Was the American Civil War inevitible?

[Razgovory]

They didn't fight the same way.  The cavalry charge disappeared, as did the square and the column.

The cavalry charge remained.  It was seen during the civil war, but wasn't common.  The US didn't have tradition of heavy cavalry but men with lances and armor were maintained by European powers till WWI.  Column formation was still used, though squares were not since the threat of lancers was low.

[Berkut]

Column formation became a strictly movement formation. It was no longer used as a combat formation. That alone is a significant change. And of course there were more.

Engagement ranges were often not that much longer, but that is because finding terrain where you could not be engaged at rifle range became a necessity, so the importance of terrain became that much more critical.

[mongers]

[Siege mode]

Shakira says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYbcVK2jjXc

[/Siege mode]

[PDH]

The closest thing to a columnar attack was Hancock at the Mule Shoe.  15,000 men in a huge column was such a clusterfuck that it was not a great idea.

Now Upton's attack earlier showed that assault in the Civil War could happen.

[Razgovory]

Column formation became a strictly movement formation. It was no longer used as a combat formation. That alone is a significant change. And of course there were more.

Engagement ranges were often not that much longer, but that is because finding terrain where you could not be engaged at rifle range became a necessity, so the importance of terrain became that much more critical.

Was this different then American practices in the war of 1812?

[Viking]

I remember one from the Crimean War

[Admiral Yi]

They used smoothbores in the Crimean.

[jimmy olsen]

From wikipedia:

However, historians such as Allen C. Guelzo reject this traditional criticism of Civil War infantry tactics. Casualty estimates compared with expended ammunition from battles indicate 1 casualty for every 250 - 300 shots discharged, not a dramatic improvement over Napoleonic casualty rates. No contemporary accounts indicate that engagement ranges with substantial casualties between infantry occurred at ranges beyond Napoleonic engagement ranges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifles_in_the_American_Civil_War

That number probably isn't that much different now, what with the common use of automatic weapons. Are you going to say those aren't qualitatively different then muskets and have not changed the way men fight?

[Admiral Yi]

They used smoothbores in the Crimean.

And anyway, any history buff worth his salt should remember three.

[Razgovory]

From wikipedia:

However, historians such as Allen C. Guelzo reject this traditional criticism of Civil War infantry tactics. Casualty estimates compared with expended ammunition from battles indicate 1 casualty for every 250 - 300 shots discharged, not a dramatic improvement over Napoleonic casualty rates. No contemporary accounts indicate that engagement ranges with substantial casualties between infantry occurred at ranges beyond Napoleonic engagement ranges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifles_in_the_American_Civil_War

That number probably isn't that much different now, what with the common use of automatic weapons. Are you going to say those aren't qualitatively different then muskets and have not changed the way men fight?

The big advantage of automatic weapons is they fire faster, so you would expect more bullets shot per minute, which is true (the hit rate is probably much, much lower).  The advantage of rifles is their accuracy, so you would expect higher hit rates, but we don't see that.

[Eddie Teach]

[Siege mode]

Shakira says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYbcVK2jjXc

[/Siege mode]

Too old and too fat for Siege. 

[Razgovory]

I don't know if the "Bikini armor" thing has decrease, it may have just decreased in the games we play.  I think it's a bigger thing in console games.

[Syt]

[Siege mode]

Shakira says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYbcVK2jjXc

[/Siege mode]

But what about the Anaconda Plan?

[Syt]

I don't know if the "Bikini armor" thing has decrease, it may have just decreased in the games we play.  I think it's a bigger thing in console games.

General Lee in bikini armor would be a disturbing image.

[Viking]

They used smoothbores in the Crimean.

Smoothbore horses for cavalry charges? I was referring to cavalry charges in the Crimean War and how viable they were as a tactic of war.