual
applicable to all infantry, no matter how armed or organized. Hardee himself was quoted as
calling this edition the "only COMPLETE, CORRECT and REVISED EDITION" (See note
11).
Hardee meant this manual to replace his 1855 edition, for use throughout the
Confederate army by troops armed with 3-band muskets and rifle-muskets. The changes
actually were slight. The same basic shoulder movements were retained, as well as the
"light infantry" concepts of skirmishers, double quick time, etc. However, those
parts of his 1855 manual of arms that had been written specifically for the 2-bander were
adjusted to suit the 3-bander.
The main differences lie in the position of the musket during loading, fixing and
unfixing the bayonet, and stacking arms. Each of these movements was revised to take into
account the greater length of the musket and rifle-musket over the rifle, and the socket
bayonet in lieu of the rifle's sword bayonet. The following paragraphs emphasize the
differences from the standard 1855 edition (page and paragraph sources are keyed to
Hardee's Rifle and Infantry Tactics, S.H. Goetzel & Co., Mobile, various editions,
1861-1863; emphasis has been added).
1. Loading
The command remains "Load in Nine Times, LOAD."
First Motion (from Shoulder Arms) - With the right hand bring the musket erect before the
center of the body, the rammer to the front; at the same time grasp the musket with the
left hand half-way between the rear sight and the lower band, the thumb extended along the
barrel and against the body, the hand as high as the elbow (para. 143, page 33 - this is
the same as the first motion for Present Arms).
Second Motion - Carry the musket to the left side with the left hand, turning it so the
barrel is to the front. Set the butt on the ground beside the left foot, and incline the
musket to the right and front, so that it is resting along the left thigh with the muzzle
six inches in front of the center of the body. At the end of this motion, the right hand
grasps the musket just below the upper band, and the left hand is extended to grasp the
musket about the middle band.
Third Motion - Hold the musket with the left hand at the muzzle, and carry the right
hand to the cartridge box (para. 156, page 3.)
The remaining commands and motions are identical to those in the standard 1855 Hardee's
manual and reprints, with the exception of moving to the position of Prime, which is
necessarily slightly different due to the musket initially being positioned at the left
side.
Notes
Note 1: Reprints of the folling Hardee's editions have been available to
reenactors:
2 Vols., Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1855
2 Vols., Philadelphia: Lippincott & Co., 1861
1 Vol., New York: George F. Watson, 1861
1 Vol., New York: J.O. Kane, 1862
2 Vols. in 1, Memphis: Hutton & Freligh, 1861
2 Vols. in 1, Raleigh: Spelman, 1862 (limited edition reprint, Boone, NC, 1992).
Note 2: Major-General [Winfield] Scott, Infantry Tactics. Various editions, 1834-1861,
paras. 150-155 (pp. 37-39); paras. 191-210 (pp. 46-52). Even in the 1861 edition, the 12
steps for loading the flintlock remained.
Note 3: Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes, Jr. General William J. Hardee, Old
Reliable. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1965, p. 43.
Note 4: Ministre Secretaire d'Etat de la Guerre, Ordonnance du Roi sur
l'Exercise et les Manoeuvres des Battaillons de Chasseurs a Pied. 3 vols., Paris, 1845.
Note 5: Hughes, Hardee, pp. 46-47. See also discussion in Chapter 4 (pp.
48-58) in Grady McWhiney and Perry Jamieson's Attack and Die, University, AL: University
of Alabama Press, 1982. There is some doubt as to the exact nature of Hardee's own
involvement in the production of his manual. Some have stated that he did no more than to
put his name on the cover, and that the French manual was actually translated by Stephen
Vincent Benet. See Donald E. Graves, "Dry Books of Tactics:' US Infantry Manuals of
the War of 1812 and After," Part II, Military Collector and Historian 38(4), Winter
1986, pp. 176, 177 (n. 111).
Note 6: See, for instance: General Regulations for the Military Forces of
the State of New York. New York, 1858.
E.E. Ellsworth, A Manual of Arms for Light Infantry, Adapted to the Rifled Musket, ...
Arranged for the U.S. Zouave Cadets. Chicago: P.T. Sherlock, 1860.
7th Regt. New York Infantry, The Manual of Arms, Adapted to the Rifled Musket, Model 1855.
NY: Chatterton & Parker, 1860.
