12. Any person found in the act of eluding the outposts and failing to halt when directed to do so will be fired upon by the sentinels, and any person, if suspected of eluding the outposts, will be at once arrested and sent to the nearest provost-marshal.
13. Cavalry pickets will be required by sentries and picket posts to show authority of their colonel or other commander for the service before being allowed to pass, and couriers with dispatches must be furnished with passes properly signed.
14. The roll of troops at outposts must be called frequently during the day, and at retreat there shall be an inspection of arms and ammunition.
15. Staff officers may be sent by the general or other officer in command to inspect the outposts of his command.
16. Sentries must always be ready to fire, but will be sure of the presence of the enemy before firing, and will carefully avoid false alarms. Once satisfied that the enemy is at hand, the sentinel, though all defense on his part may be useless, must fire; as the safety of the army may depend on the alarm he will then give. Picket sentries should be relieved every hour at night, and, as a precaution against surprises, should be instructed in some signal for the night before giving the countersign to others of the same outpost detachment.
17. In the immediate or near presence of the enemy the main and company reserves must stand to their arms for an hour immediately before daybreak. Patrols will be made slowly, silently, and with the utmost precaution, to insure against surprise or being mistaken for the enemy by our own men. When patrols are sent out information of the fact must be spread throughout the picket posts and sentries, cavalry pickets, and vedettes.
18. In addition to infantry outposts the whole front of any force in position or camp must be completely observed and covered by cavalry. All commanding points of observation will be occupied, and all possible avenues of approach will be watched, as near to the enemy's lines as the nature of the country will admit or he will permit without substantial resistance. Positions must be avoided which the enemy can approach under cover or turn. There must be an unbroken line of communication on the right and left between all the posts and vedettes. The horse should be relieved by his rider as much as possible, but when near the enemy the vedette must never quit his rein or take off bridle or saddle.
19. Cavalry picket detachments, when practicable, will consist of entire companies, and each company will cover its proportion of the front to be occupied. The picket posts detached in advance will not be of less than one non-commissioned officer and three troopers each. The captain of each company will serve as officer of the guard for his company on picket service, and a field officer or senior captain will be officer of the day for the whole line of the regiment, battalion, or squadron on outpost duty.
20. The company commander will be habitually with the reserve, established at a central point in rear of the picket posts.
By command of General Beauregard:
