PIKE & SHOT TACTICS - FIRST HYPOTESIS
RESTING/MARCHING FORMATION
One of the main problem I tried to solve is how really worked the mixed array formed up by pikes and shots. I read a lot of ideas and blogs and saw a lot of films on youtube as theoretically the pikes fought together with muskets. When I got my battalions arrayed 1:1 ratio it was eveident that the description done was not precise.
Considering that the proportion was 1 to 2 or 3 that means that the pikemen where really few to defend the musketeers. In somehow I tried to solve this problem moving my units of pikemen and musketeers to try to give a final answer to this question.
According to my practical simulations it is evident that the few pikemen, in case of cavalry attack, would simply form up a thin line of pikes, 2 maximum 3 rows deep to protect the musketeers.
I have never seen on paper or in renactments how it would work out this maneuvre. I tried then to simulate this system.
Considering that a single battallion (end XVII Century) in Scanian war (just to make up an exemple) would have about 80 pikemen to protect 192 pikemen, it is evident that the pikemen should have got out from the unit to form up a screening in front of the pikemen.
One of the main problem I tried to solve is how really worked the mixed array formed up by pikes and shots. I read a lot of ideas and blogs and saw a lot of films on youtube as theoretically the pikes fought together with muskets. When I got my battalions arrayed 1:1 ratio it was eveident that the description done was not precise.
Considering that the proportion was 1 to 2 or 3 that means that the pikemen where really few to defend the musketeers. In somehow I tried to solve this problem moving my units of pikemen and musketeers to try to give a final answer to this question.
According to my practical simulations it is evident that the few pikemen, in case of cavalry attack, would simply form up a thin line of pikes, 2 maximum 3 rows deep to protect the musketeers.
I have never seen on paper or in renactments how it would work out this maneuvre. I tried then to simulate this system.
Considering that a single battallion (end XVII Century) in Scanian war (just to make up an exemple) would have about 80 pikemen to protect 192 pikemen, it is evident that the pikemen should have got out from the unit to form up a screening in front of the pikemen.
On the top: Scanian War. 1676 Battle of Lund - The Fynske Regiment.
In this photo it is possible to see 1 Battalion of the Fynske Regiment in the marching/resting position. In the center of the array there are the pikemen (around 60) al with the pike upwards. This position can be held for wargaming as a typical for an infantry unit.
In this photo it is possible to see 1 Battalion of the Fynske Regiment in the marching/resting position. In the center of the array there are the pikemen (around 60) al with the pike upwards. This position can be held for wargaming as a typical for an infantry unit.
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ATTACKING FORMATION This photo is actually very interesting. Contrary to every wargame system, I decided to give importance to the phisical position of the men, or at least of some of them. This formation has the pikemen in the defence/attack position, while at their side the musketeers are firing towards the enemy. This was a typical attacking position towards infantry units. The central formation, made up with pikemen, is quite thinner than the other one, also because the number of pikemen was normally reduced. The pikemen in this position were ready to charge the enemy with the firing help pf the musketeers. The papersoldiers by the way give also the possibility to recreate also visually the different kind of formation: marching/resting, attacking and (as we'll se further on) defending from cavalry. |
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DEFENCE FORMATION a)
On the left, it is possible to see the moment when the pikemen are fast marching to the front of the unit to create a screening to the pikemen, in case of a cavalry attack. They are running to form the defence of the unit dividing in 2 coloumns |
DEFENDIG FORMATION b)
Above. Now the pikemen are in front of the unit ready to defend it with pikes upwards
Above. Now the pikemen are in front of the unit ready to defend it with pikes upwards
DEFENDING FORMATION c)
The pikemen lowered their pikes ready to receive the charge of the enemy cavalry.
In the center remained a space
The pikemen lowered their pikes ready to receive the charge of the enemy cavalry.
In the center remained a space
DEFENDING FORMATION d)
Finally some musketeers get out from the flank to sustain the defence and repell the cavalry, ready to come back into the formation in case of danger.
Finally some musketeers get out from the flank to sustain the defence and repell the cavalry, ready to come back into the formation in case of danger.
