Skirmishing is really the natural way for most people to fight once they've been shot at. To keep people in tight formation under fire requires a lot of drill and discipline.
In between the wars, the armies tended to gravitate to the close order, easily controlled, dense lines. During the maneuvers on Salisbury Plain, the umpires gave the best marks to units that could keep their three deep line formation in neat arrangement. Skirmishers, like the Green Jackets, were not givne a fair grade in that system.
One of the first things that units learned in a real shooting war, was to open up formations. Loose order - skirmish order, it's all the same.
"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell." - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side." Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.