Soldier Drills

I pretended I was Baron von Steuben helping the troops drill. For authenticity, I cursed at them in German. (Just kidding. I only wish I knew how to curse at them in German!) For the sake of even more authenticity, they really should have been wearing their tricornes and so forth, but it was SO hot outside!

Here are some commands you can use for drilling:

Attention – Hold musket up over shoulder

Parade rest – Hold musket down on ground in front of you

About face – Turn 180 degrees – Put one foot behind other and spin half way around

Right face – Turn 90 degrees to the right

Left face – Turn 90 degrees to the left

Mark time mark – March to the beat (“cadence”)

Forward march – March forward

By the right flank march – Follow the leader to the right

By the left flank march – Follow the leader to the left

Halt – stop

You can learn more about drilling soldiers (Civil War-focused) here.