The office of the three Sarjant Majours of the Tercias otherwise called the three Corporals of the field.
THe States Army by order from his highnesse the Prince of Orange is commonly de∣vided vpon a march into three Brigades or Tercias. In French he is called Le Mares∣chal, or Le Sarjant Majour de battaille, and in English one of the great Corporalls of the field. A Sariant Maiour then of a Tercia doth receive his order immediately from the Lord Generall himselfe, or the Lord Marshall, but most commonly from the Sarjant Majour Generall aboue mentioned, To wit, in what forme the Brigade or Tercia is to be ordered, and how many regiments of foot and horse are to march under it, and with what ordnance and baggage. He assignes and shewes them the place, where they are to draw out in bat∣tallie, and receives order from the Sarjant Majour Generall whether they are to march in the Avantgard, the Battell, or the reere, so that in marching every one of these three shall attend upon his Brigade, and severall devisions, and in the absence of the Sariant Maiour generall see that the order of marching and embattalliing be duely kept and observed. And every one of these three Sariants maiours de Brigade are to be at the command of the Co∣lonoll Generall or he that leads and commands that Brigade or Tercia, and is to be sent to the Lord Generall the Lord marshall or Sariant Maiour Generall upon any ocasion which belongs to the present service.
These three Sariant Maiours of the Tercias are to be lodged as neere the Sariant Maiour Generall as conveniently may be. And these three which attends upon the Avantguard the Battell and the Reere with the Sariant Maiour shal make choise of ground for the placeing of guards, and assigne them to the Sariant Maiours of every Regiment, they are to goe the Round and to visit the guard commonly every night, and at such an houre as the Sariant Maiour shall appoint them either by day or night.
Jf any of these three Sariant Maiours of the field shall find any want of powder muniti∣on or victualls, either in the Avantgard, Battle, or Reere, aswell upon a march, as when the troupes are quartered or during a fight. He is presently to advertize the Sariant Maiour Generall with the said wants, and then by his direction shall goe with an officer of every Regiment of that Tercia to the Generall or Lieutenant of the ordnance, or to the commis∣sary Generall of the amunition or victuals.
To conclude, he having received his orders from the Lord Generall the Marshall or the Sariant Maiour Generall gives them to the Sariant Maiours of the particular regi∣ments but because the word and the orders are to be sent to quarters farr distant one from another, the Sariant Maiour of every regiment cannot come conveniently to the Sariant Maiour Generall. Therefore the Sariant Maiour of the Brigades are to attend every morn∣ing and evening upon the Sariant Maiour Generall, of the Army to receive their orders and to carry the word to the severall quarters, whether the Sariant Maiour of the regiments comes to him, and from him receiue the word and orders.