The way musket infantry fought in open battles during this era was both incredibly brave and foolish. The Continental army and the British army employed the same brave combat methods. Soldiers would stand in rows, muskets on their shoulders, then beat small drums and blow pipes, advancing in unison.
When the two sides were about a hundred paces apart, close enough for soldiers on both sides to see the expressions on each other's faces, the commander would shout "Halt!" Then another shout of "Raise your guns!" would have the soldiers lifting their muskets skyward. A third shout of "Aim!" would direct the muzzles towards the enemy, and finally, "Fire!" would unleash a volley of shots.
Everyone had a roughly equal chance for the first shot. What followed was a competition of speed in firing the second and third shots. Soldiers in the middle ranks were forbidden from lying down or retreating; they had to stand there fearlessly.
Even if the enemy commander shouted "Aim!" first, and their own commander was still shouting "Raise your guns!", they had to patiently wait for the enemy to fire, unable to skip the "Aim!" command and attack prematurely.
Thus, in the first engagement between the two sides, unless one side fled first, it was like harvesting wheat: as soon as the guns fired, soldiers on both sides would fall simultaneously. If one fell, someone from the rear ranks would immediately step forward to fill the gap, continuing to bravely fire in rhythm.
After several volleys, the side with faster firing and heavier firepower would naturally decimate the enemy's front few ranks, disrupting their formation. Their own front ranks would also have sustained casualties.
This was the time for the rear army to charge. Similarly, those with faster reloading speeds and better training could still form ranks and shoot the enemy after clashing. Those with slower reloading speeds would have no choice but to resort to bayonet fighting.
When the Continental army and the British army engaged, a charge typically occurred within three volleys; without charging, they would simply be shot down one by one. While charging often still led to failure, it offered a slim chance of victory.
However, despite its foolishness, this method persisted until the era of Napoleon. It was because it better showcased the bravery of the musket infantry and was the most effective and direct way to resolve a battle. If one did not fight in this foolish manner, a prolonged war would ensue, which would be detrimental to both warring parties.
It was not until the mid-to-late American Civil war, when machine guns first appeared on the front lines, that army commanders realized it was time to abolish this rapid, slaughter-like combat method. Trench warfare, positional warfare, and similar tactics began to take center stage in history.
As for the so-called "three-stage volley" , one prone, one kneeling, one standing, firing in concentrated volleys , while highly effective against other troop types like cavalry or pikemen, it was utterly impractical in such musket duels. The three-stage volley was primarily famous in Japanese games, and its historical standing is not high; in actual large-scale musket-on-musket battles, it was rarely used.
Japanese historical records, in fact, cannot even clearly describe whether the correct three-stage volley involved three separate teams reloading, priming, and firing, or if a single gun required three people to operate. The correct method was only deduced through modern research.
In cinematic portrayals of the later American Revolutionary war, a combat method somewhat resembling the three-stage volley did appear: a two-stage volley based on different gun types, where militiamen, using accurate rifles, fired from a prone position, while regular Continental army soldiers, using smoothbore muskets, fired while standing. This surprisingly achieved miraculous results. However, as soon as this scene appeared, it drew criticism from many military strategists and historians, who deemed it entirely a directorial fabrication.
Washington nodded, seemingly agreeing with Charles' view, but he did not accept his suggestion.
"The disadvantage in open battle stems from the training disparity of our soldiers, which cannot be remedied in the short term. Your idea of avoiding open battle is excellent, but unfortunately, the British army has many cannons. If we hold a fixed position, we might be shelled to death by the British army's cannons without even engaging in combat. Only when both sides are entangled in an open battle, allowing the British army to fire as few cannons as possible, will the Continental army have a fair chance at a decisive battle."
Many soldiers of the Continental army were originally militiamen and hunters. When hunting, they emphasized accuracy and stability, aiming for a single fatal shot. They were not good at controlling firing speed, falling below the world average for soldiers—three shots per minute—and could only manage a maximum of two shots per minute.
The British army, on the other hand, consisted of professional soldiers who prioritized speed and stability, focusing on the power of collective firepower. Each soldier could fire three or four times a minute. The strongest German army at the time, under the command of Frederick the Great, could achieve five shots per minute.
