04-02-2007, 07:52 PM
Some comparative military history may be helpful.
We have some very detailed descriptions of exactly what happened to deep formations in Napoleonic times when they began to collapse. In the battles between the French and Wellington, the English were usually on the defensive and deployed in reverse slope position, which protected them from French artillery bombardment. It also made it very hard for advancing French infantry to tell exactly how far they were from the English line. Since the French usually maneuvered in columns, this resulted in the French blundering into range of the English muskets while still in deep formation. The results were quite striking. The English line would stand or advance into clear view of the French, and unleash their first volley. This usually brought the French to a halt; and the first ranks of the French would return fire. Now, the rear ranks of the French column had no clear idea of what was happening at the front. As a rule, it was the men in the back who began to panic first. They didn't know what was going on up front, they couldn't fight or even see the enemy, but they could tell something had gone wrong.
It is worth noting that military manuals of the Byzantine period emphasize that the best/most experienced and senior man is in the front row of a column - and that the next best man is at the back. This is a critical position.
Turning a fighting line around is not a trivial matter. For the first thing, it is quite possible no one realized enemy cavalry were in the rear until the enemy horsemen were almost on top of them. Yes, a group of horsemen are noisy, but so are 40,000 (or so) marching/fighting/dying legionaries. They might not have been heard until it was too late. They would be hard to see. Battlefields are notoriously dusty, noisy places, and uniforms and flags were not as standardized as they would be in the 18th and 19th centuries. The problem of recognizing friend from foe (and the secondary problem of friendly fire) have always plagued armies, let alone when the foe is coming from a direction they aren't supposed to be at.
One modern case in point is the British Gloucester regiment. This regiment had a unique honor - they could wear their unit badge on the front and the back of their caps. They gained this right in the Napoleonic Wars, when, in one battle, they were already engaged in their front and a new enemy force assailed their rear. All they did was turn the rear rank around and begin firing in the other direction -- but to do this "simple" task successfully was so unheard-of that the unit was honored forever after.
We have some very detailed descriptions of exactly what happened to deep formations in Napoleonic times when they began to collapse. In the battles between the French and Wellington, the English were usually on the defensive and deployed in reverse slope position, which protected them from French artillery bombardment. It also made it very hard for advancing French infantry to tell exactly how far they were from the English line. Since the French usually maneuvered in columns, this resulted in the French blundering into range of the English muskets while still in deep formation. The results were quite striking. The English line would stand or advance into clear view of the French, and unleash their first volley. This usually brought the French to a halt; and the first ranks of the French would return fire. Now, the rear ranks of the French column had no clear idea of what was happening at the front. As a rule, it was the men in the back who began to panic first. They didn't know what was going on up front, they couldn't fight or even see the enemy, but they could tell something had gone wrong.
It is worth noting that military manuals of the Byzantine period emphasize that the best/most experienced and senior man is in the front row of a column - and that the next best man is at the back. This is a critical position.
Turning a fighting line around is not a trivial matter. For the first thing, it is quite possible no one realized enemy cavalry were in the rear until the enemy horsemen were almost on top of them. Yes, a group of horsemen are noisy, but so are 40,000 (or so) marching/fighting/dying legionaries. They might not have been heard until it was too late. They would be hard to see. Battlefields are notoriously dusty, noisy places, and uniforms and flags were not as standardized as they would be in the 18th and 19th centuries. The problem of recognizing friend from foe (and the secondary problem of friendly fire) have always plagued armies, let alone when the foe is coming from a direction they aren't supposed to be at.
One modern case in point is the British Gloucester regiment. This regiment had a unique honor - they could wear their unit badge on the front and the back of their caps. They gained this right in the Napoleonic Wars, when, in one battle, they were already engaged in their front and a new enemy force assailed their rear. All they did was turn the rear rank around and begin firing in the other direction -- but to do this "simple" task successfully was so unheard-of that the unit was honored forever after.
Felix Wang
