104. A corporal of the guard receives and obeys orders from none
but noncommissioned officers of the guard senior to himself, the
officers of the guard, the officer of the day, and the commanding
officer.
105. It is the duty of the corporal of the guard to post and
relieve sentinels and to instruct the members of his relief in
their orders and duties.
106. Immediately after the division of the guard into reliefs
the corporals will assign the members of their respective reliefs
to posts by number, and a soldier so assigned to his post will
not be changed to another during the same tour of guard duty,
unless by direction of the commander of the guard or higher
authority. Usually, experienced soldiers are placed over the arms
of the guard, and at remote and responsible posts.
107. Each corporal will then make a list of the members of his
relief, including himself. This list will contain the number of
the relief, the name, the company, and the regiment of every
member thereof, and the post to which each is assigned. The list
will be made in duplicate, one copy to be given to the sergeant
of the guard as soon as completed, the other to be retained by
the corporal.
108. When directed by the commander of the guard, the corporal
of the first relief forms his relief, and then commands: CALL
OFF.
Commencing on the right, the men call off alternately rear and
front rank, "one," "two," "three," "four," and so on; it in single
rank, they call off from right to left. The corporal then commands:
1. _Right_, 2. FACE, 3. _Forward_, 4. MARCH.
The corporal marches on the left, and near the rear file, in
order to observe the march. The corporal of the old guard marches
on the right of the leading file, and takes command when the
last one of the old sentinels is relieved, changing places with
the corporal of the new guard.
109. When the relief arrives at six paces from a sentinel (see
par. 168), the corporal halts it and commands, according to the
number of the post: No. (----.)
Both sentinels execute port arms or saber; the new sentinel
approaches the old, halting about one pace from him. (See par.
172.)
110. The corporals advance and place themselves, facing each other,
a little in advance of the new sentinel, the old corporal on his
right, the new corporal on his left, both at right shoulder, and
observe that the old sentinel transmits correctly his instructions.
The following diagram will illustrate the positions taken:
A
R -
| | | | | C| |D
| | | | -
B
R is the relief; A, the new corporal; B, the old; C, the new
sentinel; D, the old.
111. The instructions relative to the post having been communicated,
the new corporal commands. Post: both sentinels then resume the
right shoulder, face toward the new corporal and step back so as
to allow the relief to pass in front of them. The new corporal
then commands: "1. _Forward_, 2. March"; the old sentinel
takes his place in rear of the relief as it passes him, his piece
in the same position as those of the relief. The new sentinel
stands fast at a right shoulder until the relief has passed six
paces beyond him, when he walks his post. The corporals take
their places as the relief passes them.
112. Mounted sentinels are posted and relieved in accordance with
the same principles.
113. On the return of the old relief, the corporal of the new
guard falls out when the relief halts; the corporal of the old
guard forms his relief on the left of the old guard, salutes,
and reports to the commander of his guard: "Sir, the relief is
present"; or "Sir, (so and so) is absent," and takes his place
in the guard.
114. To post a relief other than that which is posted when the
old guard is relieved, its corporal commands:
1. _(Such)_relief_, 2. FALL IN; and if arms are stacked,
they are taken at the proper commands.
The relief is formed facing to the front, with arms at an order,
the men place themselves according to the numbers of their respective
posts, viz, two, four, six, and so on, in the front rank, and
one, three, five, and so on, in the rear rank. The corporal,
standing about two paces in front of the center of his relief,
then commands: CALL OFF.
The men call off as prescribed. The corporal then commands: 1.
_Inspection_, 2. ARMS, 3. _Order_, 4. ARMS; faces the
commander of the guard, executes the rifle salute, reports: "Sir,
the relief is present "; or "Sir, (so and so) is absent"; he
then takes his place on the right at order arms.
115. When the commander of the guard directs the corporal, POST
YOUR RELIEF, the corporal salutes and posts his relief as prescribed
(Pars. 108 to 111); the corporal of the relief on post does not
go with the new relief, except when necessary to show the way.
116. To dismiss the old relief, it is halted and faced to the
front at the guardhouse by the corporal of the new relief, who
then falls out; the corporal of the old relief then steps in
front of the relief and dismisses it by the proper commands.
117. Should the pieces have been loaded before the relief was
posted, the corporal will, before dismissing the relief, see
that no cartridges are left in the chambers or magazines. The
same rule applies to sentinels over prisoners.
