This class will discuss the formal and field expedient methods of mounting guard and placing piquets, as well as the concepts involved in defending any post or camp, with some notes on defensive construction, lines of sight and fire, and a method of providing signs, counter signs, and challenging.
Grand Guard: The principal defense of a post
Quarter Guard: The body of men assigned to defend one quarter of a camp. Note that with typical period illogic, a camp may have more than 4 quarters.
Piquet, sentry, and guard: All of these have technical meanings, but their usage was interchangeable. All three words refer to the OUTER posts of a defense, as well as individuals assigned to watch fires or valuable stores in camp.
Vedette: Traditionally, a cavalry piquet or sentry. However, Roger Stevenson1 uses the term for all mobile defensive patrols, regardless of whether they are mounted or not, and that’s how we’ll use the term.
Grand Patrol: Most period experts felt that a large patrol, possibly one’s entire force, should be turned out to scour the environs of the defended position an hour before dusk and an hour after dawn. These were referred to as “Grand Patrols.”
In general, the defense of any position should be approached in stages:
In the first phase, the commander should direct his best subordinates regardless of rank to scout the environs and choose where piquets and guards should be posted. These locations are typically called “Posts.” Posts should be chosen for the best possible defense AND for the ability of the post to control access to the defended area (the camp, town, or location being defended). The commander must only attempt to defend as much ground as his troops in their posts can cover, and should NEVER attempt to defend more ground than he has the resources to cover.
Having scouted the environs of his defensive responsibility, the commander should now SET the posts. With the advice of his scouts, he should place a number of troops in each post that will allow the post to watch all approaches and defend itself against a reasonable number of attackers. At the very least, the post must guarantee it can give warning. Note also that NO POST should EVER be beyond the easy support of the commander’s main body. For reenactors, this tends to be a limit of 100 yards.
Having SET the posts, the commander should then set his Grand Guard and/or Quarter Guard. In a position that is sufficiently small, only one Grand Guard is required. The post of the Grand Guard should be absolutely secured, and in most cases should be fortified. The main defenses of the Grand Guard should face the most likely route of attack by the enemy. If the defensive area is very large, the commander may require to set Quarter Guards instead—that is, fortified posts in different locations to support his posts.
Finally, having set his piquets and guards, the commander must set OUTPOSTS if he needs them—individuals or pairs of sentries to cover gaps in the defenses. These men have NO PURPOSE EXCEPT TO RAISE AN ALARM.
Having set all of his posts, the commander must keep himself secure by using men for active patrolling (Vedettes) as well as relieving his own posts and guards in a timely manner. No more than one half of a total force should be in posts; another quarter may be used as Vedettes, and the last quarter should be resting. No post, guard, sentry, or outpost should stand his watch for more than two hours.
The officer of the day should choose a sign and counter sign. All posts and sentries should be in possession of them, as well as all leaders of Vedettes. Signs and counter signs may take a number of forms. For instance, they may be verbal, or by whistle; they may be visual, as a signal; they may even be conducted by motion and vector of approach.
The sign should always be given by the party approaching the post. They represent a possible threat to the integrity of the defense; it is their responsibility to know the sign, and give it. Once the sign is given, the post should demand that ONE member of the approaching party approach the post to be interrogated. That ONE man should approach without arms, or with his arms clearly displayed and safe, and give the sign again. If recognized, he should hear the countersign from the post and then retrieve his party.
Sentry: Halt! Who goes there!
Approaching Party: Sign! (no more loudly than the situation requires)
Sentry: Advance one to be recognized!
Approaching Party advances one man, who again gives the sign.
Sentry (if satisfied): Countersign!
If at any point the sentry is not satisfied with the approaching party’s conduct, he must shout “Alarm!” and fire immediately, whether he has a target or not. Sentries SHOULD challenge everyone who is within threat range of their post, even their own relief.
