to your Marshal of the Field and your Major-Generals and Colonels of the Brigades both of Horse and Foot before they begin to fight And your Orders ought to be written if you have time for after the Battel is once begun is is impossible for a General to give Orders more than in that part where he is present at the same time That you may know how to place your Divisions of Horse and Foot at their true distances you ought to allow unto every Horseman in the Front of the Divisions of the Van-guard and Battel six foot of ground in breadth and to every Foot Souldier in the Divisions in the Van-guard and Battel you ought to allow five Foot Also you must observe that between every two Divisions of Horse and Foot in the Van-guard of your Army to allow an hundred paces of ground in breadth three feet to the pace besides what you allow for the Division in the Battel which is for the reserve You ought likewise to allow between the Vanguard of your Horse-Troops an hundred paces and between the Van-guard of your Foot an hundred and fifty paces three feet to the pace This order must be observed both in placing the Divisions of Horse and Foot and the Van-guards Battel and Reer-guard of your Army that the formost Troops being put to recoil may not fall upon those which should come up to relieve them nor the Battel upon the Reer You must always be careful to place the best Regiments either of Horse or Foot on the Wings of your Army The Officers that lead the Divisions in the Vanguard of a Battel ought to have special care to see that the Divisions both of Horse and Foot keep their distances but especially the Officers that lead the Divisions in the Van-guard of your Army on the flanks of your Horse or Foot they must be extraordinarily careful that they close not with their Divisions in upon the main Body I know no one thing that Officers care is more required about in fighting a Battel than to see that such Divisions as they Command keep their Distances For let a man consider how hard a thing it is for an Army that is imbattelled in a Campagnia to march a mile together without losing their Order And questionless it is much harder for an Army to march a mile together in the face of an Enemy and the Van-guard of the Army continually skirmishing to keep their distances And unless the Officers of an Army are punctual in observing their Orders of keeping their distances in marching it is impossible but some part of your Army if not the whole will be in a confusion before the Battel be half fought It is seldom or never seen that two Armies that are of any equal strength and that use one kind of Discipline being imbattelled one against the other but the one Army out-fronteth the other upon one of the Wings and the other Army out-fronteth the other upon the contrary Wing when both Armies come to encounter Therefore you ought to give punctual Orders before the Battel beginneth to those Chief Commanders that Command on the outermost flanks of the Van-guards of the Horse that in case either of the Wings of Horse doth out-front his Enemies Wing of Horse they should advance easily keeping their order with that Wing of Horse which they Command as soon as their Cannon begin to play and not before and charge that Wing of Horse which they do out-front Command also those Divisions of Horse that out-flank your Enemies Horse on the flanks when they come within a near distance of your Enemies Troops to wheel with their Divisions so that they may be able to charge the Wing of their Enemies Horse on the flank at the same time when the rest of the Horse chargeth them in the Front And in case you do out-front your Enemies Army on both flanks either by the advantage of the number of your men or by the well-ordering of them then both your Wings of Horse must observe the aforesaid order Here you must note that if you fight Foot among your Horse your Foot must advance with your Horse and your Horse by no means to advance before your Foot until your Enemies Horse be put to flight But if it falleth out so as most commonly it doth that the one Army be out-flanked upon one Wing and the same Army doth out flank the other Army on the other Wing if it fortune so that you be out-flanked in one of your Wings of Horse then ought the General to give an especial order to the Officers that that Wing of Horse which is out-flanked do not advance from the main Body of the Foot but keep an even front with the Foot until their Enemies Horse come up close to them to charge them And in the mean time so soon as the Officers of either of your Wings of Horse discover that they shall be out-flanked they ought to have order to draw up on the outermost flank of that wing of Horse that is out-flanked the Reer-Guard of Horse of the same wing of Horse with all the expedition that may be For I am confident it is far less dangerous to want a Reer-guard in a wing of Horse than to be out-flanked by his Enemies Horse Likewise those Officers that do perceive they shall be out-flanked by the Enemies Horse ought to have order that if any of their Divisions of Horse which doth most often fall out when they are out-flanked by the Enemies wing of Horse do front against the Enemies Foot and not against their Horse that then they shall draw all those Divisions of Horse on the outermost flanks of the same wing of Horse But in the imbattelling of two Armies if it prove so that your Armies are equally fronted the which seldom or never doth happen then if you have one wing of Horse that are more confident in their Valour and Resolution than you are of the other let that wing of Horse charge first for as many hands make light work so the best hands make surest work and the other wing of Horse keep in even front with the main body of Foot until the Enemies Horse come up to charge them You ought to use your best judgment and skill to charge your Enemy first in that place where you are surest to overcome him for so favourable are mens judgments to that which is already happened that the sequel of every action dependeth for the most part upon the beginning If it fortune so that either of your wings of Horse do put to flight either of your Enemies wings of Horse then ought the Chief Commander of that wing of Horse to have order upon the flight of his Enemies wing of Horse to send but three Divisions of Horse after them the which three Divisions of Horse ought to have their Orders before-hand for the same and their Directions what to do One of the three Divisions of Horse that is appointed to follow the routed wing of
