661. If the area of the available ground is sufficient and suitable, the camp of the battalion or regiment should conform to the plates published in the Field Service Regulations. Under similar favorable conditions, the brigade may camp in column or in line of columns. In the latter formation the interval between regiments should be about 50 yards. When the camp site has a restricted area, intervals and distances are reduced.

Under service conditions, camp sites that will permit the encampment of regiments and brigades as above indicated will not often be available and regularity must be sacrificed.

662. In large commands the halt order should assign camp sites to the next smaller commands, and the commanders of the latter should locate their respective commands to the best advantage on the area assigned them.

The Selection of Camp Sites.

663. In campaign, tactical necessity may leave little choice in the selection of camp sites, but under any conditions the requirements of sanitation should be given every consideration consistent with the tactical situation.

664. Great care should be exercised in selecting sites. In general, the following principles govern:

The site should be convenient to an abundant supply of pure water.

Good roads should lead to the camp. Interior communication throughout the camp should be easy. A camp near a main road is undesirable on account of dust and noise.

Wood, grass, forage, and supplies should be at hand or easily obtainable.

The ground should accommodate the command without crowding and without compelling the troops of one unit to pass through the camp of another.

The site should be sufficiently high and rolling to drain off storm water readily, and, if the season be hot, to catch the breeze. In cold weather it should preferably have a southern exposure, with woods to the north to break the cold winds. In warm weather an eastern exposure, with the site moderately shaded by trees, is desirable.

The site should be dry. For this reason porous soil, covered with stout turf and underlaid by a sandy or gravelly subsoil, is best. A site on clay soil, or where the ground water approaches the surface, is damp, cold, and unhealthful.

Alluvial soils, marshy ground, and ground near the base of hills, or near thick woods or dense vegetation, are undesirable as camp sites on account of dampness. Ravines and depressions are likely to be unduly warm and to have insufficient or undesirable air currents.

Proximity to marshes or stagnant water is undesirable on account of the dampness, mosquitoes, and the diseases which the latter transmit. The high banks of lakes or large streams often make desirable camp sites.

Dry beds of streams should be avoided; they are subject to sudden freshet.

665. The occupation of old camp sites is dangerous, since these are often permeated by elements of disease which persist for considerable periods. Camp sites must be changed promptly when there is evidence of soil pollution or when epidemic disease threatens, but the need for frequent changes on this account may be a reflection on the sanitary administration of the camp.

A change of camp site is often desirable in order to secure a change of surroundings and to abandon areas which have become dusty and cut up.

Water Supply.

666. Immediately on making camp a guard should be placed over the water supply. If the water be obtained from a stream, places should be designated for drawing water (1) for drinking and cooking, (2) for watering animals, (3) for bathing and washing clothing. The first named should be drawn farthest up the stream; the others, in the order named, downstream.

If the stream be small, the water supply may be increased by building a dam. Small springs may be dug out and each lined with a gabion, or a barrel or box with both ends removed, or with stones, the space between the lining and the earth being filled with puddled clay. A rim of clay should be built to keep out surface drainage. The same method may be used near swamps, streams, or lakes to increase or clarify the water supply.

667. Water that is not known to be pure should be boiled 20 minutes; it should then be cooled and aerated by being poured repeatedly from one clean container to another, or it may be purified by approved apparatus supplied for the purpose.

668. Arrangements should be made for men to draw water from the authorized receptacles by means of a spigot or other similar arrangement. The dipping of water from the receptacles, or the use of a common drinking cup, should be prohibited.

Kitchens.

669. Camp kettles can be hung on a support consisting of a green pole lying in the crotches of two upright posts of the same character.

A narrow trench for the fire, about 1 foot deep, dug under the pole, not only protects the fire from the wind but saves fuel. A still greater economy of fuel can be effected by digging a similar trench in the direction of the wind and slightly narrower than the diameter of the kettles. The kettles are then placed on the trench and the space between the kettles filled in with stones, clay, etc., leaving the flue running beneath the kettles. The draft can be improved by building a chimney of stones, clay, etc., at the leeward end of the flue.

Four such trenches radiating from a common central chimney will give one flue for use whatever may be the direction of the wind.

