I’ve been watching war movies lately that involve the types of battles where men just line up on either side and shoot or charge at each other. I cannot fathom how any human ever did this. I would probably faint or at least vomit walking up to this type of event. Any thoughts on how men handled this?
This is an interesting question, but one that has come up a couple times here on r/AskHistorians. In addition to some excellent answers by u/IlikeHistory (What did ancient/medieval battles look like?), u/Agrippa911 (What typically happened before the start of a medieval battles?), and u/JasJoeGo (Could your typical soldier in an 18th or early 19th century firing line do anything to increase their odds of survival in battle short of running away?) I would also encourage you to look for a copy of "The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme" by John Keegan. While there are some flaws with the book, it does offer an excellent account of what battle may have been like from the standpoint of the soldiers fighting in it.