_The Director_: “I agree with you. There are other reasons why he should not habitually march at the head of the point. In the first place, the man at the head of the point must always be on the lookout for the enemy, and if the point commander is the man his whole attention will be devoted to that task and there will be very little leadership exercised in the point. Again, we do not want to take a chance on our point commander becoming a casualty unnecessarily. He has been placed in command, presumably because he is the best man fitted for the job. He knows the plans for the day’s work better than any of the other men. If he becomes a casualty on the first few shots, there may be no one to take his place without some confusion and delay. If the point commander marches a little distance back, say in the second or even third pair, he will be sufficiently close to the front to perform his duty. I prefer to have him in the second pair. Before leaving this subject of the formation of the point I would like your opinion, Captain Hughes, on the question of deploying the men in a line of skirmishers at extended intervals.” _Captain Hughes_: “That might be all right after the enemy is encountered, but I would not do it on an ordinary march. In the first place, it would be rough going for the men off on the flanks of the road, and they could not keep up. If the rate of march is held down to keep abreast of them, the progress of the main body will be delayed. In the next place, if the intervals are too much extended, the point commander will not be able to control the operations and will not have his men where he wants them at the critical moment.” _The Director_: “Your reasons seem to be logical and possess merit. Before going further I want to say a few words about the operations of a point.” Explanation _The Director_: “The main idea to be instilled into the minds of the members of a point is that it must keep moving. It positively must not stop until absolutely compelled to do so by the fire of the enemy. “When the enemy is encountered the point commander will have to size up the situation quickly and take the necessary action which invariably includes getting information back to the advance party commander. “The men must look to the leader for instructions and guidance and await his orders.” Solution _The Director_: “Lieutenant Hastings, what elements are included in the orders of a point commander to the members of his point?”