Wheeling to Make a Turn |
Command: "To the right from the right file leader, wheel!" (or "To the left from the left file leader, wheel.") By 'Wheeling,' a unit changes its direction, not simply each soldier. That is, everyone could in the end be facing 90o to their former orientation, even 180o, but there would be no "Accidental" Front, only the "Proper" Front. Before beginning this or any Wheel, Colonel Barriffe urges: "...close both ranks and files to their Order, which is Three foot both in rank and file...Musquetiers being all either poysed or shouldred; your Pikes ought to be Advanced." Observe in the example that this motion shifts the unit from its original ground. While simple to see here, on the field the actual result may not be quite as intended when the command is given. Unlike other 'Reducements,' should the commander wish to return the unit to its beginning configuration or "reduce" the wheeling, the soldiers would NOT end up on the same ground on which they began the exercise. (But the Proper Front would be maintained!) |
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