THE COMPLEAT BODY OF THE ART MILITARY Exactly compiled and gradually composed for the Foot in the best refined manner according to the practise of the Modern Times Divided into Three BOOKS The First containing the Postures of the Pike and Musket with their Conformities and the Dignities of Ranks and Files Their manner of joyning to the compleating of a Body their severall Distances Facings Doublings Countermarches Wheelings and Firings With diverse Experiments upon single Files The Second comprehending twelve Exercises Viz. Three with 24 Men. Three with 32 Men. Three with 64 Men. Three with 144 Men. The Third setting forth the drawing up and exercising of Regiments after the manner of Private Companies with the forming Brigades and Armies the placing of Cannon and Artillery according to the practise of severall Nations Armies and Commanders in Chief Together with the duties of all private Souldiers and Officers in a Regiment from a Sentinell to a Collonel As also the duties of the Military Watches Lastly directions for ordering Regiments or Private Companies to Funerall Occasions Illustrated with Varietie of Figures of Battail very profitable and delightfull for all Noble and Heroick Spirits in a fuller manner then hath been heretofore published By RICHARD ELTON Serjeant Major Cant. 3. 8. They all handled the Sword and are expert in War LONDON Printed by ROBERT LEYBOURN in Monkswell Street neer Creeplegate MDCL VERAET ACCVRATA EFFIGIES RICHARDI ELTONI GENEROSL BRISTOL NEC NON ARTIS MILITARIS MAGISTIRI ANO 1644 If Rome vnto Her conquering Ceasrs raise Rich obelisks to crowne thier deatfiles Praise What Monument to Thee must Albion reare To shew Thy Motion in a brighter Sphere This Art 's too dull to doe 't t is only done Best by Thy Selfe so hights ' the World the Sunne Wee may admire thy Face the Sculptor's Art But Wee are extasi'd at th' inward Part W S Fiut Iohn Droeshout Sculp Lon TO THE MIRROUR of CHIVALRY And HONOUR of all MARTIALL DISCIPLINE The most Victorious Thomas Lord Fairfax HIS EXCELLENCIE CAPTAIN GENERALL of all MILITARY FORCES for the PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND All Health and Happinesse here and hereafter Most Eminent and Illustrious SIR May it please Your Excellencie THe Glory of all Arts is Action the Honour of all Action is Vertue the Crown of all Vertues is Perfection the Excellencie whereof according to the perfection of Humanity is so essentiall in your Excellencie that you are become at once the Wonder and the Honour of Europe Neither can that immortall Fame of Yours be conceal'd from the rest of the habitable World who shall from age to age record and from Antiquity to Infantry relate those matchlesse Victories and unimitable Atchievements which the Bounty and Blessing of Heaven hath enrich'd your Hand and beautifi'd your Name withall In all whose Honourable and succesfull Undertakings I had an aim at no greater happiness then to have been the least Part in so Noble an Employment under your Excellencie towards the perfecting of the Welfare and Happinesse of this Kingdom and Common-wealth had not the Military affairs of this Honourable Metropolis unavoydably engaged and obliged me to attend the service of their own Militia And therein My Lord I have spared neither Diligence nor Study that might conduce to the great Work of Arms then in Embrio now in Perfection excepting only Opposition and Envie which the greatest Honours never yet were free from A part of which Perfection hath always flowed from the industry of the Officers and practice of the Students of that Warlike Academy wherein although I have not as a Member thereof with such dexterity as Cadmus sent out well experienc'd Souldiers in a Day yet have I not sitten so idle as Lepidus and wish'd to be warm'd more from the Sun than my own Labours of which the effects are now upon the publike Test but more formidably under your Excellencies censure to whose Patronage and Protection I have presumed to devoted the Eldest Son and First-born of all my forepast Studies Practise and employment in the gradation of Military affairs for the space of a double Apprentiship in that noble Science All the following sheets which relate to that Heroick Subject such as they are and in such a dress as now they have put on submissively and primarily present themselves with all their worth and beauty if