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Napoleonic tactics describe certain battlefield principles used by national armies from the ... They often led a charge or a counter-charge when the fighting was at ...
The category contains articles about tactical formations and tactics used by armies during the Napoleonic Wars. Pages in category "Tactical formations of the Napoleonic Wars" The following 11 pages are in this category, out of 11 total.
The line, column, and square formations were the most recognised tactical formations in use during the Napoleonic era. [2] Each of these formations had its own unique purpose in attacking or counter-attacking and no doubt played a large role in battlefield tactics. The line formation was the most favoured amongst the British infantry.
Greek infantry charge with the bayonet during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. The development of the bayonet in the late 17th century led to the bayonet charge becoming the main infantry charge tactic through the 18th and 19th centuries and well into the first half of the 20th century. As early as the 19th century, tactical scholars were already ...
The charge of the French Cuirassiers at the Battle of Waterloo against a British square. As used in the Napoleonic Wars, the formation was constituted as a hollow square or sometimes a rectangle , with each side composed of two or more ranks of soldiers armed with single-shot muskets or rifles with fixed bayonets .
The rupture in the enemy lines allowed Napoleon's cavalry to flank both lines and roll them up leaving his opponent no choice but to surrender or flee. The second strategy used by Napoleon when confronted with two or more enemy armies was the use of the central position. This allowed Napoleon to drive a wedge to separate the enemy armies.
The grenadier units had, by the time of the Napoleonic Wars, ceased using the hand-thrown grenades, and were largely known for being composed of physically big men, sometimes veterans of previous military campaigns, frequently relied upon for shock actions. They otherwise used the same arms and tactics as the line infantry. Light infantry
Napoleon rather studied his enemy via domestic newspapers, diplomatic publications, maps, and prior documents of military engagements in the theaters of war in which he would operate. It was this stout and constant study of the enemy which made Napoleon the military mastermind of his time.