How far did medieval soldiers march?

The average for a march was between 8 and 13 miles per day, with 20 or more miles being more exhausting and less frequent. Also, the armies usually walked less after a battle, unless in retreat or in pursuit.

How far could medieval armies march in a day?

If anything, for a medieval army of conscripts, fresh from a successful battle, with a long supply-train moving off of the main roads, 12 miles per day is actually quite fast. Large armies with lots of wagons often strayed into single-digit marching speeds.

How far did a Roman Legion march in a day?

IIRC the Roman Army had hit its sweet spot at a 15-mile (~25km) march a day. They’d force march on occasion, but this was rarely before battle. They wanted their soldiers rested before battle.

How long did it take an army to march?

Sherman’s March to the Sea spanned some 285 miles (459 km) over 37 days. His armies sustained more than 1,300 casualties, with the Confederacy suffering roughly 2,300.

How far did Roman armies march?

An ordinary day’s march for the Roman army consisted of 15-18 miles done in 7 of our hours (or 5 of the Roman summer hours). The order of march followed is likely to have been some variation of that reported for legions in by Polybius (100-118 BCE), by Josephus (37-94 CE), and by Vegetius (4th century CE):

Did Romans march in steps?

The head of the army would almost be pitching camp for the day as the tail of the same army would have just left their previous camp. The Romans marched about as quickly as our modern day armies: their route step has been estimated at 100/minute; their quick step has been estimated at 120/minute.

How far would an average medieval army travel in a day?

All this scrounging took time, and prevented consistent movement, as no medieval army had sufficient carriage for more than a couple of days of food, before they had to go scrounging again. Realistically, you’re looking at 10-15 miles per day on average, over standard terrain. In wet weather, you’d be lucky to move 5 miles per day.

How long can an army march for?

I am talking about long term marching – a couple of weeks or months in a row. There are lots of cases when an army sprinted to be a specific point in time. They are famous – just not typical. On a good (probably Roman) road, an army would be able to travel about three miles an hour for about 8 hours.

How did armies live in medieval times?

Rather, armies “lived off the land” – they scrounged and stole from the local populace where ever they went. Naturally, this seldom endeared them to the local people, who often would face starvation after an army (of whichever side) came through and confiscated all the foodstuffs.

How fast would an army sprint in ancient times?

There are lots of cases when an army sprinted to be a specific point in time. They are famous – just not typical. On a good (probably Roman) road, an army would be able to travel about three miles an hour for about 8 hours.