Manual Exercises for long rifle

65th (2nd Yorkshire North Riding) Regiment of Foot

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S. 1. Manual Exercise with the Long Rifle, in Single Rank

2. Judging the Time

When the recruit has been thoroughly instructed in the manual exercise by numbers, he will be taught to judge his own time, the foregoing words of command being given without the numbers. The recruit in judging his own time must rest a pause of slow time between the motions; each motion, however, must in itself be performed smartly and quickly, except when bringing the rifle down to "The Order," which must be done gently and with great care, lest it be injured by striking on the ground. In fixing bayonets more time must be allowed.

3. Motions of the Rifle Performed on the March

The recruit will learn to perform the following motions of the rifle while marching; they may be taught at first while he is marking time; each motion should be done as the left foot comes to the ground, both in the slow and quick march; to this end the word of command should be completed as the right foot is coming to the ground.

When soldiers standing in line with ordered arms receive the command Slow (quick or double) March, they will come to the trail as they take their first step. When standing in file, they will come to the advance as they move off, and will return to the order when they halt and front; when marching in line or in fours with trailed arms, and ordered to turn into file, or form two deep, they will come to the advance when they turn, or form, and will trail again on turning into line or forming four deep. When ordered to mark time from the halt the same rules will apply.

In summary:

Stepping off from the halt...	On the first step, come to...
with fixed bayonets (on all occassions)	The Advance Arms
in line without bayonets	The Trail Arms
in file without bayonets	The Advance Arms

Halting...	Return to the Order

Quick - March or Mark Time - Quick.		From the Halt at Ordered Arms. - On the word Quick (or Mark time), grasp the rifle as in the first motion of "Fixing Bayonets" (No. V.). On the word March (or Quick), step off and bring the rifle to the trail.
Advance - Arms		The Advance from the Trail. - As on the halt.
Trail - Arms		The Trail from the Advance. - As on the halt.
Shoulder - Arms		The Shoulder from the Trail. - As on the halt, and when marching in quick or double time, come at once to the slope without word of command, as the right hand is dropped to the side.
Trail - Arms		The Trail from the Slope, or Shoulder. - Having, if at the slope, dropped the left arm to the full extent, sieze the rifle with the right hand as in the first motion of "The Trail from the Shoulder" (No. XXIV.), then bring it down to the trail as on the halt.
Change -		Changing Arms at the Trail.- On the word Change, Raise the rifle to a perpendicular position at the right side.
Arms		On the word Arms, Carry the rifle to the left side and pass it into the left hand, then lower it to the trail, at the same time dropping the right hand to the side.
Change - Arms		Change the rifle back to the right hand in a similar manner.
Squad - Halt		Halt and come to "The Order".

The Short Trail

When men standing at ordered arms are directed to:

form fours,
close to the right or left,
to step back,
take any named number of paces to the front,

They will merely:

Grasp the rifle with the right hand
and raise it from the ground, keeping the barrel to the shoulder.

This position is known as the Short Trail.

Stepping off at the Shoulder

Shoulder-Arms - As already described.

When soldiers standing at shouldered arms receive the command:

Quick or Double March, or Mark Time-Quick (or Double)
they will slope arms as they take the first step, except in the side step and in stepping back.
Slow-March,
they will step off, remaining at "The Shoulder".

When soldiers marching in:

slow time at shouldered arms are ordered to break into quick time, they will slope arms as they take the first pace at that time.
quick time with sloped arms are ordered to take up the slow time, they will remain at the slope.

Quick - March or Mark Time - Quick.		Step off (or commence marking time) and slope arms on the first pace.
Fix - Bayonets		Fixing Bayonets. - Bring the rifle down as in trailing arms, but with the barrel slanting upwards in front of the right breast, fix bayonets as at the halt, then return at once to the shoulder and slope arms.
Shoulder - Arms		The Shoulder from the Slope. - As on the halt.
Support - Arms		The Support. - As on the halt.
Shoulder - Arms		The Shoulder from the Support. - As on the halt.
Slope - Arms		As on the halt.
Change - Arms		Changing Arms on the Slope. - Pass the left hand up quickly and seize the small of the butt, fingers and thumb round the stock, at the same time seize the butt with the right hand, two first joints of the fingers round the stock, thumb in front of the heel, raise the rifle to a perpendicular position, carry it across the body and place it on the right shoulder, then drop the left hand to the left side.
Change - Arms		Carry the rifle back to the left shoulder in a similar manner.

Charging

Soldiers marching in quick time at the slope are to be taught to charge as follows

Prepare to Charge

As a Front Rank -

Bring the rifle to the Trail, without losing the square position of the body or the regularity of step.

As a Rear Rank -

Continue to move at the slope.

Charge.

As a Front Rank -

Bring the rifle to the position of charge bayonets, and
increase the pace to the double march.

As a Rear Rank -

Break into double time, continuing at the slope

Squad - Halt

Halt, and come to the shoulder.

Soldiers marching with sloped arms will invariably come to the shoulder when they halt.

Turning on the March

When a soldier is ordered to come to the right (or left) about, with:

sloped arms, he will come to the shoulder on the first pace of the turn, and having completed his turn in three paces, will slope again on the fourth, the pace on which he steps off in his new direction;
trailed arms, he will bring his rifle to a pependicular position by a turn of the wrist on the first pace of the turn, and trail arms again on the fourth.

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Updated 13 Oct 2004