Battle Line Organization?

[Blathergut]

I've seen deployment maps for Naseby, for example. I understand the 5 regiments of foot drawn up in the first line.

My question (olde Roman habits die hard):

In that first line, regiment by regiment, are the individual companies drawn up side by side as shot-pike-shot, so that if I were looking at the entire front line of battle, I'd see an endless series of shot-pike-shot all down the line?

As opposed to pikes in middle and shot all on flanks of it (more like some ancient battle).

[timmy1]

According to most woodcuts and prints I have seen, it is set up so that the pike of one battalion or regiment is a block, certainly that is how Spragge (sp?) shows it at Naseby, with musketeers on the flank of each block. It is also how Barriff shows it in some examples but in others it is split by company - I have no evidence that it was actually used that way. The HAC drills for the period show it by company but they were a small formation. Barker's Montecuccoli is interpreted as battalions with sleeves on all 4 sides of the pike but this may only apply to early and late Tercios.

Don't stop thinking Roman - the Roman ideas were what drove the reforms of Maurice of Nassau, following on from the Swiss etc pike block being Macedon. Rome beat Philip of Macedon so use Roman ideas to beat Pike.