Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Sentinels And Pickets.—Supports, Reserve.— The Outpost At Night. Q. How are sentinels generally posted, and how may the group system be used? A. Sentinels must be so posted as to have a good view to the front and flanks, and be concealed as much as possible. They do not walk their posts, but remain stationary, being generally posted double, so that one man may go to examine any suspicious point while the other remains on post. They may also be posted in groups. In the former case the reliefs not on post remain with the picket; in the latter case the group accompanies the sentinel to his post and remains in concealment a short distance behind him. When the group system is used, a single sentinel for each will suffice by day, but double sentinels should be used at night. As the group furnishes the reliefs, it. should consist of three or six men, and every two or three groups should be under the charge of a noncommissioned officer. Q. What are the most important requirements of a good post for a sentinel? A. There should be easy communication with neighboring sentinels and with the picket, and a clear view of all approaches. Q. How far apart may sentinels and vedettes be? —minimum and maximum distances? A. Sentinels are generally not less than 100 nor more than 400 yards apart—the lesser limit beingusually the minimum for single sentinels, aud the greater limit the maximum for double ones. Vedettes may be as far as (iOO yards apart. Hut no definite rule can be laid down in this matter, except that the number of posts should be sufficient to insure a vigilant watch on all points at which the enemy might approach. Q. How are the sentinel posts numbered? A. The posts furnished by eiich picket are numbered from right to left. Q. Yhat are the gen...