Grand Guards, Supports, Pickets and Patrols

By Cory Pharr

 

How do you really post guards and pickets?  Most reenactors do not have much experience with establishing a functioning system of guards, supports, pickets and patrols because few events we attend require them and those where they might be used to good effect either don’t employ them or employ them incorrectly.  TAG represents an excellent opportunity to do so, indeed, being able to run them correctly will be an essential skill.  This article is intended to cover the basics of these types of operations and draws from Mahan, Craighill and Kautz.  Be aware that the since the “safety of the army rests” upon the manner in which the system of Guards, Supports, Pickets & Patrols perform their duties, a lot of care is expended on the task.

 

Article 1.  Posting the Guard, Supports and Pickets & Their Duties

Individual Sentinels

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *    *     *     *

 

Outposts

O                       O                        O

 

Grand Guards

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Pickets

=     =     =     =     =     =     =     =     =

 

Main Guard

===============

 

Army

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As per Mahan’s Outpost
  1. The Grand Guard is a force thrown out in the direction of the enemy to prevent surprise, to give notice of his approach and to delay his advance in order to give the main body time to prepare for battle or make good its retreat.  It is too often referred to as an Advanced Guard, which should only be applied to a force thrown out inform of a body which is moving, to give notice of the vicinity of the enemy, to conceal preparations for battle and to cover offensive movements.  It becomes a Rear Guard when it is placed in the read to either delay pursuit, to cover the retreat or to bring up the fragments of the column and guard against sudden attack.  Mahan uses different names and adds two other lines but we will dispense with them here for simplicity and use a system more like the one outlined in the Army of the Potomac’s General Order 69.
  2. Each guard shall consist of a line of pickets, of a line of supports, from which the pickets are furnished and a reserve.

Pickets

                      ***   ***   ***     ***    ***   ***

                         \        |        /         \          |        /

                          \       |       /            \        |       /

                            \     |      /               \      |      /

                         ========             ========

Support        |        Support

|

|

|

=============

Reserve

|

|

|

===============

Main Camp

 

As per Army of the Potomac, GO 69, February 25, 1862
  1. The Reserve is placed in a position commanding the approaches to the main body where it rests in such a way as to be ready for action at a moments notice.  It should be strong enough to check and hold the advance of the enemy long enough for the main body to prepare.  It should take advantage of whatever defense the county offers to strengthen its position.  Abattis should be thrown up whenever in the presence of the enemy.  The Reserve will furnish a line of sentinels to communicate with the Supports and with the main body.  They should be posted within easy calling of each other so that information may be passed clearly.
  2. These sentinels should be relieved every two hours and, when on duty, remain constantly alert, never being allowed to sit or lie down.
  3. The Supports, two or more in number as the nature of the ground may require, are thrown out in front of the Reserve.  They are placed in such positions as to be able to communicate easily with both the Pickets and the Reserves and as near the avenues of approach as are practical. 
  4. From these Supports, a line of Pickets is thrown approximately 200 yards in front.  [Note:  This is the first time distance has been mention.  According to the book, the Reserve is placed one to one and a miles from the main body and the Supports, a mile ahead of that.  For our purposes, however, distance will be discussed as it relates to the Pickets.]  Upon the placement of this line and the manner in which the Pickets perform their duty the safety of the entire army depends.  None of these men on this line will sit or lie down nor will they quit their arms or relax their faithful vigilance by day or night.
  5. Posting groups of men not more than 150 yards apart or closer if the ground or the attitude of the enemy requires it will form the line.  These groups will keep constant communication with each by means of one man from each group walking halfway to the group on his left and another halfway to the group on his right, always leaving at least one man on the station.
  6. The line of retreat for the Pickets, Supports and Grand Guard should be free of obstacles that are insurmountable or difficult to pass.
  7. Pickets cannot overlook as much ground at night as they can during the day so consequently, they must be drawn in at night.  To increase the number of posts would keep too much of the detachment awake and unnecessarily tire the men.  Additionally, the enemy must be slow and cautious in his movements because it is dark, indeed is almost compelled to follow the roads for fear of wandering, and thus it is not necessary to extend the watch to so great a distance.
  8. The position for the night is to be reconnoitered by the chief of the grand guard as soon as the posts for the day have been established and is maintained as long as possible.
  9. The duties of the Pickets are to keep a vigilant watch over the country in front and the approach, retreat or flanking movements of the enemy if he is in sight, of any reinforcements he may receive or any convoys arriving within his lines.  They are to prevent the passage of all unauthorized persons in or out of the lines and to arrest all suspicious individuals.  In case of attack they will act as a line of skirmishers, holding their ground until the last moment.  If forced to retire, they will slowly close their intervals and fall back on their Supports.
  10. The Supports, being placed in a strong position, will be ready to receive the Pickets and repel an attack.  The will fall back on the Reserve when they are no longer able to hold their ground.
  11. One relief of the Supports is allowed to sleep and at least one must be ready at all times.  One officer should also be awake at all hours. No fires are allowed on the line of Supports.
  12. The Reserve is the rallying point for Pickets and Skirmishers if driven in and will hold its ground until ordered otherwise.
  13. If the Grand Guard, for reasons of necessity, were placed very far from the main body, it would be liable to be cutoff by any hostile force that should creep in and form an ambush along its line of retreat.  In that case it must be supported by a special force which constitutes an intermediate grand guard.

