There were 2 reasons for that:one was that the musket was a very inaccurate weapon,thus the need to get as close as possible for the salvo to really damage the enemy line.The other was the psychological effect of a line that advanced without seemingly being affected by the defenders fire.The Swedes during Karl XII were particularly good at this,advancing up until 5-10m,firing,then charging.It worked damn well in nearly all battles,even at Poltava.Arthur Wellesley did the same at Assaye and he destroyed 15000 natives trained in European fashion with 7 battalions of Highlanders.The other 50000 Marathas fled once they saw what happened to their elite force.
Marshal Aleksandr Suvorov used to say that the bullet was a fool,the bayonet a hero.
Marshal Aleksandr Suvorov used to say that the bullet was a fool,the bayonet a hero.
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