How many steps per minute when marching?

[major bill]

I am sure most of us know how many paces/steps a Civil War solders took per minute while marching common time. Some of us even know how far a soldier marched per minute while marching at common time. However, how many of us know why this amount of paces were taken per minute? Perhaps some kind forum member will provide the information.

Common Time ? steps per minute
Quick Time? steps per minute
Double Quick Time? steps per minute

 

[Patrick H]

Interesting question. I don't know the answer and I don't pretend to know the answer. However, I do remember my favorite President, Harry Truman, saying that he took his famous morning walks at a pace he had learned in the artillery. It might have been 120 steps per minute, but that is nothing more than a vague recollection or a guess on my part. If my recollection is accurate, I suspect the pace Harry remembered might have been learned in the Allied Expeditionary Force, but derived from a military pace in his father's day. In other words, the Civil War. But this is nothing more than my speculation and whimsy.

 

[major bill]

How many steps per minute in in slow march (French Foreign Legion)?
How many steps per minute in Highland drill?
How many steps per minute in British Light Infantry drill?
How many steps per minute in modern US Army Double Time?

 

[major bill]

OK I asked it as a trick question. You can give me the number of paces per minutes or the number of steps (one pace is one step with each foot).

So in Highland drill each soldier takes 122 paces or 244 steps per minute.

So all one has to add is how long an Army step or pace is and multiply that by the number taken per minute.

 

[major bill]

We must have some ex soldiers in the forum. So how many miles per hour did you march at quick time?

A. 5 miles per hour
B. 2.5 miles per hour
C. 3.64 miles per hour
D. 3 miles per hour

Maybe we have an ex drill sergeant in our forum who should know this.

 

[Burning Billy]

We must have some ex soldiers in the forum. So how many miles per hour did you march at quick time?

A. 5 miles per hour
B. 2.5 miles per hour
C. 3.64 miles per hour
D. 3 miles per hour

Maybe we have an ex drill sergeant in our forum who should know this.

I don't recall exactly from my time in the Marines, but I think a pace of about 4 miles per hour may have been average. Covering 20 miles in about 5 hours seems about right.

 

[captaindrew]

I'm going to say 3.64. Going by Hardee's manual quick time is 110 steps per minute and without looking it up I believe the steps are to be 36 inches apart. I'm terrible at math so I'm not going to try and figure the exact number but that seems right. Also I walk the length of my road at about a marching pace a few days a week and it is exactly 3 miles round trip and takes me 45-50 minutes to complete so I think 3.64 would be about right. On another note I believe the later manuals are a little quicker at 120 steps a minute.

 

[Billy Yank]

Hmmm...lemme see if I have a copy of my old FM22-5 hangin' around somewhere.

 

[rebelatsea]

OK I asked it as a trick question. You can give me the number of paces per minutes or the number of steps (one pace is one step with each foot).

So in Highland drill each soldier takes 122 paces or 244 steps per minute.

So all one has to add is how long an Army step or pace is and multiply that by the number taken per minute.

British Light Division pace is 144, The Scottish Pipe Band pace is 110.

 

[major bill]

I'm going to say 3.64. Going by Hardee's manual quick time is 110 steps per minute and without looking it up I believe the steps are to be 36 inches apart. I'm terrible at math so I'm not going to try and figure the exact number but that seems right. Also I walk the length of my road at about a marching pace a few days a week and it is exactly 3 miles round trip and takes me 45-50 minutes to complete so I think 3.64 would be about right. On another note I believe the later manuals are a little quicker at 120 steps a minute.

Partly right. During the Civil War QuickTime was 110 paces per minute or 220 steps if you count both feet. Solders do march 3.64 miles per hour but the modern Army now marches at 120 paces per hour.

A standard Army pace is 30 inches.

 

[garytameling]

Is a Step at the "Quick Step", 28" from heel to heel, considered also to be the length of a single Pace? In other words, if the File Closers are two Paces behind the Rear Rank, does this equate to an interval of about 56" (ie. two Steps, at the "Quick Step")? Or is Pace a different unit of measure than a Step? If so, then what is the length of a Pace?