 

Article 2.  Rounds, Relief & Rotation

  1. Pickets should be relieved every two hours from the Support.
  2. The Supports are divided into three reliefs for the Pickets and are themselves relived by the Reserve every six hours.
  3. The Supports then take their place as the Reserve.
  4. At least one officer and one-third of the men of the reserve must be awake at all hours.  Fires ay be built on this line in places where they cannot be seen from the front.  They are not allowed past the line of Reserves and any found burning should be immediately extinguished.
  5. Suppose the army has arrived in bivouac at 2:00 PM, departure is fixed 6:00AM the following morning and it becomes dark at 8:00PM (we’ll deal with morning routine later).  The Pickets will occupy the exterior line from their arrival until 8:00 then they retire with the Supports to occupy the positions for the night before being relived by the Reserve.  When the Reserves come up to relieve the Supports, they will take the evening line.
  6. If the departure is fixed for 6:00 then the position of the day will not be retaken unless there is some delay in departure in which case the positions will be reoccupied at daybreak if possible.
  7. Before reoccupying the day position, patrols must be sent all around to check for potential ambush.
  8. The purpose of rounds is to ensure that everyone is doing their duty.  The Grand Guard and Support are to be visited three to four times throughout the night and the Pickets once during their shift.

 

Article 3. Patrols

One item that is frequently forgotten, even when guards and pickets are set, is the use of patrols.  They are a crucial, integral part of the system of guards and pickets – and it is a system, as neither should operate on its own as to do so would leave each open to ambuscade and capture.  The person whose job it is to make the rounds either goes alone or accompanied by one to five men as his rank, the nature of the ground and the distance to be covered dictate.

 

Patrols are a special part of the Grand Guard which are drawn from the Reserve and consist of two to thirty men though that number depends upon their missions which are either for defensive offensive, or reconnaissance purposes. 

 

A defensive patrol is sent out within the or within the vicinity of the line of pickets to detect the approach of the enemy or his scouts and to keep the pickets on alert.  Where there are not enough men or the ground prevents forming an adequate line of Pickets, the situation can be remedied by constant patrols of the area.  Such a patrol is small in number and consists usually of three or four men.  Offensive patrols are usually to ascertain the strength and position of the enemy and his intended movements and, since operating in front of the Pickets, are larger.  All patrols should make note of the character of the ground and be able to report it accurately.

 

As patrols are sent out to see the enemy and not to fight him, encounters should be avoided even if he is in inferior strength unless the capture of a prisoner or two would yield the information the patrol was sent out for.  Even then the failure to produce a capture, or the possible disturbance from a successful one, will alert the enemy to the patrols presence and might lead to the failure of the reason for being out there to start with.  Therefore, the selection of the men for the patrol and their fitness for duty will determine, in large part, the success of the enterprise.  The men should be specially selected, quick sighted, active, who know how to make advantage of the ground and who will report what the see accurately.

 

If, after all the precautions, a patrol is discovered, then the officer should make the best of it.  If it is still possible to continue the patrol and accomplish the object then he should by all means push on whether by pretending to retreat until pursuit is abandoned or, if his force will warrant attacking and dispersing the enemy and continue on.  Sometimes, in fact, usually, it is only possible to aggressively attack the enemy, secure what prisoners can be made and retire.  Should a patrol find itself surrounded then it should rush impetuously at the enemy that has turned their rear and make their escape.

