Matthew Broderick Experiences The Horrors of War | Glory (1989) | Now Playing
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2023
- GLORY is NOW PLAYING and can be found to Rent or Buy here: DP.SonyPictures.com/Glory
Robert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
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"It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell." - William Tecumseh Sherman
sherman was the real deal
"War is war and hell is hell, because hell doesn't have innocent bystanders." - Hawkeye
Oddly poignant coming from a bloodthirsty savage like him.
@@rhone733 sounds like something the Hawkeye character from the tv show M.A.S.H. said. Not the Hawkeye from the James Fenimore Cooper novel.
@@rhone733 Was just thinking the same thing. “And then he went out to burn more women and children as he cried out for vengeance”
That part where the officer gets his head blown to bits is just harrowing. Certainly dispels any illusions of the ‘glory’ of battle.
There's glory in killing, there's no glory in dying.
He could still be alright
@@halfrightface A bit of bed rest and he’ll be right as rain
Dulce et decorum est. (look it up)
Catching a .58 caliber mini ball with your teeth will do that do you
No matter how many times I read about it in history books, no matter how many times I see it in movies, the idea of setting yourself up as a target and relying on SHEER CHANCE is a concept I'll never wrap my head around.
They definitely had their reasons, or it wouldn’t have been the de facto way of fighting back in those days. It was easier to communicate between different units in a time before radio, and it was also an easier way of massing fires onto your enemy in a time before the invention of smokeless powder. Battlefields of these days were extremely choked up with smoke, so it was easy to lose your own guys or other sister units in attacks or defenses.
Not a good way to fight, granted, and I’d never want to fight that way. But it was for more strategic reasons of the day was the reason they fought like that.
Building on @YoWatTheHeck a common misconception is that all of these battles were on large empty fields and everyone stood in lines trading fire until the one of them gave up. In reality, it would often be one big game of chicken, with one side attempting to advance into melee range on the other faster than the other side could shoot. The Civil War muddies these waters further due to the irregular tactics of confederate soldiers, who would ambush the enemy and flee further up/down the road before return fire could reach them all to do it over again.
There's way more factoring into it, but the common foot soldier had more options available to them than just standing there and praying (though admittedly, that *was* a big chunk of it)
Exactly what I was thinking watching this. Compared to how we fight now, it's amazing how humans evolve in many aspects. To create new strategies, tactics, and weaponry. Or just the evolution of society in general. Sadly, nowadays in America, it appears we are trying to make life, too easy. Without struggle or pain, or inconvenience. But as the saying goes "competition breeds evolution". Growth (in various capacities) comes from hardships.
if you are living easy you must be a rich cunt. I'm not from America, but know it's history and politics. as long as there are two parties whose goal is only to make money and look after their rich mates, there will always be hardship. any changes they make to make life "easier" are simply concessions to attempt to pacify the poor and working and farming classes @@gabrielgarcia-zw8fu
In a world without radios for every few men it was necessary for communication and movement. These battles were won by tactics, not sharpshooters.
That soldier crying as they cut off his leg haunted me since the first time I saw this movie
Done without anesthetic or pain killers (short of a snort of whiskey) of any kind, too. And given how there were no antibiotics, he probably died of infection from the amputation anyways as it was a very common occurrence.
@@Soldier4USA2005Thats mostly a misconception. Most procedures then were done with some sort of anesthesia.
@@Hinestyler2 This was done during battle and away from supply lines sometimes.
Supply runs out or they save it for those they know they can save when low.
@@Soldier4USA2005 Anesthesia had existed for long enough for surgeons to begin refusing operations if they had no anesthesia. The guy getting amputated was just a bad way to show it - he would be under shock, lost a lot of blood and the torniquet would've numbed off the limb. He would not have been able to resist like that, because for whatever reason they want to amputate without any sort of anesthesia.
Same here. Fifth grade (1990) in history class, I’ll never forget it 😳
An overlooked detail of Matthew Broderick’s acting is when he comes to after that little kick from Morgan Freeman . He lifts his head and immediately sees Freeman’s grayish trousers and wide brimmed hat . He Seems to believe momentarily, that he’s been captured by the Confederates, before Freeman steps in front of the sun. It’s a subtle little gem of acting and completely believable since he’s been knocked out for a while.
