Reply To: Instances of skirmishers driving off formed infantry?

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

In wooded and rough terrain, it probably happened all the time.  It is very difficult for formed troops to do much cohesive maneuvering at anything above company level so they cannot easily bring their concentrated firepower to bear, certainly not a whole battalion.

 

Skirmishers would never get themselves into a prolonged firefight, if you define such as being under say a hundred paces distance, so formed infantry must either advance to drive them off, absorb the hits, or withdraw…all depending on officers, training and elan. Exchanging  long  range fire with the skirmishers in their dispersed target formation while presenting a dense target themselves was ultimately a losing proposition for the formed troops.

Mick Hayman
Margate and New Orleans