A Manual of the Piece, Adapted to the Rifle-Musket, the Rifle, and Other Infantry Arms,
Prescribed for the Kentucky State Guard. Louisville: J.W. Tompkins & Co., 1861.
Miner Knowlton, Instructions and Regulations for the Militia and Volunteers of the United
States. Philadelphia: Desilver, 1861.
Note 7: Hughes, Hardee, pp. 50, 90-70. Hardee's status as a Confederate
officer would naturally make his manual more "politically correct" than those
written by Old Army or militia officers who did not join the Southern forces.
Note 8: Library of Congress On-line Card Catalog; USAMHI On-Line Library
Catalog System; Library of Virginia On-line Catalog; OCLC search; Noxon Toomey, The
History of the Infantry Drill Regulations of the United States Army, St. Louis, 1917.
Quotes on the use of Hardee's among Confederates can be found in: Hughes, Hardee, p. 138
(AoT, Dec. 1862);
Austin Dobbins, Grandfather's Journal. Dayton: Morningside Press, 1988, entry for June 13,
1861 (16th Miss. Inf.);
Mary Lasswell, ed., Rags and Hope. NY: Coward-McCann, 1961, p. 49 (4th Texas Inf.); Flavel
C. Barber (Robert H. Ferrell, ed.), Holding the Line. Kent, OH: Kent State University
Press, 1994, pp. 55, 175 (3rd Tenn. Inf., AoT, 1862-1864);
Digby G. Seymour, Divided Loyalties. Knoxville: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1982
(2nd Ed.), p. 227 (reference to copy of Hardee's owned by Col. Moses White of the 37th
Tenn. Inf.).
In addition, an index search of Confederate Veteran, Southern Historical
Society Papers, and Southern Bivouac revealed over 16 separate entries for Hardee's
Tactics, including use by the following units: 50th Tenn. Inf., 35th Miss. Inf., 1862, 5th
Tenn. Inf., 1863, 9th Ky. Inf., 1861, 24th or 34th N. Car. Inf., 1863, Univ. of VA Cadets,
1860-61, and a Virginia artillery unit, 1862.
Note 9: William J. Hardee, "Memorial to the Congress of the Confederate
States," Mobile, December 14, 1863 (Library of Congress Manuscript Division,
Z645.A5-1863).
Note 10: W.H. Andrews, Footprints of a Regiment. Marietta, GA: Longstreet
Press, 1992, p. 12; Stewart Sifakis, Compendium of the Confederate Armies: South Carolina
and Georgia. New York: Facts on File, 1996, pp. 173-176.
Note 11: Hardee, "Memorial" (this copyright notice was also
published in the Goetzel versions, from the 3rd Edition on). See, for example, ads in
various Southern newspapers, such as that in The Southern Illustrated News, Vol. 1, No. 30
(April 4, 1863), p. 8 (commonly available as a reprint). It must be noted that although
the text was revised, the corresponding plates did not receive as much attention. The
weapon is still shown as a 2-band rifle, with a socket bayonet substituted for the sword
bayonet, and the positions of the piece were not changed significantly from the 1855
plates.
Editor's Note: We will continue with Chapter II of Confederate Drill in our next
issue.
(Quelle: http://216.247.222.222/vpp/ccg/manualarms_1.htm)
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Manual of Arms for Infantry: A Re-examination Part II
By Geoff Walden & Dom Dal Bello
Last month, Part I explored the background history of Hardee's "Tactics" and
the introduction of his improved Confederate editions, complete with a revised manual of
arms for 3--band weapons. Part II continues with the revised manual of arms, and compares
this manual to the older musket-style drill found in other period references.
2. Fix - Bayonet (From Shoulder Arms) The first, second, and third motions are the same
as those for loading, except during the third motion, the right hand is carried to the
bayonet, grasping the socket with the little finger up (thumb closest to the blade) (para.
188, page 43).
Fourth Motion - Draw the bayonet (with the right hand) and fix it. Grasp the musket
with the right hand at the muzzle, and rest the left hand on the stock, with the left arm
extended (para. 189, pages 43-44). The musket is now ready to return to Shoulder Arms. If
the bayonets are fixed from Order Arms, return immediately to Order Arms, without orders
to do so (para. 192, page 44). Unfixing the bayonet is simply the reverse (para. 200-202,
page 46).