A very useful method of conducting this process in total silence is to set a sector, zone, or path of approach that is, itself, the sign. In this manner, a post might designate a curious or zigzag path (perhaps from one tree to another and back again) as its approach sign. The approacher moves along this exact path, and then stops in a designated area, and the sentry then moves to the approacher, and a hand signal is exchanged, and which time the approaching party is passed.
Finally, in formal situations, the officer, serjeant, and corp. of the guard will relieve to a set time with precision, marching up to the post and bellowing orders. This sort of thing looks very pretty but has almost no military value at all. In the field, the relief should approach quietly and cautiously, if possible varying their route on every approach, and approaching the post in such a manner as to be screened by terrain from the most likely hostile direction. Signs should be given quietly to avoid broadcasting them to the enemy. Posts should not only be defensible but also concealed. HOWEVER, as with all things military, repeated practice of the formal method will, in fact, lead to better discipline and practice of the field method.
This is the System for Posting and Taking up Sentries as practiced in the 64th Regiment of Foot. For illustration throughout, assume a Detachment such as
| 5 | 3 | 1 | C | ||||||
| 6 | 4 | 2 |
The Corporal commanding the Sentries will march his Detachment to the Post of the first Sentry to be relieved. The Sentry, seeing the Relief approaching, will shoulder his Firelock and face the approaching Relief.
| HALT! Rest your, FIRELOCKS! | The Detachment will halt. The Detachment comes to the rest. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sentry, POST! | The lowest-numbered man in the Relief will Recover his Firelock and march to
Within three feet of the Old Sentry, A; there, he will return to the Rest. The new Sentry’s File partner will Recover his Firelock, step into the vacated position in the Front Rank, and Return to the Rest.
The old Sentry will Repeat his Orders to the Relief, and the Corporal will pay close attention to ensure that the Orders are repeated Clearly and Correctly. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Sentry, FIX! | The Sentry and his Relief will come to the Poise; then each will quit the Right Hand from the Stock, and holding the Firelock in the Left Hand at the Swell, lower it by his Left Side.
The Relief will fix his Bayonet, while the Sentry will unfix his, and each will finish with his Right Hand pressing the muzzle of his Firelock to his Left Shoulder. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Sentry, RECOVER! | The Sentry and his Relief will come to the Poise; then each will quit the Right Hand from the Stock, and holding the Firelock in the Left Hand at the Swell, lower it by his Left Side.
The Sentry and his Relief Recover their Firelocks, and each takes one pace inclined to the Left, two short paces to the Front, and one pace to the Right, inclined, each immediately Facing to the Right about. Both immediately Rest their Firelocks. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Guard, Shoulder your FIRELOCKS! | The entire Detachment comes to the Shoulder. The Old Sentry marches smartly to fill the vacant position in the rear rank. The Detachment will now have the formation:
|
When the Corporal goes to relieve the Sentries, as soon as he comes within six paces of the Sentry who is to be relieved, he orders his men to halt, and then rest their firelocks; the Sentry, who is to be relieved, is to rest his arms at the same time; the Corporal then orders the first who is to go on duty, to relieve the Sentry, upon which he recovers his arms, and advances within a pace of the Sentry, then halts, and rests his arms, and receives the orders, relating to that post, from the Sentry who is to be relieved; to which the Corporals are to give attention, lest some part of the orders might be omitted. As soon as they have delivered their orders, they both recover their arms, and exchange places, then rest their arms again. This being done, the Corporal orders the other men to shoulder, at which the two Sentries do the same, and the Sentry, who is relieved, falls in the rear of those who are going to relieve, then the Corporal marches to the next post.
If the Sentries are required to have their bayonets fixed, when the orders are delivered, they are to poise their firelocks, rest on their arms, and he who relieves draws his bayonet, and fixes it, and he that is relieved, unfixes his bayonet, and returns it; then they recover their arms, exchange places, and perform all the other motions above-mentioned.
All Sentries are to be vigilant on their posts; neither are they to sing, smoke tobacco, nor suffer any noise to be made near them. They are not to sit down, lay their arms out of their hands, or sleep; but are to keep moving about their posts, if the weather will allow of it.
