"British in three ranks?" Topic

Major:
You mentioned a few posts back that Steven Smith was not posting on the TMP anymore. What happened there?

Bill

Bill,

It seems that his account was locked after a recent exchange of messages. Some folks apparently complained.

It's a great pity, because he provided an awful lot of information here.

And I just came across this in Wellington's 1809 general orders page 25, Orders for reorganizing the the Army in two wings. Orders of May 8th. Point #3 says in part:

These two wings will be formed into two or more lines, as circumstances require…

So, another example of the word 'line' used when referring to the number of lines the army is to deploy in rather than 'deep'.

Bill

It seems that his account was locked after a recent exchange of messages. Some folks apparently complained. It's a great pity, because he provided an awful lot of information here.

Major:
Thanks, I didn't know that, and it is too bad. He is a great source of information. Unfortunately, the reason isn't a complete surprise. Steve has had problems on other lists he has been a member of. It is too bad though. He is still on the Napoleon Series.

Bill

As a last (?) point -:

In peacetime it was nearly only the Guards in London who were kept at a high enough establishment and in battalion to be able to exercise regularly by Dundas' 3 ranks.
The rest were mostly scattered on customs and police duty at lower strengths and split up into companies – so their drill would, by Dundas' maligned regs, have normally have been in two ranks.

Thus it may seem that 2 ranks was fairly ingrained well before wartime – whether the continuation of use, when establishment meant 3 ranks would have been by the regs, was due to inertia, inverted snobbery, foresight, or Wellingtons brilliance is another matter.