Skirmish drill questions

[JustRob]

A question arose during skirmish drill as to how arms whould be carried while deploying as skirmishers. If at the double-quick, should they be at right shoulder shift? If not, are they carried at the trail? Is there an establsihed pattern at all?

Also, are bayonets to be fixed when deploying skirmishers, or is this optional?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

[markj]

Re: Skirmish drill questions

Paragraph 9, "Instructions for Skirmishers," U. S. Infantry & Rifle Tactics (1861):

"Skirmishers will be permitted to carry their pieces in the manner most convenient to them."

I don't know of anything elsewhere in the instructions that modifies or contradicts this guidance. Presumably, then, troops on the double quick could either go to a RSS or, alternatively, a "trail." Whichever is "most convenient."

Paragraph 32 addresses the issue of bayonets. Such items were to be carried "habitually in the scabbard" but ONLY fixed when "a particular signal [is] given."

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[dusty27]

Re: Skirmish drill questions

From Gilham's manual:

The movements of skirmishers will be executed in quick, or double quick time. The run will be resorted to only in cases of urgent necessity.

Skirmishers will be permitted to carry their pieces in the manner convenient to them.

I generally carry the musket at Arms Port when I do skirmish. From the manual, it appears to be up to the soldier.

As to bayonets, though I didn't find anything in the manual, my guess would be unfixed as it would add a potentially harmful obstacle to loading from a lying position:wink_smil Additionally, it seems it would be harder to find cover on the ground with the added length of the bayonet.

[john duffer]

Re: Skirmish drill questions

This is from Hardee's Instructions For Skirmishers; paragraphs 277 Gilham's, 127 US Tactics, say the same thing:

127. A company deployed as skirmishers, is rallied in order to oppose the enemy with better success; the rallies are made at a run, and with bayonets fixed; when ordered to rally, the skirmishers fix bayonets without command.

[billwatson]

Re: Skirmish drill questions

The over-arching principles of what skirmish is supposed to do helps out, too. It's supposed to be marksmanship-based work done at some distance, so the bayonet is of no use -- until someone sends out cavalry to shoo you away, when, as John notes, one rallies and fixes bayonets in the process. That's because close-quarter work is expected when cavalry shows up.

If you have level-headed people on the ground and on the horses, a living history demonstration that features a strong skirmish line suddenly beset by cavalry, rallying by fours and then by section, is a pretty exciting thing to see.

Some kind of rally would have been appropriate on Sunday morning at Recon III when the assaulting Confederates, already pretty chewed up, were suddenly assailed by federal cavalry appearing on their flank at full gallop. :-)

[markj]

Re: Skirmish drill questions

I would hasten to add that troops did, indeed, fix bayonets prior to going into an engagement. While going through the court-martial transcript of LTC William C. Kise, 10th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, after the Battle of Mill Springs KY (19 January 1862) I noted that one of the defense witnesses remarked that Kise had ordered the entire regiment to fix bayonets before opening up on the advancing Confederates at 300 yards.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[UnionMan]

Re: Skirmish drill questions

I highly recommend the following article by Robert Braun regarding the practice of skirmish tactics in actual combat. It is a rather bulky pdf file as it was scanned from print, but is worth the hastle.

http://www.33wis.com/articles/pdf/skirmish.pdf

One of the things I love about this article is that it underscores the practicality and flexibility of skirmish tactics. In one instance cited in the article, the commanding officer orders his men to dispurse as they see fit, not according to the drill manual, in the interest of preserving the lives of his men. Unlike the inane, outdated tactics of line fighting, Civil War era skirmish tactics are downright sensible...indicating to me that our ancestors were closer to modern military thought than we sometimes give them credit for.

Thanks,

-Tad

[markj]

Re: Skirmish drill questions

To complicate this discussion even further August Willich, the expatriate Prussian officer who initially served in the 9th Ohio and 32nd Indiana, apparently taught a unique skirmish drill (possibly Prussian-based) to his troops. Indeed, if the diary of Lt. Chesley Mosman (59th Illinois) is any indication, Willich was still teaching it to units under his command as late as Spring and Summer 1865 while serving on occupation duty in Texas.

I have not yet found a precise description of this "skirmish drill" but there are some intriguing mentions of it in the "Indianapolis Journal" as well as in letters written by troops who served in Willich's Brigade. It was certainly considered unusual enough to be worthy of comment. I have also come across some artistic evidence (a watercolor done by a 32nd Indiana officer) suggesting troops were instructed to fight in pairs, rather than in "fours"...but the jury is still decidedly "out."

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[Darrell Cochran]

Re: Skirmish drill questions

If you have level-headed people on the ground and on the horses, a living history demonstration that features a strong skirmish line suddenly beset by cavalry, rallying by fours and then by section, is a pretty exciting thing to see.

We had a chance to practice this with a group of Confederate cavalry a couple of years ago ... If you think it's exciting to see you should be in a set of four while real horses are bearing down on you. The horses really will not run into fixed bayonets, they broke right around us.