The french troops of the C.E.N.S. work on a project of the exercises of the Ecole de bataillon in the conditions of the napoleonic re-enactment of today. Their battalion exists since a year, it differs from a real one by numbers (it has 4 or 5 pelotons of 12 files by 2 ranks only), by uniforms (as it’s mixed from guard and line units), and by several minor details in the disposition of the officers and NCOs due to the lack of effectives, but the Ecole de bataillon mechanisms used respect all the principles of the Réglement.

For the event Plancenoit 2005 (16th, 17th, 18th june) the project has been enlarged as the french ENS troops that will participate on that 190th anniversary of Waterloo event are interested to form a second battalion of this form. As there won’t be too much time for the instruction, it must be well prepared and to make it easier we’ll form, if we’ll have enough soldiers, two „bataillons d’instruction“ of 4 pelotons each with mixed CENS and ENS pelotons. The first one being a „guard battalion“ (formed of guard infantry units), the second one a „line battalion“ (formed of line infantry units). These two battalions will also most probably march into the battlefield on sunday, supported by an artillery demi-division and forming a „regiment“ or „brigade“ of the 27e division.

When preparing the instruction, the discussion touched the very basic principles of the infantry maneuvres specified by the Reglement. It concerns the change of direction when marchin in column, the Reglement prescribes two mechanisms, the use of them depend on the position of the „guide“, the NCO physically conducting each subdivision (division, peloton, section) of the column.

When the battalion in column has the right wing at the front, the guides of each subdivision are on the left side of the 1st rank of their subdivision. If the left wing is at the front, the guides are on the right.

To change the direction of an open column to the opposite side to the guide (to the right when the guide is on the left), the Reglement prescribes the „Conversion en marchant“ (Ecole du Soldat, IIIe Partie, paragraphs 261-267). The wing conducted by the guide wheels around the floating pivot, at the command of „En avant – MARCHE“ the subdivision stops to wheel and continues straight forward. In this case the determination of the new direction is very easy and obvious – the commander commands „En avant – MARCHE“ when he sees the front of the subdivision in the new direction.

To change the direction of an open column to the side of the guide (to the left when the guide is on the left), the Reglement prescribes the movement on the command of „Tournez à gauche / à droite – MARCHE“ (Ecole du Soldat, IIIe Partie, paragraphs 268-270). The Ecole du Soldat says that the guide turns left („le guide fera à gauche“) and continues in the new direction. The soldiers conform to his movement and restore the contact of the elbows on the side of the guide. One by one the soldiers reform the line and the subdivision continues straight forward. The question here is : „how does the guide know the new direction, when there’s no ‚En avant – MARCHE‘?“ One answer is that this change of direction is allways of 90° – this is the interpretation of the expression „le guide fera à gauche“, it’s also shown as of 90° on the plates of the Reglement. And it’s this answer and this execution that is commonly used in the re-enactment (except for the CENS units)… Evidently it restricts the mobility of column as it can change the direction to one side of any angle, but of 90° exclusively to the other side.

The other answer is that as well as the „conversion“, the „turn“ can be executed in any angle and so the column can maneuvre naturally and continuously when changing the direction to the left and to the right.

The general question is :

Is the change of direction in column to the side of the guide ONLY OF 90° or it CAN be executed in ANY angle, just like the conversion…???

Fabio Ronchi says that the change of direction to the guide’s side on the commands of Tournez à gauche / à droite is allways of 90°. He says that the open column was not made to move or direct the troops but to deploy them.

I say that the change of direction to the guide’s side can be of any angle between 1° and 90°. I say that the open columns and columns at half-distance were colonnes de manoeuvre and as such they were particulary used to move and direct the troops. On the battlefield there is no better formation to move the battalion but a column. And it’s in columns that the french infantry of 1792-1815 maneuvred on the battlefields – and it was in excellent concordance with the 1791 reglement.

1) the reglement shows clearly that the change of direction to the guide’s side is not supposed to be of 90° exclusively. It’s in the 3rd point of the Article II, IVe Lecon, Ecole de Bataillon, paragraphs 353-364 (Colonne avec distance entiere, la droite en tete, en avant en bataille), or Article II, Ve Partie, Ecole de Bataillon, paragraphs 619-647 (Changement de front). The relative plates are XXIV, fig. 1 and 2 in the french edition or XXVIII, fig 1 and 2 in the wetphalian edition. We can see that the mechanism of this movement does not, at least here, demand the change of 90° as we would expect when studying just the Ecole du Sodlat.

2) the reglement knows three different ways to move a troop.  Marche en bataille, marche de flanc and marche en colonne. This refers to the formation of the battalion that moves and to the mechanisms of march and changes of direction. The things that implicate the use of one of these three possibilities are a) the terrain, b) the intention and circumstances. Let’s simplify the question by dividing the circumstances to a march out of the battalefield (on a route) and to the maneuvre on the battlefield (in open field).

When the battalion is en bataille, the only change of direction of it’s march is the huge conversion as described by the Ecole de bataillon (Art. 3, Ve Partie). When it marches par le flanc, it changes the direction par file, when in column it’s the conversion to the side opposite of the guide, or the turn to the side of the guide, and there’s also the „changement de direction par la prompte manoeuvre“, where is, as we’ll see, the explicite answer to our question – directly in the text of the reglement.

