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This from a 2nd US Infantry Regular in May 1862 on campaign in Virginia marching with the V Corps. We all 'know' how BY THE BOOK the Regulars were, especially when compared to the 'undisciplined' volunteers and conscrïpts.
page 215. "Ten Years in the Ranks U.S. Army" Augustus Meyers. Stirling Press, NY, 1914.
"When a halt occurred we did not know whether it was for a rest or only for a moment; a halt of a few minutes at the head of the lines miles away multiplied itself many time before it reached the rear...Those in the rear knew nothing of the cause and wondered why we did not go on, expecting every moment to hear the bugle sound the call "forward". When we halted we stood still for a few minutes waiting to go on again, and if there was no indication of it among the regiments immediately in front of us, we broke ranks without orders and unslung our knapsacks and sat on them or lay on the ground by the roadside if it was dry, the officer doing the same--for all company officers had to march on foot. If the halt continued for a while the men soon began to straggle off in search of water and wood; if it was evening, soon many small fires were burning along the road and many were making coffee in the tin cups; and perhaps before the coffee boiled the bugle would sound the command to "fall in"....
SUMMARY
By May 1862 the bugle call to HALT from a mile away, or a halt due to running into the regiment/company in front of you.... would soon see the men halting and falling out of ranks to rest and make coffee WITHOUT ANY ORDERS from First Sergeants and/or Captains. A regimental bugler would probably echo a Brigade or Division Buglers call.
Adding the bugle call LIE DOWN to the HALT meant immediate REST, with no wondering about whether the Halt was for 5 seconds or 3 minutes. This citation for LIE DOWN meaning REST is from Oliver Norton's "Army Letters 1861-1865" (and others as well).
There is no bugle call command to "fall in"....although it is mentioned in enough of the writings as to hazard an educated guess that the call was the ATTENTION. And obviously Forward was used to get the column moving again.
[by the way, the author refers to this route column to be "marching by 4's"..you can quote this Regular on that at your next event]
So HALT plus LIE DOWN = REST
ATTENTION + FORWARD means Fall in on the road (post the colors on the road then sound the Attention) and then proceed down the road.
We also know that ATTENTION while marching at the route step means strike up a cadence, Captains to the front of their companies, shoulder arms, take up the step, and correct alignments/intervals.
AND NONE OF THIS NEEDS A CAPTAIN OR FIRST SERGEANT TO ECHO THE COMMANDS. Especially in some stentorian yell aka voice of command. [recall that each company in turn mimics what the company in front of it is doing, and each regiment/brigade, Division mimics what each preceding regiment/brigade/Division does in the absence of contravening orders (see Coppee's "Evolutions of the Brigade" for example). A quiet admonishment/reminder to shoulder arms and pick up the step might be enough for your well disciplined, veteran unit.....a newby regiment might take some yelling).
We realize that you don't always get to drill or go on a campaign march with a bugler present.....so some units/officers need to be 'reminded' what the call's are instead of authentically responding to them out of habit. Now that we know how the disciplined Regulars handled a Halt and Rest.....maybe we can cut down on the Echoed Orders and frenzied shouts of "What's the call? Is it for us?).
You're marching down the road at the route step.....up ahead 'your' bugler sounds the halt.....you recognize the call and simply stop marching. Don't wait for your Captain or Sergeants to ORDER the halt.....they [the men] didn't (wait, nor did the order get echoed at the company level). You hear LIE DOWN and you get off of your feet and start making coffee. For now, a simple, immediate, and QUIET 'halt' from all soldier's who recognize the call will suffice? When your unit gets better, simply stop your feet when you hear the HALT, REST when you hear LIE DOWN, fall in at ATTENTION (arms at will or the Order, you don't want to be at the Shoulder when you might not be stepping off for 5 minutes). And step off when you stop hearing the Forward (when the last note ends).
Do we think they stepped off on a cadence at shoulder arms with the Captains marching in front of Company 20 + times a day and then went to Route Step some 100 paces or so down the road? My 'guess' is that the Captain started out at his usual spot, waited for the company to march by noting the condition and numbers of his men (yep, I remember Jones straggling back by the bridge), and then fell in behind the company at the route step. The men fell in more or less aligned, arms at will, and when the Forward was sounded they simply started marching at the route step. Many of your drummer Boys would be without drums and /or curled up in a wagon and unable to beat a cadence (see Diary of a Mudsill, Otto).
