Mexican Infantry Tactics in 1836

From my understanding, Santa Anna was completely enamored with Napoleon. One book I read (can't recall) stated that Santa Anna insisted the attacking columns involved in the final assault be formed to emulate Napoleon tactics and attacking style.

Of course, I really can't say if what I read was factual or speculative.

Glenn

What about Bill C. ? This sounds right up his alley as well.

Glenn

While I haven't looked at the original Mexican manual myself friends who have have told me it was VERY similar to Scott's.

Quite possible, but then again Scott was in turn very heavily influenced by French manuals.

So far as the tactical side of things go, as distinct from the manual of arms, drill books of this period tend to be rather light. They will for example describe in detail how to form column from line and vice versa, but rarely tell you when it should be done or in what circumstances - that was down to the discretion of the individual unit commander or brigade commander. Consequently a lot of custom and practice also crept in; an obvious case in point being the use of an unexplained formation called "guerillas" by Mexican troops, which seem to have been small groups of men - perhaps like the "chains" used by British skirmishers in the early part of the Napoleonic wars

Without seeing the actual manual in use I can't answer that one definitively, but certainly the practice in the British Army was much as Mark describes - in principle at least. On being ordered to advance the firelock was first shouldered then brought to the port. Charging the bayonet, ie; levelling it, point forward, was only done in the final run into contact. The reason for this was quite simply that once the firelock is levelled its just that bit more difficult to maneouvre as a body, so you leave it until the last moment when you're going forward in a straight line.

Now going on from that, the purpose of levelling the firelock (and bayonet) is to intimidate the guys standing opposite and to suggest to them that running away really is an exciting option.

Not, obviously, the case at the Alamo, where the walls aren't exactly susceptible to this kind of intimidation. There simply isn't any point (literally) to levelling bayonets when attacking a wall, you might as well keep them on the shoulder or at best ported.

The first rank in an attacking Mexican column/line has its weapons at the so-called "charge bayonet" position. When a man falls in the front, the man behind him subsequently levels his bayonet. And that initial advance is more than a shuffle than a US Civil War "at the double quick."