"how much time would it take to form a square, battalion wise?" Topic

1/4 hour?

Nafziger has this detail, but broadly it depends on what the starting formation is and how it's subdivided. A 6-company French battalion could form square from column of divisions a lot faster than a British battalion from line.

It is typically about a minute rather than 15 minutes!

hum havened not seen that mea culpa

Train like your life depends on it.

2 minutes if well trained, and at the double quicker still.

I asked this a while back.
I was recommended Imperial Bayonets which has loads of numbers.

The usual approach would be to try and form square well before they needed to.
Giving time to steady the men.

l'orde mixte allowed faster transition. This is a sort of inverted U essentially with a line at the front and two columns to each side.
A company column is a sort of series of lines.

Far clearer explanation here link

The column can turn into a line facing left or right by wheeling each company.

And there's either a line of infantry in reserve or cavalry to cover the open base of the inverted U.

a close square – from a mass, 10 seconds

I recall that Oman noted the British could form square from line in under 60 seconds.

GdeP

@ GdP

Does Oman give any more of that sort of detail? I don't have my Nafziger in front of me, but IIRC his times are worked out from things like formation size, rapidity of pace etc, i.e. they are reconstructed from first principles rather than reported.

10-20 seconds based on my experience in Sealed Knot (ECW) to form square with pike and shot.

I suspect that the terrain, falling shot, musket fire being endured, charging cavalry, sound levels, morale, office quality, physical state, and training would all have an effect (smile).

Dan

I suspect that the terrain, falling shot, musket fire being endured, charging cavalry, sound levels, morale, office quality, physical state, and training would all have an effect

That is what drill is for.

"Practice, practice, practice."

Oman's figures would be based on a battalion square preparing to meet cavalry. Larger formations might need longer, perhaps.

So if my game rules use a 15 minute turn, I probably shouldn't make a formation change to square cost 1/2 a full move? Maybe -1 inch?

@14th NJ Vol
Rules with game turns longer than a minute present you with a problem when it comes to battalion level formation changes. For example, as suggested above, most infantry columns could change into square in less than 30 seconds, thus a 15 minute game turn would allow an infantry column to change into square in less than 1/30th of a turn. Perhaps more importantly, it would allow an infantry unit to end each game turn in square then change formation to column again at the beginning of the turn. Very 'gamey', but possible to play and only sacrifice 1/15th of the unit's move allowance whilst remaining practically invulnerable to enemy cavalry. This was one of the criticisms of the 'La Bataille' series of Napoleonic board games that used a 20 minute game turn. I don't think the problem was ever solved.

Most rule sets don't really pay attention to the actual mechanics of a formation change (and probably wisely so). A great deal depends upon the starting formation, the direction the starting formations is facing, the desired end formation, the desired direction it will be facing at the end of the formation change, the size of the battalion, and of course whether they are being shot at while trying to do it. My experience is with ACW reenactors, but the principles would be nearly the same for Napoleonics.

So to go from a march column to a line of battle facing to the left of the column's direction of march takes literally two seconds, while while forming line of battle facing the same direction as the column of march might take a couple of minutes. And a 700 man battalion is going to take longer than a 300 man battalion.

Forming square (something my battalion was expert at doing) might take from 30 seconds up to a minute or two depending on circumstances.

How long would it take for the Brigade Commander to perceive the cavalry threat – give the order to form squares – for the battalion-majors to receive the order and get their battalions into square?

Expeditionary forces might form regimental squares of many battalions (Egypt, Balkans). This would take time.

Old-style linear battalions in line-of-battle would form open squares. This would take minutes.

New-style battalions-en-masse would form closed squares. These would take seconds.

Troops moving up to the front in open columns would be caught-out and chopped-up.