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by United States. War Department
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Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #35139.
This work is a United States War Department handbook issued in 1917 for non‑commissioned officers, privates, and mounted engineer companies. It opens with a forceful declaration that obedience is the “first and last duty of a soldier,” then proceeds through a series of numbered sections that define loyalty, discipline, courtesy, and the precise mechanics of saluting with hand, rifle, pistol or saber. The text is dense with regulations, quotations from earlier Army manuals, and step‑by‑step instructions on drill, uniform standards, and the proper conduct of soldiers both in formation and in civilian settings. The opening pages set the tone for a manual that treats military efficiency as a matter of habit, insisting that every soldier internalize the “habit of obedience” through meticulous drill.
The voice is that of an early‑twentieth‑century official document, formal, didactic, and unrelenting in its emphasis on hierarchy and proper procedure. Its style is a blend of legal language, instructional prose, and occasional historical anecdote, reflecting the period’s belief in rigid discipline as the foundation of a modern army. Readers with an interest in military history, historical drill manuals, or the evolution of Army training doctrine will find it a valuable window into the mindset that shaped the U.S. cavalry on the eve of World War I.
The opening · free to read
Obedience is the first and last duty of a soldier. It is the foundation upon which all military efficiency is built. Without it an army becomes a mob, while with it a mob ceases to be a mob and becomes possessed of much of the power of an organized force. It is a quality that is demanded of every person in the Army from the highest to the lowest. Each enlisted man binds himself, by his enlistment oath, to obedience. Each officer, in accepting his commission, must take upon himself the same solemn obligation.
Obey strictly and execute promptly the lawful orders of your superiors. It is enough to know that the person giving the order, whether he be an officer, a noncommissioned officer, or a private acting as such, is your lawful superior. You may not like him, you may not respect him, but you must respect his position and authority, and reflect honor and credit upon yourself and your profession by yielding to all superiors that complete and unhesitating obedience which is the pleasure as well as the duty of every true soldier.
Orders must be strictly carried out. It is not sufficient to comply with only that part which suits you or which involves no work or danger or hardship. Nor is it proper or permissible, when you are ordered to do a thing in a certain way or to accomplish a work in a definitely prescribed manner, for you to obtain the same results by other methods.
Obedience must be =prompt and unquestioning=. When any soldier (and this word includes officers as well as enlisted men) receives an order, it is not for him to consider whether the order is a good one or not, whether it would have been better had such an order never been given, or whether the duty might be better performed by some one else, or at some other time, or in some other manner. His duty is, first, to understand just what the order requires, and, second, to proceed at once to carry out the order to the best of his ability.
"Officers and men of all ranks and grades are given a certain independence in the execution of the tasks to which they are assigned and are expected to show initiative in meeting the different situations as they arise. Every individual, from the highest commander to the lowest private, must always remember that inaction and neglect of opportunities will warrant more severe censure than an error in the choice of the means." (Preface, Field Service Regulations.).
But even with implicit obedience you may yet fail to measure up to that high standard of duty which is at once the pride and glory of every true soldier. Not until you carry out the desires and wishes of your superiors in a hearty, willing, and cheerful manner are you meeting all the requirements of your profession. For an order is but the will of your superior, however it may be expressed. Loyalty means that you are for your organization and its officers and noncommissioned officers--not against them; that you always extend your most earnest and hearty support to those in authority. No soldier is a loyal soldier who is a knocker or a grumbler or a shirker. Just one man of this class in a troop breeds discontent and dissatisfaction among many others. You should, therefore, not only guard against doing such things yourself but should discourage such actions among any of your comrades.
"1. All persons in the military service are required to obey strictly and to execute promptly the lawful orders of their superiors.
"2. Military authority will be exercised with firmness, kindness, and justice. Punishments must conform to law and follow offenses as promptly as circumstances will permit.
"3. Superiors are forbidden to injure those under their authority by tyrannical or capricious conduct or by abusive language. While maintaining discipline and the thorough and prompt performance of military duty, all officers, in dealing with enlisted men, will bear in mind the absolute necessity of so treating them as to preserve their self-respect. Officers will keep in as close touch as possible with the men under their command and will strive to build up such relations of confidence and sympathy as will insure the free approach of their men to them for counsel and assistance. This relationship may be gained and maintained without relaxation of the bonds of discipline and with great benefit to the service as a whole.
"Courtesy among military men is indispensable to discipline; respect to superiors will not be confined to obedience on duty, but will be extended on all occasions.
"5. Deliberations or discussions among military men, conveying praise or censure, or any mark of approbation, toward others in the military service, and all publications relating to private or personal transactions between officers are prohibited. Efforts to influence legislation affecting the Army or to procure personal favor or consideration should never be made except through regular military channels; the adoption of any other method by any officer or enlisted man will be noted in the military record of those concerned." (Army Regulations.)
