Opening the text

A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' WarFortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir

History

A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' War

Name: A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' War
Author: Fortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir

Fortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir

Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army -- History

The tactical organisation of the new army was not so perfect
as, with the Spanish model before us, we might with reason have
expected. The tactical unit of infantry was the company, and the
regiment still consisted of an uncertain number of companies
temporarily united under the command of a colonel. The composition
of the companies again was uncertain. The normal strength was one
hundred and thirteen men, which was later reduced to eighty, but
colonels had double companies--some even double regiments--and
there appears to have been no very great exactitude, probably
because men could only be persuaded to serve under the captain of
their choice. The officers of a company were of course captain,
lieutenant, and ensign; the non-commissioned officers included
two sergeants and three corporals, as well as a "gentleman of
the arms," who was responsible for the condition of the weapons.
Lastly, there were two drummers, who, it should be noted, like the
trumpeters in the cavalry, were not the mere signal-makers that
they now are, but the men regularly employed in all communications
with the enemy, and as such expected to possess not only discretion
but some skill in languages. They received far higher pay than the
common soldier, and if they did a tithe of that which was expected
of them they were worth every penny of it.

Every company was divided into three corporalships, each of
which was the peculiar care of one of the three corporals and
of one of the three officers. In equipment there were at first
three descriptions of arms--halberds, pikes, and muskets--of
which however the halberds soon disappeared, leaving pikes and
shot in equal numbers, but with an ever-growing tendency towards
preponderance of shot. The normal formation of a company was in
ten ranks; and the men were never less than three feet apart from
each other, such open order being essential to the execution of
the prescribed evolutions. To increase the front, the ranks were
doubled by moving the even ranks into the intervals of the odd;
to diminish the front, the files were doubled by the converse
process.[135] To take ground to flank or rear every man turned to
right or left or about on his own ground, and it is worth remarking
that the best men were always stationed in the front rank and the
next best in the tenth, and that while the captain was posted in
front of his company, the lieutenant, except in a charge, remained
always in the rear.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' WarFortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir

History

A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' War

Fortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir

Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army -- History

The tactical organisation of the new army was not so perfect
as, with the Spanish model before us, we might with reason have
expected. The tactical unit of infantry was the company, and the
regiment still consisted of an uncertain number of companies
temporarily united under the command of a colonel. The composition
of the companies again was uncertain. The normal strength was one
hundred and thirteen men, which was later reduced to eighty, but
colonels had double companies--some even double regiments--and
there appears to have been no very great exactitude, probably
because men could only be persuaded to serve under the captain of
their choice. The officers of a company were of course captain,
lieutenant, and ensign; the non-commissioned officers included
two sergeants and three corporals, as well as a "gentleman of
the arms," who was responsible for the condition of the weapons.
Lastly, there were two drummers, who, it should be noted, like the
trumpeters in the cavalry, were not the mere signal-makers that
they now are, but the men regularly employed in all communications
with the enemy, and as such expected to possess not only discretion
but some skill in languages. They received far higher pay than the
common soldier, and if they did a tithe of that which was expected
of them they were worth every penny of it.

Every company was divided into three corporalships, each of
which was the peculiar care of one of the three corporals and
of one of the three officers. In equipment there were at first
three descriptions of arms--halberds, pikes, and muskets--of
which however the halberds soon disappeared, leaving pikes and
shot in equal numbers, but with an ever-growing tendency towards
preponderance of shot. The normal formation of a company was in
ten ranks; and the men were never less than three feet apart from
each other, such open order being essential to the execution of
the prescribed evolutions. To increase the front, the ranks were
doubled by moving the even ranks into the intervals of the odd;
to diminish the front, the files were doubled by the converse
process.[135] To take ground to flank or rear every man turned to
right or left or about on his own ground, and it is worth remarking
that the best men were always stationed in the front rank and the
next best in the tenth, and that while the captain was posted in
front of his company, the lieutenant, except in a charge, remained
always in the rear.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' War

A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' War

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