Countermarch

There has much discussion in the Civil War Reenacting community about the appropriate use of the Counter March. There are those that use it to reverse a battalion marching by the flank and those who will do everything possible to never use the command. The later claim that the command was never used and is not appropriate to maneuver troops.

Well, as it turns out, both groups are wrong. There is a proper a way to countermarch and, it is not used to reverse a battalion marching y the flank to head in the other direction.

In Casey’s School of the Company, Lesson VI, Article IV 343-351, we get the directions for a company countermarch. It is performed from the halt ("The company being at a halt, and supposed to constitute part of a column") and uses both the company right and left guides. The guides are used as markers. The effect is to turn the company around, looking to their original rear, but keeping their original facing. (Just what you would expect from a countermarch.)

There is a battalion level countermarch, but it does not take a battalion marching east by the right flank and change it to a battalion marching west by the right flank.

Co. L m r

F1 f1 f1

R1 r1 r1 à direction

F2 f2 f2

R2 r2 2r

Countermarch (NOT)

Co, r m l

F1 f1 f1

R1 r1 r1

ß direction F2 f2 f2

R2 r2 r2

The battalion countermarch purpose is to take a battalion marching in a column of companies, right in front, to a battalion marching in a column of companies left in front. In other words, reverse a battalion, marching in a column of companies and keeping the fronts of the companies facing the proper direction. A diagram might help out here:

Co. L m r

Rf rf rf

Rf rf rf

Rf rf rf

Rf rf rf à direction of march

Countermarch!

Co. L m r

Fr fr fr

ß direction Fr fr fr

Fr fr fr

Fr fr fr

Notice how each company has switched to face the new direction (their front rank is the front rank). If a simple "about face/right about" were performed, we would have the following situation:

Co. L M r

Rf rf rf

ß direction rf rf rf

rf rf rf

rf rf rf

So how is this performed.. A battalion countermarch is performed by each company doing a countermarch. Odd numbered companies countermarch to the right, evens to the left.

So

Co. L m r

Rf rf rf

Rf rf rf

Rf rf rf

Rf rf rf à direction of march

On countermarch, becomes:

Co. L m r

g

fr rf

Rf rf rf

Rf rf rf

fr Rf fr rf

g g

and

Co. L m r

g

fr rf

RF fr rf fr rf

fr Rf fr rf

fr g g

The important points to remember are:

1. This is done at the halt (otherwise the guides are of no use)
2. Each company counter marches around its guides