At the end of the day......my guess is that the General/Colonel said we'll camp here.....and the Adjutant told the 1st company Captain we'll camp here.....and the Captain ordered Break Ranks March and everyone rushed to grab a top rail. 2nd Company immediately following suit......2nd Regiment......2nd Brigade.....2nd Division......like a train stopping.
page 215. "Ten Years in the Ranks U.S. Army" Augustus Meyers. Stirling Press, NY, 1914.
"When a halt occurred we did not know whether it was for a rest or only for a moment; a halt of a few minutes at the head of the lines miles away multiplied itself many time before it reached the rear...Those in the rear knew nothing of the cause and wondered why we did not go on, expecting every moment to hear the bugle sound the call "forward". When we halted we stood still for a few minutes waiting to go on again, and if there was no indication of it among the regiments immediately in front of us, we broke ranks without orders and unslung our knapsacks and sat on them or lay on the ground by the roadside if it was dry, the officer doing the same--for all company officers had to march on foot. If the halt continued for a while the men soon began to straggle off in search of water and wood; if it was evening, soon many small fires were burning along the road and many were making coffee in the tin cups; and perhaps before the coffee boiled the bugle would sound the command to "fall in"....
SUMMARY
By May 1862 the bugle call to HALT from a mile away, or a halt due to running into the regiment/company in front of you.... would soon see the men halting and falling out of ranks to rest and make coffee WITHOUT ANY ORDERS from First Sergeants and/or Captains. A regimental bugler would probably echo a Brigade or Division Buglers call.
Adding the bugle call LIE DOWN to the HALT meant immediate REST, with no wondering about whether the Halt was for 5 seconds or 3 minutes. This citation for LIE DOWN meaning REST is from Oliver Norton's "Army Letters 1861-1865" (and others as well).
There is no bugle call command to "fall in"....although it is mentioned in enough of the writings as to hazard an educated guess that the call was the ATTENTION. And obviously Forward was used to get the column moving again.
[by the way, the author refers to this route column to be "marching by 4's"..you can quote this Regular on that at your next event]
So HALT plus LIE DOWN = REST
ATTENTION + FORWARD means Fall in on the road (post the colors on the road then sound the Attention) and then proceed down the road.
We also know that ATTENTION while marching at the route step means strike up a cadence, Captains to the front of their companies, shoulder arms, take up the step, and correct alignments/intervals.
AND NONE OF THIS NEEDS A CAPTAIN OR FIRST SERGEANT TO ECHO THE COMMANDS. Especially in some stentorian yell aka voice of command. [recall that each company in turn mimics what the company in front of it is doing, and each regiment/brigade, Division mimics what each preceding regiment/brigade/Division does in the absence of contravening orders (see Coppee's "Evolutions of the Brigade" for example). A quiet admonishment/reminder to shoulder arms and pick up the step might be enough for your well disciplined, veteran unit.....a newby regiment might take some yelling).
We realize that you don't always get to drill or go on a campaign march with a bugler present.....so some units/officers need to be 'reminded' what the call's are instead of authentically responding to them out of habit. Now that we know how the disciplined Regulars handled a Halt and Rest.....maybe we can cut down on the Echoed Orders and frenzied shouts of "What's the call? Is it for us?).
You're marching down the road at the route step.....up ahead 'your' bugler sounds the halt.....you recognize the call and simply stop marching. Don't wait for your Captain or Sergeants to ORDER the halt.....they [the men] didn't (wait, nor did the order get echoed at the company level). You hear LIE DOWN and you get off of your feet and start making coffee. For now, a simple, immediate, and QUIET 'halt' from all soldier's who recognize the call will suffice? When your unit gets better, simply stop your feet when you hear the HALT, REST when you hear LIE DOWN, fall in at ATTENTION (arms at will or the Order, you don't want to be at the Shoulder when you might not be stepping off for 5 minutes). And step off when you stop hearing the Forward (when the last note ends).
Do we think they stepped off on a cadence at shoulder arms with the Captains marching in front of Company 20 + times a day and then went to Route Step some 100 paces or so down the road? My 'guess' is that the Captain started out at his usual spot, waited for the company to march by noting the condition and numbers of his men (yep, I remember Jones straggling back by the bridge), and then fell in behind the company at the route step. The men fell in more or less aligned, arms at will, and when the Forward was sounded they simply started marching at the route step. Many of your drummer Boys would be without drums and /or curled up in a wagon and unable to beat a cadence (see Diary of a Mudsill, Otto).
At the end of the day......my guess is that the General/Colonel said we'll camp here.....and the Adjutant told the 1st company Captain we'll camp here.....and the Captain ordered Break Ranks March and everyone rushed to grab a top rail. 2nd Company immediately following suit......2nd Regiment......2nd Brigade.....2nd Division......like a train stopping.