2.1 march out of the battlefield, on the route

We all know that the infantry executed the march out of the battlefield either in column, or par le flanc. (see Escalle, Des Marches dans les Armées de Napoléon). Generally it depends on the commander in chief of each corps to decide on how his units will execute the march. As we can read in Alombert-Colin : „…Davout fait marcher par files sur les deux côtés de la route; Ney par section à distance de peloton.“ (La Campagne de 1805 en Allemagne, Tome I, p. 220). Let’s don’t discuss the advantages or disadvantages of the first or second mode and forget about the theory of „allongement des colonnes en route“, let’s concentrate on the execution of changes of direction. When on the route Davout changes the direction par file, Ney must use the „changement de direction de la colonne avec distance entière.“ (his columns are at double-distance that is not supposed by the Reglement, but it does not change anything).

The route is not straight and it does not offer curves of 90°. It’s zigzag, through the woods, through the towns, along the rivers… The columns would not be able to follow it without the possibility of turning of 20, 35, 50, 75, 80 degrees to BOTH sides.

What does the Reglement say ? Ecole de Bataillon, IIIe Partie, Article 2, Colonne en route, point 6°, paragraph 162 : „La section de la tete suivra les sinuosités du chemin ou du défilé, les sections suivantes ne s’occuperont pas de la direction, mais passeront toutes successivement la ou celle qui les precede passera.“ And paragraph 163 : „Les changements de direction s’exécuteront toujours sans commandement, lorsque la section marchera au pas de route ; les chefs de section en avertiront seulement leur section, lorsque le changement de direction sera un peu considérable…“

There is no word about any „conversions to both sides“ without regarding the guide’s position. The columns march par section, usually with the right wing at the front, so the guides are on the left side. The Reglement does not say „Les changements de direction s’exécuteront sans regarder les principes des changements de direction en manoeuvre.“ It says „… sans commandement…“ The guide is still there and he conducts the section, even au pas de route. (Ecole de Peloton, VIe Lecon, Article 2, paragraphe 247 : „Le soldat étant en marche au pas de route, l’instructeur fera changer de direction sur le coté du guide et sur le coté opposé, se qui s’exécutera sans commandement, et a l’avertissement seulement du chef de peloton.“)

I believe that this proves that the turn MUST be possible for any angle (between 1 and 90 degrees as any obtuse angle would make the movement too difficult – the chef de bataillon must repeat this movement twice to turn of 180°… see the plate X fig 2 of the french edition or XIV, fig 2 of the westphalian edition, that concerns the movement of „rompre par la droite pour marcher vers la gauche“, paragraph 56 of the Ecole de Bataillon). I shall repeat the main points to recapitulate this long argument : „La section de la tete suivra les sinuosités du chemin…“ + „…le soldat étant en marche au pas de route, l’instructeur fera changer de direction sur le coté du guide et sur le coté opposé.“

2.2 Maneuvre on the battlefield.

Fabio says : „I invite you to reconsider your opinion due to the fact that the open column, full or half distance, is made to DEPLOY the troops and NOT to move or direct them. Note that ‚turning‘ is restricted to open columns change of direction to the side of the guide, that is on the side of the fastest forming ‚en bataille‘“.

If we don’t need the open columns or the columns at half-distance to move or direct the troops, why would we need them? We could stay almost all the time of the battle in line… just as the Austrians, Prussians or Russians… (at least before 1807).

The Reglement describes the „Changement de direction en colonne avec distance entiere, par la prompte manoeuvre.“ (Ecole de Bataillon, IIIe Partie, Art. 4). Why? Because the open column is a battle formation, colonne de manoeuvre. It’s much more flexible and mobile than a deployed battalion. It needs less space, it changes the direction faster. It can deploy or form en bataille in many ways, to the left, to the right, to the front, to the back… all this is described by the Reglement and there are no doubts, everything is very clear. The column at half-distance or at quarter-distance is the best formation for forming the square – a formation not really supposed by the Reglement (if we forget about one of the last articles of the Evolutions de ligne)… By closing the column at half-distance or en masse you simply get a very strong attack formation for the bayonet charge… The line is the „ordre de bataille“ of the battalion, but it’s the column that is it‘s basic formation in the field. Why should such a usefull formation be restricted to change, in practice, the direction only to one side?

There is an explicite answer to our general question in this 4th Article of the IIIrd part of the Ecole de bataillon.

Paragraph 200 : „Ainsi une colonne avec distance entiere étant en marche par peloton, la drotie en tete, le chef de bataillon voulant lui faire changer de direction a gauche par la prompte manoeuvre, avertira le chef du premier peloton de faire TOURNER A GAUCHE, et indiquera en meme temps au guide de gauche de ce peloton, le point en avant vers lequel il devra se diriger apres avoir tourné, ou a défaut d’objet distinct qui puisse servir de point de direction au guide de la tete, enverra l’adjudant-major se placer a trente ou quarante pas en avant sur la nouvelle direction.“

Paragraph 201 : „Le peloton de la tete tournera a gauche au commandement de son chef, et le guide de se peloton se prolongera ensuite sur la nouvelle direction…“

Look also at the plates of the „changement de direction en colonne avec distance entière, par la prompte manoeuvre.“ It’s plate XIV, fig 3 of the french edition or XVIII, fig 3 of the westphalian edition. There is the change of direction to the left of 45°…

It’s the chef de bataillon who specifies the new direction of the column. And he adresses to the chef of the 1st subdivision when specifying the new direction to the opposite side of the guide (so the chef of this subdivision knows when to command his „En avant – MARCHE“), and he adresses to the guide of the 1st subdivision when specifying the new direction to his side (so the guide knows the point he must turn to).

The answer to our general question is :

The change of direction to the guide’s side can be executed in any angle (between 1° and 90°)

Any comments, objections or complements are most welcome.