I think you are overanalyzing. I didn't see that at all.
Well spotted
Mmm that's good trivia lol
@@mrmacguff1n: To those that imagine it happened that way, yes.
I appreciate all the subtleties you pointed out. I rewatched the clip with that in mind and I do see/feel the relief in the Captain as he realizes it’s an ally who’s prodding him.
However, I can’t help but notice (and I wonder if Freeman’s character noticed as well), how clean the Captain’s coat looks. Other can a somewhat bloody gash in the cheek and then the neck. His head wasn’t hit, his torso is and and other limbs are intact. How did he pass out so easily? It helps reveal a little bit the early cowardice of the Captain, and how early in the battle he *went down*.
*Note: I say cowardice without any malice on my part. I’ve never been in a battle, and this was his first. Anyone of us could have been in his situation, and find themselves overwhelmed by it.
“We fight for men and women whose poetry is not yet written but which will presently be as enviable and as renowned as any.” Wow.
At 8:21, That poor solider..."..please don't cut anymore please!"
Damn.
Always hated that part. Has stuck with me since I was young
Yeah, but contrary to popular belief most Of the amputations in the civil war were indeed done under anesthesia, either chloroform or ether.
@@hardcorehunter9438Thank you for sharing!! Big misconception there!
Must’ve ran out of pain killers, in that era, with that large of an influx of wounded, damn.
@@hardcorehunter9438still though, they could easily have ran out forcing them to perform surgery without. Dances with Wolves at least provided lip service at the beginning by one of the surgeons mentioning they were out of ether.
One of the most brutal aspects of this scene is that after Robert wakes up and walks around, he sees that the battle is still ongoing. To me, it says something about the futility of war and how quickly those moments of extreme terror or bravery are forgotten.
To me I also felt a sort of comfort form it, that despite everything time marches on. Even this battle will just become history in a day, two days or whatever.
War never ends. Battles might end but wars will continue to be fought internally.
The movie is titled "Glory" because after this opening scene the rest of the character's experience is on borrowed time. He already died in his own mind, and when he comes back it's obvious that any more participation in the war is futile. Yet he carries on with what he has left in him, for a cause that has found him, wherever that goes.
That's Glory.
There is a video I watched on the reason it was named glory, something to do with the book it was based off of
Then he goes on to die for real, just the real Shaw did, and be remembered for the rest of American history.
8:00 The actor portraying the hospital orderly taking care of Capt. Shaw also played the part of Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager.
Thank you! recognized the voice but couldnt place the face!
Yea I thought the same. But didn't see the face clearly to tell for sure
ETHAN PHILLIPS!
Shaw all of 24 leading a hundred men into a desperate and deadly battle in the bloodiest single day battle in American history.Different time, you grew up fast in war.
At 24 he was old.
I remember showing this movie to my history class in 7th grade back than we were taught about the country and world as a whole. We didn't spend a few days on a subject we spent weeks.
I drive past Antietam battlefield regularly. Haunts me each time I pass it.
Weil?
@@philipppaasch8929antietam was one of our bloodiest fights.
@@philipppaasch8929 No Kurt Weil wasnt there. He was born long after the Civil War.
@@mikeoyler2983 okay, jetzt ist kompletter Absturz? 😅😄
I'd be scared to drive around there at night. That place has got to be haunted.
Was lucky enough to see this movie in class in highschool. Must be blowing up on the algorithm, deserves a full rewatch. Forgot just how brutal it was. I think people need to be exposed to this.
Same and yes!
The medic! The medic talking to him! It's Neelix!
Thank you that was going to make me a little nuts, I couldn’t place him.
No way lol
He is also half of Tuvix
Waa laberst du?
Haha... it really is... no matter where Neelix ends up... seems he always has friends who has friends
I love that scene when Morgan Freeman gives him a little kick-"You alright there captain?" I don't know why? Maybe just foreshadowing of things to come?
This movie is so good. The scene where Denzil's character is whipped and he stares with a single tear falling down his face is heartbreaking and such good acting.
