Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army Part 37

Occasionally it is advisable for the leader to conceal his patrol and continue the reconnaissance with one or two companions.

Patrols far from their commands or in contact with the enemy often remain out overnight. In such cases they seek a place of concealment, proceeding thereto after nightfall or under cover.

When the enemy is encountered it is very necessary to locate his main force. Information is particularly desired of his strength, whether he has infantry, cavalry, and artillery, the route and direction of his march, or the location of his camp and line of outposts.

Dust clouds indicate moving bodies. Infantry raises a low, thick cloud; cavalry a high, thin cloud; artillery and wagons a broken cloud. The kind of troops, direction of march, and approximate strength may thus sometimes be roughly estimated. If from some position a body of troops can be seen marching along in column, the exact time in minutes and seconds it requires for them to pa.s.s a certain point should be noted, together with the formation they are in, thus: Infantry, column of squads, three minutes and twelve seconds; cavalry, columns of twos at a trot, one minute and twenty seconds; wagons, four-mule, five minutes. From this information the strength can be determined by the following rule:

a.s.suming that infantry in column of squads occupy half a yard per man, cavalry in column of fours 1 yard per man, and artillery and wagons in single column 20 yards per gun, caisson, or wagon, a given point would be pa.s.sed in one minute by about--

175 infantry.

110 cavalry at a walk.

200 cavalry at a trot.

5 guns, caissons, or wagons.

For troops in column of twos, take one-half of the above estimate.

Patrols should always observe the country marched over, with a view to making a report on the same. The following information is always of value:

=Roads.=--Direction; kind, whether dirt, gravel, macadam, etc.; width, whether suitable for column of squads, etc.; border, whether fenced with stone, barbed wire, rails, etc.; steepness in crossing hills and valleys; where they pa.s.s through defiles and along commanding heights, etc.; crossroads.

=Surrounding country.=--Whether generally open and pa.s.sable for infantry, cavalry, and artillery, or whether broken and impa.s.sable, due to fences, woods, crops, ravines; whether good grazing is available, etc.

=Railroads.=--Single or double track, narrow or broad gauge, tunnels, bridges, cuts, direction, stations, etc.

=Bridges.=--Material, wood, stone, steel, etc.; length and breadth; number and kind of piers or supports.

=Rivers.=--Direction; width, depth; kind of bottom, such as mud, sand, rocky, etc.; banks, steep or gentle, open or wooded; rapidity of current; variations in depth at different times as indicated by driftwood and high-water marks; islands; heights in vicinity commanding streams.

=Woods.=--Extent and shape; kind of trees; free from underbrush or not; clearings, roads, swamps, ravines, etc.

=Telegraph lines.=--Number of wires, along roads or railroads, stations, etc.

=Villages.=--Size, kind of houses, nature of streets, means of defense, etc.

=Hills and ridges.=--Whether scopes are gentle or steep; whether top is narrow or wide; whether ground is broken or smooth, wooded or clear; whether difficult or easy to cross, etc.; whether commanded by other hills.

=Defiles.=--Their direction, length, and width; whether surrounding heights are pa.s.sable for infantry and artillery: kind of country at each opening of the defile, etc.

=Ravines, ditches, etc.=--Width and depth; banks, whether pa.s.sable for infantry, cavalry, and wagons; whether suitable for trenches, or for movement of troops therein, etc.

In general, every soldier should be constantly on the lookout to obtain information that might be of some military value. Remember that information of the enemy and of the country is worthless unless made known to the proper officials in time to be of use.

Every soldier should be able to find his way in a strange country; should know how to use a compa.s.s; should know how to locate the North Star; should be able to travel across country, keeping a given direction, both by day and by night, and by observing landmarks he should be able to return to the starting point either over the same route or by a more circuitous one. This can easily be learned =by a little practice=.

It adds a great deal to the value of a soldier if he knows how to use a map to find his way. If he knows how to =make= a rough sketch of the country showing the position of roads, streams, woods, railroads, bridges, houses, villages, fields, fences, hills, etc., he has added to his value as a soldier very much, indeed, because a rough sketch of a country will give more and better information at a glance than can be obtained by reading many pages of written description.

=Patrolling= is one of the most important duties a soldier can learn.

Any enlisted man who understands thoroughly his duties as a member of a patrol will understand also most of his duties when with advance or rear guards or when on outpost duty. Patrolling can not be learned merely by reading books nor by work indoors. Thoroughness comes only by actually going out in the country and acting as a patrol.

In carrying out this idea the following scheme is recommended:

Let four or more men and a noncommissioned officer act as a patrol.

They a.s.semble at a certain time, at a convenient point on some country road. An officer, whom we will call Captain A, acts as the director; the noncommissioned officer, whom we will call Sergeant B, acts as patrol leader; and the others (Privates C, D, E, etc.) act as members of Sergeant B's patrol.

a.s.sume that the troop (squadron, etc.) has just made camp in this vicinity and that the inhabitants are friendly (or hostile).

Captain A indicates to the rest of the men where the camp is situated and points out where the various sentinels are posted. (This in itself affords an opportunity for much discussion and for teaching many valuable lessons.)

Captain A then calls up Sergeant B and tells him--

(_a_) Just what information Captain A has of the enemy, and also any information of the country or of friendly troops in the vicinity that might be of service to Sergeant B.

(_b_) How many men he shall take for the patrol (this is another problem for Captain A to solve). Any men present not used as part of the patrol ride along with Captain A as observers.

(_c_) How far he shall go and what country he shall cover with the patrol.

(_d_) Just what information it is particularly desired he shall obtain.

(_e_) Where he shall send his messages and when he shall return.

=Example 1=:

"Sergeant B, it has just been reported to me that a company of hostile infantry was in camp last night at X, about 5 miles from here on this road. Take 5 men and proceed toward X and find out whether the enemy is still there, and if not, when he left and where he went. Send messages to me here, and return by 8 o'clock this evening."

=Example 2=:

"Sergeant B, I think I heard the firing of field guns over in that direction a short while ago. Take 6 men and proceed to that high hill you see over there about 4 miles away. Send a message to me here when you reach there. You may go farther if you then think it advisable, but return before daylight. I desire particularly to know if there are any hostile troops in this vicinity, especially artillery. I shall send Sergeant X with 3 men to observe the country from that hill you see over there farther to the south. He will remain there till dark.

Send messages to me here. If the troop is not here on your return you will find a note for you underneath this rail."

=Example 3=:

"Sergeant B, this friendly country boy has just reported that four hostile cavalrymen stopped about half an hour ago at his father's house, which he says is about 2 miles up this road. One of the men seemed to be very sick. You will select eight men from your section and endeavor to capture these men. If they have disappeared you will reconnoiter in that vicinity until dark. This boy will accompany you as a guide. He will ride Private X's horse. I desire particularly to learn the position, strength, and composition of any hostile troops in this vicinity. Send reports to me here. Return before daylight."

=Example 4=:

"Sergeant B, here is a map of the country in this vicinity on a scale of 1 inch to the mile. Here is where we are camped [indicating position on the map]. I have just learned that foraging parties of the enemy are collecting supplies over here at X [indicating point on map], which is 10 miles off in that direction [pointing across country toward X]. It is reported that this bridge over this stream [indicating same on the map], which is about 3 miles down this road [indicating road and direction on the ground], has been destroyed. You will take three men from your platoon and verify this report. You will also reconnoiter the stream for a distance of 3 miles both above and below the bridge for fords suitable for infantry. Messages will reach me here. Return by 8 o'clock to-night."

Sergeant B then inspects his horses and men and gives them their instructions. The patrol is then formed and moves out exactly as it would under actual war conditions.

Captain A may halt (and a.s.semble if desirable) the patrol at intervals in order to discuss the formation used and the movement of any members of the patrol, their route, use of cover, etc., with the reasons therefor, and compare the same with suggested modifications of the formations, etc. After the discussion, the patrol is again set in motion. Captain A may accompany any part of the patrol. From time to time he presents certain situations to some member of the patrol, being very careful to a.s.sume only such situations as might naturally occur.

Thus, take Example 1:

Captain A is with Sergeant B, who, with Private C, is marching along the road as the point of the patrol. The other members of the patrol are distributed to suit the nature of the country over which the patrol is marching. The point has just reached a ridge beyond which the country is open and cultivated for about half a mile. Beyond this the road enters a woods. Captain A now says: "Sergeant B, from this point you see two soldiers in khaki on the road there at the beginning of that cornfield about 200 yards from the woods [points out same].

They are moving in this direction. About 200 yards to the right of these and somewhat farther to their rear you see two more men moving along that rail fence."

Sergeant B now does exactly as he would do in actual war. How does he signal to his patrol? Does he a.s.semble his men? If so, how and where?

Does he send a message back to camp; and if so, by whom, and is it written or verbal? (If written, Sergeant B actually writes it and delivers it to Private ----, with the necessary instructions. If verbal, it is actually given to Private ---- with instructions.) Captain A must in this case make notes of what the message was. In either case, Private ---- ceases to be a member of the patrol and joins Captain A as an observer. He should, however, at some later time be required to repeat his message to Captain A, on the a.s.sumption that he had reached camp with the same. The message, whether oral or written, should be thoroughly a.n.a.lyzed and discussed. Was it proper to send a message at this time? Does Sergeant B intend to remain in observation; if so, how long? (Captain A can give such information from time to time concerning the hostile patrol as Sergeant B might reasonably be supposed to learn in view of his dispositions. In order that Captain A may present natural a.s.sumptions, it is very essential that in his own mind he should, at the outset, a.s.sume a situation for the hostile forces and that he should consider himself as in command of all hostile troops. In this particular case he should a.s.sume himself to be in command of the hostile patrol, acting under certain specified orders similar to examples given, and he should conduct this patrol in his own mind in accordance with these orders, giving Sergeant B only such information as he might reasonably be expected to obtain in view of whatever action Sergeant B takes.) Will Sergeant B attempt to capture this patrol? If so, how? Will he avoid fighting and attempt to pa.s.s it un.o.bserved; and if so, how and why?