David at the 125th Ann. reenactment of the Battle of Pilot Knob, Missouri. We were forced into assualting the Union force on a very narrow front. Our battalion Commander Colonel Roger Johnson employed a Battalion rolling advance using entire companies leapfrog in front of each other. The firepower was massive. Delivering a company volley every 10 seconds. It was one of the slickest manuvers that I have ever been a part of.

We were 5 companies stacked one behind the other in battleline. The front company would fire. The rear company commander would give the order "right face, by files left, at the double quick, march". At this point that company would double quick by the entire formation on the Battalions right guides and once clear of the front companies right flank the order would be given "By company into line", once this was done the order was given "Halt, Ready, Aim, Fire, Load". At this point the 4th company would be preforming the same manuver, doublequicking around the right guides of the other companies and going into "By company into line" in front of the 5th company which had just fired and was reloading. The pattern kept repeating until all five companys had fired and the 1st company was in the lead again. And then the rotation repeated again.

By the way I lived the rolling volley at the milly bag redoubt at the last of "Zulu". What would have happen with Custer had he used that basic formation at the Battle on the Greasy Grass (Little Big Horn)? He had single shot breechloader too.