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A43484 The third part of the principles of the art military practised in the warres of the United Provinces vnder the Lords the States Generall and His Highnesse the Prince of Orange : treating of severall peeces of ordnance ... : together with a list of all necessary preparations appertaining to an armie ... / written and composed by Henry Hexham. Hexham, Henry, 1585?-1650? 1643 (1643) Wing H1655; ESTC R26057 68,175 138

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to plant some peeces in the front of the Armie which may play upon the Enemies troopes on all sides seeking out alwaies for this effect some places of advantage to place them in that you may not be in danger of loosing your peeces And though you cannot get such an advantage yet your peeces being in the head of your Battell will be of lesse service because when you are to come to the Chock and ioyning of Battels they may in some wise annoy your own men which I saw in one of these Battels abovesaid Gen. Therefore I think it were fitter they should be placed upon both the flanks and in the Reere of the Battaillions by leaving a free place of Armes which may give no offence to our own men Capt. I can hardly beleeve Illustrious Sir that that would be so expedient for an Enemie perceiving that the Front is left bare without Ordnance he will take the more courage to fall on and come up to the charge Therefore I hold it more fitting that the Artillerie may be devided some here some there both before the Front and upon the Flanks placed some fifty or an hundred paces one from another and then there will be no danger when the Enemie shall come up to Chock to encounter you or offend our own men especially when they are fastened to them by drawing-Ropes and yron Rings that upon an instant they may be remooved and turned for the advantage of our own Troops and give fire as fast as they can charge and discharge among the Enemies Troops which is a matter of great moment for the obtaining of a Victorie But it happens very seldome that such convenient places can be found for the planting of Ordnance in a Battell as were to be wished for oftentimes one shall be driven of necessity to make choice of such places as the ground will afford by reason of woods hills marish grounds and such like disadvantagious places as you may meet withall and for which one can give no certain rule but that the Generall by his wisedome and discretion may make choice of the best advantages which may annoy the Enemy most and give the least offence to his owne men either by dazling them by the sun the raising of Dust and which way the wind drives the smoak both of Ordnance and small shot which though little in themselves yet may prove to his men great impediments and disadvantagious But leaving these things we will now return again to our former discourse because your Lordship is of the opinion that the Ordnance ought rather to be planted upon the wings and flanks of the Battailions then otherwise which I dare not approve of in regard that when the Troops are to encounter with the Enemy and come up to the charge our own men may be more annoyed by our own Ordnance which may breed a confusion then the Enemies when as the wings of our horse which are upon the flanks shall come up to charge the enemie so that our own peeces might puzzle them greatly when as they are to play from the flanks besides the mischief which might happen among our own men Therefore one ought to be very carefull and circumspect in planting them and this is that which out of my own experience I am able to say upon this question Wherefore I do advise every Captain of the Ordnance and Master-Gunners to use some light field peeces and small Drakes which upon every occasion may be remooved from one place to another and couragiously advanced to the places of most advantage which might offend the Enemie Gen. Sir The reasons you use have given me good satisfaction but I pray you resolve me of one thing more that is how a Generall of the Ordnance ought to carrie himself in the day of Battell Capt. In such a time the Generall is to show most his wisedom discretion and experience which chiefly consists herein that he and his Lieutenant keep their train together in good order to have a vigilant eye upon all accidents that may fall out and to make choice of such ground for the planting of his Ordnance as the Generall of the Army and he shall think best to see that all things be in a readinesse the Ordnance well placed and that the master-Gunners Gentlemen of the Ordnance and Canoniers do their best endevour and acquit themselves like men It is partly also his charge to see that the whole Army be well provided with Munition as powder bullets and match because the Ammunition marches under his Train He is to be near the Generall of the Armie upon all occasions to receive his directions and commands and to see them executed speedily and to know of him after what forr ● he will make his Battell that he may plant his Ordnance accordingly and so to find out hils and heights to play over his own men and offend the Enemie most And when an Enemy shall present himself and come up to the charge to draw and plant his Ordnance as neer their horse as possible may be to hinder them from breaking in upon the divisions of foot taking along with him Saylors and Pioniers to help to draw up the Ordnance and sufficient guards to defend them and this is that which in so great a businesse is the charge and duty of the Generall of the Ordnance and which may be required of him Gen. Captain This discourse hath pleased me well and given me good contentment and I am glad that I met with you upon this occasion Adieu THE TENTH CHAPTER TREATING OF THE DIVERS SORTS OF BRIDGES used in the service of the Lords the States of the Vnited Provinces MAny a brave occasion in the warres hath bin lost for want of Bridges to passe over a River a Brook or a Moate therefore the States for any peece of service have alwaies diverse bridges in a readinesse both small and great The smaller sort for any suddain enterprise or for putting over the moat of a Town a Hom-work or a Half moon are 3. as first a Corke bridge now not in use secondly a Bulrush bridge the peeces whereof are ten foot long and six or seven foot broad that foure men may go over them in Front described unto you in my second part in the Chapter of Approches figure 159. whereof many peeces being joyned fast together with ropes and Ankors will lay a bridge over a moate a brook or a ditch for men to passe over the third sort is a wicker or a basket bridge as shall be hereafter described Moreover they have three sorts of other Bridges namely a small boat bridge with beames plancks roaps and ankors which are carried upon long waggons in the Army whereof you may see one of them in this treatise chapter the third figure ten of these we have commonly twelve that goes along with our Army upon a long waggon drawne with 15. couple of horses and a Thillet horse Besides those above mentioned there are two
