The Color Guard is made up of eight corporals (1-8) and a Color Bearer
(B).{1} When using one flag, the Bearer is a sergeant,
and commands the Guard. When using two colors, other members of the
Guard carry the flags, with the commanding sergeant between them.{2}
Scott’s manual says that the subordinate color should be on the right.{3}
Union colors are to be carried on a “pike” ten feet, two inches in length.{4}
Gilham maintains that colors are to be carried on a “lance.”{5}
There are only three positions of the manual of arms of the flag mentioned
in the manuals. First, the proper position of the standard, at halt
or in march, is with the butt of the staff resting on the Bearer’s right
hip, and the right hand at shoulder height, steadying the staff.{6}
This is the equivalent of the shoulder arms position. The second
position is equivalent to the present arms position. While resting
the butt of the staff on the right hip, the Bearer raises the right hand
along the staff to eye level, and thrusts that hand forward, the butt still
resting on the hip.{7} This will place the staff
at an angle of 45 degrees to the ground. When the “salutee” is six
paces past the Bearer, he should return the flag to the first position.{8}
Finally, when the battalion is dressing on the colors, the Bearer should
hold the staff at full height, butt at the belt buckle, straight up, with
the staff between the eyes.{9}
Despite
the manuals, in practice, the Bearer should do whatever is necessary to
protect the flag from trees, branches, and other obstructive threats.
Additionally, it is wise to dispense with fixed bayonets in the Color Guard,
as they tend to rend the flag. For safety reasons, there should be
no pike-head, lance-point, or other sharp object at the tip of the staff.
Members of the Guard without flags carry their pieces at the position commonly
used as shoulder arms by union reenactors.{10}
When stacking arms, the Guard makes its own two stacks, and plants the
flag between them.{11}
As shown in Diagram A, the Color Guard in its
three rank formation acts as a part of the Color Company; it counts off,
changes arms, and in most respects is an integral part thereof. When
the Color Company Commander (O) orders the company to double, the Color
Guard doubles with it. Thus, the flag will always be in one of the
two right files if marching by the left flank. If the Color Company
is part of a column of companies, the flag will be near the end of the
company.{12} When doubling, the third rank merely
turns in place in the proper direction.
Great
care must be taken to assign more experienced reenactors to the more difficult
positions in the Color Guard. Since reenacting rank is not necessarily
an indicator of competence, especially in Color Guard evolutions, experience
is more important than stripes.
Guards
1 and 3 should be the most experienced, as they are the men on the end
of the company. As explained below, they must resist the pressure
of the left wing as it dresses to the center. Guards 2 and 4 should
be the next most experienced, as they are effectively the ones upon which
the whole Color Company, and right wing dresses. While the Second
Sergeant of the Color Company is technically the Left Guide thereof, half
the time there is none, and the other half, he either does not know his
job, or does not alter it to accommodate the Color Guard. This leaves
Guard 2 as the effective Left Guide of the Color Company. The outside
Guard positions (3,4,6,7) are more important than the inside (5,8) positions
because they must resist the pressure from the wings. Note that the
Left Guide/Second Sergeant of the Color Company is to the LEFT of the third
rank. This places him behind the 1st Sergeant of the company just
to the left of the Color Guard.
The
maneuvers of the Color Guard may seem confusing when the battalion is formed
in line of battle. At the parade, the Color Guard positions itself
where indicated by the Adjutant.{13} Since it establishes
the line for the other companies, the Color Guard must report early.
Once set, the Color Company will march up and be dressed on the Guard,
with other companies dressing thereon in turn. If the order is given
to open ranks, the third rank of the Guard executes the same movements
as the file closers in a line company.{14} Each
member of the Guard should note the presence of the Right and Left General
Guides, and if there are none, insist that someone be so detailed, for
reasons explained below.
Advancing
in line of battle is the most difficult maneuver for a battalion, and commensurately
so for the Color Guard. If done properly, almost all of the accordion
(expansion and compression of files) and wave (snaking of ranks) problems
can be avoided. Unfortunately, it is rarely done properly.
At
the command “Battalion, forward…,” all three ranks of the Color Guard take
one step forward. The Bearer and the two Guards next to him (the
Color Rank) take an additional five steps forward without breaking stride.
The two rear ranks have now just filled the gap in the two battalion ranks.{15}
At the command “March!,” the Color Rank and battalion step off smartly,
as shown in Diagram B.{16}
The Bearer keeps his position in front of the rest of the Color Guard by
choosing a point somewhere ahead and marching toward it. The members
of the Color Guard remaining in the battalion line should NOT attempt to
regulate the six pace gap, except on instruction from the Battalion Commander.{17}
At the command “Battalion, Halt!,” everyone halts. At the command
“Guides and Colors…Post!,” the Color Rank returns to its position in the
front rank of the battalion, the other two Guard ranks having stepped back
one pace to receive them.{18}
While
the manuals are quite specific as to the above procedures, execution thereof
is quite different in the field. In this maneuver, the Color Guard
has only three responsibilities. First, it must stay six paces in
front of the battalion line. Second, it must march to the point indicated
by the Battalion Commander, and must do so at a certain velocity.
