War 2958.64 1866, Jan. 8. By exch of dupe.. given by William H. Grecicy. 769 Cambridver Im Adanw. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States PREFACE. THE individual instruction of the soldier is the foundation upon which the structure of the army rests. If it is complete, the operations of the army, aided by military science, may be calculated with mathematical accuracy; and unless it is carried to a certain point at least, the management of an army is a mere matter of chance, and success the result only of fortuitous circumstances. Whilst able men have devoted themselves to the higher branches of the military profession, it is a matter of great surprise that the rudiments have been so long overlooked. Heretofore the enlisted soldier has been dependent upon tradition for a knowledge of his specific duties; for justice he has been at the mercy of his superiors. If his officers were competent and conscientious men, faithful in the discharge of their duties and industrious in accumulating and disseminating knowledge among the men, they were cared for, their rights were secured to them, and the ambitious and meritorious were enabled to obtain advancement. On the contrary, if their superiors were incompetent and unscrupulous men, careless in the execution of their duties, and indolent in acquiring knowledge and instructing the soldiers, the latter were neglected, their rights suffered, and they had little or no opportunity of learning those things necessary to their advancement. Confident that every soldier who is desirous of learning his duties will feel grateful for this little volume, the author places before them the means of studying for themselves what they so much desire to know. Once a private himself, in the 1st Ohio Regiment, in the Mexican War, he has by a continuous service since that period been enabled, through his own varied experience, to select the most valuable, if not all the important, information necessary for every grade of the enlisted men. If they are by this means enabled to feel independent of their officers in acquiring a knowledge of their own duties, the highest aim of the book will be attained. Although prepared for the soldiers of the regular army, it is equally applicable to the volunteer service, except in some few cases that are fully explained. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS BOOK AND IN OTHER MILITARY WORKS, AND IN MAKING OUT OFFICIAL PAPERS. A. A. A. G.-Acting Assistant | Cav.-Cavalry. Adjutant-General. Cdt.-Cadet. A. A. G.-Assistant Adjutant- Chap.-Chaplain. Inspr.-Inspector. C. S.-Commissary of Subsist- I. G.-Inspector-General. ence. Capt.-Captain. J. Advt.-Judge-Advocate. |