MARCHES
(Based on Infantry Drill Regulations and Field Service Regulations)
=1212. Marching principal occupation of troops in campaign.= Marching
constitutes the principal occupation of troops in campaign and is one
of the causes of heaviest loss. This loss, however, may be materially
reduced by proper training and by carrying out strictly the rules
regulating the conduct of marches, especially the rules of march
discipline.
=1213. Physical training; hardening new troops.= By systematic and
progressive physical exercises and actual marching, Infantry can be
accustomed to the fatigue of bearing arms and equipment.
With new or untrained troops, the process of hardening the men to this
work must be gradual. It should begin with ten-minute periods of
vigorous setting-up exercises three times a day to loosen and develop
the muscles. One march should be made each day with full equipment,
beginning with a distance of 2 or 3 miles and increasing the distance
daily as the troops become hardened, until a full day's march under
full equipment may be made without exhaustion.
=1214. Long march not to be made with untrained troops.= A long march
should not be made with untrained troops. If a long distance must be
covered in a few days, the first march should be short, the length
being increased each succeeding day.
=1215. A successful march.= A successful march, whether in peace or
war, is one that places the troops at their destination at the proper
time and _in the best possible physical condition_. Therefore, every
possible effort, by exercising care and judgment, and by enforcing
march discipline, must be made by all officers and noncommissioned
officers to have the troops reach their destination in good physical
condition,--"ready for business."
Preparation
=1216. The commander.= The commander must give such instructions as
will insure that the necessary preparations are made,--that the men
and animals are in fit condition and that the men are properly
equipped; that provision has been made for rations and ammunition;
that the wagons are properly loaded; that the necessary arrangements
have been made for caring for the sick, etc.
=1217. Organization commanders.= Every organization commander is
responsible that such of the above requirements as apply to his
organization are complied with.
=1218. Filling canteens.= It is an invariable rule that all canteens
must be filled before the march begins.
Starting
=1219. Time to start.= When practicable, marches begin in the morning,
ample time being allowed for the men to breakfast, animals to feed,
and the wagons or animals to be packed.
The time for reveille, if different from the usual hour, should be
announced the evening before.
The exact hour for the start depends, of course, upon circumstances.
However, as a rule, foot troops do not start before broad daylight;
mounted troops, when practicable, about an hour after broad daylight.
In order to avoid intense heat, especially in the tropics, and also,
in the case of long marches, to avoid reaching destination after dark,
an earlier start than usual must be made.
Both men and animals rest well in the early morning hours, and should
not, therefore, have this rest interrupted unless there is some real
necessity for it.
Starting at night or at an hour that will cause a part of the march to
be made at night, should, if possible, be avoided, because of the
difficulties and disadvantages of night marching.
Conduct of the march
=1220. The rate of march.= The rate of march varies with the length of
march, kind of troops, equipment carried, size of command, condition
of troops, state of the weather, condition of roads, and other
circumstances. However, whatever the rate may be it should be
_uniform_, that is most important, as there is nothing that will
irritate and tire a command more than a varying, un-uniform rate of
march.
The rate of march is regulated by the commander of the leading company
or some one designated by him, who should give the matter special
attention, _the rate being checked from time to time by a watch_.
On a march of several days' duration the position of companies is
ordinarily changed daily, so that each in turn leads.
With trained troops, in commands of a regiment or less, marching over
average roads, the rate should be from 2-3/4 to 3 miles per hour. With
larger commands carrying full equipment, the rate will be from 2 to
2-1/2 miles per hour.
Assuming that the length of step of the average man is 30 inches, the
following rate-of-march table is deduced:
+------------------------+-------+
| | Miles |
| Steps per minute | per |
| | hour |
+------------------------+-------+
| 35 (1/5) | 1 |
| 70 | 2 |
| 88 (in practice, 90) | 2-1/2 |
| 97 (in practice, 100) | 2-3/4 |
| 106 (in practice, 110) | 3 |
+------------------------+-------+
[Note. By remembering that 35 (1/5) steps per minute gives 1 mile per
hour, the number of steps per minute necessary to give a rate of 2,
2-1/2, 2-3/4 and 3 miles per hour, is quickly and easily obtained by
multiplying 35 (1/5) by these numbers.]
In hot, sultry weather, with the men carrying the full pack, the rate
of march would naturally be considerably less than on a cool day, with
the command not carrying the pack. It is most important that these and
other considerations affecting the rate of march be constantly borne
in mind by the officer in command of the column, who should indicate
to the commander of the leading company the number of steps to be
taken per minute. In indicating the number of steps to be taken per
minute, it should be considered whether the men at the head of the
leading company are the average, above the average, or below the
average in height. A short man, for example, would probably have to
take 100 steps a minute to keep up with a tall man walking at the rate
of 90 steps per minute.
=1221. Marching capacity.= The average marching capacity of Infantry
is about 15 miles a day, but in extensive operations, involving large
bodies of troops, the average is about 12 miles a day. Small commands
of seasoned Infantry marching on good roads in cool weather can
average about 20 miles a day.
=1222. Halts.= A halt of 15 minutes should be made after the first
half or three quarters of an hour of marching to enable the men to
attend to the calls of nature and adjust their clothing. Judgment must
be exercised in selecting the place for this halt; it should not be
made in a village or other place where its object would be defeated.
After the first halt a halt of 10 minutes is made in each hour, that
is, the troops march 50 minutes and then halt 10. Of course, the
number and length of halts should be varied according to the weather,
condition of the roads and the equipment carried by the men. In the
tropics the best results are often obtained by marching 45 minutes and
halting 15.
