Volley Fire by Ancient Missile Troops

[Alanus]

I think you might also need to consider the fact that it's pretty taxing hold a strong war bow at full draw, which means you probably aren't going to have a situation like in the movies where everybody draws their bows and then waits for the order to fire.

Actually, archers receive 3 commands in short order-- "Archers Prepare!" (they nock their arrows), "Ready!" (they lift and draw their bows), "Fire" (they release). The whole sequence takes place in 5 seconds or less, so no archer strained with quivering muscles. I imagine this sequence was used by not just Romans but all volleying archers in every army. Worked well for the Parthians.

Archery created the deadliest (and most demoralizing) form of volley. At 150 meters, you could drop arrows almost straight down on the enemy. At 80 meters, it was almost a straight shot. At 25 meters (perhaps maximum effective distance of a pilum), you could slap an arrow in the enemy's eye. mile:

[Dave G]

I think the original question has been asked under a misapprehension of why volley fire was being used with muskets.
Muskets take a fair old time to load leaving the soldier potentially vulnerable whilst doing so especially the earlier muzzle loaders, the use of 'firing by introduction' or 'extroduction' was a way to continually present a dangerous frontage of loaded guns to an enemy while gaining or giving ground and giving time for the rearward ranks to make ready, about six ranks are needed to make this a flowing action though it can also be done with fewer if a slower rate of fire is maintained.
The option of doubling the files and 'kneel,stoop,harrow' instructions would enable a devastating volley to be delivered prior to an assualt or a physical charge or contact to break cohesion and cause as many casualties on the other side before hand combat and while it may also have been used just to inrease firing effect it would have left the whole body of guns very vulnerable afterwards so wasn't a thing to do lightly.

Archery on the other hand can almost loose at will with a simple- knock, draw, loose!, command, almost as fast as you read it here.
The main limitation to this is simple logistics, you run out of arrows pretty quickly unless supplied in situ, though a sustained period of shooting also tires the archer quite considerably. ( or at least it tired me when I did it like this many years ago).
If the archers are not in immediate threat of physical close combat then theres no especial reason for them to up their rate of shooting and no need for them to have half their number idle at any time like in a musket block where the necessity of preparing their weapon to use led to the use of a tactic to protect them as much as possible while vulnerable.

[Dave G]

Hmm, just noticed the original post was psted a few years ago so my reply me not be as relevant as I thought when I typed it.

[Eleatic Guest]

Alexander was working on a block of archers (if I recall correctly) located within a phalanx when he got sick and died- not to be repeated until the nusketeer formation within a pike phalanx.

Where did you get that from? Diodorus Siculus? Arrian?

[richard robinson]

I think it was Arrian as I did not read the others

I really hope it was not something i remember frron a secondary source! Regards
Richard Robinson