"British Columns" Topic

Where the 10 company British Infantry units were concerned, what formation did they commonly use to maneuver in column?

1 company wide?

2 companies wide?

3 something else?

I realize in theory they could have operated in columns ten companies wide but some might call that a line.

I'm looking for 'regulation' and/or 'commonly used' here.

mjc

Columns one company wide were the most commonly used on the battlefield.

From recent reading about the battle at Fuentes in the Peninsular, I believe I remember that the British battalions were withdrawing from the extended right flank in columns of division, i.e. two companies wide, to facilitate the formation of squares when the French cavalry got too close.

I don't know if that was common practice in battlefield maneuvers elsewhere, however.

Jim

The most common column formation was single platoon frontage at quarter distance. It was the formation from which square could be formed in the shortest time.

- Allan

The withdrawal at Fuentes was carried out in either square, or quarter distance column ready to form square, depending on which source you read. The quarter distance columns would have been one company wide.

Columns of divisions 2 companies wide (called column of grand divisions)were rarely used although they are mentioned in the regulations and used as a transistion in deployment between contiguous close column and line. One reason that columns of division would not have been favoured is that British battalions in the field manoeuvred with 9 companies (due to the fact the light company was nearly always detached to form the brigade light battalion), which would lead to an uneven column of grand divisions.

According to Smirke (whose idiots guide to Dundas was carried by most Officers at the time) it depended.

If they were marching in open colomn it was single company frontage. The gap between companies being the space that a right (or left) turn by companies would form a solid line at right angles to the line of March.

Otherwise they would manouver in a 2 company frontage, and the drill books gives the methods to form this on the right flank, left flank and using a centre company as the marker.

Remember that even if not always abided by the letter that Dundas was the building block on which non standard manouvers would have been based.

As Alan said PLATOON column

Company was a clerical arrangement which for combat was a different number of platoons and sections depending on starting strength, army, and campaign circumstance.

(Although most common strength at the time for the British meant 1 company = 1 platoon, and sometimes got merged in military writing of the time. You will though get seriously messed up if always using 'company' for combat formations particularly with German infantry and French Guard and situations where regs say things like 'when a flank platoon is detached an extra light platoon will be formed from among the 3rd rank)

"which would lead to an uneven column of grand divisions"

Not sure thats an issue really. The french would normally have their lights out skirmishing so an uneven no didnt seem to bother them?

An uneven column would have been a major issue when it came to forming square rapidly, which the British usually did from quarter distance column.

You will find mention of column of companies (the officers often used this term rather than platoons) in nearly all period memoirs and letters – literally dozens if not hundreds of examples. I can only recall reading of one instance of column of grand divisions being used in the field, and this was by a light infantry regiment (who would have had an even number of companies/platoons) trying to lessen the effects of artillery fire.

I am not as familiar with French practice in the field, but I thought that when the voltigeur company was detached from a 6 platoon battalion, resulting in an uneven number of platoons, they were instructed to use column of platoons, not divisions?

Ummmm in this period a Platoon was a Company, see Calverts:

RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE MANUAL and PLATOON EXERCISES, FORMATIONS, FIELD-EXERCISE, AND MOVEMENTS OF HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES. FOR THE USE OF THE NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE BRITISH ARMY. 1807

However you need to remember that the centre companies would be paired into Grand Divisions so you end up with 6 parts of the battalion acting, which can get confusing. (grenadier and light Companies generally being kept up to strength better than the centre companies).

Do not forget that large battalions sometimes operated in wings (essentially half battalions)so to have 10 companies in a single column might be rare enough.