"The discipline which makes the soldier of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an army. It is possible to impart instruction and give commands in such manner and in such tone of voice as to inspire in the soldier no feeling but an intense desire to obey, while the opposite manner and tone of voice can not fail to excite strong resentment and a desire to disobey. The one mode or the other of dealing with subordinates springs from a corresponding spirit in the breast of the commander. He who feels the respect which is due to others can not fail to inspire in them regard for himself, while he who feels, and hence manifests, disrespect toward others, especially his inferiors, can not fail to inspire hatred against himself." (Address of Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield to the United States Corps of Cadets, Aug. 11, 1879.)
When, by long-continued drill and subordination, you have learned your duties, and obedience becomes second nature, you have acquired discipline. It can not be acquired in a day nor a month. It is a growth. It is the habit of obedience. To teach this habit of obedience is the main object of the close-order drill, and, if good results are to be expected, the greatest attention must be paid to even the smallest details. The troop, platoon, or squad must be formed promptly at the prescribed time--not a minute or even a second late. All must wear the exact uniform prescribed and in the exact manner prescribed. When at attention there must be no gazing about, no raising of hands, no chewing or spitting in ranks. The manual of the rifle, the pistol, the saber, and all movements must be executed absolutely as prescribed. A drill of this kind teaches discipline. A careless, sloppy drill breeds disobedience and insubordination. In other words, discipline simply means efficiency.
In all walks of life men who are gentlemanly and of good breeding are always respectful and courteous to those about them. It helps to make life move along more smoothly. In civil life this courtesy is shown by the custom of tipping the hat to ladies, shaking hands with friends, and greeting persons with a nod or a friendly "Good morning," etc.
In the Army courtesy is just as necessary, and for the same reasons. It helps to keep the great machine moving without friction.
"Courtesy among military men is indispensable to discipline; respect to superiors will not be confined to obedience on duty, but will be extended on all occasions." (Par. 4, Army Regulations, 1913.)
One method of extending this courtesy is by saluting. When in ranks the question of what a private should do is simple--he obeys any command that is given. It is when out of ranks that a private must know how and when to salute.
In the old days the free men of Europe were all allowed to carry weapons, and when they met each would hold up his right hand to show that he had no weapon in it and that they met as friends. Slaves or serfs, however, were not allowed to carry weapons, and slunk past the free men without making any sign. In this way the salute came to be the symbol or sign by which soldiers (free men) might recognize each other. The lower classes began to imitate the soldiers in this respect, although in a clumsy, apologetic way, and thence crept into civil life the custom of raising the hand or nodding as one passed an acquaintance. The soldiers, however, kept their individual salute, and purposely made it intricate and difficult to learn in order that it could be acquired only by the constant training all real soldiers received. To this day armies have preserved their salute, and when correctly done it is at once recognized and never mistaken for that of the civilian. All soldiers should be careful to execute the salute exactly as prescribed. The civilian or the imitation soldier who tries to imitate the military salute, invariably makes some mistake which shows that he is not a real soldier; he gives it in an apologetic manner, he fails to stand or march at attention, his coat is unbuttoned or hat on awry, or he fails to look the person saluted in the eye. There is a wide difference in the method of rendering and meaning between the civilian salute as used by friends in passing, or by servants to their employers, and the MILITARY SALUTE, the symbol and sign of the military profession.
=To salute with the hand=, first assume the position of a soldier or march at attention. Look the officer you are to salute straight in the eye. Then, when the proper distance separates you, raise the right hand smartly till the tip of the forefinger touches the lower part of the headdress or forehead above the right eye, thumb and fingers extended and joined, palm to the left, forearm inclined at about 45°, hand and wrist straight. Continue to look the officer you are saluting straight in the eye and keep your hand in the position of salute until the officer acknowledges the salute or until he has passed. Then drop the hand smartly to the side. The salute is given with the right hand only.
=To salute with the rifle=, bring the rifle to right shoulder arms if not already there. Carry the left hand smartly to the small of the stock, forearm horizontal, palm of the hand down, thumb and fingers extended and joined, forefinger touching the end of the cocking piece. Look the officer saluted in the eye. When the officer has acknowledged the salute or has passed, drop the left hand smartly to the side and turn the head and eyes to the front. The rifle salute may also be executed from the order or trail. See paragraph 94, Infantry Drill Regulations, and paragraph 111, Cavalry Drill Regulations, 1916.
=To salute with the pistol when drawn=, assume the position of =Raise Pistol=, muzzle up, the hand holding the stock with the thumb and last three fingers, forefinger outside the guard, barrel to the rear and inclined to the front at an angle of 30°, hand as high as the neck and 6 inches in front of the point of the right shoulder. The pistol is carried in the holster, except when about to be used. It will not be drawn for the purpose of saluting. When armed only with the pistol in the holster, salute with the hand.
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