A slight slope of the flue, from the chimney down, provides for drainage and improves the draft.

670. The lack of portable ovens can be met by ovens constructed of stone and covered with earth to better retain the heat. If no stone is available, an empty barrel, with one head out, is laid on its side, covered with wet clay to a depth of 6 or more inches and then with a layer of dry earth equally thick. A flue is constructed with the clay above the closed end of the barrel, which is then burned out with a hot fire. This leaves a baked clay covering for the oven.

A recess can be similarly constructed with boards or even brushwood, supported on a horizontal pole resting on upright posts, covered and burnt out as in the case of the barrel.

When clay banks are available, an oven may be excavated therein and used at once.

To bake in such ovens, first heat them and then close flues and ends.

671. Food must be protected from flies, dust, and sun. Facilities must be provided for cleaning and scalding the mess equipment of the men. Kitchens and the ground around them must be kept scrupulously clean.

672. Solid refuse should be promptly burned, either in the kitchen fire or in an improvised crematory.

673. In temporary camps, if the soil is porous, liquid refuse from the kitchens may be strained through gunny sacking into seepage pits dug near the kitchen. Flies must not have access to these pits. Boards or poles, covered with brush or grass and a layer of earth may be used for this purpose. The strainers should also be protected from flies. Pits of this kind, dug in clayey soil, will not operate successfully. All pits should be filled with earth before marching.

Disposal of Excreta.

674. Immediately on arriving in camp sinks should be dug. This is a matter of fundamental sanitary importance, since the most serious epidemics of camp diseases are spread from human excreta.

One sink is usually provided for each company and one for the officers of each battalion. Those for the men are invariably located on the side of camp opposite the kitchens. All sinks should be so placed that they can not pollute the water supply or camp site as a result of drainage or overflow. To insure this, their location and their distance from camp may be varied.

When camp is made for a single night, shallow trenches, 12 inches deep and 15 to 18 inches wide, which the men may straddle, will suffice.

In more permanent camps, the trenches should be about 2 feet wide, 6 feet deep, and 15 feet long. They should be provided with seats and back rests made of poles, and should be screened by brush or old tent flys.

675. In cold weather the contents of sinks should be covered once daily with quicklime, ashes, or dry earth. When filled to within 2 feet of the top, sinks should be discontinued and filled in.

Open pits are dangerous during the fly season. However, the danger may be greatly reduced by covering the excreta with earth or by a thorough daily burning of the entire area of the trench. Combustible sweepings or straw, saturated with oil, may be used for this purpose.

In fly season, trenches may be closed with seats covered down to the ground with muslin and supplied with self-closing lids. Urinal troughs, made of muslin and coated with oil or paint, should discharge into the trenches.

676. In permanent camps special sanitary facilities for the disposal of excreta will ordinarily be provided.

If necessary, urinal tubs may be placed in the company streets at night and removed at reveille. Their location should be plainly marked and thoroughly and frequently disinfected.

677. When troops bivouac for the night the necessity for extensive sanitary precautions is not great; however, shallow sink trenches should be dug to prevent general pollution of the vicinity. If the cooking be collective, shallow kitchen sinks should be dug. If the cooking be individual, the men should be required to build their fires on the leeward flank of the camp or bivouac.

Before marching, all trenches should be filled in.

PROTECTION OF CAMP OR BIVOUAC.

General Considerations.

678. The outpost is a covering detachment detailed to secure the camp or bivouac against surprise and to prevent an attack upon it before the troops can prepare to resist.

679. The size and disposition of the outpost will depend upon many circumstances, such as the size of the whole command, the proximity of the enemy and the situation with respect to him, the nature of the terrain, etc.

A suitable strength may vary from a very small fraction to one-third of the whole force. For a single company in bivouac a few sentinels and patrols will suffice; for a large command a more elaborate outpost system must be provided. It should be no stronger than is consistent with reasonable security.

The most economical protection is furnished by keeping close contact with the enemy by means of outpost patrols, in conjunction with resisting detachments on the avenues of approach.

The outpost should be composed of complete organizations.