When both sides engaged in an unmasked firefight on flat open ground, the British army, with its faster firing speed, naturally emerged victorious. In fact, the steadier and more fearless the Continental army was in battle, the greater their casualties. As British army soldiers fired rapidly and in unison, Continental army soldiers fell in rows, causing not only actual casualties but also immense psychological terror.
Many Continental army soldiers who lacked formal training would turn and flee, leading to a complete rout of the entire battlefield. In fact, this was also the reason why America, despite having more accurate rifled muskets than smoothbore muskets, still chose smoothbore muskets as the standard weapon for its regular army.
Rifled muskets were very accurate, but they were largely useless in open field battles. On the contrary, their slow reloading speed would further reduce the number of shots per minute.
"Yes. Although we must engage the British army in open battle, I believe that cities are not suitable for open battle, nor for artillery bombardment. So, if you are determined to hold New York, you might consider adding anti-bombardment firing points within the city to obstruct the British army. Delay the British army's advance as much as possible. After all, the British army's logistics supply is different from ours; as long as we can delay the British army's advance, even if it's just by dragging out their logistics, we can wear them down until they collapse," Charles finally suggested.
This could be considered an advanced form of urban warfare.
Washington nodded solemnly, stating:
"I will give it careful consideration. While I personally do not wish to involve civilian property in the war, if the situation becomes critical, I will have no choice but to make that decision."
Charles nodded silently.
At this point, only Washington would still be thinking about protecting civilian property.
As for interfering with the future course of the war, he could only do so much. He felt his abilities and knowledge were limited; he could only produce equipment slightly better in quality than current muskets, and was utterly incapable of creating era-defining machine guns. To defeat the British army, he could only focus on tactics and combat methods.
Unfortunately, traditional concepts were very strong at this time. Although he had clearly articulated the principles of positional warfare, Washington seemed to have grasped little. It was like those stubborn generals in history who, despite knowing the power of machine guns, still made their soldiers line up in rows to fire, only accepting change after personally witnessing their soldiers fall one by one.
Hopefully, Washington is a sufficiently wise general, otherwise he will be exhausted in the future.
"However, once the war officially begins, there will certainly be a large number of casualties. Our current medicines are still very scarce; even with money, we cannot buy enough. How is the medicine research you mentioned last time progressing?"
"Medicine?"
Charles had just returned to Philadelphia and immediately went to Kiel's laboratory, handing over coal tar and some newly collected herbs for him to analyze and research. Afterwards, he rushed to the Continental Congress to participate in discussions, not even having time to deal with bank and branch company matters.
How could he have time to inquire about the status of medicine research? He had only heard from James, who was left in charge, that several experiments to process herbs into traditional Chinese medicine had apparently failed.
However, he still assured, "I have already made arrangements for the research on medicine. Once progress is made, I will certainly provide it to the Continental army at a preferential rate. Furthermore, now that I am on the Military Committee, I will also prioritize funding for medicine. The Continental Congress' finances are ample now, so there will certainly be no shortage of funds for the military in this regard."
"Good! Charles, then I'll leave the medicine research to you. America is sparsely populated to begin with, and every soldier is a vital force, especially those who have been on the battlefield. If we can save one, we must save one…"
Washington rode his horse forward, speaking with emotion to Charles.
Charles saw Washington off to outside Philadelphia, said goodbye to the other farewell-goers, and then slowly led his subordinates back to his home.
Shortly after re-entering the city, Charles saw a familiar castle in the distance—the magnificent palace-style castle that Biddle had once shown him.
Last time, standing in front of the lawn, he only noticed its exquisite architecture. This time, looking at it from afar, he realized it was not merely exquisite, but truly a palace-style building with grand architecture and elegant layout.
The least valuable thing in America was land. The lawn surrounding this castle alone extended over a hundred meters from the castle walls. On the other three sides, beyond the main gate of the lawn, various flowers, shrubs, and tall trees were planted in ascending order of height. Standing in front of the main lawn, one wouldn't feel anything special, but viewed from afar, the castle gave the overall impression of a small palace hidden within a forest.
However, at this moment, a very unseemly scene seemed to be unfolding in front of the castle's main gate. Two women dressed as servants were desperately pulling a thin woman with disheveled hair and tattered clothes out of the castle.