Read it was a real whip but less harmful softer..the tears were real it still hurt him
Denzel won Best Supporting Actor for his role.
One of Matthew Broderick's best movies.
Still say that he should have been nominated for an Oscar for this one.
@@brianswanigan9891dein Ernst?
Honestly the only role I believed from him, everything else is meh
Remember when you could have hundreds of extras on the film set? I participated in two such massive shoots. Whilst it was no great battle, it was fun to be part of something so grand.
Walking into battle like that is just madness
Not gonna lie, I was tearing up in the last thirty seconds.
Can you imagine the PTSD from back then?
Nope and I don't want to.
Walking straight into enemy fire as your friends and fellow soldiers die around you is a special kind of messed up.
That's why everyone drank so much.
@Soldier4USA2005 I genuinely can't wrap my head around how warfare eventually evolved into taking turns killing each-other from long distances until you're close enough to kill with melee weapons. That's screwed up
@@averagejoe8358 Evolution of warfare.
Single shot weapons that were horribly inaccurate (generally, some were better than others) and required volley fire to be effective.
@@Soldier4USA2005At this point however muskets and cannon had gotten much more accurate. The problem was the tactics hadn't really evolved to factor that in yet. Part of why the Civil War was so bloody.
That tried & true tactic of slowly marching towards artillery in an entrenched elevated position.
Right!?!? 🤦
Omg that soldier getting his leg cut off the civil war was very brutal
Grammatik? Englisch?
Huh. Neelix was the doctor doin' up Broderick's wound.
The narrations of his letters in the movie are supposedly what Robert Shaw wrote to his parents
“He was waiting to do it after a big victory, which is I guess what this is.” Powerful line, just adding “I guess” to it
This film still stands up all these years later.
The tactics were insane.
Still one the best! Cant believe it's been like 30 something years ago, I remember when it first came out, and wondering how Mathew B. was going to do in this film since he always was a more comic actor - but it has a superb cast! RIP 'Snowflake':( but a great film that will stand the test of time...one of the finest depiction of the Civil War, especially highlighting the contribution of the 54th Regiment and others.. I cry every time is see it..
the sounds of the soldier screaming as the doctor saws away at the soldier's leg the shadows tell you what's going on .
lol he just got a little scratch the other dude getting an amputation
How is God's name did he not win the Oscar for this as Shaw??? There are not many movies that touched my soul, this is one of them.... 👍👍👍👍👍
Not sure who said this, but it stuck with me. "The Glory of War is covered in blood that saved no one".
The Battle of Antietam had 22,000 casualties in one day. It was the bloodiest day in American history. Remember, these were ALL Americans that were casualties. many of the neb who were killed in the battle were buried in hasty dug graves by the Black men. After the battles the bodies were dug up and reburied in mass graves for those who could not be identified or were returned to the families if requested.
Canon balls move pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while...
HAHA!…That’s Awesome!🤩🤣🤩
Cannon balls were just one worry. Most artillery could also shoot rounds that exploded overhead, throwing shrapnel as well as cannister fire which turned a howitzer into a shotgun from Hell.
@@douglaslorin739 you missed the reference lol
Fun fact! In 1987, Matthew Broderick caused a car accident that cost the lives of a mother and daughter in Ireland. He was fined £100.
yeah and it was quickly memory holed because he was supposed to be the lead in some other big movie (which didn't happen obviously)
And they never got justice. Lovely.
Fun fact it is not.
@@MountVernonTrucking who the fuck asked you
Jennifer Grey was in the car with him. She suffered severe whiplash injury from the accident. That and suvivors guilt, was one of the reasons she disappeared from public eye after "Dirty Dancing" release.
I think Broderick probably got confused driving in the UK, which explains why he was driving in the wrong lane. It is easy to do--been there done that. You have to really concentrate to not revert back to US driving.
I have ancestors that fought on both sides. They all survived with minor wounds and lived up in their 70's and 80's.
This Battle of Antietam which took place in 1862, was the Union victory Lincoln needed to where it could really back up his Emancipation Proclamation.
Which was only exclusively a war measure changing the reason/cause of fighting the war, shifting from not only preserving the Union, but also abolishing slavery.
