As noted with the depiction on my website, the depiction was from the doctrine at the beginning of the war which was "Hardee's Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics, For the Instruction, Exercises and Manoevres of Riflemen and Light Infantry." Remember, written well before the war.

Also noted in my previous post, "Also keep in mind, what was laid out in doctrine (Hardee's), regulation, national regulation, state regulation, time period of the war, and what each army (ANV, AoT, or other) did not often match."

Doctrine is a guide and lays down the basic framework from which all military organizations base their maneuver on. Leadership in the field adapt to the conditions on the ground and combat to ensure that the mission is done, minimize casualties, and maximize command and control. For example, it is obvious that the senior leadership in the regiment would not remain glued to 8-12 paces behind the formation or in the instance of the regimental commander, 30 paces. They are going to move around to best command and control the actions of the regiment. Company leadership (Sergeants and officers) will move around to ensure that men remain at the post and continue the rate of fire directed from the fire command given by the company commander (fire by file, fire by rank, fire at will, fire by company, fire by rank, fire by the rear rank)

I have always laughed every time I have attended a military school because the "school house" teaches doctrine. Most of the instructors that have lived in the world of reality also incorporate "tactics, techniques, and procedures" and "lessons learned" into the curriculum. Doctrine does not often keep pace with the realities of combat on the ground, even today.

As it relates to the American Civil War, Paddy Griffith's "Battle Tactics of the Civil War" and Brent Nosworthy's "The Bloody Crucible of Courage: Fighting Methods and Combat Experience of the Civil War" do a decent job in exploring the metamorphosis of maneuver during the war.

Respectfully,

Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
M.A. Military History - Civil War Concentration
Research - Preservation
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment