Infantry Drill Regulations, United States Army, 1911 Corrected to April 15, 1917 (Changes Nos. 1 to 19) — Inside the Classic

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Authors: United States. War Department Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2007 First Publication Year: 1917

Key Word: United States. Army. Infantry -- Drill and tactics Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 76,397

Reading time 333 min

Text sections 11

Infantry Drill Regulations, United States Army, 1911 Corrected to April 15, 1917 (Changes Nos. 1 to 19) — Inside the Classic can be approached with a clearer sense of reading commitment from its source measurements: 76,397 words, 5 hr 33 min estimated reading time, and 11 detected text sections.

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This editorial note examines how the 1911 Infantry Drill Regulations, corrected through 1917, structure a first reading through their progression from close-order drill to combat principles, emphasizing the text's layered organization and the tension between prescribed formations and tactical flexibility.

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Infantry Drill Regulations

CORRECTED TO APRIL 15, 1917 (Changes Nos. 1 to 19)

MILITARY PUBLISHING CO. 42 BROADWAY NEW YORK

WAR DEPARTMENT Document No. 394 OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF

WAR DEPARTMENT, OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF, _Washington, August 19, 1911._

The following System of Drill Regulations for Infantry, prepared by a board of officers consisting of Lieut. Col. John F. Morrison, Infantry; Capt. Merch B. Stewart, Eighth Infantry; and Capt. Alfred W. Bjornstad, Twenty-eighth Infantry, is approved and is published for the information and government of the Regular Army and the Organized Militia of the United States. With a view to insure uniformity throughout the Army, all infantry drill formations not embraced in this system are prohibited, and those herein prescribed will be strictly observed.

By order of the Secretary of War:

LEONARD WOOD, _Major General, Chief of Staff._

PART I--_Drill._ Paragraph.

1. Introduction 1-30 2. Orders, commands and signals 31-47 3. School of the soldier 48-100 4. School of the squad 101-158 5. School of the company 159-257 (_a_) Close order 167-198 (_b_) Extended order 199-231 (_c_) Fire 232-257 6. The battalion 258-326 (_a_) Close order 263-289 (_b_) Combat principles 290-326 7. The regiment 327-346 (_a_) Close order 333-341 (_b_) Combat principles 342-346 8. The brigade 347-349

1. Introduction 350-357 2. Leadership 358-388 (_a_) General considerations 358-370 (_b_) Teamwork 371-377 (_c_) Orders 378-383 (_d_) Communication 384-388 3. Combat reconnaissance 389-399 4. Fire superiority 400-424 (_a_) Purpose and nature 400-401 (_b_) Fire direction and control 402-424 5. Deployment 425-441 6. Attack 442-488 (_a_) Deployment for attack 449-452 (_b_) Advancing the attack 453-457 (_c_) The fire attack 458-463 (_d_) The charge 464-475 (_e_) Pursuit 476-480 (_f_) Attack of fortifications 481-484 (_g_) Holding attack 485-488 7. Defense 489-519 (_a_) Positions and intrenchments 489-494 (_b_) Deployment for defense 495-510 (_c_) Counterattack 511-516 (_d_) Delaying action 517-519 8. Meeting engagements 520-530 9. Withdrawal from action 531-535 10. Miscellaneous 537-622 (_a_) Machine guns 537-546 (_b_) Ammunition supply 547-553 (_c_) Mounted scouts 554-557 (_d_) Night operations 558-568 (_e_) Infantry against Cavalry 569-574 (_f_) Infantry against Artillery 575-578 (_g_) Artillery supports 579-583 (_h_) Intrenchments 584-595 (_i_) Minor warfare 596-603 (_j_) Patrols 604-622

PART III--_Marches and camps._

1. Marches 623-660 (_a_) Training and discipline 623-635 (_b_) Protection of the march 636-660 2. Camps 661-707 (_a_) Sanitation 661-677 (_b_) Protection of camp or bivouac 678-707

PART IV--_Ceremonies and inspections._

1. Ceremonies 708-765 (_a_) Reviews 711-731 (_b_) Parades 732-735 (_c_) Escorts 736-744 2. Inspections 745-754 3. Muster 755-757 4. Honors and salutes 758-765

1. The color 766-778 2. The band 779-781 3. Manual of the saber 782-791 4. Manual of tent pitching 792-803 5. Manual of the bugle 804-807 (_a_) Bugle calls. (_b_) Bugle signals.

INFANTRY DRILL REGULATIONS.

UNITED STATES ARMY, 1911.

_Alignment:_ A straight line upon which several elements are formed, or are to be formed; or the dressing of several elements upon a straight line.

_Base:_ The element on which a movement is regulated.

_Battle sight:_ The position of the rear sight when the leaf is laid down.

_Center:_ The middle point or element of a command.

_Column:_ A formation in which the elements are placed one behind another.

_Deploy:_ To extend the front. In general to change from column to line, or from close order to extended order.

_Depth:_ The space from head to rear of any formation, including the leading and rear elements. The depth of a man is assumed to be 12 inches.

_Distance:_ Space between elements in the direction of depth. Distance is measured from the back of the man in front to the breast of the man in rear. The distance between ranks is 40 inches in both line and column.