PIKE & SHOT TACTICS - SECOND HYPOTESIS
In this photo the battallion is in its normal position, for advancing, resting, with pikes upwards and muskets on the shoulders. The colours are in the front, indicating where to march.
The second hypotesis for how fought at the end of the XVII century. Actually the number of the pikemen decreased till 20 - 25% of the total number of men in the battalion. This meant that the system of surronding the musketeers with pikemen became impossible. There is no source explaining how actually the pikemen and the musketeers were fighting at that epoch.
I had then to rebuild the functioning from some tales about attacks in this period. As it is possible to see in this picture the colours from the front are back to the rear, defended by the pike, while the pikemen lowered their pikes to repell the attack. What seems to me to be the most important is that the increased range of fire of the muskeet and their tremendous salvos could actually cover also the front of the pikemen as in the photo above.
So the cavalry tried to shoot at pistol-range and then charge but it was very difficult to arrive so close to the infantry because of the longer range of the muskeets and because in the center they would have met the pike lowered down.
I had then to rebuild the functioning from some tales about attacks in this period. As it is possible to see in this picture the colours from the front are back to the rear, defended by the pike, while the pikemen lowered their pikes to repell the attack. What seems to me to be the most important is that the increased range of fire of the muskeet and their tremendous salvos could actually cover also the front of the pikemen as in the photo above.
So the cavalry tried to shoot at pistol-range and then charge but it was very difficult to arrive so close to the infantry because of the longer range of the muskeets and because in the center they would have met the pike lowered down.
Above: in this picture I wanted to point out the different ranges of muskeet shooting (in red) and pistol shooting (in green). The cavalry attack would be in the direction of the green arrow. The tactic of the cavalry was a mix of caracole with pistols and then charge. This photo puts in evidence why the cavalry abandoned the use of caracole to fight. Acutally, to remain in the pistol range it meant to be some meters (about 30/40 m) inside the muskeet range.
The idea adopted by the Swedes was to make an immediate double salvo very next to the cavalry attacking unit and then let the pikemen assault them while still desordered.
The idea adopted by the Swedes was to make an immediate double salvo very next to the cavalry attacking unit and then let the pikemen assault them while still desordered.
The best description of infantry tactics during the Scanian war is the account of how the Royal Guard fought at Lund 1676.
The Guards were formed up in 3 "brigades" (actually a battalion sized unit of 4 companies)
Each brigade was formed 3 ranks deep, probably due to the brigades being severly understrenght. (The average brigade strenght at Lund was 175 men plus officers)
At 80 paces from the enemy the brigade halted and commenced fire by rank. Each rank fired only once and reloaded, when the last rank had reloaded the brigade resumed the advance to a range of 10-12 paces where all 3 ranks fired together in a single salvo before charging alongside the pikemen with clubbed muskets.
The cavalry tactics were more mixed. Fieldmarshal Ascheberg's fighting instructions issued before the battle of Lund assumes that the troops would fight as in the 30YW and 2nd Nordic War of 1655-1660. A charge at the trot, front rank firing pistols at point blank range and then the unit breaking into the enemy to melee with sword & pistol.
The commander of the King's Life Regiment of Horse, Nils Bielke had spent time with the French army during the Dutch War and this inspired him to test new tactics in the battle of Halmstad. There he and his regiment charged "sword in hand", what Bielke considered to be fighting "in the French manner" and something not used before in the "North" according to him. (The last is a bit of an exaggeration).
However despite the succes the Life Regiment had enjoyed with charging sword at Halmstad they still used firearms extensivly at Lund in late 1676.
When Lieutenant-General Fersen encountered the King's Life Regiment in the battle of Lund the men were advancing with carbine in hand and asked which method to use in the fighting. Fersen's answer was to use the pistols because then they would get to see the white of the enemies eyes. Upon this the Liferegiment let their carbines fall to the side and drew pistols.
Later on in the battle at one of Liferegiment squadrons reverted to the use of carbines and regimental commander Bielke describes how they fought with caracolls like the Danes. They got roughtly handled as a result and was charged through by the Danes who captured the standard.
