society > armed hostility > military operations > distribution of troops > formation > [noun] > column (5)
a formation assumed by troops advancing in column (and thus with a narrow front line: see quot. 1802); also in extended use.
Military. A formation of troops narrow laterally and deep from front to rear; the usual order in marching.
column of route: a formation assumed by troops when marching, its organization being governed by tactical considerations, local terrain, the…