Unit formations on the battlefield also reflect as a key factor what weapons the men carry. The long pikes carried by Greek hoplites defined both how close they had to get to the enemy to wield their pikes in a lethal manner. The Roman legions needed to get up close and personal with their short swords to be lethal, and they used a tight formation and the close protection of their shields to protect themselves as they wielded those swords in brutal fashion against the enemy. Later, in the gunpowder age, the matchlock musket saw its bearers in a rather lose formation giving each man about 3 feet around him in which to maneuver his musket, its rest (until that was abandoned as the muskets got lighter), and a lit match of several feet in length which provided the critical spark needed to ignite the musket's powder and propel its lead bullet towards the enemy. Flintlocks enabled the soldiers to move into a shoulder to shoulder line of men who could fire and huge volley at the enemy.
Lovely stuff. Thanks for sharing. Had a chapter on phalanx psychology in Brains & Bullets but not sure we got it right. I reckon the marshy bit was on the English left, not rear as suggested. When my ship comes in (still waiting...) I'll upgrade to paid.👍
It's not entirely clear. Some think that the gaps between cohorts were equal to the frontage of a single cohort, so they could just slip through. But if later practice is any indication, they were narrower, and withdrawing troops funneled through.
Very interesting read!
Thank you!
Unit formations on the battlefield also reflect as a key factor what weapons the men carry. The long pikes carried by Greek hoplites defined both how close they had to get to the enemy to wield their pikes in a lethal manner. The Roman legions needed to get up close and personal with their short swords to be lethal, and they used a tight formation and the close protection of their shields to protect themselves as they wielded those swords in brutal fashion against the enemy. Later, in the gunpowder age, the matchlock musket saw its bearers in a rather lose formation giving each man about 3 feet around him in which to maneuver his musket, its rest (until that was abandoned as the muskets got lighter), and a lit match of several feet in length which provided the critical spark needed to ignite the musket's powder and propel its lead bullet towards the enemy. Flintlocks enabled the soldiers to move into a shoulder to shoulder line of men who could fire and huge volley at the enemy.
It's pretty remarkable that the Romans seem to have had the shallowest infantry formations up until the age of musketry.
Yes, but it was a layered formation in its classic form ( shown beautifully in that first appearance in the film Spartacus)
Lovely stuff. Thanks for sharing. Had a chapter on phalanx psychology in Brains & Bullets but not sure we got it right. I reckon the marshy bit was on the English left, not rear as suggested. When my ship comes in (still waiting...) I'll upgrade to paid.👍
Cheers, just looked that up - looks fascinating, will read!
how do you think romans switched fighting units in the middle of the fight?
It's not entirely clear. Some think that the gaps between cohorts were equal to the frontage of a single cohort, so they could just slip through. But if later practice is any indication, they were narrower, and withdrawing troops funneled through.