1862 Army Officer's Pocket Companion-A Manual for Staff Officers..
Dear List Members;
I thought I would add more 'manual' information (sorry for the delay, had to type all of it up first from the book/manual) -- But, may help understanding marches.
The 1862 Army Officer’s Pocket Companion
A Manual for Staff Officers in the Field
-----------------------------------
Article 42 - Marches Executed to Assemble Armies
Page 91
Marches Executed to Assemble Armies
To assemble armies, route marches are executed. Generally these are made by battalions, distant on day’s march from each other; the cavalry the most of the time proceeding by the side roads, usually the less direct, but it is difficult to make a numerous cavalry corps march together during a whole campaign without interfering with the rapidity of its own movements, and without great difficulty in subsisting it, this corps should not exceed 6,000 horses. The artillery follows the cavalry, or if it has a very long train, it may proceed by itself on a separate road.
The troops begin their concentration on the base of operations: when operations are beginning, the successive bodies draw towards each other, and the army encamps in lines a day’s march from each other upon getting near the enemy, columns are formed, especially if the country presents parallel roads of debouche. It is always advantageous to march a
corps de armee by several roads, its divisions at distances apart suitable for deployment, and in order of battle; but if there is but one communication, distances of 200 yards should be left between the different arms, and the cavalry more in the rear of the column.
In thee marches, when a defile is to be passed, the order in which the troops shall successively pass, should be arranged beforehand, and made known. The general rule is never pile up the troops in such a manner that their movements shall be difficult, and their action parallelized; but they must be kept sufficiently near, so that the enemy may not by a rapid movement fall upon isolated bodies and beat in detail.
To arrive at the point of general concentration, which is always selected out of the reach of the enemy, [Page 93] too short as well as too long marches are to be avoided. A mean average of twenty miles is the proper measure to adopt, remembering that cavalry can, from time to time, clear as much as thirty miles, and that infantry ought never to march less than fifteen miles. For both infantry and cavalry one day of rest is sufficient after six or eight days of consecutive marching. It is of importance, when far from the enemy, not to regulate the march of the cavalry by that of the infantry, for it would be prematurely injuring the former. The departure should take place neither too early nor to late. One hour between the reveille and the assembling of troops will enable everyone to make easily all the preparations for departure. The men eat their soup and keep the meat for the halt. The horses take a feed of oats. A guide, either civilian or military, well acquainted with all the particulars of the road, accompanies the commander of the troop, if he is not himself familiar with them. Let us now suppose a march of twenty miles is to be made, and see how cavalry and infantry will perform it.
Cavalry- Departure at six o’clock, march of forty-five minutes, halt of ten minutes, reckoned from the moment when the last division has closed up to its distance (the troops forming, then halting, whatever may be the order adopted for the march to the trumpet’s call. The vanguard stops at the same time as the head column; and the rear guard keeps at a proper distance from the rear. During the halt the horses have their girths tightened and their feet looked to. Some two and a half miles having been passed over in this first period of the march, the [Page 94] detachment will clear six or seven miles without any new halt, alternatively walking and trotting, in about 100 minutes; then it will halt in a proper situation in close column, if possible, and half an hour will be allowed the men to breakfast on the meat kept for that purpose. The second half of the distance will be preformed in two intervals of time, divided by a rest of five or six minutes, alternatively walking and trotting, so as to make five miles in an hour. The destination will thus be reached at eleven o’clock in the forenoon, five hours after departure. If the distance be more: or less that twenty miles, the halts would almost always be the same in number and length as above mentioned, but the duration of each march would be lengthened or shortened by a few minutes. If the cavalry has any baggage, this should start so as to arrive, at the latest one hour after the column.
A horse or mule carries 200 pounds, harness included; two wheeled one horse carriages (the only sort that should be tolerated) can receive a load of 800 pounds. Above these limits is impossible to depend on a regular speed of two and a half miles an hour, at a walk, halt incuded, an average which should be obtained.
Infantry- Departure at six o’clock. After forty-five minutes, a halt of ten minutes, reckoned from the moment when the rear subdivision has closed up (the companies forming as they halt) to the movement of resuming the march. Afterward a halt of five minutes for every hour of march. When half the distance, rather more or less, is accomplished, the men rest thirty minutes, to eat the morning’s meat, and the march is resumed, halting for a short time [Page 95] every hour. An hour is the limit of any uninterrupted march, unless by continuing for a few minutes more, the destination, or the destination, or the place of the great halt can be reached, but this increase should not exceed twelve minutes. Reckoning two and a half miles per hour, short halts included, as is ordinarily done, it is found that a column of infantry starting in the morning at six o’clock, will arrive at two in the afternoon, which allows sufficient time for resting until the next day. [Page 95] Should the infantry have any baggage, this should start at the same time, and both will arrive together. A detachment that might be obliged to go and seek for beds or stables at a distance, on the right or left of the direction to be followed the next day, would be better to bivouac near the corps to which it belongs, especially if the weather is fine. It would thus avoid useless fatigues, and accustom itself to the necessities of war; besides it is sometimes far better to sleep on straw in a barn than two in a bad bed. [Page 95]
Sometimes the assembling is performed very near the enemy: it becomes necessary in such cases to calculate accurately the distances to be passed over, and to combine the marches in souch a way that the columns arrive together at the point of assembly. In this case, special use is made of forced marches, and hastening some of the troops by transporting them in carriages, or otherwise--railroads will be much employed for this purpose in war, and will have a great influence upon the art. In forced marches, the number of halts is sometimes doubled, and then a half ration out of each alternative halt; cavalry does not generally make more than thirty miles a day when the march is to be long. [Page 96] A train of 250 wagons takes, at the rate of twelve yards to a carriage, a space of 3,000 yards in a file, and may transport from 2,000 to 2, 500 in a body. When the troops are moved partly on foot and partly by carriage, care should be taken that while those on foot are passing over a given space between two halts, those in the carriage shall pass over twice as much. The same carriages do not pass over the entire route traveled, fresh relays of vehicles being provided at intervals of two or three days. When an army is assembling, the generals of divisions send forward to the rendezvous, in advance, a staff officer to receive the corps; the brigades and isolated regiments also send an officer to the same point. These officers from the troops upon the ground in compact order ready for battle, and according to rank.
[
Note: I copied it word for word]
------------------------------------------
Now, that said -- I am still looking through the Official Records as to find when Stuart was finally located time wise and location --then, using this afore stated system attempt to place distance traveled. Then--hopefully, if extended time for rest/travel--maybe get an idea how wretched his horses were.
Just some thoughts.
Respectfully submitted for consideration,
M. E. Wolf