Which also was meant to cause Britain and France to turn a blind eye to this American conflict as both of those countries had already abolished slavery decades earlier. And thus never coming to the aid of the Confederacy, which they were poised to do. Given cotton/economics and all of that. But the Emancipation Proclamation was just that, a presidential proclamation, and not actual law. Thus Lincoln, being the lawyer he was sought to permanently solve the issue of slavery by lawfully changing/amending the law, by passing the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the US Constitution.
the chorus in this movies theme is heavenly.
The marksmanship of the southern soldiers was excellent because their families relied on them since they were little to provide food for the table knew some guys like that when I used to shoot competitions nicest guys you ever want to meet first time I ever ate squirrel raccoon deer rabbit and pretty much anything that moved and they used the same recipe their great grandmother used
This was probably somewhat true in the early days of the war, but, the South had a good number of untrained men as well. They definitely had better cavalry and leadership - initially. However, those advantages eroded fairly quickly. The Union consistently had better hardware (such as artillery, engineering abilities).
@@lilredcutie0Union also had more men, so they could bear the loses. The confederacy couldn’t
Hearing that poor man screaming,while getting his leg amputated so sad
All I used to do was watch this movie as a kid. Such an amazing Civil War staple.
The thing about this scene is that where the 2nd Massachusetts was positioned during the battle, there was no fence in front of them. They went into the cornfield where in this scene there is no cornfield at all. When he’s walking back there is a hill as well, with artillery firing to the west. They attacked north to south and those batteries would have been firing at nothing.
Hard to show the larger battle if all your actors are obscured by a cornfield
Good point. Historical accuracy is subject to a LOT of things when it comes to movies. Still no excuse for Napoleon. Absolutely ridiculous, to the point of insulting to history and it's fans like us.@@dantea7475
Saddens me to think of my country torn apart by the Civil War. The horrors that were experienced on both sides are too great to calculate. There is glory in death, if done for a just cause. I'm grateful that my generation, my father's and my children's generation (so far) hasn't had to unwillingly lay down their lives like previous generations of our nation did, however. We stand on the shoulders of our previous generations and those who willingly continue to sacrifice their lives over the past 50 years, voluntarily.
it wasn't torn apart by civil war, it was torn apart by Southern barbarism and treason
marching in open fields while the enemy shoots at you. madness.
that’s all you could do with muskets, if they were all scattered they wouldn’t have any accuracy in their shots whatsoever
@@FactoryOldFork The movie Patriot seems to disagree. Not that that film is historical fact, but it seems reasonable that ambushing and hiding in tree lines could be just as effective with less risk.
Someone has to take that hill.
You either march in formation like that or get carved up by cavalry. It's not like they were stupid back then.
@@willdazey7368And where are your cannons and cavalry going to go? What will you do when you need to defend a position? America won the revolutionary war not because they fired from trees, but because the French, Dutch and Spanish supported them.
3:03 Tree bursts. After just watching Band of Brothers and now seeing this I no longer think the confederates were misfiring as I did the last time I saw this when I was younger.
I always thought that was funny, considering that artillery at the top had a low trajectory. There would be no actual reason to ever aim that high.
My guess it that they just thought the practical effect of blowing explosives off at the top of a tree looked cool. Lol
Time*
I thought Red was gonna say, “You alright there, Ferris?”
Any wound, no matter how small could lead to infection and death in those days. I am trying to imagine the mentality of these men, on both sides, fighting the war
What’s gripping when I think about it from time to time is imaging the kid who got recruited right after school to ww2 and just gets his head blown off the break. Never left town, kissed a girl, never had a chance even in battle. What kind of life and existence is that. Now in the bigger scope there were an estimated 100bn people who came and went before us 99.99999 all forgotten. No need to fret about life and especially take it for granted.
Ferris Bueller needs a day off after this.
I was not prepared for this as a fifth grader
Got hearing that man scream in the hospital tent imagine getting your leg cut off with a hacksaw with no painkiller😢
Surley they knew that marching very slowly towards the guns in rows wasn't the best offensive tactic.
08:00
Holy shite, it's Neelix.