When the day's march will run well into the afternoon, a halt of about
one hour should be made at noon and the men allowed to eat.
Places for long halts should be selected with care; woods, water and
shade are desirable features. Arms are stacked and equipments removed.
Halts should not be made in or near towns or villages unless to
procure water or supplies, and when so made, the men remain in column,
details being sent for whatever is necessary.
In hot weather, especially in the tropics, it may be advisable in the
case of long marches to halt for three or four hours during the
hottest part of the day and finish the march in the late afternoon or
early evening. As a general proposition, however, it is inadvisable to
arrive at a strange place after nightfall or even late in the
afternoon.
=1223. Crossing bridges and fords.= When a cause of delay,--for
example, a damaged bridge,--is encountered, the troops in rear are
notified of the minimum length of the delay; they then conduct
themselves as at regular halts.
In ascending or descending slopes, crossing streams or other
obstacles, or passing through defiles requiring a reduction of front,
every precaution is taken to prevent interruption of the march of the
troops in rear. If the distances are not sufficient to prevent check,
units are allowed to overlap; if necessary, streams are crossed at two
or more places at the same time; in passing through short defiles the
pace is accelerated and the exit cleared at once.
If a company unit is delayed while crossing an obstacle, the head
slackens the pace or halts until all of that unit has passed; it then
resumes its place in the column, increasing the pace, if necessary.
Before attempting to cross with bodies of troops, careful examination
is made of fords, boggy places, bridges of doubtful character, ice,
etc., as the case may be.
Troops must never cross a bridge in cadence,--that is, the men must
not be in step.
In fording a deep stream with a swift current, the men cross on as
broad a front as possible, marching abreast and holding hands. They
should not look at the water, but at the opposite shore. If the ford
is wide enough, mounted troops may cross at the same time on the
upstream side, thus breaking the force of the current.
Fords that are at all difficult delay long columns unless the troops
cross at several places at once.
=1224. Straggling and elongation of column.= The marching efficiency
of an organization is judged by the amount of straggling and
elongation of the column and the condition of the men at the end of
the march.
An officer of each company marches in its rear to prevent undue
elongation and straggling. If there be only one officer with a
company, the first sergeant performs this duty.
No man should leave the ranks without permission. If necessary for a
man to fall out on account of sickness, he should be given a permit to
do so by the company commander or the officer at the rear of the
company. This permit is presented to the surgeon, who will admit him
to the ambulance, have him wait for the trains, or follow and rejoin
his company at the first halt.
It is the duty of all officers and noncommissioned officers to prevent
straggling and elongation of the column.
MISCELLANEOUS
=1225. Forced marches.= A forced march may be said to be a march of
more than average length.
Forced marches seriously impair the fighting power of even the best
troops, and should be undertaken only in cases of necessity.
Such marches are generally made by increasing the number of marching
hours. For large columns of Infantry marching long distances, increase
of pace is seldom of value.
=1226. Night marches.= While night marches are some times made in very
hot weather to avoid the heat of the day, they are generally made for
the purpose of surprising the enemy, escaping observation by
aeroplane, or for securing a favorable position from which to attack
the enemy at dawn.
Moonlight and good roads are favorable for night marches.
Precaution must be taken that the proper road is followed and that
contact between units is maintained, men being stationed, if
necessary, to mark changes of direction. If necessary, guides are
secured and charged with the duty of following the right road. When,
due to unfavorable conditions, units cannot be kept well closed, men
will be placed at forks and crossings of roads, especially on very
dark nights.
When in hostile territory, silence is maintained; articles of
equipment are secured to prevent rattling, and smoking and talking are
not permitted. Also, under certain conditions villages and farmhouses
are avoided on account of warning given by dogs.
Night marches impair the efficiency of a command and are never
undertaken without good reason.
=1227. Compliments.= As a rule, troops on the march pay no
compliments; individuals salute when they address, or are addressed
by, a superior officer.
=1228. Protection on the march.= Protection on the march is furnished
by covering detachments known as advance guards, rear guards and flank
guards.
=1229. Fitting of shoes and care of feet.= In view of the fact that
the greater part of the Infantry soldier's occupation in the field
consists of marching, too much stress cannot be laid upon the
importance of his paying special attention to the fitting of his shoes
and the care of his feet.
An Infantryman with sore feet is like a lame duck trying to keep up
with the rest of the flock.
Keep your feet clean. Dirty feet invite blisters. An excellent
preventative against sore feet is to wash them every night in hot
(preferably salt) water and then dry them thoroughly. If this is not
practicable, then mop them every evening with a wet towel and
invigorate the skin with a good rubbing.
Keep the nails cut close.
Rubbing the feet with hard soap, grease, or oil of any kind, and
putting ordinary talcum powder in the shoes before starting on a
march, are very good to prevent sore feet.
Blisters should be pricked and the water let out, but the skin must
never be removed. Adhesive plaster on top of the blister will prevent
the skin from being pulled off.
In case of sore or blistered feet, considerable relief can be obtained
by rubbing them with tallow from a lighted candle and a little whiskey
or alcohol in some other form, and putting the socks on at once.
A little alum in warm water is excellent for tender feet.
The old soldier has learned from long experience in marching, to turn
his socks inside out before putting them on thus putting the smooth
side next to his skin and possible seams or lumps next to the shoe.
The thickness of the sock protects the skin and helps prevent
blisters.
_Under no circumstances should a soldier ever start on a march with a
pair of new shoes._
Each soldier should have on hand at all times two pair of serviceable
shoes well broken in.
Remember that it is much better to prevent sore feet by taking the
precautions outlined above, than it is to have to treat your feet
after they have become sore.