John Bright's Regiment of Foote

Part of the Roundhead Association in the English  Civil War Society
 

Doubling

First the basic rule. Throughout all Manoeuvres (doublings counter marches etc.. you should attempt to keep your dressings at all times, even in mid-manoeuver, this means trying to keep your dressings during a counter march and not just picking them up again when you come out. The onus to do this rests with the individual soldier, but the principle role of Sergeants during Manoeuvres is to ensure that dressings are maintained.

DOUBLINGS
The purpose of doubling is to increase either the number of ranks or the number of files of a Squadron or unit, by Doubling the number. to do this you halve the number of ranks, Simple eh? However, as with most things in Barriffe there are several ways of doing this. The Officer, when he gives an order obviously knows what he wants (yeah!) so the Soldiers, and especially those with dignity in a Manoeuvre must be able to recognise the Orders and perform the evolutions. Thus the job of a commander is to know when to do things whilst each soldiers knows how. If you know how to perform a Manoeuvre and do it properly then any Cock-ups must be the officer's fault and you can justly beat him about the head. If you get the Manoeuvre wrong then I'm sure the Officer will be very quick to return the compliment. For each Order I will detail the Order in Bold, then the method, and finally the reduction (how to get out of it) in italics.

Doublings of Files. The Standard form of doubling we have come across in the past, and by far the most commonly used is the doubling of Files. i.e. increasing the Frontage by increasing the number of files.


There are two methods each with two variants. The First method moves the Rear Half-files.

1a. Order: Half-files double your ranks to the right / left

The Half-file leaders move forward to the left or right as ordered and stand alongside the File Leaders, the rest of the Half-file follows him.

Reduction: Half-files face about to the left, march forth into your places
 

1b. Order: Bringers-up, double your ranks forward to the right/left

The Bringers up march forward to the left or right and place themselves alongside the File Leaders, the rest of the Half file follow on from the rear by counter march.

Reduction: Bringers-up face about to the left, march forth into your places
 

2a. Order: Front-half-files, double your rear to the right / left

Every man in the Front half Files faces about to the right and then led by the Front Half File Bringer up marches to the left or right between the rear Half Files.

Reduction: Front-half-files, face about to the left, march forth into you places

2b. Order: Front-half-files, counter march to the left/right and double the rear

The File Leader counter marches to the left or right followed by the rest of the Front Half File, and marches between the rear Half files.

Reduction: Front-half-files face about to the left march forth into your places

Order: Half-ranks to the right/left, by counter march, double your left/right flank

The indicated Half-Ranks face outwards. i.e. the Right Half Rank would face Right and the Left, left. The Half Rank now counter marches and moves between the ranks of the other Half Rank. The counter march should be in the direction which will place the ranks BEHIND the ranks of the stationary Half Ranks i.e. Right Half Rank to the right, Left Half Rank to the Left. Note that in this manoeuvre only ONE Half Rank is moving, the other stands still.

Reduction: Half-ranks that doubled, face to the right, March forth into your places

1. Order: Half-files, double your front to the left/right intire.

The Rear Half-files face to the left or right and march as a body until the last Half-file has cleared the Front Half-files; They then stand, face to the front, and march forward to dress on the Front Half-files, who have NOT moved. Note this manoeuvre will be controlled by the Right hand Half-file leader who will shout the intermediate orders.

Reduction: Half-files face about to your left, march forth into your places.

2. Order: Half-files, double your front inward intire.

The Front Half-files will divide into their two Half-ranks. The Front Half-file Half-rank to the Right, facing Right, and the Front Half-file Half-rank to the Left, facing left. These two sub-units will then march outward until they clear the outer files of the Rear Half-files who remain stationary.

The two sub-units will now face to the front, their bit having been accomplished. The Rear Half-files, as a body will now march forward in to the gap dressing up on the divided Front Half-files. (Simple!)

Reduction: Half-files, face about and march, front half files, close your division; Face all to your leader
 

Order: Half-files, double your front by division

The Rear Half-files will divide into their two Half-ranks. The Rear Half-file Half-rank to the Right facing Right and the Rear Half-file Half-rank to the Left facing Left. These two sub-units with then march outward until they clear the outer Files of the Front Half-files who remain stationary. The Two sub-units will now face to the front and march forward to dress on the Front Half-files.

Reduction: Half-files face about inward, march forth into your places

1. Order: Double your left/right-flank intire, advancing

The opposite Half Rank to the direction indicated marches forward until the Bringers up have cleared the other Half Rank's File Leaders. Then it Stands faces in the indicated direction and marches until dressed on the stationary Half Rank.

Reduction: Half-ranks that doubled; march forth into your places
 

2. Order: Double your left/right-flank intire, by counter march, advancing

The opposite Half Rank to the direction indicated marches forward until the Bringers up have cleared the other Half-rank's File Leaders. Then it Stands faces away from the indicated direction and counter marches to the right until dressed on the stationary Half-rank.

Reduction: Half-ranks that doubled; march forth into your places

3. Order: Left/right-flank, double your right/left flank by division

The opposite Half-rank to the direction indicated divides into its two Half-files, the Rear Half-file of the moving Half-rank faces to the rear. Both Half-files of the moving Half-rank now march, the Front Half-file to the front the Rear Half-file to the rear, until they have cleared the standing Half-rank. They then face to the indicated direct and march until dressed on the Standing Half-rank. You could perform this manoeuvre by counter marching as in b., but that would be silly.

Reduction: Half-ranks that doubled face about inward, march forth into your places