[BigDaddy]

Still, I think I'm understanding more of the situation here. The crossbowmen were unskilled. Skilled crossbowmen worked in teams of three with two loaders and a shooter with 3 crossbows and a couple shields that make a wall, but those were mercenaries. Essentially all the longbowmen were a type of mercenary as well. These were all skilled units. The crossbowmen were handed a weapon and sent out.

At various times its been pointed out the someone has to load the force into the weapon. While for 1 shot this is not a big deal for either, after 10 minutes it's a huge deal for the conscripts, even if the crossbow is easy to shoot, even if they aren't expected to shoot that fast... yes, even with the mechanical advantage, you'll still need to pull the string back, and the crossbow took a lot more 'work' (scientific definition) from a lot less skilled soldier. The team of three avoids all this trouble, but, still, wouldn't you rather have 3 longbowmen? Ah, yes, a good general would find good locations for both.