Question about combat that CA (or anybody else) might be able to answer...

[D.B. Cooper]

I'm don't know much about warfare from this time, but how will combat work if most units are equipped with muskets and cannons? How won't it become a shootout between armies? Like I said, I don't know much about 18th/19th century warfare but that's how it seems to me. Perhaps somebody can enlighten me.

[jackwei]

I'm don't know much about warfare from this time, but how will combat work if most units are equipped with muskets and cannons? How won't it become a shootout between armies? Like I said, I don't know much about 18th/19th century warfare but that's how it seems to me. Perhaps somebody can enlighten me.

yes however you can fix bayonets and make last stands and cavalry will be very decisive too.

Make tomahawk axes for natives in hand to hand fighting etc

Elephants will return again since the mughal empire has them thats why i say the battle of plassey should be a historical battle.

Milita may be equiped with axes and knifes as hand to hand fighting weapons u never know.

[Serious Spamurai]

Guns were ineffective, even in this era, they'd often only fire a few volleys before they charged into the enemy lines with bayonets fixed, it'd be too costly in both manpower and resources to win battles only by shooting the enemy to death, because you'd loose almost as many troops as the enemy. Powerful volleys followed up by a bayonet charge by a bunch of burly Scotsmen is far more effective.

[akd]

Battles of this time period were seldom decided by firefight, but rather by maneuver and bayonet/cavalry charge.

[Kretchfoop]

Guns were ineffective, even in this era, they'd often only fire a few volleys before they charged into the enemy lines with bayonets fixed, it'd be too costly in both manpower and resources to win battles only by shooting the enemy to death, because you'd loose almost as many troops as the enemy. Powerful volleys followed up by a bayonet charge by a bunch of burly Scotsmen is far more effective.

Exactly. It's the same reason it's generally not very efficient in M2TW to line up your army with the enemies and sit and duel to the death with your archers against theirs. You're better off concentrating your firepower and using tactics to force a quick route somewhere and roll up the enemy line, minimizing your own casualties.

[Lias_solano]

Hopefully they will include horse artillery.so then you can capture some high ground and hit the enemy with light field guns.Then limber up and dash away when the enemy come after you

lias

[Empress Meg]

It depends whose history you read. Each nation had a different tactic, and saying that the only way to win a battle is to fire a few volleys and charge in is hardly accurate and fair to the tactics, nations, and troops of the time period.

The Prussians for instance could fire five shots a minute. Their linear system of drill and firing rate was only one preferred tactic.

The Revolutionary French armies on the other hand where better suited to massed attack at key points. Skirmishers where sent out to destroy the enemies forward positions, and then the main army would move out. That is, they would rush, fire a few very close range volleys and then charge in headlong to overwhelm an army formed into line. This break in the line would cause panic, distress and most of all, chaos in the well-formed ranks of other European armies of the time.

Later, the French under Napoleon would refine this powerful batter ram of men, but forming them into columns, firing at close range once again and then pouring a mass of men and steel into the thinner ranked enemy. Prior to the column charge cannonades where used to disrupt enemy formations and bring the morale down.

The Spanish took yet another rout and began a war of ambush and hit and run tactics, as their main armies could not stand up well against the more professional soldiery. The Americans had done the same. This allowed for their allies and their own front line troops to better organize themselves for concentrated attacks where they knew they could win.

The armies of Russia preferred to use steel rather then the musket, but they still used musketry.

The musket was an inaccurate weapon, but it was effective. That is the key! The tactic was to get as many muskets to fire as possible, hence the creation of the thin ranked lines. This is deadly fire at close range.

Men would line up in ranks of 2-4 men. It is each commander's, event's, terrain's, and nation's preference on what rank they used. The 2 rank system was thought to be very unwieldy for two reasons. One: it was very long and drawn, making it harder to move the armies as a whole. Two it actually prevented the muskets from being effective as there would be gaps made very quickly in the ranks and the men on the outer edges of the rows would not be able to either bring their guns to fire or would have to shift constantly to move into position in order to fire. They were also vulnerable to cav charges in so thin a line.

The 4 ranked line was considered cumbersome, as the men in the forth rank could not fire as effectively and the line itself would be dramatically shorter. This would leave the line opened for flank maneuvers and a prime target for arty fire.
The 3 ranked line was often the best choice since men could easily fire and reload, it gave decent coverage frontally, and it was easy enough to move into a more defensive position or begin to march to a new position.

Anything larger then a 4 ranked line was considered ineffective, as the men in the rear rows could not fire. If they fired, they’d hit their buddies. If they did manage a volley it would not be ass effective as it could have been had the men in the rear ranks been permitted to fire. It also made them targets for arty and for flanking.

The ideal point would be for the unit to melt away before the attacker had to make contact. It was very much a mind game as it was one of cold steel. There are many instances where the bayonet was used to finish off or break an enemy, but there are also cases where the men, shattered by heavy gun fire or shell pulled back on their own accord.

Maneuver and drill won as much as courage in hand to hand combat.

Devoirs The Empress