Shooting by file pairs (essentially your ones-and-twos) is a period technique.
Jay
If you mean "firing by files" as set forth in Hardee's Manual, indeed, I used that as a basis for some of the things I came up with. I also used "companions in battle" for the four man skirmish teams, as another inspiration.
On my second event as a Unit Commander in 1982, I only had 8 enlisted soldiers, so we were attached to one end of a Confederate line at a reenactment of 1st Manassas. I still retained mostly independent command, though. As we were beginning to gather just before the event began, two more soldiers came up and requested permission to join us and they did so in a most professional way. Now, by the cut of their jib, or rather their hips, I knew they were women, though they otherwise concealed their gender well. But something seemed familiar. As I got closer, the shorter one with mud on her face looked somewhat familiar. In surprise as I got close, I said, "Charlie, is that you?!" I knew her from local UnCivil War roundtable and other functions in Fredericksburg, but had never seen her in uniform. She smiled and said, "Yes, but don't tell anyone." (She preferred Charlie to her real name of Charlene.) Then I asked, "Charlie, do you and your companion know the manual of arms and basic marching?" She swore they did, so I invited them to join us. I don't think anyone else knew they were women outside a couple other members in my unit, though, so that was not totally incorrect for the period either.
Anyway, as I still had independent command of my troops on the end of the line, as the Federals approached; I had my troops spread out a bit further to the left and get down into the prone position. My reasoning was in that early of a battle, it was a good thing to do at first, because they would not as yet have "seen the elephant" and a better way to steady them. We fired some volleys, but also quite a few shots I yelled to individual soldiers to shoot at.
There was a "narrator" who did a running commentary on the actual battle over a loud loudspeaker system for the spectators. As I was ordering individual soldiers to fire at targets, the narrator got to a point in the written text of his narration explaining that most soldiers in the period fought standing up in ranks. He no more than got that out of his mouth and one of my soldiers rather loudly, shall we say,
passed wind. I had to stuff my leather gauntlet into my mouth to keep from laughing and the rest my soldiers got a good chuckle; but at least it was covered from the spectators by other battle sounds of musketry and artillery. I was in the middle of giving an order, so I couldn't tell who had done it and knew better than to say anything at the time.
Charlie and her companion did everything asked of them very well and proper. She even did a pretty fair job of disguising her voice. When the battle was over, they came up to thank me for allowing them to join in. I told them they both did splendidly and they were welcome to join with us anytime, but I had not known Charlie had a male uniform and knew what she did. She then informed me she and her companion were usually with different artillery batteries, but they never allowed them to take to the field with them. They wanted to show them they could do the job. I looked at her and said, "Charlie, you know it is well documented that women disguised themselves as soldiers and fought and some did so for quite some time in the War." She said, "That's the point we made to them several times, but they wouldn't listen. Maybe now they will." I told them I would be happy to speak for their abilities on the field and told them, "If they don't want you, you are MORE than welcome to join us anytime!" They both thanked me again and we began to part.
However, Charlie turned around and asked in a smiling but conspiratory tone, "Hey Gus, what did you think of my answer to the Narrator on us not standing up?" It took me a second and when she smiled a Pixie Grin, it dawned on me and I said, "Was that YOU who did.....well....that?" She laughed and said, "I took advantage of a natural body function and just decided it was a good time to let it rip. " Now, I had never known Charlie not to be a feminine Lady, though with a slightly earthy humor, but she really surprised me. I blushed beet red and did not know what to say. They both beamed and Charlie said, "Gus, you are really cute when you blush." Of course that got me to blushing like a stop light and they both laughed. She told me she would have to tell the Ladies in my unit, so they could join in the fun as well. Let's just say after she informed the Ladies of my unit, they had a field day looking for ways to make me blush in the upcoming years.
Anyway, I did not learn for about three years that we had done almost exactly what Colonel Thomas Johnathan Jackson did at 1st Manassas at the start of the battle. He had his boys lay down in a long depression on the military crest of the hill, while waiting for orders to advance. That got them used to the sights and sounds of the battle before actually joining in. When I learned that, I was pleased I had done something similar to what Stonewall had done, even if I had not known he had done it.
Gus
