II. Whenever you are ordered out to the enemies forts or frontiers for
discoveries, if your number be small, march in a single file, keeping at such a distance
from each other as to prevent one shot from killing two men, sending one man, or more,
forward, and the like on each side, at the distance of twenty yards from the main body, if
the ground you march over will admit of it, to give the signal to the officer of the
approach of an enemy, and of their number, & c
III. If you march over marshes or soft
ground, change your position, and march abreast of each other to prevent the enemy from
tracking you (as they would do if you marched in a single file) till you get over such
ground, and then resume your former order, and march till it is quite dark before you
encamp, which do, if possible, on a piece of ground that may afford your sentries the
advantage of seeing or hearing the enemy some considerable distance, keeping one half of
your whole party awake alternately through the night.
IV. Some time before you come to the place you
would reconnoitre, make a stand, and send one or two men in whom you can confide, to look
out the best ground for making your observations.
V. If you have the good fortune to take any
prisoners, keep them separate, till they are examined, and in your return take a different
route from that in which you went out, that you may the better discover any party in your
rear, and have an opportunity, if their strength be superior to yours, to alter your
course, or disperse, as circumstances may require.
VI. If you march in a large body of three or
four hundred, with a design to attack the enemy, divide your
party into three columns, each headed by a proper officer, and let those
columns march in single files, the columns to the right and left keeping at twenty yards
distance or more from that of the center, if the ground will admit, and let proper guards
be kept in the front and rear, and suitable flanking parties at a due distance as before
directed, with orders to halt on all eminences, to take a view of the surrounding ground,
to prevent your being ambuscaded, and to notify the approach or retreat of the enemy, that
proper dispositions may be made for attacking, defending, & c. And if the enemy
approach in your front on level ground, form a front of your three columns or main body
with the advanced guard, keeping out your flanking parties, as if you were marching under
the command of trusty officers, to prevent the enemy from pressing hard on either of your
wings, or surrounding you, which is the usual method of the savages, if their number will
admit of it, and be careful likewise to support and strengthen your rear-guard.
VII. If you are obliged to receive the
enemy's fire, fall, or squat down, till it is over, then rise and discharge at them. If
their main body is equal to yours, extend yourself occasionally; but if superior, be
careful to support and strengthen your flanking parties, to make them equal to theirs,
that if possible you may repulse them to their main body, in
which case push upon them with the greatest resolution with equal force in
each flank and in the center, observing to keep at a due distance from each other, and
advance from tree to tree, with one half of the party before the other ten or twelve
yards. If the enemy push upon you, let your front fire and fall down, and then let your
rear advance through' them and do the like, by which time those who before were in front
will be ready to discharge again, and repeat the same alternately, as occasion shall
require; by this means you will keep up such a constant fire, that the enemy will not be
able easily to break your order, or gain your ground.
VIII. If you oblige the enemy to retreat, be
careful, in your pursuit of them, to keep out your flanking parties, and prevent them from
gaining eminences, or rising grounds, in which case they would perhaps be able to rally
and repulse you in their turn.
IX. If you are obliged to retreat, let the
front of your whole party fire and fall back, till the rear hath done the same, making for
the best ground you can; by this means you will oblige the enemy to pursue you, if they do
it at all, in the face of a constant fire.
X. If the enemy is so superior that you are
in danger of being surrounded by them, let the whole body disperse, and every one take a
different road to the place of rendezvous appointed for that evening, which must every
morning be altered and fixed for the evening ensuing, in order to bring the whole party,
or as many of them as possible, together, after any separation that may happen in the day;
but if you should happen to be actually surrounded, form yourselves into a square, or if
in the woods, a circle is best, and, if possible, make a stand till the darkness of the
night favors your escape.
XI. If your rear is attacked, the main body
and flankers must face about to the right and left, as occasion shall require, and form
themselves to oppose the enemy, as before directed; and the same method must be observed,
if attacked in either of your flanks, by which means you will always make a rear of one of
your flank-guards.
XII. If you determine to rally after a
retreat, in order to make a fresh stand against the enemy, by all means endeavor to do it
on the most rising ground you come at, which will give you greatly the advantage in point
of situation, and enable you to repulse superior numbers.
XIII. In general, when pushed upon by the
enemy, reserve your fire till they approach very near, which will then put them into the
greatest surprise and consternation, and give you an opportunity of rushing upon them with
your hatchets and cutlasses to the better advantage.
