In 1700-1850 warfare, would infantry still march in formation while retreating?
Upvote:4
It depends...
While on TV it is dramatic for a commander to order a retreat, the proper command in the British Army is to "retire" (opposite to advance).
This would require a well ordered march away from the enemy.
Even a retreat would be reasonably ordered - although, not necessarily following a specific command. Retreats are generally a unit deciding for itself to pull back.
Retreats, however, quickly become routs - which are the more familiar "every man for himself" and "run fast" disorderly retreat.
Upvote:6
Armies would "march in formation while retreating" if not routed.
Maintaining formation was all important in a retreat. Most casualties were caused by armies falling apart and individual men being "picked off" by the enemy, usually cavalry, not in the battle itself. Hence, the sacrifice of a "few" men marching in order was considered necessary for the army to remain coherent and not be routed.
Retreating armies marched at "double time" (speed), that is 6 mph instead of 3 mph. Pursuing armies (other than cavalry) could not advance at such speeds without risking falling into disorder. Which is one reason why most orderly retreats were successful.
More post
- 📝 What was this building and what happend to it?
- 📝 Apart from the obvious ones, what were a single free woman's job options in the U.S. in the end of the 18th Century?
- 📝 Why did US federal tax revenue jump in 1815?
- 📝 Independent development of ocean navigation
- 📝 When was tofu invented? Was it specifically for vegetarian consumption from the beginning?
- 📝 Did allied soldiers in the WWII Pacific Theater use the term 'flak' for anti-aircraft guns?
- 📝 Why was the US so pro-China and so anti-Japan before WW2?
- 📝 What are the "ancient liberties" of the City of London?
- 📝 Why have we never found any elephant skeletons in the Western Alps?
- 📝 Is Benedict XVI the first pope emeritus?
- 📝 Was the symbol post-classical Mayans used to represent zero really derived from a depiction of a turtle shell?
- 📝 Is the term "chainmail" historically accurate, or a modern invention?
- 📝 Why are the Corded Ware and Kurgan theories incompatible?
- 📝 Book on history of international trade
- 📝 What portion of tariffs was paid by Southern states before American Civil War?
- 📝 During the Chola dynasty how extensive was the use of Sanskrit in government and by the people?
- 📝 Which plants had nearly all their mature specimens harvested?
- 📝 Who built this monument in Hatra?
- 📝 During feudalism in Europe, was one's allegiance to the lord more or less important than the allegiance to the king?
- 📝 How long would it take to cross the Channel in 1890's?
- 📝 Was game theory used during World War II?
- 📝 Where were the best ancient wine regions in Israel, called Kerutim & Hatoulim in the Mishna, located on a map?
- 📝 What activity would convey the Burma railway & Hanoi Hilton POW project?
- 📝 What was the reaction to English monarchs using the title "King of France"?
- 📝 Historical Instances like the settlement of Pitcairn Island
- 📝 Pre-WW2 location of Skalat
- 📝 Where did Medieval Europe's gold come from?
- 📝 What were the expectations of a medieval castle or fortress hoping to break or outlast a siege?
- 📝 Why aren't the Americas named after Christopher Columbus
- 📝 Which type of cursive is historically correct?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 In 1700-1850 warfare, would infantry still march in formation while retreating?
- 📝 What's the advantage of the infantry column formation in the Napoleonic Wars?
- 📝 Was the Church of St Simeon the Elder at Aleppo built while Simeon was still alive or decades after his death?
- 📝 Would Victorian era British soldiers wear their short sword bayonets while wearing uniform when off duty?
- 📝 Why didn't Nazi Germany destroy document archives while retreating from occupied territories?
- 📝 Was there any empire that was destroyed while still expanding?
- 📝 In France, 1916, would a soldier who was invalided out of the army, e.g. as an amputee, still get his army pay?
- 📝 How "old" is mechanized infantry in terms of usage in warfare and what should be called as such?
- 📝 Was there a rational reason for Napoleon to attack Russia while the Peninsular War was still in progress?
- 📝 If WW2 trench warfare really was a poor use of outdated tactics then what what would have been more appropriate tactics to employ?
- 📝 Why did Hitler attack the Soviet Union when he was still busy fighting the United Kingdom?
- 📝 Why did Native Americans die from European diseases while Europeans didn't catch serious diseases from the New World?
- 📝 Why does the United States keep using "old" date representations and imperial system, while being in the minority?
- 📝 How would a 16-year-old girl from Cleopatra's era curse?
- 📝 How would a Spartan have held his shield?
- 📝 How was Germany able to hold itself together, while Austria-Hungary could not?
- 📝 Aside from the Pyramids, what is the tallest man-made structure still standing in Europe & the Near East from ancient times?
- 📝 What is the oldest building in the world still in use?
- 📝 ‘Avoid sleeping on your back’ & ‘breathe in toilet smells’ were seen as precautions against the Black Death. Why did doctors think these would work?
- 📝 Why didn't line infantry tactics try to keep up a constant volley of fire?
- 📝 Where would the first nuke have been dropped in Germany?
- 📝 Why would silk underwear disqualify you from the United States military draft?
- 📝 How would a king's servants prove that they are on a task given by the king?
- 📝 Did Stalin believe Israel would go communist?
- 📝 Why does the King of Spain still claim defunct titles like the King of Hungary?
- 📝 Why would graphite have been confused with lead?
- 📝 What would have been the typical drinks for a US farmer in the late 18th/early 19th century?
- 📝 How much would 300 pounds (money value) weigh in Medieval England?
- 📝 In the Medieval period, how long would an average swordsmith need to forge an average sword?
- 📝 Why did the Japanese expect the United States navy would attack the Home Islands?