During the Civil War, Napoleonic Wars, and other wars in which linear formations were the norm, was essentially it a death sentence for a solider to go to the battlefield? Why did soldiers volunteer to stand right on front of a volley of muskets?

by [deleted]

Also, did the solders ever dig trenches so that they could have something to hide behind?

dandan_noodles

You might be interested in some of my previous answers. To put it briefly, no, it was not a death sentence; most soldiers survived battle without a scratch.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/abbhq4/back_in_the_days_of_napoleon_when_men_fought_in/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/c473hy/why_would_anyone_stand_in_the_front_row_of_a/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9xgmlt/firing_lines/