Jim Martin
WBTS Tactics!
Fri Jul 6 12:52:53 2001
I have been pondering for sometime the battlefield tactics of the WBTS. Everyone knows that the use of "Napoleonic Tactics" or massed infantry assaults was the cause of the high percentage of casualties in most CW battles due to the use of rifled weaponry. The greater range and accuracy of shoulder-arms and artillery exposed massed units to damage over a longer space.
The question is this, "What was the alternative?" How else might they have fought their battles? We all know that the war became a "trench" war after 1863. Not only did Lee and Grant fight from trenches and embrasures from the Wilderness through Petersburg, but any reading of the Atlanta Campaign through the Carolinas notes that it was common custom at the end of a day's march to "dig in" for the evening to protect yourself from any offensive moves by the enemy. North Georgia is literally covered with the remains of these miles and miles of trenches.
If we have any professional or amateur tactitions on the message board, other than trench warfare, what might have been an alternative tactic(s) for the Civil War era armies to use to negate the effect of rifled weapons?
Jim
Tactics of war
Scotty A Birge, Fri Jul 6 16:58
Re: Tactics of war
Roger Brothers, Fri Jul 6 21:48
CW tactics - long
Greg Biggs, Mon Jul 9 02:19
Accuracy
Hayes Lowe, Mon Jul 9 08:40
Re: Accuracy
Alan J. Pitts, Mon Jul 9 12:33
tactics and accuracy
Greg Biggs, Mon Jul 9 14:54
notable exceptions
Scotty A Birge, Sat Jul 7 00:17
Tactics
John C. Carter, Fri Jul 6 16:40
Re: Tactics
Roger Brothers, Thu Jul 12 07:44
Re: Tactics
Alan J. Pitts, Thu Jul 12 11:26
Tactics
John C. Carter, Thu Jul 12 11:11
John and Alan
Roger Brothers, Thu Jul 12 17:55
Tactics
John C. Carter, Fri Jul 13 01:03
Re: Tactics
Alan J. Pitts, Fri Jul 13 13:11
Other factors
Hayes Lowe, Fri Jul 13 10:38
WBTS Tactics
Scott W. Owens, Fri Jul 6 15:05
Re: WBTS Tactics!
Wayne Adams, Fri Jul 6 14:04
Re: WBTS Tactics!
Anonymous, Fri Jul 6 14:01
Re: WBTS Tactics!
Roger Brothers, Fri Jul 6 14:03
Forrest's tactics
Scotty A Birge, Sat Jul 7 00:16
Perhaps, but...
Hayes Lowe, Sat Jul 7 00:46
EVOLUTION OF INFANTRY ASSAULT TACTICS 1850-1918
Jim Martin, Fri Jul 13 12:06
EVOLUTION OF INFANTRY ASSAULT TACTICS 1850-1918
Frank W. Sweet, Thu Jul 26 14:04
Great evaluation! n/t
Hayes Lowe, Fri Jul 13 18:41
Lee VS Napolean
James N. Elliott, Sat Jul 21 21:56
Forrest's technique
Hayes Lowe, Fri Jul 6 13:41