Finally, the second and third ranks must stay aligned with the Color Rank.
In a reenacting scenario enough problems arise so that doing so is nearly
impossible. Those problems are organization, pace, and displacement.
Organization
problems first arise when a Battalion Commander does not fully man the
Color Guard. It is almost impossible for reenactors to advance properly
with a Color Guard of less then nine men, because the ends of the companies
on either side of the Guard will always drift into the gap in the rear
rank. The rear rank of the Color Guard specifically exists to stop
that problem. The Bearer should also be wary of an officer who appoints
men to the Guard. Often, these are the unsafe, undrilled, and/or
idiotic. Correct or not, the men in the Color Guard will mostly be
privates, and volunteers are better than draftees.
The
second order of organization problems arise when the Battalion Commander
fails to appoint a Right and Left General Guide. These guides’ job
is to march straight ahead and mimic the movements they see happening in
the center of the battalion so that the wing companies can also do it.{19}
Since they are the only men that the Bearer can see without turning around,
their position also tells the Bearer if the Color Rank is running away
from the battalion. While technically Guides are supposed to stay
even with the Color Rank, the reenacting reality is that the Bearer can
rather key on them to regulate the gap. Without Right and Left General
Guides, the battalion line will be in fact a battalion worm, (the body
of which weaves forward and backward as the wing companies speed up and
slow down.)
The
final kind of organizational problem is that the important officers will
probably not be in the right spot. The reenacting reality is that
the Battalion Commander lines up in front of the Bearer, indicates the
line of march, and stays out there when the battalion moves forward.
Where he is supposed to be is outside the scope of this article, but invariably
he will be right out in front.{20}
Pace
problems arise when the Color Guard marches too quickly or slowly.
Often, the flank companies will not hear the “March!” command, and be a
second or two behind the Guard in their pace. The companies between
the Guard and the flanks will hear the command, but, caught up in the excitement,
will march way too fast. The result is a V shaped line with the Guard
at the point. While all of these problems are caused by the poorly
drilled companies, the Guard does not need to exacerbate the problem.
Instead, it should take half, or even quarter steps to begin with, to allow
the wings to gather themselves together. If the Battalion Commander
wants the line to move more quickly, he can always do so incrementally.
The
final problem is displacement. Since, in line of battle, the companies
are dressing to the center, the men push inward. Multiply the amount
of pressure by the number of men and you will find that the pressure on
the Guard is more than enough to displace them relative to the advanced
Color Rank. Usually, the pressure is greater from one wing than the
other, so the Guard drifts to the right or the left. The direction
can change as the battalion moves forward. The two ranks of the Color
Guard in the battalion line must be aware of the pressure, and aggressive
about countering it. Their primary responsibility is NOT the dress
of the companies, but alignment on the Color Rank, so they should be prepared
to push back, hard, in the direction of the pressure. The commanders
of the companies should be prepared for this, and warn their men that the
Guard will push back.{A}
As
soon as the wing companies lose their dress, they will start telling the
Color Guard to speed up/slow down/give right/ give left. These comments
should be rigidly ignored and alignment maintained on the Color Rank.
THE ONLY PERSON AUTHORIZED TO REGULATE THE COLOR GUARD IS THE BATTALION
COMMANDER.
Returning
the Color Rank to the battalion line presents special problems. Having
the Color Rank break and flee back to the line is unsightly. At the
command “Post!,” the Color Rank should face about, march smartly back to
its position, and face about again. Also at that command, the second
and third ranks should take their steps backwards, opening the front rank
of the battalion for the Color Rank. When the Battalion Commander issues
a command beginning with the words “Fire by…,” the whole Color Guard takes
one step backwards, bringing the Color Rank into the rear bank of the battalion.{21}
The Bearer should probably order this when he hears the preparatory command
with the local command “Color Guard, one step backward, March!” When
the battalion’s status changes, the Guard can be returned with a similar
command.
