The mainstay of armies in this period, with the partial exception of the Mughal empire, was the Infantryman. These did much of the fighting, dying, and other, more menial jobs in the Seven years war, to one extent or another, and unsurprisingly made up the majority of most armies, and as a result, get the most attention in this mod.
The war came during a period of transition in the art of warfare, and in the equipment and weapons of soldiers throughout Europe. The previous war of Austrian Succession (1740-1748), had demonstrated to the armies of Europe the soundness of many of the concepts and tools developed in Prussia. These included Cadenced marching, lighter more mobile artillery, and famously, the iron ramrod, which armies of that era largely did not use. By the start of the Seven Years war, most armies were not using most or all the above, though quality wasn't necessarily preserved.
However, the Basics of warfare during this period remained unchanged. The Battalion was the main tactical unit, grouped into brigades and subdivided into platoons/firings. Men still lined up in long, relatively thin formations (2-6 men deep, though the average was 3), with the emphasis generally placed on firepower rather than shock or the bayonet (we'll get to that later). All line infantry in Europe (Ottomans aside) were equipped the same way: musket, Bayonet, and usually a sword or saber. The Ottomans did not use the bayonet, and neither did the Mughal infantry at this time.
The musket was generally about 4 1/2 to 5 1/4 feet long, with an effective range (on the battlefield) between 150-200 yards, though it was truly damaging only under ~100 yards, and truly murderous under ~50 yards. As most had iron ramrods, rate of fire was about 3 rounds a minute on the battlefield (though it was not necessarily sustained), with the more disciplined and well trained firing a bit faster than that, and minimally trained soldiers, or those with wooden ramrods firing ~2 rounds a minute. due to the fear and chaos typical of the battlefield, soldiers did not take care to make sure the round was patched (or even loaded properly), and didn't necessarily aim, so the accuracy was relatively low. This was why linear tactics were formed: to maximize the effect of musket fire. The idea was to divide a battalion into several subunits, namely platoons or divisions, and have them fire in volley, keeping up a constant sheet of lead heading at the enemy. How this was done (if at all) varied by army, with the Prussians firing right to left, and the British firing in a checkerboard fashion, for example. other methods included general battalion fire,
Heckenfeuer (and anti-skirmisher formation), and at least semi-officially among the French,
Feu de billabaude (i.e. firing at will). In practice, these complex methods of firing often broke down, especially after the officers were killed, and so firing at will became the
de facto method of firing, with the Prussians also resorting to general battalion fire. Depending on the army, these movements could be executed on the move, as could be done by Prussian soldiers-assuming cohesion was not lost. Generally, each soldier in most armies occupied a space of 2 feet by 2 feet or so, so as to handle their muskets. of course, Ottoman and Mughal armies did not follow these ideas.
the Ottoman army still used a looser formation, deeper ranks, and while they did fire in volleys, the emphasis was on accuracy, not speed. As they did not used paper cartridges, but the older powder horn and loose ball, their rate of fire was slower. they also depended on melee and shock using the sword, as they had no bayonets. the Mughals emphasized accuracy, and as they used matchlocks as well, were also much slower, though quite accurate.
The bayonet,
the melee weapon of the war for infantry, was a long, generally triangular cross-sectioned piece of iron, with a socket that fit the end of the barrel, with the whole 18-~28 inches (blade + socket) in length, depending on the army. It was generally used at the start of the war much the same way as a pike was during the 30 years war: it was to be held breast high, with the right hand bracing the butt of the musket, and the left hand between the swell or first band of a musket and the trigger guard. This was great for anti-cavalry purposes, but not as great for melee with other infantry. However, several armies (Prussia included) used a newer, more intuitive style: waist-high, in a manner not too dissimilar to the Napoleonic usage, or modern usage. It could still be very effective against cavalry, but gave the added benefit of turning the bayonet from just a glorified pike, into a potential shock weapon-a concept that was to be taken to its logical conclusion in continental armies until World War I. Either way, bayonet charges were common enough, but they usually did not lead to protracted melees, as one side would give way quickly, but when it did, it was usually very bloody (e.g. the fate of the Observation corps at Zorndorf).
Swords by this stage in military history went largely unused in most armies' line infantry, even if issued with them. Some armies, such as that of Austria (but not Hungary) and Portugal, no longer were even issuing them, unless they were grenadiers-a trend to be followed by the British and French armies after the war. Prussian officers would often store the swords prior to battle, so as to not have them sold off by the soldiers (who also found them useless). The exception were Hungarian and Ottoman infantry in Europe, and Mughal infantry in India, which relied on cold steel from a saber or sword in their charges. Swords were between 2 and 3 1/2 long, with a variety of blades and hilts in use.
Finally, these weapons and their uses can allow us to classify and understand the types of soldiers on the battlefield. in this case, the most common line soldier was the musketeer or fusilier (the terms were then interchangeable), who were the everyday grunts in European and Ottoman armies, and certain portions of the Mughal military. These were supplemented in a regiment or battalion by a company of Grenadiers, who were originally supposed to throw grenades (hence the name), but by now were the best soldiers of a regiment, and used for purposes of shock. They were often assembled from the companies of several regiments to form grenadier battalions, usually of a temporary measure. Finally, there were guard and special soldiers, whose quality varied from army to army, but who were supposed to be the cream of the army.
Re: asking for permission.
Vicarius
.
Campidoctor
Semisalis
Originally Posted by Eohelm
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