to further emphasize Daryl, the order of march was set in order to enable effective deployment. The march column was either by the right (in which case the right hand company led) or by the left (in which case the left hand company led). The order of march was not at the battalion commander's discretion unless the battalion was opearing independantly. Each battalion in a division was normally in the same order of march, so that the division could deploy effectively.

If a battalion was marching by the right, then it could most quickly form line facing left. Conversely, if marching by the left it could most quickly form line facing right. While some armies were capable of fighting with companies inverted, it was not a good practice since it could lead to confusion. Thus forethought was placed on whether a formation should march by the right or the left. This was of particular importance if a flanking movement was envisaged since open columns could convert to line in seconds if marching by the correct flank or if a threat was perceived from flank. You will find references to marching by the right or the left in many accounts in all languages.

Within a British battalion, the centre companies were numbered in accordance with the seniority of the company commanders, and tended to maintain the numbering throughout the campaigning season. The companies in line were not in numerical sequence, but arranged as L 27 45 63 81 G. The centre companies were paired in grand divisions, and as you can see each grand division was commanded by one of the four senior company commanders. This arrangement also most broadly distributed the experience of the company commanders.

David