any be discernable within them unto Your Excellencie as to their tutelar Angel and most Orthodox Warriour that either Pole can boast of In confidence therefore of your Excellencies native Candor towards all Ingenuity and more especially That wherein your Own transcendent and unparalleld Honours are more perspicuously and really delineated than all the vain and empty Glory of the Dull and Phlegmatick Pretenders to Chivalry can Map or Landskip by the effeminate hand of Flattery this late abortive in full shape due proportion and if Truth deceive me not in just Maturity hath broken from the Wombe of my fourteen years endeavours to see the Light both of the censorious and judicious World and in that Light it cannot but live if your Excellencies goodness shall vouch safe to foster it and must not die except your displeasure please to wound it And whether this shall live or die I shall not further aspire at any loftier pitch of Honour than to have Commission to subscribe my self Your Excellencies most humbly devoted Servant Richard Elton The Right Honourable the judicious and grave Trustees and Guardians of the Militia of the Honourable City of LONDON The Lord Major Isaac Pennington Sir Iohn Wollaston Knight Thomas Atkins John Fowke William Gibs Thomas Foot Christopher Packe Rowland Wilson Aldermen of the City of London Major Generall Philip Skippon Collonel Francis West Lieutenant of the Tower Col. John Venn Col. Edmund Harvey Francis Allen Major Richard Salway Gregory Clement Col. Owen Row Col. Robert Tichborne Col. Matthew Shephard Col. William Vnderwood William Wyberd John Deathicke Iohn Strange Daniel Tayler Col. Richard Turner Col. Nathaniel Camfield Lieut. Col. Doyley Master Maurice Gethin C aptain Nath Lacy Major Edmund Waring Col. Robert Manwaring Col. Iohn Heyes Thomas Arnold Samuell Moyer Thomas Noell Stephen Eastwick Richard Shute Mark Hildersly Iames Russell Tempest Milner Captain Blackwell senior Iohn Pocock Right Honourable Honourable and ever to be honour'd Heroes WHose Honors joyntly and severally are all sprung more from your just deserts than ambitious desires whose provident industry for this Citie and Kingdoms security shall more eternize your Names unto Posterity than your magnificent opulencie can make you after Death survive and flourish in your hopefull issue Since it always seem'd good in your Eyes even from my first initiation into your Military Service more out of an in-nate humanity of yours wherewith your Honours abound than from any merits of mine own which I acknowledge but mean still to number Me for one and the same both in degree and service in your Noble and Martiall Imployments notwithstanding the many changes occasioned by the necessity
division of Pikes which is more honour to him to lead there then to lead a sub-division of Muskettiers In the Van-guard next to him in honour in this division is the seventh Captain who is appointed to bring up the first grand Body of Pikes which likewise is more honour unto him then to lead or bring up any sub-division of Muskettiers as before expressed Having thus resolved of all the Captains and Captains Lieutenants place next follows the reasons of the Lieutenants places where first take notice that the eldest Captains Lieutenant is appointed to bring up the Reer-guard which next the Pikes is the greatest place of honour in the Reer and a very honourable place unto him or if he alters places with the third Captain upon the long-march yet neverthelesse he hath the chiefest place of honour after the Captain Lieutenant amongst all the Lieutenants unto those places he is ordered unto The third Captains Lieutenant is assigned to the next place who leads the second division of Muskettiers in the Van-guard which is more honour to him then to bring up any such division after follows him the fourth Captains Lieutenant who brings up the Reer of the Van-guard which is more honour to him of the places remaining to be there then to bring up either the first division of Muskettiers or the first division of Pikes Lastly the seventh Captains Lieutenant is placed to bring up the first division of Pikes which being the more honourable Arms it adds more honour to him to be there to bring up then the first division of Muskettiers which being the last place of honour it is given to the Captain Lieutenants Bringer-up to be there and thus much