Getting the Company Column Through “Endwise.”
Captain Lincoln was drilling his men, marching the twenty or so “by the front,” when he found himself before a gap in the fence through which he wanted to go.
He says: “I could not for the life of me remember the proper words of command—(“By the right flank—file left—march.—Hardee’s Tactics”)—for getting my company endwise so that it could get through the gateway; as we came near the passage, I shouted:
“‘Company, halt! break ranks! you are dismissed for two minutes, when you will fall in again on the other side of the gap!’”