It’s hard to fathom that someone at some point wouldn’t have thought, “*hmmm, maybe just standing in a big line waiting to get shot isn’t the most optimal tactic*”
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An element missing from a lot of other responses is the fact that casualties from battles are actually significantly rarer than you have been led to believe. Situations where two opposing sides just slaughter each other until everyone from one side is dead are not very common.
People don’t want to die. Troops facing certain death will generally break and flee or surrender. And in many wars throughout history, both sides understood this. You could trust that you would be treated well if you surrendered and when the war was concluded would be returned home. Even when “rules of war” aren’t in place, people are very willing to surrender and risk any fate better than death.
So war was often quite a bit like a grand board game. You keep your troops together in formation so you can efficiently give them orders with flags or drums or trumpets. You maneuver around the terrain to give your troops an advantage as the real fighting unfolds. You dig trenches or build makeshift walls. You often meet with the opposing commander before a battle to basically argue “I have the superior position and will win, just surrender so we can both avoid any deaths.” And since this is just a job for both of you, you’re pretty favorably disposed towards a peaceful resolution either beforehand or after only a few skirmishes. Casualties usually only got out of hand if your unit lost communication with your commanders or they were too stupid to surrender when they should. If your unit lost order and people started fleeing everywhere, there’s a much stronger chance you all get cut down in the chaos.
Sticking with your unit is your best chance for survival. You will either surrender together and be mostly still alive or you will be one of the chess pieces on the winning side and be mostly still alive. Breaking into pieces is a death sentence.
There are a few points in history when the technology of war had significantly changed but the commanders hadn’t really learned how to operate a war under the new rules. These wars are very messy.
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