Existing comment:
The Fog of War:
Combat in 1814 could be both personal and impersonal. The short range of weapons meant that you would often be close enough to see the individual faces of the enemy at which you aimed. The tremendous amount of smoke produced by muskets and cannon, on the other hand, would at times completely obscure the other side, and each side would then fire blindly in the direction of the enemy.
The fog of war made it difficult to assess the true nature and outcome of a battle. In his after-action report, Colonel Arthur Brooke wrote that the British had faced over 7,000 Americans, when less than 1,500 had fought.
"... such was the denseness of the smoke, that it was only when a passing breeze swept away the cloud for a moment, that either force became visible to the other."
-- Lt. George Gleig, 85th Regiment of Foot |