"Column vs. Line " Topic

Of possible interest?

link

Amicalement
Armand

Very Nice!
Chris has never mentioned this before in all our conversations hmmmm!

MG

Gotta consider the effective range of the smoothbore musket that doesn't have a sight or a range post on it,,,and the limited angle that 3 ranks, 22" or so inches apart, could fire at. Only a fraction of a line could fire at a company or division (double company) wide column. Attack at an angle of the defender and that fraction becomes a lot smaller. Put in a swale or difference in elevation for the attacker or defender and the faction becomes smaller. Do the first defensive fire at a longer, less effective range and it is even smaller. Firing into smoke, with people banging into your elbows (and the NCO's preoccuppied) and a chance to drop round,, it is even smaller.

But of course, if your "gut feeling" comes from seeing a 4 stands of 4 figures firing at a column of 4 four-figure stands, at a visual representation range where they could as easily throw a brick and hit…… well don't you expect a stupid opinion?

No disrespect to Chris's good work. But the next steps in the analysis that people may take from there, well I am wary.

Thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand

I was not aware that the column of divisions was banned by Napoleon after the move to 6 company battalions. This would really change my interpretation of field deployments with my 1:1 units. They would be much deeper. Hmm….

I was not aware that the column of divisions was banned by Napoleon after the move to 6 company battalions.

It's only a problem with the voltigeurs or grenadiers out because that would make the column of divisions uneven… and not a column of divisions. They could go to splitting companies/platoons to make 10 equal parts to the column, five on each side, but it still wouldn't be a column of divisions…

The six deep line would take a lot less fire than a wider 3 deep line. It would have the ability to hit a weak point of the enemies line (often 80 rather than 160 yards wide), it would have better control (less distance from lead offices to the wings) and it could march through smaller openings in fences, tree clumps and wet spots. Why not? Please think of a doubled column of divisions attacking the end of a battlion in line, who have that flank touching a pond/forest/steep rock pile. The defenders on the far flank would be at least 150 yards away from the point of contact- may as well have been on the moon. Let alone that they couldn't even aim at the enemy at that angle. (Yea, there are rare cases where the other flank wheeled and fired- I bet they didn't have a different enemy column in position to take them in flank and attack them while they were doing fancy maneuvures.

Thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand