What does 'Prepare to Open Ranks' mean?
Key points:
- 1st sergeants don't move until the command 'to the rear open order' is given.
- File closers move with the privates.
- 1st sergeants are dressed by the major.
- 2nd sergeants are dressed by the lieutenant-colonel.
- Privates don't count paces -- they line up on the 1st sergeants.
Prepare to Open Ranks
This command is for the lieutenant colonel to take his place on the right of the battalion, next to the file closers, and the major to take his place on the right of the battalion, exactly four paces to the rear of the front rank. Nobody else moves! No sergeants, no lieutenants, nobody!
To the rear, open order
On this command, the company 1st sergeants (and the second sergeant of the last company, who is on the line) move four paces backwards. The major ensures the 1st sergeants are all properly aligned. The second sergeant of the last company needs to hold his rifle up between his eyes and face right, so the major can see all the way down to align the men. Notice that the file-closers (2nd sergeants, lieutenants, etc), still haven't moved!
March
On this command, the entire rear rank marches backwards until it slightly passes the 1st sergeants, and then dresses forward on the sergeants. The file-closers march at this time, also. The file-closers are dressed by the lieutenant colonel all the way through the last file-closer on the last company (other than the second sergeant, who is still on the rear rank of the men). This last "non-second-sergeant" needs to hold his weapon (sword, rifle, whatever) up between his eyes and face right, so the lieutenant colonel can dress the file closers on him.
Front
At this command, the lieutenant-colonel, major, and the left sergeant all retake their places in the line of battle.
Don't believe me? Here's the actual text out of Gilhams.
To open and to close ranks.
298. The colonel, wishing the ranks to be opened, will command:
1. Prepare to open ranks
At this command, the lieutenant-colonel and major will place themselves on the right of the battalion, the first on the flank of the file-closers, and the second four paces from the front rank of the battalion. These dispositions being made, the colonel will command:
2. To the rear, open order. 3. MARCH.
At the second command, the covering sergeant, and the sergeant on the left of the battalion, will place themselves four paces in rear of the front rank, and opposite their places in line of battle, in order to mark the new alignment of the rear rank; they will be aligned by the major on the left sergeant of the battalion, who will be careful to place himself exactly four paces in rear of the front rank, and to hold his piece between the eves, erect and inverted, the better to indicate to the major the direction to be given to the covering sergeants.
At the command march, the rear rank and the file-closers will step to the rear without counting steps; the men will pass a little in rear of the line traced for this rank, halt, and dress forward on the covering sergeants, who will align correctly the men of their respective companies.
The file-closers will fall back and preserve the distance of two paces from the rear rank, glancing eyes to the right; the lieutenant-colonel will, from the right, align them on the file-closer of the left, who, having placed himself accurately two paces from the rear rank, will invert his piece, and hold it up erect between his eyes, the better to be seen by the lieutenant-colonel.
The colonel, seeing the ranks aligned, will command:
4. FRONT
At this command, the lieutenant-colonel, major, and the left sergeant, will retake their places in line of battle.
The colonel will cause the ranks to be closed by the commands prescribed for the instructor in the school of the company.
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