stacking by "Casey's" - trivia for the drillheads

[john duffer]

I think many on this forum already know that the arms stack in Casey is the same as that in Scott's TACTICS of 1835. TACTICS is based largely on L'ORDONNANCE DU ROI 1831. The French stack is the same as Scott's except distances are given in metric. The foreword of L'ORDONNANCE gives information on what had been updated from the 1791 version and mentions that stacking is added for the first time so that all regiments will do it the same. Though probably already in wide use this seems to be the first official adoption, so the Casey stack is 31 years old and more when added to his manual.

[Silas]

Re: stacking by "Casey's" - trivia for the drillheads

Too bad Casey didn't include the newer method of stacking arms as devised by that zouave feller who had a thing against CS flags flying within sight of Washington City. Thankfully, that other general whose name couldn't appear on the 1861 US Tactics was thoughtful enough to include the new method in his revised tactics.

I'm not a big fan of Casey's SoS or SoC. Not too much extra thought went into these two schools. By comparison, that other general did include new techniques in his manual which Casey chose not to include. However, Casey did put some thought into the final version of his SoB. It's a keeper. The original SoB published with Casey's name on the cover was identical to that published by the other general and to the '61 Tactics.

Cracks me up when some windbag Federal commander tries to drill his battalion in how to perform Forward Into Line at full distance, but doesn't seem to figure out why he cannot find the manoeuver in volume two of the little green books. Then he just drills them from the top of his head about how it should be done, but usually getting it wrong.

Cannot say I've done a line by line comparison of Casey's volume three with Scott's Evolutions of the Line, but Casey gets big credit for making it readily available.

[john duffer]

Re: stacking by "Casey's" - trivia for the drillheads

Silas

I get a slightly different reading from Casey, especially in regards to competition between manuals or the amount of innovation Hardee, et al, put into various editions. There are some excerts of Casey's PREFACE below which explain the purpose of his manual and where he made changes. If you take out all the paragraphs and illustrations translated directly from Les Ordonnances 1831 & 1845, you'd have some very thin books until you get to Upton.


PREFACE.
The following volumes of Infantry Tactics are based upon the French ordonnances of 1831 and 1845, for the manœuvres of heavy infantry and chasseurs à pied.

Both of these systems have been in use in our service for some years; the former having been translated by Lieutenant-General Scott, and the latter by Lieutenant-Colonel Hardee. My attention, for many years given to the study of the manœuvres of infantry, was more particularly directed to the subject while engaged, in 1854, as President of a Board assembled by the War Department, for the review, correction and emendation of the translation of Lieutenant-Colonel Hardee. Since the introduction into our service of this latter drill, in connection with the tactics of General Scott, I have seen the necessity of a uniform system for the manœuvres of all the infantry arm of service.

Not many changes from the original have been deemed necessary in the schools contained in the first -volume. It is believed, however, that the careful reader will find among those made, several which will be of assistance in the movements of a company or line of skirmishers.

In this School, several battalion manœuvres have been introduced not in the original, several thrown out, and others changed and modified.

In the third volume, the manœuvres of a brigade, comprising in its organization the three arms of service, are provided for, as well as the evolutions of a corps d'armée, composed of several brigades. In these schools a number of changes and additions have been made in the manœuvres, formations, and organizations.