 

[gggfJulius]

I was told there wasn't going to be any math!

 

[RedRover]

From Hardee's tactics and the Confederate Field Manual (1862):

First he had to be capable of locomotion, and maintain his place in the rank and file of his unit. Gen. Hardee's tactics manual established the pace of the foot-soldier as 28-inches, heel to heel, delivered at a minimum rate of 90 per minute (common time). Quick time; 110 paces per minute, and double-quick time of 165 long paces (of 33-inches) per minute. The double-quick time could be increased in cases of urgency to 180 paces per minute. At that pace a unit was theoretically to traverse 4,000 yards (about 2 ¼ miles) in as little as 25 minutes.

Running was also employed. The run was similar to double-quick time (namely at least a 33-inch pace) but with even greater swiftness. The men were enjoined to breath through the nose when engaged in moving at the faster paces. [Hardee's "school of the soldier"].

He was consequently capable of moving in one minute over even ground:

In common time: 90 steps=70 yards.
In quick time: 110 steps=86 yards.
In double-quick time: 140 steps=109 yards. (28"); 128.3 yds. (33")
In urgent double-quick time: 180 steps (33")=165 yards

He occupied a space in the ranks of 20 inches, and a depth of 13 without a knapsack (or 17 or 18 inches with one on). His average weight was 150 lbs. in good health.

A common calculation of the time placed the power of a healthy man at 1/5 horsepower. Where that remained static, as well as the length of the march; the variable was the speed and distance of locomotion, which was very much a matter of the burden carried. So an unburdened, healthy soldier could trek in 8.5 hours over level ground at a sustained rate of 3.7 miles per hour a full 31.7 miles. If overburdened with a maximum of 111 lbs. of equipment the same could march only 11 miles in the same period. These were the extremes (of locomotion or burden) which would virtually wear out the soldier. The soldiers rarely carried more than 50 lbs. of equipment, and many of the Confederate soldiers would bear significantly less, dispensing with knapsacks entirely, and sometimes even blankets, bayonets and scabbards, canteens, or even cartridge boxes, etc. (carrying ammo in their pockets, etc.)

As a contrast, it was calculated that in a full work day of 8 ½ hours a common porter of the time, going short distances (and only half the time laden), carried 135 lbs. of goods 7 miles. [CSA Field Manual, 1862, 135.]

In learning the manual of arms, the soldiers were taught to conduct each motion of arms handling in the 90th​ part of a minute, (just over half a second), and as the common pace was 90 in a minute, each step was calculated at the same speed.
Consequently, to calculate the efficiency of Confederate Infantry over an 8.5 hour marching day:

11 miles (1.3 mph),
16.18 miles (2 mph),
21.35 miles (2.5 mph);
26.53 miles (3.1 mph).
31.7 miles (3.7 mph).

James Marshall,
Hernando, FL.

 

[garytameling]

Is a Step at the "Quick Step", 28" from heel to heel, considered also to be the length of a single Pace? In other words, if the File Closers are two Paces behind the Rear Rank, does this equate to an interval of about 56" (ie. two Steps, at the "Quick Step")? Or is Pace a different unit of measure than a Step? If so, then what is the length of a Pace?

Aha. I found it, so I can answer my very own question. According to Casey's manual, which is mostly identical to that of Hardee's manual:
101. The length of the direct step, or pace, in common time, will be twenty-eight inches, reckoning from heel to heel, and in swiftness, at the rate of ninety in a minute.
111. The length of the double quick step is thirty-three inches, and its swiftness at the rate of one hundred and sixty-five steps per minute.
I'm not sure why "Common Time" is used instead of "Quick Time", especially since "Double-Quick Time" is used in both Manuals, which infers "Twice the Quick Time".

 

[garytameling]

Aha. I found it, so I can answer my very own question. According to Casey's manual, which is mostly identical to that of Hardee's manual:
101. The length of the direct step, or pace, in common time, will be twenty-eight inches, reckoning from heel to heel, and in swiftness, at the rate of ninety in a minute.
111. The length of the double quick step is thirty-three inches, and its swiftness at the rate of one hundred and sixty-five steps per minute.
I'm not sure why "Common Time" is used instead of "Quick Time", especially since "Double-Quick Time" is used in both Manuals, which infers "Twice the Quick Time".

