Sa Army Drill Manual
Tordis Hurrle
"The importance of drill and ceremony is rooted in tradition during the Revolutionary War from Baron von Stueben," Staff Sgt. Gene Lucas, Chaplain's office and Army Sustainment Command color guard. "The importance of drill and ceremony is the basic things, our lineage, and our forefathers that marched in World War II, but do the same things that we do now. It is about passing it along to the next generation and the generations to come."
The winter of 1777-78 was a dark time for the Continental Army. Gen. George Washington chose to winter at Valley Forge, Pa. There was a lack of food, clothing and other basic supplies for the Army during this time. The training the Soldiers received at this point was haphazard and fragmented leading to issues with discipline and uneven performance against enemy forces.
Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben, chiefly known in America as Baron von Steuben (1730-1794), was an officer in the Prussian Army from 1746-63 and a major general in the Continental Army from 1778-84. Baron von Steuben benefited from being part of a special cadre trained by Fredrick the Great of Prussia and serving as his aide-de-camp.
He received a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin and presented himself to Congress in Philadelphia. Shortly thereafter, he travelled to Valley Forge, Pa. and was assigned as the temporary inspector general by Washington.
Von Stueben saw that everything was lacking except for the morale of the army. Once his inspections were complete, he set about writing his Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, commonly known as the "Blue Book." This manual was the foundation of discipline, drill and ceremony in the U.S. Army. This manual established the military training and maneuvers that helped the Army become the premier fighting force that it is today.
"Drill and ceremony is all about military bearing and how you conduct yourself in a military manner," Sgt. Mitchell Sta. Ana, material management non-commissioned officer for Rock Island Arsenal. "It dates back to the American Revolution War."
"Drill and Ceremony has always been a part of the Army," said Roberts. "It is a way for us to show honor and respect for someone ranging from heroic deeds to the burial of a military person who has passed away. Drill and ceremony is one of the first things Soldiers learn when they enter the military. It helps develop pride and confidence in their actions, learning professionalism and most importantly, it teaches them how to work as a team. As a senior leader, drill and ceremony is important to me, because it is and always will be a part of the military. It continues to honor the tradition of those that have come before us. It builds esprit de corps: a common spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion. A lot of training goes into executing drill and ceremony. It bonds us together as on, so no matter who is giving the commands, we all understand how it is supposed to be carried out."
"Conducting ceremonies does not get attached to discipline very often, but you must be disciplined in drill and ceremony," said Sgt. 1st Class Jared Clapper, mobility NCO. "You do not want to be that person who is out of step or the one who misses a movement. You want to show the proper respect, namely, when you are holding those flags and strong upper body when dipping the flags and standing there.
"It helps when respecting those that came before us, and teaching the new Soldiers that are coming in, the proper way to respect the flag and ceremonies and why we do things the way we do," said Clapper. "It gives them a chance to be a part of a ceremony instead of just sitting and watching. Going behind the scenes and working the ceremonies, understanding why they are marching up to the flag and the procedures of such events."
"It allows us to keep up our traditions, show pride, respect, and honor, for example during a change of authority ceremony," said Clapper. "It is symbolic of the outgoing sergeant major handing the guidon to the colonel and then the colonel passing it to the new sergeant major, that going of power, going of authority. It is very interesting to see. When flags are displayed, the Army flag is placed in the middle with the American flag on the right side higher than the other flags, in the place of honor. The Army flag is displayed with the first campaign streamer in the front, along with the latest or most current campaign streamer."
In addition, the Blue Book places in writing the duties of non-commissioned officers. These updated guidelines are still in use today, in Field Manual 7-22.7, The Army Noncommissioned Officer Guide and Training Circular 3-21.5, Drill and Ceremonies. Sergeants of the U.S. military are members of the premier NCO corps in the world today. Many nations send their sergeants to American NCO academies to learn the way we train our sergeants, so they can go back to their militaries and attempt to establish their own NCO training programs.
