Moving 17th Century Soldiers
 

Moving Wide Ranks Through Narrow Passages

Commands:
Several in sequence, the first being:
"One file by the right, [proceed] and resume your order [at that ground]."

Frequently encountered in a march is the space too narrow for full ranks of soldiers to pass through.  One method, albeit crude, is to tell the troops to break formation and regroup on the other side of that space.  A more orderly method is to have the unit pass through the space file by file (or two files by two files, etc., space permitting) and resume the formation on the other side.


Sergeant Subtlelus says:
After going through the passage, the File Leader for each file may be shown where to stop by the officer or sergeant holding in front of himself his partizan, halberd or drawn sword at that place 90o to the files and parallel with the ground.  (Or he can merely point.)