EVERYONES FAVORITE STAR TREK CLOWN, NEELIX
Not sure, but was that also Barry Pepper holding the soldier down with amputation?
War.... war never changes 😢
What an insane way to fight a war. While all wars are a bit insane, boldly walking up-protected into entrenched positions is a bit suicidal.
Rifled muskets were introduced later in the war. Until then you had to get fairly close to the enemy. Once rifled muskets and better ammunition made its way to battlefields, the infantry tactics didn't evolve with them. It was a turkey shoot for both sides.
@@michaelnaretto3409 Yes, the Generals always seem to fight the last war. Shelby Foote’s comments the subject are right on. They lined up, massed their fire and got blown away.
@@michaelnaretto3409Rifled muskets were widely used since the beginning of the war.
@@michaelnaretto3409They had rifiled barrels since revolutionary war , look up the Kentucky rifle.
@@RFSpartan Yes, at the start of the war there were some rifled muskets, but they didn't become standard issue until later.
Love the civil war music
Antietam was a F’ing Bloodbath.
If you look closely, you can see LeVar Burton's great grandfather marching with the confederates.
It wasn’t uncommon for confederate officers to take their slaves with them to the battlefield camps to serve them in different capacities. There is supposedly a true story of a very young slave boy running onto the battlefield, after his “master” had fallen(unalive), and retrieving his master’s priceless Spanish sword. The sword was discovered in his African American descendant’s home in Detroit about 30 or 40 years ago.
Lol good one
An interest point of note regarding the US civil war was that foreign historians who came from Europe to witness and document battles such as this found both the conflict itself and the quality of the armies unremarkable and barely worth commenting on.
Holy shit, it's Neelix!
They should of paid better attention because the first world war looked a lot like this. Trenches, long range rifles, first gatling guns that made advancing in mass over open ground suicidal.
I think it was said that the civil war was one of the most brutal wars America ever faced.
Don't think I will ever understand how walking into gunfire and cannon was the best warfare strategy.
Excellent film, the correct way to tell the story of these brave men, well done 👏 ✔️ 👍
Too much Hollywood, not enough facts.
Absolute crime this movie didn't win Best Picture.
I still remember way back in grade school I had teacher who was “teaching” a history class and she wanted recommendations about what movie to watch in school about the civil war and I suggested Glory, she then brought in the movie “Road to Glory” which had nothing to do with it of course if I remember correctly. I think I was the only kid in class that could at that time out teach about history. She knew NOTHING about the civil war.
Diver City really turned out well
Incredible that anyone survived being wounded even the least injured. Nothing sterilized at all infections must have been rapid.
Just remember we lose more men during the Civil war then all our other wars 600 thousand
7:50. Neelix went to 1800s Earth to help humans. He blended in good.
Amazing tactics
This is what movies used to be like.
I remember thinking Duck Ferris in the battle of Antietam scene. Antietam was a blood bath for both sides.
Ferris Bueler Gets Shot
My favorite movie!
He always felt guilty about this. That’s why he refused to back down the next time
beautiful clip. A much better move than Gettysburg with respect to showing the lot of the common soldier and of blacks. Gettysburg probably had a less impressive budget. But, they should have inserted a scene showing the ANV enslaving free blacks in Chambersburg, PA as Lee advanced. Such a scene would have added context.
It was a made for tv movie. There wasn’t much of a budget at all. They were saved by the sheer number of civil war reenactors that volunteered. Saved them millions of dollars and time since the guys came with their own uniforms, muskets, canons and they already knew how to talk era appropriate, march in formation, etc and helped out the director with accuracy. A pretty heartwarming story if you check out the behind the scenes.
@@Nitsua2828 - yes. I've heard that and seen "behind the scenes" videos. I think Gettysburg was a very good and even beautiful movie. And it gives a decent view of the relevant strategic and grand tactical concerns, as well the "brother vs. brother" nature of the conflict in the Armistad scenes (in fact, I wish some of the cut scenes had been left in). But, I think it missed the mark with respect to slavery a bit, as discussed above.
Is that orderly at 7:50 Neelix from ST VOY? Sounds just like him... Maybe he took some R/R on the Holodeck in a Gettysburg programme of Tom Parish?