Since Inspection Arms is a combination of the motions of fixing the bayonet and
loading, these revisions were also incorporated into the preparations for inspection. The
bayonet is fixed as from Order Arms, but after turning the bayonet clasp, the right hand
draws the rammer and places it into the bore. The piece is returned to Order Arms, and the
rest of the inspection is the same as the standard Hardee's.
Note that in all these positions, the musket is placed at the left side, barrel to the
front, with the muzzle slanted forward and to the right, until it is six inches in front
of the center of the body. This has the effect of negating the greater length of the
musket, as opposed to the 2-band rifle held vertically in front of the body. The feet
remain together on the line in a "V" - there are no half-faces or other such
foot movements (as in older musket manuals).
3. Stacking Arms Hardee’s 1855 edition used ramrods for stacking 2-banders. His
method of stacking for 3-banders, using the bayonets, has an interesting history. Many
reenactors call this method the "Ken-tucky Stack" or "Kentucky Swing,"
mainly because when it was introduced in the First Confederate Brigade in 1986, the source
was an 1861 manual of arms for the Kentucky State Guard. (See note 12) However, evidence
indicates that this method was in use at least as early as 1857 (possibly even 1855) by E.
E. Ellsworth's Zouave drill demonstration units, and Ellsworth was given credit for
inventing it. Hardee may have picked this method up while at West Point, and subsequently
used it in his Confederate revisions. (See note 13)
Basically, this method hooks the shanks of the bayonets together, and locks them by
swinging the butt of one of the muskets out to the front. This results in a very stable
musket stack. The method is similar to the arms stacking found in Scott's musket drill,
but it is easier and quicker. Each group of four men, front and rear ranks Numbers One and
Two (the "comrades in battle" of skirmishing), forms a separate stack. In
detail, the stack is formed as follows:
The men being at ordered arms, the instructor will command: Stack - ARMS.
First Motion - At this command, Number Two of the front rank will pass his piece before
him, seize it with the left hand about the middle band, slope it across the body, barrel
to the rear, the butt three inches above the right toe of the man on his left, muzzle six
inches to the right of his shoulder (para. 410).
Second Motion - Number Two of the rear rank will turn his piece, lock square to the
front, and pass it to his front rank man. who will seize it with his right hand about the
middle band and incline it forward, resting the neck of the bayonet on that of his own
bayonet and close to the blade. Number One of the front rank will turn the barrel of his
piece square to the front, slope it across the body, place the neck at his bayonet, above
the necks, and between the blades of the other two bayonets, holding the piece with the
right hand at the middle band, the butt three inches from the ground in front of his right
toe (para. 411).
Third Motion - Number Two of the front rank will throw the butt of the rear rank
man’s piece about 30 inches to the front, at the same time resting the butt of his
own piece on the ground on the left, and a little in rear of his left toe. At the same
instant, Number One of the front rank will rest the butt of his piece on the ground a
little in front of his right toe. Number One of the rear rank will incline his piece on
the stack thus formed (para. 412). [File closers are apparently to lean their muskets
against the nearest stack, without waiting for command to do so (see Note 14).]
To Resume Arms - Both ranks being reformed in rear of their stacks, the instructor will
command: Take -- ARMS. At this command Number One of the rear rank will retake his piece
[file closers will also retake their leaners, if they did not do so upon falling in].
Number Two of the front rank will seize his own piece with his left hand, at the middle
band, and his rear rank man's piece in the same manner in his right hand; and Number One
of the front rank will seize his piece with his right hand in the same manner. These two
men will raise the stack, bring the butts toward each other, and disengage the bayonets.
Number Two of the rear rank will receive his piece from his front rank man, and all will
resume the position of ordered arms (para. 415).
For those who are not familiar with this method, it sounds very complicated. It can be
simplified somewhat by memorizing the barrel position for each man within each group of
four, in the order that each places his musket onto the stack. We have used the fol-lowing
method: "Rear, Right, Front." That is, the barrel of the first musket (Front
Rank Number 2) is turned to the rear, the barrel of the second mus-ket (Rear Rank Number
2) is turned to the right (as the bayonet shank is placed on top of the first musket's
shank), and the barrel of the third musket (Front Rank Number 1) is turned to the front
(as its bayonet shank is placed on top of the Second bayonet). The second musket is then
thrown to the front, and the fourth musket is leaned in place. Note that the Front Rank
Number Two does most of the work. Practice in this method makes it easy to form a very
steady arms stack in a few seconds. For those who are familiar with the "Kentucky
Stack," note that in Hardee's version the stacks are not aligned after they have been
formed and there is no command "Prepare to Take Arms" (see Note 14).
