18th Texas Volunteer Infantry Re-enactors - Black Confederate Soldiers

SCHOOL OF THE SOLDIER

The recruit being placed as explained in the first lesson of the first part, the Instructor will cause him to bend the right arm slightly, and place the piece in it, in the following manner

The piece in the right hand-the barrel nearly vertical and resting in the hollow of the shoulder-the guard to the front, the arm hanging nearly at its full length near the body; the thumb, and fore-finger embracing the guard, the remaining fingers closed together, and grasping the swell of the stock just under the cock, which rests on the little finger.

Recruits are frequently seen with natural defects in the conformation of the shoulders, breast and hips. These the instructor will labor to correct in the lessons without arms, and afterwards, by steady endeavors, so that the appearance of the places, in the same line, may be uniform, and this without constraint to the men in their positions.

The instructor will have occasion to remark that recruits, on first bearing arms, are liable to derange their position by lowering the right shoulder and the right hand, or by sinking the hip and spreading out the elbows.

He will be careful to correct all these faults by continually rectifying the position; he will sometimes take away the piece to replace it the better; he will avoid fatiguing the recruits too much in the beginning, but labor by degrees to render this position so natural and easy that they may remain in it a long time without fatigue.

Finally, the instructor will take great care that the piece, at a shoulder, be not carried too high nor too low; if too high, the right elbow would spread out, the soldier would occupy too much space in his rank, and the piece be made to waver; if too low, the files would be too much closed, the soldier would not have the necessary space to handle his piece with facility, the right arm would become too much fatigued, and would draw down the shoulder.

The instructor, before passing to the second lesson, will cause to be repeated the movements of eyes right, left, and front, and the facings.