I thought I recognized the voice of that guy sewing him up and had to check. Youp, he's Ethan Philips, the guy who played Nelix on Star Trek: Voyager.
Considering that a ball of lead can punch a hole the size of a half dollar through a body is brutal as fuck. Garand Thumb has a video testing muskets, great video.
Let's walk straight at the enemy lines 😂😂😂😂
The scene that always makes me cry is when the White soldiers say, " Give Em Hell, 54th! That was the man that wrote this screenplay. Brilliant.
The guy sewing up Bueller is none other than Neelix from Star Trek: Voyager.
8:01 I recognize Neelix voice anywhere LOL
A++++ Film
I did not realize Neelix (Ethan Phillips) was in this movie. corpman at the end of this clip
Morgan Freeman could read rank as a non-enlisted and former slave. Pretty impressive.
yeah shiny silver captain bars are just so hard to read
Maybe he's buried enough to know the difference.
5:59 Robert Shaw saw the face of God outlined with beams with light, bringing a certain kind of peace to a place which could only be defined by any who fought on a battlefield as hell
“This might hurt you I’m sorry.”
Broderick, trying not to feel embarrassed as he watches a man get his leg sawed off: 👀
Has anybody here ever been to where the battles were in Antietam, Maryland? I've always wanted to go there & campout amongst the paranormal. Thoughts?
Damn. Didn't even know Ethan Phillips was in this.
One thing rarely brought up is that Matthew Broderick has a decent resemblance to Robert Gould Shaw.
I believe what we see ar 4:30 is what was described as a "maelstrom of fire."
This not just getting PTSD but in civil war in America you literally killing someone brother or uncle that in your own regiment or you end up killing them yourself or other same things war is merciless
A Civil War field hospital would be a scene of horror that none of us today can imagine. Union medical staff did have access to ether and chloroform, but usually not in the amounts that would have been needed given the large number of amputations that were performed. The best most men could expect would be a swallow of brandy or whiskey, and a surgeon who had time to heat the blades and the bone saw[heated metal cuts faster and cleaner, making it more likely the casualty would survive]and the time to properly tie up blood vessels and prepare the stump. There was no such thing as hygiene or antiseptics, but more men recovered than we might think possible.
Gone with the Wind had a similar scene… all those wounded men out in the open under that sun…
You have to respect the officer's from both sides they lead at the front
Nelix made an appearance here :)
8:07 Neelix is a time traveler I see..
The last scene is a bit Hollywood. The cases of amputation without anaesthetic during the Civil War were extremely rare, especially as early as Antietam. If it were the War of Independence or Napoleonic Wars, well, that was a different story.
I believe you can hear the doctor ask if there is some available. Still doesn't lesson the impact of such an ordeal as well as a scene from the 1993 film Gettysburg that shows severed limbs being dumped into a collection point.
@@douglaslorin739 I have never heard him ask for that before, that is genuinely interesting, I will watch that again. He is a bit of a butcher though. He is taking his time slowly chopping through that ankle. Most could do a leg in five minutes.
@@jekylthorn8969he says where’s the chloroform
Yep, I did a report on that in school. They were given ether or chloroform to knock them out first.
@@douglaslorin739There would have been some likely. It's added to spice up this scene.
I never understood the slowly walking towards the enemy thats shooting at you. Run at them. You waiting for them to run out of bullets?
Combination of factors in pre-industrial warfare made it so that advancing in good order was necessary. Firstly, generally these are not elite infantry who can Prussian goosestep into fast and accurate battlefield maneuvers -American conscript/volunteer infantry tended to be mass infantry who varied greatly in terms of military quality. Officers had enough trouble keeping them steady under artillery and musket fire, so they tended to keep their companies tight and compressed so that during the advance the mass of their men would keep moving forward. Also even though the minie ball made bullets more accurate and lethal, it still did not change the fact that massed fires were still a great way to break opposing infantry. More guns on target = more fires = faster the enemy breaks. On top of this, if your troops are not skilled enough in advancing quickly in good order, this would disorganize your troops - weakening their organized fires, not to mention make them very vulnerable to a charge by bayonets or cavalry (more likely bayonets, as American cavalry was so thoroughly unsuited for shock action, unlike European cavalry). Like I mentioned before, well trained infantry were capable of goose-stepping quickly into position in good order, and able to provide quick fires, but the American Civil War was fought almost exclusively by mass infantry of relatively dubious quality most of the time, so this was more of case where the sides had to fight with the army they had.