Assuming
the battalion has fired for a while and now wishes to close with the enemy,
or fire from a closer position, one must wonder exactly what the Guard
is to do. If the battalion is to rush the enemy to occupy his ground,
it makes little sense to advance the Color Rank so that it reaches the
enemy’s line several seconds before everyone else. It makes much
more sense to keep the Color Rank in the front rank of the battalion so
that an overwhelming wall of men hits the enemy position. This is
precisely implied by at least two drill gurus, Dom dal Bello and Geoff
Walden, in this very magazine.{22} Assuming they
are correct, one must wonder what command the Battalion Commander can give
that will let the Color Guard know that it is not to march six paces forward,
but rather to advance within the battalion line. I suggest that “Battalion,
charge bayonet, forward…March” is this command. Battalion Commanders
will please note that using this command will alert the Color Guard not
to advance six paces, but only one, into the front rank. The net
effect is that once the battalion fires, it always moves forward at “charge
bayonet.” Otherwise, the Color Guard should go six paces out and
get swiftly killed, throwing your battalion into confusion, and possibly
losing the colors. Additionally, since the Battalion Commander is
behind the line when the battalion fires anyway, doing this eliminates
any questions as to where they are supposed to be.
Though
no one likes to admit it, battalion lines also move backwards, usually
in order, but sometimes not. In the latter case, the colors are easily
liable to capture, so the Bearer and Guard should skedaddle faster than
the others. When marching to the rear, the Bearer should change positions
with the center man in the third rank.{23}
Color
Guard should be prepared to die individually and together. The mark
of a good Color Guard is willingness and ability to die in a safe, glorious,
and military manner. It sets the example for the rest of the troops,
tests the skills of the commanders, enthuses the enemy, and is a lot of
fun for the Guard itself. Dying presents its own unique problems.
As the men fall, others must take their places. When the Bearer dies,
someone must pick up the flag, becoming the new Bearer. More experienced
men should take up the colors before neophytes. Rather than clobber
someone by slinging his piece, the new bearer should give his weapon to
the now dead old Bearer. This process should be repeated as often
as necessary. At a suitable time, the Guard can reassemble and exchange
pieces. Canister and volleys have the potential to instantly wipe
out the entire Color Guard, especially at close range. If a mass
death is imminent, the members of the Guard should be forewarned with the
command “Number Nine.”{24} Though their further
participation in the fight will be limited by their death, care of the
colors is still the Guard’s responsibility. It can handle this responsibility
in two ways. First, it can, before the fight, have the Colonel caution
the battalion not to pick up the flag when it falls. Of course, there
is a possibility that someone will do so anyway, in which case all eyes
in the Guard should follow that flag and get to it as soon as they can.
Second, the Guard can warn the Color Companies of its imminent demise,
and warn them to take care of the flag. Still, care of the colors
is the Guard’s responsibility, and giving the flag to unknowns is fraught
with dangerous possibilities. The best way to ensure the safety of
the flag is for the last Bearer to die on it.
If
the fight is relatively scripted, one way to ensure a good performance
is to assign “Numbers of Doom” to the members of the Guard. Assuming
that there are nine men, the Guard should get together while waiting for
the fight to start, and decide who wants to survive. Those who do
not should be assigned a number so that they can be rotated through the
Bearer position. Number 1 will be the first Bearer. When he
dies, number 2 will take up the flag, number 3 after him, and so forth.
The Bearer should control the death rate, and have it increase when the
volume of fire and distance from the enemy warrant it. This ensures
that the colors will fall, and goes far to stop and claims that the battalion
did not take any hits. Additionally, everyone likes to see the other
guy’s colors drop.
Often,
the colors will be in danger of capture. The problem that arises
is that the victors will want possession of the flag, and the defeated
will worry about losing an expensive piece of equipment. Capturing
a flag should be done with words, not bodies. When it happens, the
captors should find an officer to tell the “capturees” that they are, well,
captured, and to quickly discuss what to do. A good way to do this
is to approach the Bearer and say, “You, sir, are captured; what do you
want to do about the flag?” Since the Guard has the responsibility
of returning the flag to its rightful owners, it pretty much gets to make
the decision. It has two good choices. First, the Bearer may
allow himself to be captured, but keep physical possession of the flag.
The more preferable option, and much more fun for the conqueror, is to
deliver up possession of the flag, but to accompany it wherever it goes.
The other members of the Guard should do the same. If the victor
wants to go back to his camp and take pictures, the Guard, as prisoners,
should go with them. They took it fairly in a fight, and should enjoy
the fruits of their victory. If fortunes were reversed, such courtesy
would be appreciated.
The
main disincentive to service in the Color Guard is that members are not
allowed to fire, except in defense of the colors.{25}
While prudent in actual battle, that is boring for the reenactor.
There are two solutions to this problem. First, the Bearer can select
more experienced men, to whom firing the gun is no longer a novelty.
Second, the Bearer can ask the battalion and Color Company Commanders to
allow the Guard to fire. When firing, the flag itself should be tugged
tightly to the staff to prevent blast damage. The third rank should
never fire, as it is unsafe, but can load for others, or trade places.