They are to have a watchful eye over the things committed to their charge, and not suffer any of them to be removed, or taken away, till they have orders from the Corporal of the guard for it.
They are not to suffer anyone to touch or handle their arms; or, in the night-time, to come within the reach of them.
They are not to suffer any light to remain, or any fire to be made near their posts in the night-time. Neither is any Sentry to be relieved, or removed from his post, but by the Corporal of the guard.
No-body is to strike or abuse a Sentry on his post; but when he has committed a crime, he is to be relieved, and then punished, according to the rules and articles of war.
When a Sentry is taken ill ...
I believe what I have already said, relating to the duty of a Sentry on
his post, will be sufficient to give any one a full and clear idea of
it...
Sentries maintain position when under attack:
“If the enemy attacks any small advanced guard, he [the Officer in charge of the guards] must haste to sustain it...if there be two little advanced guards, and one of them be attacked, the other is not to stir for fear lest while they go to succor the other, the enemy may pass that post. Therefore they must wait for orders from the commandant of the Guard....” 3
“There being commonly more than one guard for the security of the camp, if one of them is attacked, the others are not to concern themselves to relieve it, for the same reason before alleged. The same is to be observed when any alarm happens, and though every man be obliged to be under arms at the head of the camp, he must take care not to run when he hears the firing. We must not suffer our hot temper to make us march without orders.” 4
Entrench:
“It is the business of the officers who command [posts] to make the best disposition for a vigorous defense... an officer who is detached to a post must... as soon as he arrives at the post, intrench... send parties to discover the enemy... preserve his communication with the army...if the post is in a level country, or may be surrounded, as always happens to detachments, a redoubt or small square fort should be constructed...” 5
“Monsieur Vauban says that if a soldier is to remain but four hours at a post, he ought to entrench... and the Baron de Travers says that with regard to the strength and means of resistance in posts, they should be in proportion to the force that the enemy can bring against them.” 6
Challenge all comers:
“A true partisan is well convinced that he cannot be too cautious of the schemes of the enemy, who frequently cause false alarms to lead you to relax your care, and into a deceitful security, of which you sooner or later become the dupe. I am by no means of their opinion who despise false alarms, and who spare their people are so infatuated as not to take arms until they are sure of the coming of the enemy: on the contrary, I think myself authorized by experience to insist on preparing at the least noise of the vedettes. Even if it is another party of your army approaching your post, as soon as you are acquainted with it you ought to reconnoiter it, and follow or receive them with all the attention that war requires.” 7
Camouflage for sentries:
“...the sentries should lie with their bellies on the ground, and their feet towards the ambuscade, their bodies covered with a grey or green cloak, and their heads a little raised, and wrapped in a handkerchief of a straw green color, or white in time of snow, so as not to be perceived.” 8
“To dislodge the enemy from any post...I would appoint an officer, or NCO, to the command of every two files, who should advance the leader of the first file a pace forwards, and shew him where to direct his fire, permitting him to use his own time... having fired his own fusee, the man who covers him is immediately to give him his, and so on to the members of the next file, passing their arms from hand to hand, till their file leader has discharged them all four successively.” 9
“The men of every corps should be accustomed to breaking, running, rallying, and forming quickly; but above all things, to know, that though they may be disordered and a little huddled together from the pressure of the enemy, that they are not therefor broken...” 10
1. Roger Stevenson, Military Instructions for Officers detached in the field, London, 1768
2. Bland, Humphrey, A Treatise of Military Discipline, 1762 edition
3. Chevalier de la Valiere, The Art of War, Philadelphia: Robert Bell,
1776, 115-116.
This is an American reprint of several related works by French officers
that were bound together, to include Monsier de Lamont "The Art of War
Containing The Duties of All Military Officers in Actual Service." It
sold for $2.00 at the time. Bell printed a large number of military
treatises in 1776 for the use of the fledgling American Army.
9. Maurice, Count De Saxe, Reveries, Edinburgh, 1776
Back to the RESEARCH PAGE