the army marshals to move out

[meliss]

"Word is passed as the army marshals to move out from the Jaxartes camp: For the first time Alexander permits the troops to take women and children captives under their own hand and sell them for their own profit."
(The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield)

Hi. Why is the infinitive used here: to move instead of move?

 

[emsr2d2]

It looks to me like there's a word missing. Perhaps it was meant to say "... as the army marshals prepared to move out ...". It could also be "Word is passed for the army marshals to move out ...".
The only online version of that quote I can find is from a website on which the book's title has been incorrectly spelled too ("Afgan" instead of "Afghan") so if that's where you got the quote, it's probably a typo.

 

[5jj]

The word 'marshals' is a verb in that sentence.

 

[emsr2d2]

The word 'marshals' is a verb in that sentence.

Well, that never crossed my mind, probably because I wouldn't expect the verb to be followed by a to-infinitive.

 

[5jj]

I can't find any examples of it in use, but I found this definition:

v.intr.
1. To take up positions in a military formation.

The American Heritage Dictionary entry: marshal

The American Heritage Dictionary entry: marshal

www.ahdictionary.com