Since the Guard’s primary responsibility is protection of the colors, the
commanders should allow the Guards to be directed by the Bearer.
Whenever
a man assumes the position of bearer, he assumes the duties associated
with it. If the Guard fails, it is a reflection on him. Accordingly,
he should make sure the Battalion Commander provides the support needed
for a good Guard performance. The Bearer TACTFULLY should bring up
manpower needs, proper positions, General Guides, correct evolutions, and
any special concerns that the commander may have. If the points in
this article are not discussed and something goes wrong, the BEARER will
be blamed, because the Battalion Commander is never wrong. For example,
some commanders want the Color Rank to incorrectly advance six paces at
the command “Prepare to Advance,” and others properly at the command “Battalion,
forward…” To adjust to the particular battalion, the Bearer must
learn its rules, and the surest way of doing so is by going to the source,
the Battalion Commander. Once he knows the battalion rules, the Bearer
should collect his Guard and explain everything. Since the members
of the Guard are rarely the same, the Bearer must assume that all are utterly
unfamiliar with Color Guard operations, and drill them accordingly.
He should especially drill the six pace advance of the Color Rank and its
return.
O= Officer; 1s= 1st Sergeant; 2s= Left Guide; P= Private; C= Corporal; FC= File Closers; 1-8= Guards; B= Bearer; |\ = Front
Diagram
A
Color Company with Color
Guard in Line of Battle
|\
1 B 2 C P P P C C P P P P C O
3 5 4 P P P P P P P P P P P 1S
2S 6 8 7 FC FC FC
FC
Diagram
B
Battalion in position
of Forward March
|\
LG
1 B 2
RG
______ ______ 3 5 4 ______ ______
______ ______ 6 8 7 ______ ______
Diagram C
Battalion at Halt, firing
|\
______ ______
______ ______
______ ______ 1 B 2 ______ ______
LG
3 5 4
RG
6 8 7
Diagram D
Battalion at Charge
Bayonet, Forward March
|\
LG
RG
______ ______ 1 B 2 ______ ______
______ ______ 3 5 4 ______ ______
6 8 7
Diagram E
Battalion retreating
|\
______ ______ 1 5 2 ______ ______
______ ______ 3 8 4 ______ ______
LG
6 B 7
RG
Diagram F
Battalion “Skedaddling”
|\
LG RG
_- _ _ --
------- __ _---___
_- --_--
__- _- --- _--_ _-_ _ -_ __ ___- -- ----- ___--
-
---- - - _ _ --_ __- -_ - _- __ -_- _- -_ -_--
_ --_
_ --_ _-__ __-__-_------ -_-_- _-_- -_-- __--_ _--
2
8
5
3
7
B1
6
4
O
Diagram 666a
Mediocre battalion in
column of companies with negligent Color Guard and/ or Battalion Commander
|\
________
________
1B2
354
687
________
________
Diagram 666b
Battalion with Color
Guard that is listening to unauthorized persons, not pushing back, or not
concentrating.
|\
1 B 2
LG
RG
______ ________ 354 ________ ________
________ ________ 687 ________ ________
Diagram 666c
Battalion with too few
Color Guard members
|\
LG
1 B 2
RG
________ ________ 5 ________ _______
________ ________________ ________
{A} I think that the pressure that causes displacement is caused by the failure of corporals to maintain the dress of their companies. All too often, there are no corporals in the middle of the company line, and one on the end away from the 1st Sergeant, who has no idea of his duties. They are watching the fight rather than keeping their line dressed, and allowing their men to push into the center. All too often they get away with it, because the Guard does not push back. When it does, of course, they get offended because the Guard screwed up the company’s alignment that the corporal was not worried about in the first place. Mean ol’ Color Guard!
{1} William Gilham, Manual for Instruction of Volunteers and Militia, p. 36; W. O. Hardee, Hardee’s Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics, p. 8
{2} Dal Bello, Camp Chase Gazette, October 1994
{3} Dal Bello, Camp Chase Gazette, October 1994
{4} Civil War Times Illustrated, Revised Regulations for the Army of the United States, 1861, p. 475
{9} Gilham, p.299; Ibid., p. 133
{12} Washburn, Camp Chase Gazette, October 1994
{15} Gilham, p. 294; Scott Washburn, School of the Battalion for Reenactors, (citing Casey’s Infantry Tactics) p. 32
{19} Dal Bello, Camp Chase Gazette, October 1994
{20} Washburn, Camp Chase Gazette, October 1994
{21} Dal Bello, Camp Chase Gazette, October 1994
{24} In the reenacting community in Virginia, this is the universal call for a company-sized death.