680. In a brigade or smaller force on the march toward the enemy, the outpost is generally formed from the advance guard, and is relieved the following day when the new advance guard crosses the line of outguards. In a retreat, the detail for outpost duty is generally made from the main body. The new outpost becomes the rear guard the following day.

681. When, as in large forces, an advance and rear guard performs such duty for several days, the outpost, during this period, is furnished by the advance or rear guards.

When the command is small and stationary for several days, the outpost is relieved daily. In large commands, the outpost will, as a rule, be relieved at intervals of several days.

682. The positions held by the subdivisions of the outpost should generally be prepared for defense, but conditions may render this unnecessary.

Troops on outpost keep concealed as much as is consistent with the proper performance of their duties; especially do they avoid appearing on the sky line.

Outpost troops do not render honors.

Distribution of Outpost Troops.

683. The outpost will generally be divided into three parts. These, in order from the main body, are the reserve, the line of supports, and the line of outguards.

The distances separating these parts, and their distance from the main body, will depend upon the object sought, the nature of the terrain, and the size of the command. There can be no uniformity in the distance between supports and reserve, nor between outguards and supports, even in the same outpost. The avenues of approach and the important features of the terrain will largely control their exact positions.

The outpost of a small force should ordinarily hold the enemy beyond effective rifle range of the main body until the latter can deploy. For the same purpose the outpost of a large force should hold the enemy beyond artillery range.

684. The reserve constitutes the main body of the outpost and is held at some central point from which it can readily support the troops in front or hold a rallying position on which they may retire. The reserve may be omitted when the outpost consists of less than two companies.

The reserve may comprise one-fourth to two-thirds of the strength of the outpost.

685. The supports constitute a line of supporting and resisting detachments, varying in size from a half company to a battalion. They furnish the line of outguards.

The supports are numbered consecutively from right to left. They are placed at the more important points on the outpost line, usually in the line on which resistance is to be made in case of attack.

686. As a general rule, roads exercise the greatest influence on the location of supports, and a support will generally be placed on or near a road. The section which it is to cover should be clearly defined by means of tangible lines on the ground and should be such that the support is centrally located therein.

687. The outguards constitute the line of small detachments farthest to the front and nearest to the enemy. For convenience they are classified as pickets, sentry squads, and cossack posts. They are numbered consecutively from right to left in each support.

688. A picket is a group consisting of two or more squads, ordinarily not exceeding half a company, posted in the line of outguards to cover a given sector. It furnishes patrols and one or more sentinels, double sentinels, sentry squads, or cossack posts for observation.

Pickets are placed at the more important points in the line of outguards, such as road forks. The strength of each depends upon the number of small groups required to observe properly its sector.

689. A sentry squad is a squad posted in observation at an indicated point. It posts a double sentinel in observation, the remaining men resting near by and furnishing the reliefs of sentinels. In some cases it may be required to furnish a patrol.

690. A cossack post consists of four men. It is an observation group similar to a sentry squad, but employs a single sentinel.

691. At night, it will sometimes be advisable to place some of the outguards or their sentinels in a position different from that which they occupy in the daytime. In such case the ground should be carefully studied before dark and the change made at dusk. However, a change in the position of the outguard will be exceptional.

692. Sentinels are generally used singly in daytime, but at night double sentinels will be required in most cases. Sentinels furnished by cossack posts or sentry squads are kept near their group. Those furnished by pickets may be as far as 100 yards away.

Every sentinel should be able to communicate readily with the body to which he belongs.

693. Sentinel posts are numbered consecutively from right to left in each outguard. Sentry squads and cossack posts furnished by pickets are counted as sentinel posts.

694. Instead of using outguards along the entire front of observation, part of this front may be covered by patrols only. These should be used to cover such sections of the front as can be crossed by the enemy only with difficulty and over which he is not likely to attempt a crossing after dark.

In daylight much of the local patrolling may be dispensed with if the country can be seen from the posts of the sentinels. However, patrols should frequently be pushed well to the front unless the ground in that direction is exceptionally open.

695. Patrols or sentinels must be the first troops which the enemy meets, and each body in rear must have time to prepare for the blow. These bodies cause as much delay as possible without sacrificing themselves, and gradually retire to the line where the outpost is to make its resistance.