shall suffice for the reasons of the places of the first grand Division Now for placing of the Officers of the second grand Division I shall not need to speak any thing concerning the Lieutenant Collonels Major Second Captain and the Majors Lieutenants place in regard in the former Regiments I have endevoured to give the Souldier satisfaction therein Therefore next to those in this grand Division follows to be spoken is the fifth Captain who is the next man of honour and therefore hath his due place appointed out to him to lead the first division of Pikes where the Majors and his own colouâ— flye which is more honour to him to lead there the Van of the Pikes then the Reer-guard of Muskettiers Next to him is the sixt Captain which next the Pikes hath his due place of honour remaining to him to lead the Reer-guard Having thus resolved the Captains places I shall in the next endevour to shew the Lieutenants where first it falls to the Lieutenant Collonels Lieutenant to be placed first who is ordered to bring up the Reer to be an assistant unto his Lieutenant Collonel who is a Field Officer and may have many occasions to fall off and therefore he requires his Lieutenant to be present with his men there as the Collonels doth his in the Front And as much may be said of the Majors Lieutenant but passing him by I come next to the second Captains Lieutenant who is appointed to bring up the Reer of the second Body of Pikes which is the greatest place of honour that is in the Reer next to the Lieutenant Collonels Lieutenant After him follows the fifth Captains Lieutenant who is placed to bring up the Reer of the Van-guard of this division which is more honour then to bring up the Van of the Pikes whose turn being the last place of honour falls to him that is the youngest Lieutenant which is the sixt Captains Lieutenant And thus as briefly as I could I have run over all the reasons for the placing of the Officers in the Regiment drawn up after this manner that I might not be wanting unto the desire of any such who are willing to be informed herein being always ready to imploy my selfe in as plain a way as I can for the benefit of all true loving Souldiers who are concerned herein And therefore for their better satisfaction let them cast their eye upon the Figure as it is demonstrated between Folio 161 and 162 where they shall see every man placed according to my former discourse CHAP. XVII The manner both of the drawing up and the order of the Long-march of Collonel Rainsborough his Regiment bringing up the Reer of the foot of the Army under the Command of the Lord Generall Fairfax at their first marching through the City of London on the seventh of August 1647. THe first order of drawing up the Regiment at their first place of Randezvous before they marched or joyn'd with the Army was thus The Collonels Company being upon the out-most part of the right of the Regiment next to his left by succession was drawn up the second sixt fift and first Captains which make up his division or the right half-ranks in their first drawing up to be compleat and may in their figure of dignity standing in a rank be demonstrated as followeth 4 8 9 5 1. This number of worth being cast up amounteth to 27 and thus much for the Collonels Division Now for the left half-ranks or Lieutenant Collonels Division as many times it is so ordered and appointed his own Company being drawn up upon the out-most part on the left of the Regiment and next to his right after each other is drawn up the third seventh fourth and Majors Company whose figure of dignity standing rank-wise may be thus described 2 6 10 7 3. and their number of dignity in all amounteth to 28. Where you may perceive a rule that the discretion of the Major walketh by in the drawing up of the Regiment to ballance with as neer proportion as he can the number worth and dignity of his right half-ranks or right flank sutable with that of the left For it would be unreasonable that all the best men should be on the right and that the left of the Regiment who are to oppose the Enemies right should have the weakest or meanest men of worth therefore without all question that Body of men that shall be drawn up so as to make all parts of equall worth and strength as the right flank with the left the Front with the Reer so that where ever the Enemy shall fall on to charge any one of these parts being all made equall in strength and worth it must needs prevent all murmuring complaints and carry best approbation to all knowing Commanders And thus much briefly may be spoken in the commendation of the ordering of his Regiment thus far The Captains now standing by their own colours on the head of the Pikes and their Companies being drawn up all and standing in an even Front the Major next commands the Muskettiers to stand the Pikes and Colours to troop forth some ten or twelve paces cleer of the Muskettiers and then they likewise to stand and after to close their files to the midst to order Next he commands the
