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The drill of the 1860's was based on the Napoleonic notion of massing the fire of the elemental units be they company, regiment, brigade, or higher. To this end, each company would be organized into two lines, one behind the other known as the front and rear ranks. These men would be arranged by height. The tallest men would be to the right of the formation where the shorter men would be at the left.

Firing would be done either by company, by rank, by file, or individually. The rear rank would shift slightly to the right so they may fire over the shoulder of their file partner in front; careful to place their musket so that the ear of the individual in front would be between the 1st and 2nd bands on the barrel thus ensuring that the person in front would be spared excess noise and muzzle flash.

Below is a rendition of an infantry company in line of battle.

The battle line formation is the typical way an infantry company "falls in" for roll call, drill, or to prepare to march. After falling in and sizing up, they would count off: "1-2-1-2-1-2, etc." The use of only two numbers was not due to ignorance as popularly believed but for use so the men knew how to shift their positions between line of battle and the column of fours used in marching. Below is a picture of a company in column of fours preparing to march out.

Loading a weapon quickly was one of the most important skills a Confederate soldier had to learn. The process began with the butt of his rifle by his left heel and the muzzle of the weapon brought in front of him but tilted slightly away from his face. He would then extract a cartridge from his box, tear open the paper end with his teeth and pour the powder charge (about 60 grains) down the muzzle. He would then insert the minie ball. He would then extract his ramrod and ram the ammunition until it was snug against the bottom of the muzzle. He would then return the rammer. He would then bring the weapon up next to his waist such that the muzzle pointed forward and up at a slight angle. He would retrieve a cap from the pouch and place on the nipple of the gun; then come to shoulder arms.

The soldier would only fire upon command or when "Fire at will" was given. A good soldier could load and fire his weapon three times in a minute.

One manual used to train troops was Hardee's Light Infantry Tactics among many others.

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