Many readers familiar with Scotts and similar arms manuals (musket drill in Gilham's
manual, the U.S. Infantry Tactics, &c.) will note the similarities in some of Hardee's
revised movements, particularly in the position of the musket during loading and fixing
the bayonet. Hardee's revisions should not, however, be taken as a simple return to an
older musket manual. The placement of the piece on the left is the easiest way to negate
the effects of its greater length. None of the other distinctive movements of the old
musket drill, such as Shoulder Arms on the left, "cast about" during loading, or
the older method of arms stacking, were brought back. Hardee saw his revisions as
improvements, not sim-ply falling back on some older system because his 1855 -manual was
not suited to 3-banders. For this reason we do not advocate a return to the older style
drill, but a change to Hardee's revised drill appropriate to 3-banders. (See note 15)
Conclusions
There is evidence that Hardee instituted the revisions to his manual of arms beginning
with the forces under his command in 1861. The First Georgia Regulars, Hardee's Savannah
regiment that completed its organization after his departure, was "armed with
muskets, and drilled in Hardee's tactics for heavy infantry" in July l861 (see note
16). Since there was no such "heavy infantry" manual (Hardee’s re-vised
manual being applicable to all infantry, no matter how armed), this apparently referred to
Hardee's own re-visions for 3-banders.
It is quite probable that Hardee's revisions received wide dissemination, particularly
in the western theatre, due to Hardee's early assignments. Following his posting in
Mobile, he was promoted to Brigadier General and sent to Arkansas to organize the
Confederate forces there. Hardee brought these troops to Bowling Green, Kentucky, in the
fall of 1861, to the force that would become the nucleus of the future Army of Tennessee.
Wherever he went, Hardee's fame as the author of the Army "Tactics" manual
brought demand for his ervices as a drill instructor. There is ev-ery reason to believe
that the manual of arms he taught contained his revisions for 3-banders. (See note 17)
Hardee's revisions were also taught in the east. North Carolina published an edition,
by order of the Governor, for the use of North Carolina troops. This edition was al-most a
verbatim copy of Goetzel's version, complete with all the revisions for 3-banders.
Original copies of Goetzel's manual have also been identified as being used in the east.
(See note 18)
In addition, all officers who had been at West Point since 1855 were intimately
familiar with Hardee's methods, as his new drill manual was first tested there in 1854.
Hardee himself was Commandant of Cadets from 1856-1860, during which period his manual was
the primary infantry drill instruction. Even the Virginia Military Institute cadets weze
familiar with Hardee's drill after his visit to their annual examination in July l860.
(See note 19) Adopting Hardee's revised manual of arms would have been a simple procedure
for those already familiar with his 1855 manual.
In conclusion, it appears that the infantry drill manual of choice in the Confederate
army was Hardee’s "Tactics." In the almost total absence of period sources
specifically naming other manuals, Hardee's was the most likely taught throughout the
South-ern military. It is probable that Hardee’s own revisions were wide-spread, not
only where he served in the western theatre, but also among eastern troops. Evidence
points to this being the most common manual of arms throughout the Confederacy. Goetzel
published more editions of Hardee's revised work than did any other publisher of any other
Southern manual. (See note 20).
Confederate infantry reenactors should in general adopt Hardee's re-vised manual of
arms for the 3-band musket and rifIe-musket. We would have done so long ago and thought
nothing of it had Goetzel's or another revised edition been reprinted in the 1970s or
1980s. We know from long experience that Hardee's 1855 manual just doesn't work well with
3-banders, but the answer does not lie in going back to the cumbersome and outdated musket
drill found in Scott's and Gilham's. Some units have already adopted the type of arms
stacking and other movements that appear in Hardee's revisions (to these, we apolo-gize
for "preaching to the choir"). We should take the next step and adopt the entire
"correct, complete, perfect, and revised and improved" manual of arms, as Hardee
himself intended.
I wish to thank Dave Hunter, Dom Dal Bello and Tom Fugate for supply-ing copies of some
of the period manu-als used, and to express my sincere appreciation to Laura Cook and
Terry Beck, who provided a computer library search that revealed many more.
