How do I train longbowmen?

[English assassin]

The English were also very good a musketry battles, because they had a solid wall of lead going towards the enemy with her volley. It was a great wave effect when they fired, right down the line one at a time. I forget what this is called but they speak of it alot in the Bernard Cornwell Sharpe's Series.

The British Army traditionally put a lot of training into musketry, and even in modern times spend a lot more time worrying about the ability of an individual infantryman to shoot accurately at long range than many other armies.

In Napoloenic times it was standard practice to hold part of a regiment's volley back, so that notwithstanding the slow rate of fire of the musket a more or less continuous fire was maintained. I am not sure why that was so much more effective than one large volley, possibly because with one large volley the men at the head of the enemy column are shot more than once, wasting fire, possibly because if the first part volley was held back until the enemy was close, then if they continued advancing the second part volley would still be available before they closed fully, and at really very short range.

But I don't think anyone these days really knows what musketry battkles were like or how they really worked.

[damage_13]

we do, as there is a lot of information out there to be researched (in just the Pennisular War alone)

The way the companies fired depended on the situation and the enemy they faced.

ripple(used by spanish), by platoon, 2,3 file cont rotation, 4+ files upwards when facing cav, single shot at 50 yards and charge (with bayonets)

accuracy wasn't even considered... cos while you're getting shot at, reloading your musket with all that smoke and din happening, just before you fire you would probably reminded nicely by your Snt to aim low at their bellies.

the platoon, company, regiment was positioned facing the threat and essentially treated like a giant shotgun. Depending on the weather, the smoke made by the first shot partially obscured the enemy anyway, by the time you had raised you musket for the third shot you were lucky to see more than 2ft in front of you anyway.

only skirmishers were used as marksmen, with the British the only european army fielding rifles for this purpose (although there were cases of company vs company engagements where the rifles where used in platoon fire shooting)

[bluebird]

I hear the British Army is again considering the Longbow as a replacement for the SA80, as you are more likely to lose a couple of fingers firing this rifle than if you were a medieval bowman.