696. Patrols must be used to keep up connection between the parts of the outpost except when, during daylight, certain fractions or groups are mutually visible. After dark this connection must be maintained throughout the outpost except where the larger subdivisions are provided with wire communication.

697. In addition to ordinary outguards, the outpost commander may detail from the reserve one or more detached posts to cover roads or areas not in the general line assigned to the supports.

In like manner the commander of the whole force may order detached posts to be sent from the main body to cover important roads or localities not included in the outpost line.

The number and strength of detached posts are reduced to the absolute needs of the situation.

Establishing the Outpost.

698. The outpost is posted as quickly as possible so that the troops can the sooner obtain rest. Until the leading outpost troops are able to assume their duties, temporary protection, known as the march outpost, is furnished by the nearest available troops.

699. The halt order of the commander, besides giving the necessary information and assigning camp sites to the parts of the command, details the troops to constitute the outpost, assigns a commander therefor, designates the general line to be occupied, and, when practicable, points out the position to be held in case of attack.

700. The outpost commander, upon receipt of this order, should issue the outpost order with the least practicable delay. In large commands it may often be necessary to give the order from the map, but usually the outpost commander will have to make some preliminary reconnaissance, unless he has an accurate and detailed map.

The order gives such available information of the situation as is necessary to the complete and proper guidance of subordinates; designates the troops to constitute the supports; assigns their location and the sector each is to cover; provides for the necessary detached posts; indicates any special reconnaissance that is to be made; orders the location and disposition of the reserve; disposes of the train if same is ordered to join the outpost; and informs subordinates where information will be sent.

701. Generally it is preferable for the outpost commander to give verbal orders to his support commanders from some locality which overlooks the terrain. The time and locality should be so selected that the support commanders may join their commands and conduct them to their positions without causing unnecessary delay to their troops. The reserve commander should, if possible, receive his orders at the same time as the support commanders. Subordinates to whom he gives orders separately should be informed of the location of other parts of the outpost.

In large outposts, written orders are frequently most convenient.

After issuing the initial orders, the outpost commander inspects the outpost, orders the necessary changes or additions, and sends his superior a report of his dispositions.

702. The reserve is marched to its post by its commander, who then sends out such detachments as have been ordered and places the rest in camp or bivouac, over which at least one sentinel should be posted. Connection must be maintained with the main body, the supports and nearby detached posts.

703. The supports march to their posts, using the necessary covering detachments when in advance of the march outpost. A support commander's order should fully explain the situation to subordinates, or to the entire command, if it be small. It should detail the troops for the different outguards and, when necessary, define the sector each is to cover. It should provide the necessary sentinels at the post of the support, the patrols to be sent therefrom, and should arrange for the necessary intrenching. Connection should be maintained with adjoining supports and with the outguards furnished by the support.

704. In posting his command the support commander must seek to cover his sector in such manner that the enemy can not reach, in dangerous numbers and unobserved, the position of the support or pass by it within the sector intrusted to the support. On the other hand, he must economize men on observation and patrol duty, for these duties are unusually fatiguing. He must practice the greatest economy of men consistent with the requirements of practical security.

705. As soon as the posting of the support is completed, its commander carefully inspects the dispositions and corrects defects, if any, and reports the disposition of his support, including the patrolling ordered, to the outpost commander. This report is preferably made by means of a sketch.

706. Each outguard is marched by its commander to its assigned station, and, especially in the case of a picket, is covered by the necessary patrolling to prevent surprise.

Having reached the position, the commander explains the situation to his men and establishes reliefs for each sentinel, and, if possible, for each patrol to be furnished. Besides these sentinels and patrols, a picket must have a sentinel at its post.

The commander then posts the sentinels and points out to them the principal features, such as towns, roads, and streams, and gives their names. He gives the direction and location of the enemy, if known, and of adjoining parts of the outpost.

He gives to patrols the same information and the necessary orders as to their routes and the frequency with which the same shall be covered. Each patrol should go over its route once before dark.

707. Every picket should maintain connection by patrols with outguards on its right and left. Each commander will take precaution to conceal his outguard and will generally strengthen his position by intrenching.