The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

314 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. [_ET. 26.
quickly into an order of battle. The plan of the order
of march and order of battle, on the other side, is calculated for a forced march with field-pieces only,-unincumbered with wagons. It represents, first, a line of march;
and, secondly, how that line of march may in an instant
be thrown into an order of battle in the woods. This
plan supposes four thousand privates, one thousand of
whom, picked men, are to march in the front in three
divisions, each division having a field-officer to command
it, besides the commander of the whole; and always to
be in readiness to oppose the enemy, whose attack, if the
necessary precautions are observed, must always be in
front.
The first division must, as the second and third likewise ought to be, subdivided- for the captains; these
subdivisions to be again divided for the subalterns; and
the subalterns again for the sergeants and corporals. By
which means every non-commissioned officer will have
a party to command, under the eye of a subaltern, as
the subalterns will have, under the direction of a captain.
I shall, though I believe it unnecessary, remark here,
that the captains, when their subdivisions are again divided, are to take command of no particular part of it,
but to attend to the whole subdivision, as the subalterns
are to do with theirs, each captain and subaltern acting as commandant of the division he is appointed to,
under the field-officer, visiting and encouraging all parts
alike, and keeping the soldiers to their duty. This
being done, the first division, so soon as the van-guard
is attacked (if that gives the first notice of the enemy's
approach), -is to file off to the right and left, and take to
trees, gaining the enremy's flanks, and surrounding them,
as described in the second plan.k The flank-guards on
- This plan has not been preserved.