in the plainest and easiest way p. 146 Doublings belonging to a Regiment p. 150 Four several wheelings with their Reducement ibid. Countermarches not fit to be used in the exercising of Regiments ibid. Severall firings to be performed upon the former figure and how to be managed by the severall Officers p. 152 The manner of drawing up a Regiment consisting of seven companies containing in the four Captains 12 files of Muskettiers and six of Pikes in each of their perticuler companies and in the three Field-officers 16 files a piece of Muskettiers and eight of Pikes which amounts to the number of 864 men p. 153 The manner of drawing up and placing the Officers of a Regiment consisting of eight Companies having in it a Col. a Lieutenant Colonel a Major and five Captains their number of men in each company being equall with the former Regiment they amount unto 972 men p. 158 How to make the figure of a Ring with its use and service p. 160 The manner of drawing up a Regiment consisting of ten Companies having in it seven Captains and three Field-Officers being in each perticular company the former numbers which in all amounts unto 1198 men p. 162 The manner both of the drawing up and the order of the longmarch of Col. Rainsborough his Regiment bringing up the Reer of the foot of the Army under the comand of the Lord Gen. Fairfax at their first marching through the City of London on the seventh of August 1647. p. 164 A third way of drawing up a Regiment of ten companies after the manner used amongst the Swedes p. 166 The way of drawing up a Regiment consisting of 12 companies the nine Captains having 18 Files in each company and the three Field-officers every one of them 24 files whereof there are two thirds of Muskettiers and one of Pikes in each perticuler company amounting in all to 1404 men p. 169 The manner of drawing up a Regiment according to the Swedish Brigade p. 170 The manner of drawing up a Brigade or Tertia being a third part of an Army according to the practise of the Netherlands under the comand of the Prince of Orange p. 171 How to draw up an Army of 12 Regiments of Foot and three of Horse the Foot amounting unto 11664 men and the Horse unto 3000 in all 14664 men p. 174 The severall duties belonging to the Foot in a Regiment as followeth by degrees from a private Souldier unto a Collonel of the same and first of a private Souldier c. p. 176 Of Military Watches p. 187 The ordering of a private company unto a Funerall occasion p. 190 The ordering of a Regiment to a Funerall occasion p. 191 Errata PAge 5 line the last read right side p. 18. l. 41. r. eldest Serjeant p. 19. l. 8. r. otherwise p. ibid. l. 11. r. long March Every p. 22. l. 14. by their leader p. 24. l. 7. r. in the p. ibid. l. 36. r. ensue ibid. l. 38. dele or the half-files p. 32. l. 12. r. not p. ibid. l. 13. r. I p. 33. l. 6. r. outward p. 43. l. 38. r. marking p. ibid. l. 46. of files p. ibid r. or p. 45. l. 34. r. and faced again to the front p. 46. l. 39. r. file p. 49. l. 11. r. Chorean p. ibid. l. 23. r. gain p. 52. l. 9. r. ranks p. ibid. l. 27. r. right for left p. ibid. l. 28. dele in the reer of the Muskettiers r. before the pikes p. 55. l. 40. deles ibid. l. 42. dele s p. 56. l. 42. r. eight p. 56. 7. dele as have p. ibid. r. they p. 74. dele l. 33. p. 104. l. 13. r. they stand p. 139. l. 49. r. forms p. 140. l. 13. put in 3. p. ibid. l. 53. r. from p. 144. l. 13. dele long p. 145. l. 29. for good r. guard p. ibid. l. 34. r. thus p. ibid. l. 13. r. rest p. 146. l. 15 r. 147. p. l. 152. 