Bielke describes how his men were contiually "at the charge with pistols and more with the sword" for an hour and a later passage also suggest that the Swedes fired in the charge if they could.
The Danish choice of "fighting with caracolls" at Lund was a tactic chosen because the Swedes had weak and tired horses according to Dahlberg. Nils Bielke describes how he and his men took significant casulties from the Danes during their long running fight with the Danish left wing because the Danes fired at some range and then used their stronger and better fed horses to witdraw from the vengefull Swedes. Given the severe Swedish losses in the battle (at least 40% possibly 50%)the Danish way of fighting was probably not limited to caracolls and the use of fire & caracoll against the Swedes was not in itself inefficient at causing casulties.
It's worth noting that many Swedish cavalry regiments at times suffered from serious shortage of firearms. Particularly in 1678 regiment after regiment is reported as having neither carbines nor pistols when mustered. So the trooper would have had no choice but to charge sword in hand. This could also apply to the numerous "emergency units" of dragoons that were hastily raised during the war and which seem to have fought mounted in at least some actions.
(from the site http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=320082)
The Guards were formed up in 3 "brigades" (actually a battalion sized unit of 4 companies)
Each brigade was formed 3 ranks deep, probably due to the brigades being severly understrenght. (The average brigade strenght at Lund was 175 men plus officers)
At 80 paces from the enemy the brigade halted and commenced fire by rank. Each rank fired only once and reloaded, when the last rank had reloaded the brigade resumed the advance to a range of 10-12 paces where all 3 ranks fired together in a single salvo before charging alongside the pikemen with clubbed muskets.
The cavalry tactics were more mixed. Fieldmarshal Ascheberg's fighting instructions issued before the battle of Lund assumes that the troops would fight as in the 30YW and 2nd Nordic War of 1655-1660. A charge at the trot, front rank firing pistols at point blank range and then the unit breaking into the enemy to melee with sword & pistol.
The commander of the King's Life Regiment of Horse, Nils Bielke had spent time with the French army during the Dutch War and this inspired him to test new tactics in the battle of Halmstad. There he and his regiment charged "sword in hand", what Bielke considered to be fighting "in the French manner" and something not used before in the "North" according to him. (The last is a bit of an exaggeration).
However despite the succes the Life Regiment had enjoyed with charging sword at Halmstad they still used firearms extensivly at Lund in late 1676.
When Lieutenant-General Fersen encountered the King's Life Regiment in the battle of Lund the men were advancing with carbine in hand and asked which method to use in the fighting. Fersen's answer was to use the pistols because then they would get to see the white of the enemies eyes. Upon this the Liferegiment let their carbines fall to the side and drew pistols.
Later on in the battle at one of Liferegiment squadrons reverted to the use of carbines and regimental commander Bielke describes how they fought with caracolls like the Danes. They got roughtly handled as a result and was charged through by the Danes who captured the standard.
Bielke describes how his men were contiually "at the charge with pistols and more with the sword" for an hour and a later passage also suggest that the Swedes fired in the charge if they could.
The Danish choice of "fighting with caracolls" at Lund was a tactic chosen because the Swedes had weak and tired horses according to Dahlberg. Nils Bielke describes how he and his men took significant casulties from the Danes during their long running fight with the Danish left wing because the Danes fired at some range and then used their stronger and better fed horses to witdraw from the vengefull Swedes. Given the severe Swedish losses in the battle (at least 40% possibly 50%)the Danish way of fighting was probably not limited to caracolls and the use of fire & caracoll against the Swedes was not in itself inefficient at causing casulties.
It's worth noting that many Swedish cavalry regiments at times suffered from serious shortage of firearms. Particularly in 1678 regiment after regiment is reported as having neither carbines nor pistols when mustered. So the trooper would have had no choice but to charge sword in hand. This could also apply to the numerous "emergency units" of dragoons that were hastily raised during the war and which seem to have fought mounted in at least some actions.
(from the site http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=320082)