XIV. When you encamp at night, fix your
sentries in such a manner as not to be relieved from main body till morning, profound
secrecy and silence being often of the last importance in these cases. Each sentry
therefore should consist of six men, two of whom must be constantly alert, and when
relieved by their fellows, it should be done without noise; and in case those on duty see
or hear any thing, which alarms them, they are not to speak, but one of them is silently
to retreat, and acquaint the commanding officer thereof, that proper dispositions may be
made; and all occasional sentries should be fixed in like manner.
XV. At the first dawn of day, awake your
whole detachment; that being the time when the savages choose to fall upon their enemies,
you should by all means be in readiness to receive them.
XVI. If the enemy should be discovered by
your detachments in the morning, and their numbers are superior to yours, and a victory
doubtful, you
should not attack them till the
evening, as then they will not know your numbers, and if you are repulsed, your retreat
will be favored by the darkness of night.
XVII. Before you leave your encampment, send
out small parties to scout round it, to see if there be any appearance or track of an
enemy that might have been near you during the night.
XVIII. When you stop for refreshment, choose
some spring or rivulet if you can, and dispose your party so as not to be surprised,
posting proper guards and sentries at a due distance, and let a small party waylay the
path you came in, lest the enemy should be pursuing.
XIX. If, in your return, you have to cross
rivers, avoid the usual fords as much as possible, lest the enemy should have discovered,
and be there expecting you.
XX. If you have to pass by lakes, keep at
some distance from the edge of the water, lest, in case of an ambuscade or an attack from
the enemy, when in that situation, your retreat should be cut off.
XXI. If the enemy pursue your rear, take a
circle till you come to your own tracks, and there form an ambush to receive them, and
give them the first fire.
XXII. When you return from a scout, and come
near our forts, avoid the usual roads, and avenues thereto, lest the enemy should have
headed you, and lay in ambush to receive you, when almost exhausted with fatigues.
XXIII. When you pursue any party that has
been near our forts or encampments, follow not directly in their tracks, lest they should
be discovered by their rear-guards, who, at such a time, would be most alert; but
endeavor, by a different route, to head and meet them in some narrow pass, or lay in
ambush to receive them when and where they least expect it.
XXIV. If you are to embark in canoes,
battoes, or otherwise, by water, choose the evening for the time of your embarkation, as
you will then have the whole night before you, to pass undiscovered by any parties of the
enemy, on hills, or other places, which command a prospect of the lake or river you are
upon.
XXV. In paddling or rowing, give orders that
the boat or canoe next the sternmost, wait for her, and the third for the second, and the
fourth for the third, and so on, to prevent separation, and that you may be ready to
assist each other on any of emergency.
XXVI. Appoint one man in each boat to look
out for fires, on the adjacent shores, from the numbers and size of which you may form
some judgment of the number that kindled them, and whether you are able to attack them or
not.
XXVII. If you find the enemy encamped near
the banks of a river or lake, which you imagine they will attempt to cross for their
security upon being attacked, leave a detachment of your party on the opposite shore to
receive them, while, with the remainder, you surprise them, having them between you and
the lake or river.
XXVIII. If you cannot satisfy yourself as to
the enemy's number and strength, from their fire, &c. conceal your boats at some
distance, and ascertain their number by a reconnoitering party, when they embark, or
march, in the morning, marking the course they steer, &c. when you may pursue, ambush,
and attack them, or let them pass, as prudence shall direct you. In general, however, that
you may not be discovered by the enemy on the lakes and rivers at a great distance, it is
safest to lay by, with your boats and party concealed all day, without noise or show, and
to pursue your intended route by night; and whether to go by land or water, give out
parole and countersigns, in order to know one another and dark, and likewise appoint a
station for every man to repair to, in case of any accident that may separate you.
Such in general are the rules to be observed in the Ranging
service; there are, however, a thousand occurrences and circumstances which may happen,
that will make it necessary, in some measure, to depart from them, and to put other arts
and stratagems in practice; and which cases every man's reason and judgment must be his
guide, according to the particular situation and nature of things, and that he may do this
to advantage, he should keep in mind a maxim never to be departed from by a commander,
viz. to preserve a firmness and presence of mind on every occasion.