_Element:_ A file, squad, platoon, company, or larger body, forming part of a still larger body.

_File:_ Two men, the front-rank man and the corresponding man of the rear rank. The front-rank man is the _file leader_. A file which has no rear-rank man is a _blank file_. The term _file_ applies also to a single man in a single-rank formation.

_File closers:_ Such officers and noncommissioned officers of a company as are posted in rear of the line. For convenience, all men posted in the line of file closers.

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The Infantry Drill Regulations, United States Army, 1911 opens with a table of contents that immediately reveals its dual structure: Part I covers drill from the school of the soldier through brigade, while Part II addresses combat—leadership, reconnaissance, fire superiority, attack, defense, and meeting engagements. This division signals that the manual is not merely a collection of commands but a tactical doctrine. The preface, signed by Major General Leonard Wood, mandates strict adherence, prohibiting all formations not included. For a first-time reader, the table of contents serves as a roadmap: the early sections on close-order drill (paragraphs 48–198) build a foundation of precise movements, while later combat sections (paragraphs 350–530) apply those movements to fluid battlefield scenarios. The inclusion of changes up to April 15, 1917, hints at the document's evolution during World War I.

From the School of the Soldier to Combat Principles

The manual's progression from individual drill to battalion tactics mirrors the training arc of a soldier. The early paragraphs on the school of the soldier (48–100) prescribe exact foot positions and rifle handling, establishing a baseline of discipline. By paragraph 290, the battalion section introduces combat principles, shifting from parade-ground precision to tactical reasoning. A reader moving sequentially will notice how the same formations—line, column, skirmish—are recontextualized for battle. For instance, the extended order (paragraphs 199–231) teaches dispersal under fire, a stark contrast to the compact close-order formations earlier. This structural layering suggests the manual expects the reader to internalize basic drills before applying them under stress. The transition is abrupt: after the regiment and brigade sections (327–349), Part II begins with a new introduction (350) that reframes everything as preparation for combat.

The Emphasis on Fire and Movement

Fire superiority (paragraphs 400–424) receives detailed treatment, emphasizing that fire alone cannot stop an attack—paragraph 508 states, "Fire alone can not be depended upon to stop the attack. The troops must be determined to resort to the bayonet, if necessary." This pairing of firepower with cold steel recurs throughout. The attack section (442–488) breaks down the process into deployment, advancing, fire attack, and the charge. Notably, paragraph 464 on the charge is not included in the excerpts, but the preceding paragraphs stress coordination of fire and movement. The defense section (489–519) similarly balances fire with counterattack: paragraph 511 declares, "Only the offensive wins." A first reader will observe that the manual consistently subordinates defensive tactics to offensive action, even when discussing delaying actions (517–519), which aim to force early enemy deployment rather than hold ground.

The Role of Terrain and Reconnaissance

Throughout the combat sections, terrain is treated as a tactical variable. Paragraph 503 notes that a defensive position should have "a field of fire naturally made distinct by the terrain," while paragraph 505 addresses "important dead space" that requires crossfire from adjacent sections. Reconnaissance (389–399) is presented as hasty and often incomplete, especially in meeting engagements (520–530), which are "characterized by the necessity for hasty reconnaissance, or the almost total absence of reconnaissance." The manual does not assume perfect information; instead, it prescribes flexible responses. For a reader, this emphasis on terrain and uncertainty counters the rigidity of the drill sections. The text repeatedly warns against "unnecessary dispersion" (506) and advocates holding most troops in reserve until the attack begins (507), suggesting a preference for concentration over spread-out lines.

The Language of Command and the Reader's Perspective

The regulations are written in imperative mood, with commands like "The battalion will form in line" or "Supports should move close to the firing line." This authoritative voice leaves little room for interpretation, yet the combat sections introduce conditional language: "if practicable," "ordinarily," "usually." Paragraph 504 states, "If practicable, battalions should be kept intact," acknowledging that terrain may force deviations. A first-time reader attuned to these qualifiers will see the manual as a set of principles rather than rigid rules. The inclusion of bugle calls (with audio files in the digital edition) adds another layer: the commands are not only written but sounded. The transcriber's notes, indicated by red underlined text, provide alternate versions of certain paragraphs, hinting at textual variants. This editorial apparatus invites the reader to consider the manual as a living document, amended through 1917.

Reading the Infantry Drill Regulations from start to finish reveals a deliberate pedagogical arc: from the atomized movements of a single soldier to the orchestrated chaos of battle. The manual's structure rewards sequential reading, but its combat sections can stand alone as tactical doctrine. Pay attention to the qualifiers—"if practicable," "ordinarily"—which signal where judgment supersedes prescription. The digital edition's hyperlinked paragraph numbers and bugle-call audio files offer a multi-modal experience, but the core text remains a stark, functional guide to the art of infantry warfare as understood on the eve of America's entry into World War I.

The rain kept me indoors, turning pages of the 1911 Infantry Drill Regulations, marking how rigid formations slowly gave way to flexible combat thought. That tension—order against chaos—stayed with me. Later, reaching for something else, I found The Sieges of Vienna by the Turks — Background and Themes, and it felt like the same quiet lesson: how walls hold, and how they fall.