4-5. BASIC MARCHING INFORMATION-Army Drill and Ceremonies

This basic marching information pertains to all marching movements.
a. All marching movements executed from the Halt are initiated from the Position of Attention.
b. Except for Route Step March and At Ease March, all marching movements are executed while marching at Attention. Marching at Attention is the combination of the
Position of Attention and the procedures for the prescribed step executed simultaneously.
c. When executed from the Halt, all steps except Right Step begin with the left foot.
d. For short-distance marching movements, the commander may designate the number of steps forward, backward, or sideward by giving the appropriate command: One step to the right (left), MARCH; or, Two steps backward (forward), MARCH. On the command of execution MARCH, step off with the appropriate foot, and halt automatically after
completing the number of steps designated. Unless otherwise specified, when directed to execute steps forward, the steps will be 30-inch steps.
e. All marching movements are executed in the cadence of Quick Time (120 steps per minute), except the 30-inch step, which may be executed in the cadence of 180 steps per
minute on the command Double Time, MARCH.
f. A step is the prescribed distance from one heel to the other heel of a marching Soldier.
g. All 15-inch steps are executed for a short distance only.

Basic Marching - Getting Started

4-6. THE 30-INCH STEP To march with a 30-inch step from the Halt, the command is Forward, MARCH. 

a. On the preparatory command Forward, shift the weight of the body to the right foot without noticeable movement. On the command of execution MARCH, step forward 30 inches with the left foot and continue marching with 30-inch steps, keeping the head and eyes fixed to the front. The arms swing in a natural motion, without exaggeration and without bending at the elbows, approximately 9 inches straight to the front and 6 inches straight to the rear of the trouser seams. Keep the fingers curled as in the Position of Attention so that the fingers just clear the trousers.  

b. To Halt while marching, the command Squad (Platoon), HALT is given. The preparatory command Squad (Platoon) is given as either foot strikes the marching surface as long as the command of execution HALT is given the next time that same foot strikes the marching surface. The Halt is executed in two counts. After HALT is commanded, execute the additional step required after the command of execution and then bring the trail foot alongside the lead foot, assuming the Position of Attention and terminating the movement.  

How to March, Army Style

This basic marching information pertains to all marching movements.

a.   All marching movements executed from the Halt are initiated from the Position of Attention.

b.   Except for Route Step March  and At Ease March,  all marching movements are executed while marching at Attention. Marching at Attention is the combination of the Position of Attention and the procedures for the prescribed step executed simultaneously.

c.   When executed from the Halt, all steps except Right Step begin with the left foot.(See Chapter 3, paragraph 3-1a and paragraph 4-15a.)

d.   For short-distance marching movements, the commander may designate the numberof steps forward, backward, or sideward by giving the appropriate command: One step to the right (left), MARCH; or, Two steps backward (forward), MARCH. On the command of execution  MARCH,  step  
off  with  the  appropriate  foot,  and  halt  automatically  after completing the number of steps designated. Unless otherwise specified, when directed to execute steps forward, the steps will be 30-inch steps.

e.   All marching movements are executed in the cadence of Quick Time (120 steps per minute), except the 30-inch step, which may be executed in the cadence of 180 steps per minute on the command Double Time, MARCH.

f.   A step is the prescribed distance from one heel to the other heel of a marching Soldier.

g.   All 15-inch steps are executed for a short distance only.

MILITARY MUSIC

The earliest surviving pictorial, sculptured, and written records show musical or quasimusical
instruments employed in connection with military activity for signaling during encampments, parades, and combat. Because the sounds were produced in the open air, the instruments tended to be brass and percussion types. Oriental, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and American Indian chronicles and pictorial remains show trumpets and drums of many varieties allied to Soldiers and battles.

Introduction

a. Bugle Calls. Bugle calls are used in U.S. military service as the result of the Continental Army’s contact with the Soldiers and armies from Europe during the revolutionary period. After the American Revolution, many of the French (and English) bugle calls and drum beats were adopted by the United States Army.
b. Attention. This is taken from the British “Alarm,” at which call the troops turned out under arms.
c. Adjutant’s Call. The adjutant’s call indicates that the  adjutant is about to form the guard, battalion, or regiment.
d. To the Color. The old cavalry call, “To the Standard,” in use from about 1835, was replaced by the present call of “To the Color.”
e. National Anthem. Our national anthem officially became "The Star Spangled Banner" by law on 3 March 1931, in Title 36, United States Code 170.
f. Sound Off. The band, in place, plays “Sound Off” (three chords). It then moves forward and, changing direction while playing a stirring march, troops the line and marches past the Soldiers in formation, then returns to its post. Upon halting, the band again plays three chords.
g. Retreat. Retreat is the ceremony that pays honors to the national flag when it is lowered in the evening.
h. Official Army Song. The official Army song, “The Army Goes Rolling Along,” was formally dedicated by the Secretary of the Army on Veterans Day, 11 November 1956, and
officially announced on 12 December 1957 (AR 220-90). In addition to standing while "The Star Spangled Banner" is played, Army personnel stand at attention whenever the official song is played. Although there is no Department of the Army directive in this regard, commanders, other officers, and other personnel can  encourage the tribute to the Army by standing at attention when the band plays “The Army Goes Rolling Along.”

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The 30-inch Step from the Halt

To march with a 30-inch step from the Halt, the command is Forward, MARCH.
a. On the preparatory command Forward, shift the weight of the body to the right
foot without noticeable movement. On the command of execution MARCH, step
forward 30 inches with the left foot and continue marching with 30-inch steps, keeping
the head and eyes fixed to the front. The arms swing in a natural motion, without
exaggeration and without bending at the elbows, approximately 9 inches straight to the
front and 6 inches straight to the rear of the trouser seams. Keep the fingers curled as in
the Position of Attention so that the fingers just clear the trousers.
b. To Halt while marching, the command Squad (Platoon), HALT is given. The
preparatory command Squad (Platoon) is given as either foot strikes the marching
surface as long as the command of execution HALT is given the next time that same
foot strikes the marching surface. The Halt is executed in two counts. After HALT is
commanded, execute the additional step required after the command of execution and
then bring the trail foot alongside the lead foot, assuming the Position of Attention and
terminating the movement.

Standing Orders for Rogers' Rangers-From the Ranger Handbook

STANDING ORDERS, ROGERS' RANGERS

1.  Don't forget nothing.

2.  Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning.

3.  When you're on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up on a deer. See the enemy first.

4.  Tell the truth about what you see and what you do. There is an army depending on us for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but don't never lie to a Ranger or officer.

5.  Don't never take a chance you don't have to.

6.  When we're on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one shot can't go through two men.

7.  If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it's hard to track us.

8.  When we march, we keep moving till dark, so as to give the enemy the least possible chance at us.

9.  When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps.

10.If we take prisoners, we keep' em separate till we have had time to examine them, so they can't cook up a story between' em.

11.Don't ever march home the same way. Take a different route so you won't be ambushed.

12.No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party has to keep a scout 20 yards ahead, 20 yards on each flank, and 20 yards in the rear so the main body can't be surprised and wiped out.

13.Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force.

14.Don't sit down to eat without posting sentries.

15.Don't sleep beyond dawn. Dawn's when the French and Indians attack.

16.Don't cross a river by a regular ford.

17.If somebody's trailing you, make a circle, come back onto your own tracks, and ambush the folks that aim to ambush you.

18.Don't stand up when the enemy's coming against you. Kneel down, lie down, hide behind a tree.

19.Let the enemy come till he's almost close enough to touch, then let him have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet.

--MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS, 1759