This had the added benefit of all your men being more likely to see you during the heat of battle, as pre-smokeless powder cartridges caused the battlefield to be blanketed by huge clouds of smoke once both sides fired a full volley- especially in low wind conditions. Visibility was a precious resource in pre-smokeless powder battlefields, and officers being able to give orders in the low visibility conditions of those battlefields was an essential necessity. This reality is something that Hollywood never quite gets right, for obvious reasons - clouds of choking smoke that makes it impossible to see the action (and film) is not very cinematic. The low visibility could be deadly for a disorganized company - they could not have enough time to react to a bayonet charge coming from behind a cloud of thick smoke.
There was a method to the madness in Linear Warfare, and this was something that wouldn't really change until quick reloading breechloaders gave infantry in faster skirmish lines enough firepower to stop most charges in their tracks, and smokeless powders like the -nitrocellulose based Poudre B- allowed your side to have enough visibility to not be surprised by those charges and actually see what the hell was happening with your troops from farther away.
Theyre using tactics from 2 centuries ago with modern weapons. Canister shot, muzzled rifles, expanding balls. It was 30 years war meets industrial age weaponry
@sumeone123 Is right on the money. In addition to all of his points, other crucial factors is that it was vital to have enough men reach the enemy line with the energy to drive them from their positions. Running even a relatively short distance would almost certain cause the formation to fall apart, especially with all the incoming fire, resulting in handfuls of guys reaching the enemy line at a time, likely winded, where the waiting defenders would slaughter them piecemeal.
In addition, the need to maintain command and control required men to march in formation. As stated, black powder heavily obscured most battlefields, which combined with the incredibly loud nature of a battle, made complicated verbal commands impossible to give to large groups of often poorly trained men. Formations allowed there to be any semblance of command and control on the battlefield, which was absolutely vital to actually winning. Civil war battles were not just two lines of guys taking turns shooting at each other. Battles where often won by a commander seeing a crucial piece of ground or opening in the enemy's position, and racing to get sufficient force there before the enemy could correct it.
Lastly, when faced with danger, groups of people have a natural tendency to bunch up for "protection". I've seen soldiers time and time again, even when they are trained explicitly NOT TO, group up when moving into unknown or dangerous situations, making NCOs and officers have to constantly tell them to spread out. Soldiers that have vastly more training than a typical American Civil War soldier. So even if their leadership tried to have them spread out and attack in loose order, troops of this level of training would almost certainly still bunch up out of fear, if they didn't just try hiding in whatever cover they could find or just run away.
@@sumeone123 I'd say the onset of rifled muskets had made traditional linear warfare obsolete. Certainly at the slow 18th century pace of the sluggish American regiments during the early-mid phase of the Civil War. During the Crimean war the minie demonstrated the obsoleteness, as French and British forces made short work of Russian infantry on the field. Which is why the Russians preferred staying behind their trenches for most of the war after the initial battles.
French soldiers during the Italian War of Independence in 1859 relied on fast moving shock tactics. Their troops would rush the Austrian forces as quickly as they could, since they knew that staying under prolonged rifled musket fire would decimate their forces. The Zouaves, their elite troops at the time, led the way with a new way of fighting in disperses order and taking cover, but aggressively working their way towards the enemy. Which explains them becoming so fashionable among foreign nations adopting their uniforms.
It worked, and the Austrians tried a similar approach against the Prussians in 1866, but unfortunately faced an opponent armed with the Dreyse rifle and suffered horrific losses.
The movies don't give it credit, but 19th centuries battlefields were huge. Try running 2 miles towards the enemy with all your gear in good order and THEN fight him. You had to get your men to 50-100 metres away from the enemy to charge and for that charge to be effective, but in 1865 the rifles were too effective to do that without major losses.
We have experienced the Horrors of Matthew Broderick…😂😂😂
Diggers got there quick lol