"Throughout the work week you will hear Reveille and Retreat being played," said Roberts. "This honors the American flag, daily, as it is raised and lowered on military bases. If you are outside and you hear reveille or retreat being played stop what you are doing and pay honor as well."
The retreat ceremony has two parts. First, the bugle plays "Retreat", after the firing of the cannon, the music changes to "To the Colors." Once the song changes the American flag is lowered and this signals the end of the official duty day. All personnel driving on the Island should stop, exit their vehicles and render honor to the American flag, this including service members and civilians. The appropriate salute should be rendered when the song changes. These honors are another example of the legacy that binds the 21st century Army to its foundations in the Revolutionary War.
INSPECTOR GENERAL SYLVESTER CHURCHILL'S EFFORTS TO PRODUCE A NEW ARMY DRILL MANUAL, 1850-1862 J. W. A. Whitehorne An ARMY without FIELD MANUALS, bulletins, and circulars is almost unthinkable to those of us in die twentieth century with some form of military experience. These publications are die sources ofthe doctrine and the guidance necessary to train quickly the officers and soldiers ofany new or growing force. The magnitude of the problem faced by the federal government at the opening ofdie Civil War is made even more acute when it is realized that no such doctrinal base was available in 1861. Quantities of literature concerning the battles and personalities of the American Civil War have been produced with the result that few Americans have not heard of Shiloh and Gettysburg or Lee and Grant. The impression rendered is that diese vast forces somehow miraculously materialized when the need for them arose. Little reference has been made to the problems encountered in making them a viable force. These problems were particularly serious in the area of training. There was no standardized doctrine with accompanying official publications available to assist the inexperienced leaders as they tried to organize and drill their gathering hordes of enthusiastic volunteers. There were several semiofficial manuals, printed by private firms, such as those written by Winfield Scott or William J. Hardee.1 These were frequently out of date and often fundamentally different when prescribing critical moves. Furthermore, there was no requirement tiat a commanding officer adopt their use ifhe felt he knew of a better drill. The potential for chaos in drill, and, consequently , on the battlefield is obvious. 1 Winfield Scott, Infantry Tactics, 3 vols. (1840); William J. Hardee, Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics, 2 vols. (1855). Civil War History, Vol. XXXII, No. 2, 1986 by The Kent State University Press 160CIVIL WAR HISTORY Most studies ofdie administration and training given the Federal armies during the American Civil War cite this fact that the growing armies had no single series oftraining manuals or policies to guide them. There was, as a consequence, a serious lack of uniformity in the critical areas of tactical drill, conduct of guard, and drill and ceremonies as well as muster and inspection procedures. It was not until late 1862 that a standard manual, Casey's, was adopted by the War Department.2 The department has been criticized ever since as the results of this lack of standardization and uniformity revealed itself when units took to the field. The assumption has been that, except for the works then in print, such as the various manuals mentioned above and the Army Regufotions, the government was complacently resting on its laurels. The implication has been that no effort was being made by any memberwithin die War Department to bring order and system to the plethora ofmethods and procedures available. Despite this general agreement about the War Department's apparent inaction to correct a difficult situation, die truth is that efforts were being made to produce a standard infantry drill manual. At one point, the secretary of war proposed to convene a board to study the issue. More significantly, the senior inspector general of the army, Brevet Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill, devoted most of his time throughout the 1850s to producing a uniform drill manual, applicable to regulars and militia alike. His project had the approval of the secretaries ofwar and the encouragement fsome ofthe most prominent military men ofhis day. His thoroughness and desire to be definitive required coordination with foreign attachs, state military officers, and his colleagues. This took a great deal oftime. When his final draft was ready, time, it will be seen, ran out on him. His project became enmeshed in the issues of secession and fell victim to more pressing emergencies as civil war broke out and it was eventually forgotten. His efforts merit greater recognition. Churchill was a Vermonter, born at Woodstock in August 1783. He began a career as a publisher, only to enter the army as a lieutenant in the third Artillery in March 1812. He ended the second war with Britain as a temporary major, having served as the inspector general on the staffs...
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