Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

[LibertyHallVols]

Haven't done one of these in a while. So...
A company is marching by the right flank at the route step. Where is the captain?

Cite your sources.

(The officers of Co. H, 15th Iowa (reactivated) are barred from answering :wink_smil )

[john duffer]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

Per CASEY - SOC - marching by the right flank

128. At the first command, the company will face to the right, the covering sergeant will place himself at the head of the front rank, the captain having stepped out for that purpose, so far as to find himself as to find himself by the side of the sergeant and on his left.

I'm guessing you mean this as a trick question and are looking for the captain moving to the rear of the company to see who falls out. I believe this is from Kautz (I'll try and find it shortly), I don't believe any manuals call for this.

[john duffer]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

Okay - Kautz's 1865 CUSTOMS OF SERVICE FOR OFFICERS OF THE ARMY

666. ......When each Captain gives the command to take the route step, he passes from the front to the rear file, in order that he may better observe the men who fall out of ranks.....

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

I'm guessing you mean this as a trick question and are looking for the captain moving to the rear of the company to see who falls out. I believe this is from Kautz (I'll try and find it shortly), I don't believe any manuals call for this.

Bingo! ;)

[CompanyWag]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

Good job, Mr. Duffer. An often overlooked detail. We used to harass our captain when he forgot to do this.

[Silas]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

For route marches of short duration, such as across a field or just over a ridge, the rule only causes the officer to run to the front of his company unnecessarily. However, for long duration, it's a good rule. Someone has to write that pass or offer encouragement.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

Yep, being that it is not in the manual, this is a booby trap that caught me. It is also, evidently, in Viele's "Handbook for Active Service" (... I need to check that one out, too), as well as Kautz.

[Will Eichler]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

John,

I have a low-quality reprint of Viele's (cruddy paperback) but it's got the info. The discussion you are looking for is on Page 50, starting in the 2nd paragraph. It continues on through the first full paragraph on page 52.

Best to all,

Will

[Silas]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

Here's a scanned copy : http://books.google.com/books?id=5mk...page&q&f=false

Direct link to page 50 is here : http://books.google.com/books?id=5mk...page&q&f=false but you might want to start at page 48 as that's where the chapter on marches commences.

[Silas]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

Just referred to my booklet on Guides, Pickets, Camps and Marches. Link : http://www.zipcon.net/~silas/Drill/guidespickets.htm The booklet contains huge blocks of text from several period sources. Per Gilham, it is implied that captains go to the rear of their companies on route. It's stated explicitly in Butterfield. You can view this text with cites by following this link to the "standard version" of the booklet - http://44tennessee.tripod.com/2ColGu...hesRegular.pdf - then doing a search for the word, route.

If you like what you see, go back to here : http://www.zipcon.net/~silas/Drill/guidespickets.htm and follow the instructions to print the booklet version.

[john duffer]

Re: Drill Bits: "Route Step" - Oh captain, my captain!

Viele seems to assume a true column rather than marching by "fours" (which my first impression of Kautz seems to be the case). I've always just told my lieutenant to watch for folks falling out marching right in front and am a bit surprised that the captain needs to go to the rear in a situation where you already have a line of file closers.