Quote Originally Posted by Intrepid Sidekick
This all depends on the nation doing the advancing/assault. But nice to know thats what Swedes did.
I was reffering to the Swedes, but maybe i was a little inprecise. The reason for the Swedish silence (I believe) is that while Swedish batallions advanced very fast towards the enemy lines whitout fireing, the adversaries kept fireing continously by line, or more propable by this time, platoons. Blackpowder produces enormous amounts of white, stinking smoke, so on a windstill, or nearly so, day it would be like trowing smoke grenades just in front of you. Even in a windy day the visibility would be impaired after a couple of salvoes.

At seventy steps away from the enemy the rear two lines of the Swedish musketeers would step up beside the front two lines and fire a salvo. At thirty steps, the grenadieers would throw their grenades, and they and the front two rows of musketeers would fire. After that all musketeers and grenadiers would draw their rapiers, the pikeneers would lower their pikes and all would immediatly assault.

The psykological impact of suddenly facing hundreds of enemies coming out of the smoke, as from nowhere, in complete silence, just in front of you, would create much more "chock and awe" than if they had been screaming like football hooligans all the time. BTW commands would have been given in a calm and somber voice, no louder than absolutely necesary. No silly "prussian" screaming in falsetto, like your trousers is to snug.