ManualofArmsforInfantryAReexaminationPart…….

1、Kentucky Swing (E.E. Ellsworth)Stacking Arms Hardees 1855 edition used ramrods for stackingbOnders. His method of stack ing for3-ba nders, using the bay on ets, has an in teresti ng history. Many reen actors call this method theKen-tucky Stack or Kentucky Swing, mainly because when it was in troduce

2、d in the First Confederate Brigade in 1986, the source was an 1861 manual of arms for the Ken tucky State Guard. (Seen ote 12) However, evide nee in dicates that this method was in use at least as early as 1857 (possiblyeve n 1855) by E. E. Ellsworths Zouave drill dem on strati on un its, and Ellswo

3、rth was give n credit forinventing it. Hardee may have picked this method up while at West Point, and subsequently used it in hisCon federate revisi ons. (See note 13)Basically, this method hooks the sha nks of the bay on ets together, and locks them by swinging the buttof one of the muskets out to

4、the front. This results in a very stable musket stack. The method is similar tothe arms stack ing found in Scotts musket drill, but it is easier and quicker. Each group of four men, frontand rear ranks Numbers One and Two (the comrades in battle of skirmishing), forms a separate stack.In detail, the

5、 stack is formed as follows:The men being at ordered arms, the in structor will comma nd: Stack - ARMS.First Motion - At this comma nd, Number Two of the front rank will pass his piece before him, seize itwith the left hand about the middle band, slope it across the body, barrel to the rear, the but

6、t three inchesabove the right toe of the man on his left, muzzle six in ches to the right of his shoulder (para. 410).Second Motion- Number Two of the rear rank will turn his piece, lock square to the front, and pass it tohis front rank man. who will seize it with his right hand about the middle ban

7、d and in cli ne it forward, resting the n eck of the bay on et on that of his own bay onet and close to the blade. Number One of the frontrank will tur n the barrel of his piece square to the front, slope it across the body, place the n eck at hisbay on et, above the n ecks, and betwee n the blades

8、of the other two bay on ets, hold ing the piece withthe right hand at the middle band, the butt three in ches from the ground in front of his right toe (para.411).Third Motion - Number Two of the front rank will throw the butt of the rear rank man spiece about 30 inches to the front, at the same tim

9、e resting the butt of his own piece on the ground onthe left, and a little in rear of his left toe. At the same instant, Number One of the front rank will rest thebutt of his piece on the ground a little in front of his right toe. Number One of the rear rank will incline hispiece on the stack thus f

10、ormed (para.412). File closers are apparently to lean their muskets against the nearest stack, without wait ing forcomma nd to do so (see Note 14).To Resume Arms- Both ranks being reformed in rear of their stacks, the instructor will comma nd: Take- ARMS. At this comma nd Number One of the rear rank

11、 will retake his piece file closers will also retaketheir lea ners, if they did not do so upon falli ng in. Number Two of the front rank will seize his own piecewith his left hand, at the middle band, and his rear rank mans piece in the same manner in his right hand;and Number One of the front rank

12、will seize his piece with his right hand in the same manner. These twomen will raise the stack, bring the butts toward each other, and disengage the bay on ets. Number Twoof the rear rank will receive his piece from his front rank man, and all will resume the position of orderedarms (para. 415).For

13、those who are not familiar with this method, it sounds very complicated. It can be simplifiedsomewhat by memoriz ing the barrel positi on for each man with in each group of four, in the order thateach places his musket on to the stack. We have used the fol- lowi ng method: Rear, Right, Fron t.That i

14、s, the barrel of the first musket (Front Rank Number 2) is turned to the rear, the barrel ofthesecondmus-ket (Rear Rank Number 2) is tur ned to theright (as the bay onet sha nk is placed on topof the first muskets sha nk), and the barrel of thethird musket (Front Rank Number 1) is tur ned tothfront

15、(as its bay onet sha nk is placed on top of the Second bay on et). The sec ond musket is the nthrow n to the front, and the fourth musket is lea ned in place. Note that the Front Rank Number Twodoes most of the work. Practice in this method makes it easy to form a very steady arms stack in a fewsec

16、on ds. For those who are familiar with the Ke ntucky Stack, n ote that in Hardees version thestacks are not aligned after they have been formed and there is no comma nd Prepare to Take Arms(see Note 14).Many readers familiar with Scotts and similar arms manuals (musket drill in Gilhams manu al, theU

17、.S. Infantry Tactics, & c.) will n ote the similarities in some of Hardees revised movements, particularly in theposition of the musket during loading and fixing the bay on et. Hardees revisi ons should not, however,be take n as a simple retur n to an older musket manual. The placement of the pi

18、ece on the left is theeasiest way to negate the effects of its greater length. None of the other distinctive movements of the oldmusket drill, such as Shoulder Arms on the left, cast about duri ng load ing, or the older method ofarms stack ing, were brought back. Hardee saw his revisi ons as improve

19、me nts, not sim-ply falling backon some older system because his 1855 -manual was not suited to 3-banders. For this reason we do notadvocate a return to the older style drill, but a cha nge to Hardees revised drill appropriate to 3-ba nders.(See n ote 15)ConclusionsThere is evide nee that Hardee in

20、stituted the revisi ons to his manual of arms beg inning with the forcesun der his comma nd in 1861. The First Georgia Regulars, Hardees Sava nnah regime nt thatcompleted its orga ni zati on after his departure, was armed with muskets, and drilled in Hardeestactics for heavy infan try in July 1861 (

21、see n ote 16).Si nee there was no such heavy infan try manual (Hardee -vised manusl rteei ng applicable to all infantry, no matter how armed), this appare ntly referred to Hardees own re-visi ons for 3-ba nders.It is quite probable that Hardees revisions received wide dissemination, particularly in

22、the westerntheatre, due to Hardees early assignments. Following his posting in Mobile, he was promoted toBrigadier Gen eral and sent to Arka nsas to orga nize the Con federate forces there. Hardee broughtthese troops to Bowling Green, Kentucky, in the fall of 1861, to the force that would become the

23、 nu cleusof the future Army of Tenn essee. Wherever he went, Hardees fame as the author of the Army Tacticsmanual brought dema nd for his ervices as a drill instructor. There is ev-ery reason to believe that themanual of arms he taught contained his revisi ons for 3-ba nders. (See note 17)Hardees re

24、visi ons were also taught in the east. North Caroli na published an editi on, by order of theGovernor, for the use of North Carolina troops. This edition was al-most a verbatim copy of Goetzelsversi on, complete with all the revisi ons for 3-ba nders.Original copies of Goetzels manual have also been

25、 identified as being used in the east. (See note 18)In addition, all officers who had been at West Point since 1855 were intimately familiar with Hardeesmethods, as his new drill manual was first tested there in 1854. Hardee himself was Comma ndant ofCadets from 1856-1860, duri ng which period his m

26、anual was the primary infan try drill in structio n. Even the Virgi nia Military In stitute cadets weze familiar with Hardees drill after his visit to their annual examin ati on in July l860. (See note 19) Adopting Hardees revised manual of arms would have been asimple procedure for those already fa

27、miliar with his 1855 manu al.In con clusi on, it appears that the infantry drill manual of choice in the Con federate army was Hardees Tactics. In the almost total absence of period sources specifically naming other manu als, Hardeeswas the most likely taught throughout the South-ern military. It is probable that Hardees own revisionswepreaidenot only where he served in the western theatre, but also among eastern troops. Evidencepoints to this being the most com mon manual of arms throughout the Con federa