Aha, thanks to the intrepid Mr. Marshall, I see that there IS INDEED a difference between Common Time and Quick Time, and that they are not interchangeable nor was one overwritten in favor of the other. Again, from Casey's manual:
109. The principles of the step in quick time are the same as for common time, but its swiftness is at the rate of one hundred and ten steps per minute.
Though, for my purposes, which is the length of the pace and the definition of pace, the answer is the same (28", and the step forward of one man's foot).
Thanks again, Mr. Marshall.

 

[garytameling]

From Hardee's tactics and the Confederate Field Manual (1862):

He occupied a space in the ranks of 20 inches, and a depth of 13 without a knapsack (or 17 or 18 inches with one on). His average weight was 150 lbs. in good health... [CSA Field Manual, 1862, 135.]

James Marshall,
Hernando, FL.

This is interesting. The average dimensions - width and depth - of the soldier's body were provided by the Confederate Field Manual. They are very close to current body width and depth dimensions, which I read from a site (and which I now forget, but I am sure that one can search for it online easily enough). Do you happen to know if the 13" interval between the Front Rank and the Rear Rank was at all altered by the presence of knapsacks? In other words, if normally this 13" interval was measured between the back of a Front Rank man and the chest of a Rear Rank man, would the presence of knapsacks cause this interval to be measured from the knapsack of the Front Rank man and the chest of the Rear Rank man? Or is the interval still measured between the FR back and the RR chest, and the presence of the knapsacks thus creates an "effective" interval of 8" or 9"?

 

[garytameling]

To finish the thought:
Common Time is 90 Steps Per Min at 28" Per Step = 2520" / Min = 210' / Min = 12600' / Hour = 2.386363636 MPH
Quick Time is 110 Steps Per Min at 28" Per Step = 3080" / Min = 256.666667' / Min = 15400' / Hour = 2.9166667 MPH
Double-Quick Time is 165 Steps Per Min at 33" Per Step = 5445" / Min = 453.8' / Min = 27225' / Hour = 5.1563 MPH
That Double-Quick Time must have been an absolute torture test in hot, humid weather conditions and in Heavy Marching Order (think I Corps and XI Corps, Army of the Potomac, in the rush to Gettysburg on 7/1/1863 in order to relieve Buford's Cavalry Division.

 

[RedRover]

This is interesting. The average dimensions - width and depth - of the soldier's body were provided by the Confederate Field Manual. They are very close to current body width and depth dimensions, which I read from a site (and which I now forget, but I am sure that one can search for it online easily enough). Do you happen to know if the 13" interval between the Front Rank and the Rear Rank was at all altered by the presence of knapsacks? In other words, if normally this 13" interval was measured between the back of a Front Rank man and the chest of a Rear Rank man, would the presence of knapsacks cause this interval to be measured from the knapsack of the Front Rank man and the chest of the Rear Rank man? Or is the interval still measured between the FR back and the RR chest, and the presence of the knapsacks thus creates an "effective" interval of 8" or 9"?

Yes, when the knapsacks were on, the 13 inch interval from the chest of the rear-rank file partners was from the back of the knapsack. When the knapsacks were not worn, it was from the front ranker's back; from paragraph 10, Hardee's tactics...

"10. The distance from one rank to another will be thirteen inches, measured from the breasts of the rear rank men to the backs or knapsacks of the front rank men."

When on the march, the soldier's were to employ the "route step" generally. Hardee says the "swiftness of the route step will be one hundred and ten steps in a minute; this swiftness will be habitually maintained in columns in route, when the roads and ground may permit."