Notes
12. See Note 6. The KSG manual was approved in December 1860 and pub-lished
in 1861, bound in the back of Vol. 1 of a 2-vol. 1855-style edition of Hardee's (published
by Tompkins & Co., Louisville, 1861). Due to this method of publication, it is rarely
cited as a separate manual. Tompkins ad-vertised their "Hardee's Tactics" as
"the only complete Southern Edition" (Lou-isville Daily Courier, June 24, 1861).
13. Ellsworth, A Manual of Arms, p. 58 - quotes the Chicago Leader, April
28, 1860, in an article saying that Ellsworth "accidentally discovered" this
method around 1855. Actually, Hardee did not use this method in the first printing of
Goetzel's 1st Edition, where the older Scott's-style stacking was used. Whether this
revision was mistakenly omitted, or Hardee saw a later need for improvement, is un-known.
14. Other than the KSG manual, no edition of Hardee's that I've examined
tells when the file closers are to stack and retake their pieces. Scott's 1861 edition
(see Note 2) says they will rest their pieces on the stacks after the ranks have been
broken, and retake them upon the command to fall in School of the Soldier, Part III, para.
417).
15. Hardee. "Memorial," p. 2. For a differing view, see John
Braden, "Musket Drill," Camp Chase Gazette 17(1), October 1989, pp 30-31, 23. In
addi-tion to an outdated manual of arms, much of the rest of Scott's drill was simply
archaic. Almost all marching movements were done at a slow, delib-erate common time. Most
troop move-ments were done in mass, with a cor-responding difficulty in changing from
column to line, etc. A good single ex-ample of the obsolete style of this drill is
marching by the oblique. Try it some time, then decide for yourself if this sort of thing
was truly outdated by 1861.
16. Andrews, Footprints of a Regi-ment, p 12.
17. Hughes Hardee, pp. 72, 85; Hardee, "Memorial,'' p. 2. Hardee
himself noted the confusion produced by the different versions of his manual and he
apparently applied himself to making sure his "important and ma-terial"
improvements were taught throughout the army.
18. Brig.Gen. W.J. Hardee, C.S. Army, Rifle and Infantry Tactics. Raleigh:
John Spelman, 1862. The original copy used for the reprint was owned by a soldier in
Hoke's Brigade, Early's Di-vision, Army of Northern Virginia. Other original copies are
identified to soldiers in the 66th N.C. and the Granville Grays of Oxford, N.C. An
original copy of Goetzel's 7th Edition is inscribed to a Lt. Nicholas in the 59th Va.
Inf., Wise's Brigade, ANV (Special Collections, Woodruff Library, Emory University).
19. Hughes, Hardee, pp. 44, 56-59, 66. We are aware of the current
"f'ad" among some Confederate units to drill by Gilham's/Scott's manual for the
musket, apparently based on Gilham's association with VMI, or a misguided conception that
troops armed with 3--banders were to use the old musket drill. However, we have not found
any period sources that would show this type of drill to have been in widespread use in
the Confederate army, in Virginia or anywhere else (we are familiar with the images taken
in Pensacola in 1861, showing both Scott's and Hardee's style of Shoulder Arms). On the
contrary, most officers seem to have espoused the period equivalent of' "Be All You
Can Be" by learning the most up-to-date drill. The aforementioned magazine index
search that revealed over 16 separate references to Hardee's "Tactics,'' found no
specific references at all to Gilham's manual, and only two references to Scott's. We'd
sure like to see period documentation supporting the widespread use of the olde
20. Some Confederate reenactors have apparently assumed that since various manuals such as
Gilham's and Lee's have been reprinted, these represent the most common period manuals,
and are somehow "right" for our use. On the contrary, there were not nearly as
many period editions of of any of these manuals printed as those of Hardee's revised
manual (most were only printed in one or two editions in 1861). At least as many as nine
Goetzel editions, dating from as late as 1863, are known. Goetzel's version was even used
in the North (my colleague, Mr. Dal Bello, will fill us in on that one in his upcoming
part of this somewhat discontinuous series). Publishers take note: even though Goetzels
version of Hardee's was the most common Southern infantry manual, it has been ignored in
the re-print business. A decent reprint would doubtless be a good seller!
Behind the byline: Geoff Walden, a member of the 4th Kentucky Infantry, CSA, has
been shouldering a musket and sword since 1973. He has drilled infantry units from squad
to multi-battalion level.
(Quelle: http://216.247.222.222/vpp/ccg/manualarms_1.htm) |