for every peece which is more then 8. but I verely beleeue your peeces were renforced This by the way and so I returne againe to your owne dialogue Gen. Good Sir I pray you show mee how you would batter the point of a Bulwarke as the figure 28. following demonstrates and giue mee some reasons aswell defensiue as offensiue Capt. I am willing to giue your Lordship content and say If I were to batter the point of a Bulwarke or a Bastion I would haue the same number of battering Canon and planted in the same for me and manner as they were for the Curtaine and to shoot sloope and crosswise also and if your approaches were advanced so farre they should be planted upon the very brinke of the moate and upon the Counterscharfe I would plant 4. of them so that they should dismount the Enemies Canon in their Casemates or any if they had sunk them in their Falsebray which should waite vpon that occasion Gen. I am of your mind and preferre such a battery before all others who are of the opinion that they had rather choose a Curtaine then a Bulwarke to be battered Capt. You haue heard my reasons for that and see the figures following traced out to you But as for your Bulwark the besieged may cut it off as you may mark in the figurs of retrenchments and Cuttings off in the second part of this booke for indeed it will be a hard matter to force an Enemy out of a Bulwark who is resolved to loose it by peecemeale and degrees and there is not so much danger in assaulting of a Curtaine which being once well battered and beaten down with your Ordnance you have an easier way and entrance to fall on with your troupes of men to enter the Towne or Fortresse but for the defence which is made from your flanking Bulwarks or your Casemates you must make batteries upon the brinke of the moate against them as is said to dismount the Enemies peeces and to flanker with your Ordnance the parapets of the Bulwarkes to beate them about their eares that the bulwarks may lie the more open to you and I think this way is the least danger Gen. But the besieged their cuttings off may they not be made aswell upon a Curtaine as upon a Bulwark Cap. No for the Rampier being thinner you have neither so much ground nor the like accommodation in a Curtain as in a Bulwark and indeed a Governour of a town or of a fortresse if he were put to his choise had rather to be assaulted on a Bulwark then on a Curtain by cutting it off into the form of a halfe moone that he might make a new resistance and defend it with a lesse number of men Besides in a Bulwark the besieged have this advantage over the Assailants which is very dangerous for them that they may make a mine within the bowels of their Bulwark when an enemy shall attempt to assault it and thinking to enter the breach and take the town they may be blown up into the aire by a countermine the like also may happen to the besieged the Assaillants springing their mine also in a Bulwark when they think they stand upon their best defence Gen. May not the like be done also in a Curtain Cap. No It will not take the like effect as in a Bulwark for a breach being once made in a Curtaine for as an enemy may assault it at large so they may bring a greater number of men to fight to help to defend it whereas in a bulwark they are pend up and straighted in a narrow place which may be cut off and will require a fewer number of men to defend it whereas those which are to force it must be constrayned to bring up a great many men to assault who in an instant may be in danger of blowing up Gen. Your reasons good Captain are not to be slighted but as for me I hold it safer to batter and assault the breach of a bulwark then of a curtaine For though the besieged may cut it off and defend it with a fewer number of men yet the Assaulters have this advantage over the besieged defendants that they have more place and elbow room and may find a lesse resistance then in a Curtain seeing that one may make as great a breach in a Bulwarke as in a Curtain because your Ordnance may beat it flat and levell with the ground and choosing rather a Bulwark I will here with conclude this discourse and now shew you the figures both of the one and of the other in this plate following HOW A CANONIER OVGHT TO GOVERNE himselfe in makeing of a good shott CHAP. X. AN occasion may happen sometimes that a peece must be curiously and iustly Levelled especially when one is to dismount an enemies peece which lies in some secret port hole or Casemate which may hinder and annoy the Besiegers of a towne or Fortresse It behooves then a good Gunner to know well the condition and quality of his peece having had the triall of it many times For it is impossible that a canonier can let him be never so expert know what his peece will do before he hath practize and experience of it He must not shoote at all adventures neither must he in charging of it ramme and stopp the powder too hard but that it may take fire in the twinkling of an eye and that his peece may not recoyle to much for it is most certaine the lesse the powder is rammed in the lesse will be the recoyling of the peece and the easier is the shott The like consideration must he also obserue in his bullet that it be not driven in too hard but that it lies gently in the mould and have such vent as is requisite Finally hee must lay his peece by the Quadrant aboue taught and Levell as they ordinarily use to do taking his aime iust in the midst of the frizes having marked wel with a small file the point or button of the sight and this may be done very easily if he hath a care to prevent all the accidents reckoned up in the 9 Chapter especially those which makes a peece shoot aside considering that a good shot makes a Canonier to be beloved and respected The fittest peeces for this effect are your ordinary cannons demy and quarter canon your culverings demy and quarter Such a good shot the Generall ought to take notice of and to recompence such a Canonier liberallie not onely to encourage him that made it but also the other canoniers to do the like Lewes Collade in his manuell practize writeth that at the Seige of Sienna there was a peece planted upon the Lead or walking place of the great church which overlooked the Besiegers approches and did them much harme and though many shot were made at it yet they could not dismount it till at last there was a Germaine canonier found which at the very first shot did not onely dismount