Proper commands for regiments and divisions

[Capt7thWvCoA]

Hello everyone, what was the proper commands for a Regiment or division to call them to attention? I know of attention battalion/company. Is it the same of larger bodies of troops ?

 

[RedRover]

The overwhelming majority of regiments in the 1860s consisted of a single battalion. Consequently, for maneuvering, the command was always "Attention, Battalion!"

From Casey's tactics, volume 3.

 

[captaindrew]

Hello everyone, what was the proper commands for a Regiment or division to call them to attention? I know of attention battalion/company. Is it the same of larger bodies of troops ?

The simple answer is yes

 

[Stryker65]

Probably there isn't any, since a battalion could easily hear an officer yell "ATTENTION" if he was very loud -- a brigade or division, probably not...

 

[Rhea Cole]

Probably there isn't any, since a battalion could easily hear an officer yell "ATTENTION" if he was very loud -- a brigade or division, probably not...

What happened was that a bugle call would convey the order. Could also be communicated by drumming. The verbal orders were repeated by the chain of command to company level, it sounds like an echo.

The position of flags & guidons were important indicators. Officer's swords were used to communicate commands.

On the smoke, noise & confusion of a battle, it was the well drilled units that had the best chance to prevail.

A brigade was the largest unit that one man could command with his voice. Sergeants with booming voices were particularly valued.

 

[Stryker65]

What happened was that a bugle call would convey the order. Could also be communicated by drumming. The verbal orders were repeated by the chain of command to company level, it sounds like an echo.

The position of flags & guidons were important indicators. Officer's swords were used to communicate commands.

On the smoke, noise & confusion of a battle, it was the well drilled units that had the best chance to prevail.

A brigade was the largest unit that one man could command with his voice. Sergeants with booming voices were particularly valued.

Question; were cavalrymen always paraded/formed while mounted? Or could they have been dismounted while doing so?

 

[Dan Kohli]

Question; were cavalrymen always paraded/formed while mounted? Or could they have been dismounted while doing so?

They can be parade/formed dismounted, If I remember correctly. I think they would have used the "to arms" bugle call instead of the "boots and saddle" bugle call. I might be miss remembering things though.

 

[Rhea Cole]

Question; were cavalrymen always paraded/formed while mounted? Or could they have been dismounted while doing so?

These are postcards from cavalry Fort Olgelthorpe adjacent to Chickamauga National Battlefield GA. Perhaps pictures will do better than words

The parade ground is still surrounded by officer's quarters & the bandsmen's barrack. Parades & exercises took place there regularly during the day.

Chickamauga Battlefield was originally administered by the War Department. Staff rides & drills took place in what is now the National Battlefield

There were regular reviews where the garrison marched in review. Notice the families & visitors on the lawns admiring the spectacle.

This general view of the parade ground gives you a better idea of the dimensions of the parade ground. It is (+/-) the size of a professional football field.

Today the houses are privately owned. My wife & I have stayed at a B&B in the captain's quarters. The back window looks out directly onto the park visitor center. Very handy for a geezer who doesn't want to sleep on the hard cold ground anymore.

Note: As a small child in El Paso TX my mother harbored a lifelong warm memory of cavalry parades. The column lined up in the street behind her house. She loved the horse, shiny boots & the sun glinting off the metal saber scabbards. The men were very jolly, welcoming her & her sister in the warmest way imaginable. These are not just old tinted postcards, there is still a living memory passed down from almost 100 years ago.

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In regards to bugle calls, they were for the horses a well as the men. There are many references to horses that had thrown their riders staying in the ranks & responding to the bugle calls all by themselves.

Link:

Cavalry Trumpet/Bugle Calls in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Recently, I had an author friend seeking information on cavalry trumpets calls, for she was writing a battle scene. The hero of her tale is in the mounted infantry, and he is on the American front …

reginajeffers.blog

Link to a great deal of information about cavalry bugle calls:

Bugles and Bugling prior to the Civil War - Taps Bugler: Jari Villanueva

The Evolution of Trumpet and Bugle Signals in the United States Military from 1798-1874 Introduction Armies have used signaling instruments ever since there have been…

www.tapsbugler.com