792.  Being in line or in column of platoons, the captain commands:  FORM FOR SHELTER TENTS.

The officers, first sergeant, and guides fall out; the cooks form a file on the flank of the company nearest the kitchen, the first sergeant and right guide fall in, forming the right file of the company; blank files are filled by the file closers or by men taken from the front rank; the remaining guide or guides, and file closers form on a convenient flank.  Before forming column of platoons, preparatory to pitching tents, the company may be redivided into two or more platoons, regardless of the size of each.

793.  The captain then causes the company to take intervals as described in the School of the Squad, and commands:  PITCH TENTS.

At the command PITCH TENTS, each man steps off obliquely to the right with the right foot and lays his rifle on the ground, the butt of the rifle near the toe of the right foot, muzzle to the front, barrel to the left, and steps back into his place; each front rank man then draws his bayonet and sticks it in the ground by the outside of the right heel.  All unsling and open the blanket rolls and take out the shelter half, poles, and pins.  Each then spreads his shelter half, triangle to the rear, flat upon the ground the tent is to occupy, rear rank man’s half on the right.  The halves are then buttoned together.  Each front rank man joins his pole, inserts the top in the eyes of the halves, and holds the pole upright beside the bayonet placed in the ground; his rear rank man, using the pins in front, pins down the front corners of the tent on the line of bayonets, stretching the canvas taut; he then inserts a pin in the eye of the rope and drives the pin at such distance in front of the pole as to hold the rope taut.  Both then go to the rear of the tent; the rear rank man adjusts the pole and the front rank man drives the pins.  The rest of the pins are then driven by both men, the rear-rank man working on the right.

NOTE.—­The use of the hand ax and the pick mattock in organizations equipped with the intrenching tool is authorized for the purpose of driving shelter tent pins.  The use of the bayonet for that purpose is prohibited.

As soon as the tent is patched each man arranges the contents of the blanket roll in the tent and stands at attention in front of his own half on line with the front guy-rope pin.

The guy ropes, to have a uniform slope when the shelter tents are pitched, should all be of the same length.

794.  When the blanket roll is not carried, intervals are taken as described above; the position of the front pole is marked with a bayonet and equipments are laid aside.  The men then proceed to the wagon, secure their rolls, return to their places, and pitch tents as heretofore described.

795.  To pitch double shelter tent, the captain gives the same commands as before, except TAKE HALF INTERVAL is given instead of TAKE INTERVAL.  In taking interval each man follows the preceding man at 2 paces.  The captain then commands:  PITCH DOUBLE TENTS.