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6th May '13 7:32:13 AM firelordzuko

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** Actually, while the myth of French column versus British line is old and venerable (it apparently originated with Oman's history of the Peninsular War), it is still a myth. Early on in the Revolution, less-experienced French generals would indeed try to crush the enemy line with massed attack column since their drafted troops were too undisciplined for complex manoeuvres in line. Since a line three deep is pretty much doomed once a column twelve men deep comes into bayonet range, and the armies that opposed the French were not used to it, this was pretty effective. Later in the wars, however, French commanders, understanding the limitations of the column and now having more experienced and disciplined men, switched to a more sensible tactic: since columns don't lose formation as easily as line, and thus can march faster, they would have their battalions advance against the enemy line in colonne d'attaque (attack column) ... then fan out into a plain old line and open fire. This was still risky (one hit from a cannon ball and the column was destroyed, and it took at least half a minute to spread out into line, and that within musket range), but the advantage in mobility the French gained this way combined with their superior artillery made for a very effective tactic. When Wellington said that "they came in the same old way, and we beat them the same old way" about the French at Waterloo, he referred to hiding the bulk of his troops behind a convenient ridge, negating the French artillery's advantage. The British also were not as good at firing as Omar would have us believe (though better than the French, who suffered from chronic ammunition shortage and often fired their first rounds in battle), but mostly fired one or two massed volleys, then charged with the bayonet. It was a violent age.

27th Apr '13 3:45:11 PM LondonKdS

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25th Apr '13 5:12:17 PM SkArcher

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21st Apr '13 9:37:50 PM Fireblood

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