Pulteney's Regiment (13th Foot) - The Manual Exercise

The Manual Exercise - Page 1

Drill Postures

Select from the postures listed below and the image will appear on the left.

Order Your Firelock
Rest Your Firelock
Poise Your Firelock
Shoulder Your Firelock
Recover Your Firelock
Rest On Your Arms
Grasp Your Bayonet
Draw Your Bayonet
Charge Your Bayonet
Return Your Bayonet

The 'Manual Exercise' was the complex sequence of movements each soldier was trained to perform in order to load and fire his musket, fix and wield his bayonet, and to perform various ceremonial duties.

The above postures are a sample of those used by the re-created 13th foot, based on Henry Pelham's exercise of 1739 and The Gentleman Volunteers Pocket Companion of 1745. The drill described is appropriate for the War of the Austrian Succession and the Jacobite Rebellion.

Go to page 2 - The Grenadiers Exercise of the Grenade
Go to page 3 - The Officers Standing Salute