118. Each corporal will thoroughly acquaint himself with all
the special orders of every sentinel on his relief, and see that
each understands and correctly transmits such order in detail
to his successor.
119. There should be at least one noncommissioned officer constantly
on the alert at the guardhouse, usually the corporal whose relief
is on post. This noncommissioned officer takes post near the
entrance of the guardhouse, and does not fall in with the guard
when it is formed. He will have his rifle constantly with him.
120. Whenever it becomes necessary for the corporal to leave
his post near the entrance of the guardhouse, he will notify
the sergeant of the guard, who will at once take his place, or
designate another noncommissioned officer to do so.
121. He will see that no person enters the guardhouse or guard
tent, or crosses the posts of the sentinels there posted without
proper authority.
122. Should any sentinel call for the corporal of the guard,
the corporal will, in every case, at once and quickly proceed to
such sentinel. He will notify the sergeant of the guard before
leaving the guardhouse.
123. He will at once report to the commander of the guard any
violation of regulations or any unusual occurrence which is reported
to him by a sentinel, or which comes to his notice in any other
way.
124. Should a sentinel call "The Guard," the corporal will promptly
notify the commander of the guard.
125. Should a sentinel call "Relief," the corporal will at once
proceed to the post of such sentinel, taking with him the man
next for duty on that post. If the sentinel is relieved for a
short time only, the corporal will again post him as soon as
the necessity for his relief ceases.
126. When the countersign is used, the corporal at the posting
of the relief during whose tour challenging is to begin gives
the countersign to the members of the relief, excepting those
posted at the guardhouse.
127. He will wake the corporal whose relief is next on post in
time for the latter to verify the prisoners, form his relief,
and post it at the proper hour.
128. Should the guard be turned out, each corporal will call his
own relief, and cause its members to fall in promptly.
129. Tents or bunks in the same vicinity will be designated for the
reliefs so that all the members of each relief may, if necessary,
be found and turned out by the corporal in the least time and
with the least confusion.
130. When challenged by a sentinel while posting his relief, the
corporal commands: 1. _Relief_, 2. HALT; to the sentinel's
challenge he answers "Relief," and at the order of the sentinel
he advances alone to give the countersign, or to be recognized.
When the sentinel says, "Advance relief," the corporal commands:
1. _Forward_, 2. MARCH.
If to be relieved, the sentinel is then relieved as prescribed.
131. Between retreat and reveille, the corporal of the guard
will challenge all suspicious looking persons or parties he may
observe, first halting his patrol or relief, if either be with
him. He will advance them in the same manner that sentinels on
post advance like parties (pars. 191 to 197), but if the route
of a patrol is on a continuous chain of sentinels, he should
not challenge persons coming near him unless he has reason to
believe that they have eluded the vigilance of sentinels.
132. Between retreat and reveille, whenever so ordered by an
officer entitled to inspect the guard, the corporal will call:
"Turn out the guard," announcing the title of the officer, and
then, if not otherwise ordered, he will salute and return to
his post.
133. As a general rule he will advance parties approaching the
guard at night in the same manner that sentinels on post advance
like parties. Thus, the sentinel at the guardhouse challenges
and repeats the answer to the corporal, as prescribed hereafter
(par. 200); the corporal, advancing at port arms, says: "Advance
(so and so) with the countersign," or "to be recognized," if
there be no countersign used; the countersign being correctly
given, or the party being duly recognized, the corporal says:
"Advance (so and so)," repeating the answer to the challenge
of the sentinel.
134. When officers of different rank approach the guardhouse
from different directions at the same time, the senior will be
advanced first, and will not be made to wait for his junior.
135. Out of ranks and under arms, the corporal salutes with the
rifle salute. He will salute all officers, whether by day or
night.
136. The corporal will examine parties halted and detained by
sentinels, and, if he have reason to believe the parties have
no authority to cross sentinel's posts, will conduct them to
the commander of the guard.
137. The corporal of the guard will arrest all suspicious looking
characters prowling about the post or camp, all persons of a
disorderly character disturbing the peace, and all persons taken
in the act of committing crime against the Government on a military
reservation or post. All persons arrested by corporals of the
guard or by sentinels will at once be conducted to the commander
of the guard by the corporal.