 

In the vicinity of the enemy or when not following a road, a patrol moves in a formation that may be called a line of battle with the chief of the patrol in the center.

 

Direction

of march                                                         *                          *                     *     *                  *     *

                                   *     *     *                 *    *                *     *     *           *     *     *         *     *  *     *

                                                                       *                          *                         *                         *

                                    Patrol of 3           Patrol of 4          Patrol of 5          Patrol of 6           Patrol of 7

         *          *                      *cpl                   *            *                     *     *                          *   *   *   *   * 

     *     * * *     *                                                                                    *cpl

                                             *sgt                          *                                                                         *

               *                   *     ***     **        *     *****     *                     *sgt                    *     **********     *

        Patrol of 8                  ***                        *****                          *  *                              **********

                                                                                                             *  *

     

                                             *                            *  *                 **         *officer **                          *

                                  Patrol of 12                Patrol of 15                   *****                                 *   *

                                                                                                           *****                           Patrol of 30

 

                                                                                                                *cpl

                                                                                                             *    *

                                                                                                        Patrol of 25                   

 

The distances between the chief of the patrol, as the center, to the flankers vary during the day from 10 to 60 yards and at night 5 to 20 and depends on the nature of the ground.  The chief patrol must always be able to either see the flankers or hear them speak in an undertone.  The main object in the march is that the patrol will gain first sight of the enemy so that no part of it can be surprised or captured without the knowledge of the rest of the patrol.

 

At when following a road, or at night when the country is very rugged or thickly wooded, the patrol adopts a different pattern.  Notice that the files are not doubled.

 

Direction of March

 

 


*          *          *                                     *                                             *                                                              *               *

                                             *                    *                         *          *          *                                      *          *

                                                               *                                             *                                                              *               *

 

Patrol of 3                    Patrol of 4                 Patrol of 5                            Patrol of 6

 

 

            **           *                           *                     ****                        *                                    *           *********             **           *

*              *                                                 *                  *          *                                                 *                              *            *

            **           *                           *                     ****                        *                                    *           *********             **           *

 

  Patrol of 8                               Patrol of 15                                               Patrol of 30

 

Annex A.  The Good Ground

     “Troops take a position to make a or receive an attack; a position is a portion of ground offering some advantage either for attack or for defense; it is usually an elongated rectangle or succession of rectangles in a broken line.

     “The principal conditions a position should fulfill are the following:

1st  A development in proportion to the troops occupying it, calculating it so as to give 300 yards between the lines and 200 yards from the first line to the front; a usual allowance is 120 yards front to 1,000 men of all arms and a total depth of 600 yards.

2d  Free communication in every direction.

3d  No separation by obstacles.

4th  Several debouches for retreat if necessary.

5th  Wood and water within reach, if the position is to be long held, and healthy localities should be selected under the same circumstances.

    “Positions are offensive or defensive.  The special conditions of offensive positions are: 1st, an unobstructed front; 2d, debouches for all arms; 3d, wings supported; 4th roads in front penetrating the invaded territory; 5th, if the surrounding ground presents commanding points, occupy them with a few troops as detached posts.

     “The special conditions of a defensive position are: 1st, a front protected by an obstacle which should not be impassable [emphasis mine]; 2d, wings supported; 3d, debouches to the front for offensive returns; 4th, not be commanded by high ground within extreme range of cannon; 5th, the obstacles in front to be under fire of the position.

     “The longer the enemy is under fire before arriving upon the position, the more perilous will his advance be; and this is the reason why obstacles should never be completely impassable except on the flanks:  it is very advantageous for the defense if the ground slopes away gradually in front and also if there are salient points which can be made to receive the first shock of the attack.

     “The enemy should never be able to pass by or turn a defensive position without exposing his own flanks or communications, and the position should be such that its own communications to the rear are perfectly secure and its supplies of food, &c., at convenient positions not more than ten or fifteen miles distant.

     “A position should be strengthened by intrenchments [sic] when there are no natural obstacles and when time permits….  The key of a position is the point the possession of which controls the whole.

     “To guard positions, advanced posts are formed which should be relieved every day; sometimes also detached posts are formed which are left to their own defence [sic], but guarded from sudden attack; for example, a village may be guarded by an isolated brigade.”  (Craighill, pp. 143-144).