Linear tactics, embodied in line infantry, is the doctrine of drawing infantry up in shallow, extended lines two or three ranks deep to deliver coordinated massed volleys of musket or rifle fire. Its origins are commonly attributed to the late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century reforms of Maurice of Nassau in the Dutch army, and it was further developed and made more flexible by Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, an early adopter who learned from Dutch practice.
Facts
Core ClaimInfantry drawn up in shallow, extended lines of two or three ranks can bring the largest possible number of muskets to bear in a single coordinated volley. 1 Origin YearCirca; the cited source attributes the origin to Maurice of Nassau's Dutch army reforms of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries generally, without a single founding year, so 1590 marks the start of that broader window rather than one dated event. Cross-Tradition Connections
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Line Infantry
Wikipedialead paragraphQuote, lead paragraph
Line infantry was a type of infantry that trained and organized to fight in linear formations, usually arranged two or three ranks deep, to deliver coordinated volleys of musket or rifle fire.
1. Wikipedia: Line Infantry
Wikipediahistory sectionQuote, history section
began in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, with its origins commonly attributed to reforms by Maurice of Nassau and the Dutch army
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