Explain why the Napoleonic Tactics were so successful.

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Explain why the Napoleonic Tactics were so successful?

The Napoleonic tactics were incredibly successful for many reasons. Napoleon was one of the greatest military leaders in history and emperor of France. He conquered much of Europe using his own tactics on the battlefield. The infantry was the foundation of Napoleonic tactics, as infantrymen were numerically the largest force on the battlefield.

The musket was the standard weapon carried by the vast majority of soldiers. The musket had a short effective range. It was slow to reload compared to modern weapons with highly-trained soldiers able to fire about once every 15–20 seconds.

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Many of the soldiers on the Napoleonic battlefields were sometimes only kept on it through desire of glory. To overcome their individual inclination to self-preservation and to provide effective firepower, the infantry regiments fought shoulder-to-shoulder, at least two or three lines deep, firing in volleys.

During the stages of the French Revolutionary Wars, troops in French armies often attacked in column formation in an attempt to drive through enemy lines by sheer weight of numbers; against enemy units already weakened by the fire from skirmishers or artillery; this was often successful, because the enemy fought in lines. The greatest advantage by using the column formation would rest ...

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