15. r. giveth p. 153. l. 29. r. bring them p. ibid. l. 29. r. where p. 158. l. 40. r. fifth p. 159. l. 50. dele and p. 171. l. 40. r. Captain p. 174. l. 25. r. the eldest p. 180. l. 24. r. in hutting p. 188. l. 53. r. and if they p. 189. l. 51. r. to In Major Hayne's Ogdocostick correst these few faults line 22. read Genius ibid. line 30. dele a ibid. l. 34. dele a in column 2 l. 8. r. Of the ibid. l. 28 r. for a. In the Dedication the last line dele the liberty Imprimatur Aprill 13 1649. Sir Nathanael Brent The Copie of a Letter written by the Honourable the Militia of the City of London to Sir Nathanael Brent Honoured Sir The bearer hereof wil present you with a TREATISE of THE COMPLEAT BODY OF THE ART MILITARY Which being approved of by diverse of the most experienced Commanders amongst us we desire for the Publike good of the Nation that you will give an alowance of it for the Presse with expedition Sir Your affectionate friends Isaack Penington Sir John Wollastone John Dethick Philip Skippon Robert Manwarring Owen Row William Underwood Matthew Sheppard Robert Tichborne Thomas Noel Mark Hildersley Daniel Taylor Guild-hall London Aprill 11 1649. To the Mirrour of Chivalry And Honour of all Martiall Discipline the most Victorious THOMAS LORD FAIRFAX His Excellency Captain Generall of all Military Forces for the Parliament of ENGLAND All Health and Happiness here and hereafter Most Eminent and Illustrious SIR May it please Your Excellency THe Glory of all Arts is Action the Honour of all Action is Vertue the Crown of all Vertues is Perfection the Excellency whereof according to the perfection of Humanity is so essentiall in your Excellency that you are become at once the Wonder and the Honour of Europe neither can that immortall Fame of Yours be conceal'd from the rest of the habitable World who shall from age to age record and from Antiquity to Infantry relate those matchles Victories and unimitable Atchievments which the Bounty and Blessing of Heaven hath enrich'd your Hand and beautified your Name withall In all whose Honourable and succesfull Undertakings I had an aime at no greater happinesse then to have been the least Part in so noble an Imployment under your Excellency towards the perfecting of the welfare and Happinesse of this Kingdom and Common-wealth had not the Military Affairs of this Honorable Metropolis unavoidably engaged and obliged me to attend the Service of their own Militia And therein my Lo I have spared neither diligence nor Study that might conduce to the great work of Arms then in Embrio now in perfection excepting only ppposition and Envie which the greatest Honours never yet were free from A part of which perfection hath always flowed from the industry of the Officers and practice of the Students of that Warlike University wherein although I have not as a Member thereof with such dexterity as Cadmus sent out well experienc'd Souldiers in a Day yet have I not layn so idle as Lepidus and wish to be warm'd more from the Sun than my own labours of which the effects are now upon the publick Test but more formidably under your Excellencies censure to whose Patronage and Protection I have presumed to devote this eldest Son and First-born of all my forepast Studies Practise and Employment in the gradation of Military Affairs All the following sheets which relate to that Heroick Subject such as they are and in such a dresse as now they have put on submissively and primarily present themselves with all their worth and beauty if any be discernable within them unto Your Excellency as to their tutelar Angell and most Orthodox Warriour that either Pole can boast of In confidence therefore of your Excellencies native Candor towards all Ingenuity and more especially that wherein your own transcendent and unparallel'd Honours are more perspicuously and really delineated than all the vain and empty Glory of the Dull and Phlegmatick Pretenders to Chivalry can be Map'd or Landskip'd by the effeminate hand of Flattery this late abortive in full shape due proportion and if Truth deceive me not in just maturity hath broken from the wombe of my seven yeers endevours to see the Light both of the censorious and judicious World and in that Light it cannot but live if your Evcellencies goodnesse shall vouchsafe to foster it and must not die except your displeasure please to wound it And whether this shall live or die I shall not further aspire at any loftier pitch of Honour than to have Commission to subscribe my self Your Excellencies most humbly devoted Servant Richard Elton