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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The 18th century was just a hundred years after firearms were introduced in Europe. This was before rifling, smokeless powder and cartridges. The guns would take 20 seconds to reload in best conditions, make a big bang that would blind the shooter and cover them in smoke, and occasionally it would hit a barn door at a hundred paces. So standing upright in the middle of a battlefield was not that bad, but it was terrifying with all the noise, flashes and smoke.
The biggest danger on a battlefield were not the guns but the cavalry. They could quickly move around and cut people down with their sabers. The best way to defend against the cavalry was with close formations because the horses could not ride close enough. Especially if the soldiers mounted bayonets as that would wound any horse getting close enough.
So the general goal of a platoon was to keep everyone in tight formation and moving together. This not only protected against cavalry charges but also made sure everyone would follow orders and not go hide in a ditch out of fear or turn and run the other way.
Of course there are plenty of examples of platoons taking up defensive position behind cover and even dig trenches. But just marching somewhere in the open was not as deadly as it may sound. And you had to stand upright when reloading anyway due to the design of the gun so there is no need to go down on your stomach and hide, that would just slow down your reloading.
But battles were rarely won by soldiers slowly marching up to the enemy and shooting at them until both were dead. You would march up in order to take control over some strategic territory and hold on to it. This gave room to prepare charges of either infantry or cavalry. You can not actually charge very far as you get tired after the first sprint. So you need to get pretty close to the enemy to make the last charge. And you need space to get into the right position, preferably without the enemy in a position to see it. And you need to be able to find the right place to attack so you can encircle the enemy the best you can.
Of course in the 19th century technology changed a lot. The advancements in artillery, rifles, carbines, revolvers, machine guns, etc. meant that by the early 20th century you could not be seen on the battlefield without getting killed. Although some of the strategies of moving slowly forwards preparing for a charge was employed and is still used today. But with a lot more stealth and in coordination with other units.
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