 

[RedRover]

To finish the thought:
Common Time is 90 Steps Per Min at 28" Per Step = 2520" / Min = 210' / Min = 12600' / Hour = 2.386363636 MPH
Quick Time is 110 Steps Per Min at 28" Per Step = 3080" / Min = 256.666667' / Min = 15400' / Hour = 2.9166667 MPH
Double-Quick Time is 165 Steps Per Min at 33" Per Step = 5445" / Min = 453.8' / Min = 27225' / Hour = 5.1563 MPH
That Double-Quick Time must have been an absolute torture test in hot, humid weather conditions and in Heavy Marching Order (think I Corps and XI Corps, Army of the Potomac, in the rush to Gettysburg on 7/1/1863 in order to relieve Buford's Cavalry Division.

Whew! If units pushed too hard, they would leave many stragglers in their wake, reducing their strength considerably. A commander might have to slow up to close them up. Or he might consider moving slower daily to keep them well in hand. Circumstances and decisions varied.

Certainly the Confederates often travelled light, and were consequently capable of moving extreme distances (when healthy, well shod, etc.). However, by the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee's troops were pretty worn out. See Fremantle's description. Also, William Royall, a veteran of Lee's army reacted to the notion that Lee's army at Gettysburg was at the peak of its strength by claiming otherwise; that they were in fact well on the wane...

"It has been generally supposed that Lee had in his Gettysburg campaign the finest army that he ever commanded. He had veteran troops, it is true, troops that had become accustomed to cooperating with each other, and so far as that goes to make a fine army, his army was up to a high mark. But his troops had been starved and frozen until men and beasts had wasted much of their strength, and they were far from possessing that stamina, physical and moral, which naturally belonged to them..."

If such was the case, given the interrelations between the weight of kit, distance, and time; the unhealthy men might have had to discard equipment just to carry out a basic marching distance (giving them only the appearance of celerity).

I recall too, a Union veteran of the 2nd Battle of Murfreesboro, Tn in December, 1864, observing the idea of "effective" strength of a soldier was evidently meaningless among the Confederates of Bate's Division, as many of their POWs were taken in action barefooted, with the feet bottoms blackened and cracked like alligator hide from sticking by the winter camp fires, etc.

 

[garytameling]

from paragraph 10, Hardee's tactics...
"10. The distance from one rank to another will be thirteen inches, measured from the breasts of the rear rank men to the backs or knapsacks of the front rank men."

This is another very interesting fact. It surprises me also. I would have thought that the interval between ranks was measured at 13" between RR Chest and FR Back, regardless of the presence of knapsacks, in order to be sure that the muzzles of the firearms of the RR Men would not be too close to the FR Men's Faces during firing. As the interval was, instead, 13" from RR Chest to FR Knapsack, then that was perhaps 5" more (the approximate depth of the knapsack) that was removed from the distance between RR Musket Muzzle and FR Face. And, perhaps, another 8" more (complete estimate) was removed when the men "T'ed" the feet, which pulled backward the shoulder, during the firing process. So, for a two-banded musket like the Harper's Ferry version of the 1855 Springfield Musket (which, I think, is the type that was illustrated in Hardee's Manual), with a total length of 49", the distance of the muzzle from the RR men's faces was not very large. I calculate:
13" Depth of FR Man + 5" Approximate Depth of Knapsack of FR Man + 13" Interval between FR and RR + 8" Shoulder Pull-Back During "T'ing" of Feet of RR Man = 39" Total Depth to be Spanned By Musket of RR Man. In the case of the afore-mentioned Harper's Ferry version musket, 49" in total length, this results in only a distance of approximately 10" from the RR Musket Muzzle to the FR Face. I know that, also, each RR Man steps slightly, 8", to the right in order to aim his firearm more safely and "centered" within the interval between the heads of the FR Men immediately in front of him, which perhaps creates a total effective separation of 12.8" (Pythagorean Theorem in order to calculate the hypotenuse between RR Musket Muzzle and FR Face = c^2=a^2+b^2 = 8"^2 + 10"^2 = Square Root of 164" = 12.81") but still this separation of FR face from RR Musket Muzzle seems a bit too near for comfort.
For a model 1861 Springfield, or the 1853 Enfield, each of which has a total length of 55"+, the distance from FR Face and RR Musket Muzzle in this scenario is a more comfortable 16"+ (or 17.89" via the 8" Step-To-The-Right).