the Enemies Horse should be commanded to be sub-divided into small sub-divisions when they are to follow the execution about fifteen Horsemen in a Division and the other two Divisions of Horse ought to follow after in order and keeping their men together without being sub-divided that they may make good the Retreat of the other Division of Horse which is upon the execution of those Horse of the Enemy which are fled And all the three Divisions of Horse ought to have order not to follow the Enemy above a mile and then to return to the Army again with all the expedition that they may And all your other Horse that have put the Enemies wing of Horse to flight ought to charge the Enemies Foot with as much speed as they can Having spoken of some advantages that may be taken by the Horse on the flanks of an Army in a day of Battel the which are the chiefest advantages in winning of a Battel and how they are to prepare against disadvantages that may happen I will now speak something concerning some advantages and some disadvantages that may happen in Foot Service in a day of Battel And first of the advantages that may be taken by Foot in a day of Battel the greatest advantage that can be made use of is by ordering the Musqueteers so that they may be able readily to skirmish with Foot and to be suddenly put in order upon any occasion to be sheltered by the Pikes from the Enemies Horse Each Division of Foot that fight in the Body of your Army if you intend to use this kind of Discipline which is set down in this Book ought to be in strength two hundred eighty eight men half Pikes and half Musqueteers And each Division of Foot that is to fight amongst your Horse ought to be an hundred forty four men in strength half Pikes and half Musqueteers The way how to order these Divisions of Foot in a day of Battel is shewn you in these three following Battels By this way of ordering your Foot the success of a Battel will not wholly rely upon the success of the Horse as it doth now adays as we do order our Infantry Your Foot being ordered this way as is before spoken of the success of a Battel will lie more upon the success of the Foot then upon the Horse And I account them being thus ordered as is here set down and as you shall see them in these three following Battels a more firm body to trust to for Victory than the Horse The Horse likewise by fighting of Foot among them become a firmer Body than by fighting Horse alone And such as shall make trial of this way of imbattelling their Troops shall find it very advantageous unto them in fighting a Battel and no hinderance at all but a great furtherance to the Horse-Service If your Field-pieces be of ten or twelve foot in length and having their full metal and if you meet with an Enemy whose Field-pieces are not so long you will find that you have by it a great advantage of your Enemy The advantage is this when you come with your Army and Artillery within shot of your Enemies Body of Foot your Artillery being placed in the Van-guard of your Army command your Army to stand and your Cannoneers to play with your Artillery upon the Enemy If your Enemies Field-pieces be no longer than are usually carried into the Field you will be able to shoot upon your Enemies Body of Foot a quarter of a mile before your Enemies Artillery will be able to shoot at your Body of Foot with any certainty The which will prove a great advantage to those that shall make use of it to be able to out-shoot your Enemy a quarter of a mile with your Artillery and your Enemy to recover that disadvantage must be constrained to march a quarter of a mile in Battalia with his Army before he can bring his Artillery to shoot to any purpose at your Army the which will prove if you have good Cannoneers a great dis-heartening if not a total overthrow to your Enemy All the Musqueteers that march in the Van-guard of an Army in a day of Battel ought to have two pair of Bandaliers furnished with Powder and Bullet and in case you have no Bandaliers let there be provided for each Musqueteer in the Van-guard of the Army twelve Carthrages which they ought to carry in their right-hand pockets and twelve Bullets apiece in their pockets besides and each company to carry with them for the re-furnishing their Musqueteers upon occasion a Powder-bag full of Powder Thus ought the Musqueteers in the Van-guard of an Army to be furnished All the rest of the Musqueteers ought to have their Bandaliers furnished with Powder and Bullet and each Musqueteer ought to have twelve Bullets apiece in their Pockets and each company must carry with them a Powder-bag full of Powder It is very fit likewise that you have in each Company six good Fouling-pieces of such a length as a Souldier may well be able to take aim and to shoot off at ease twelve of them being placed in a day of Battel when you bring a Division of Foot to skirmish with an Enemy on the flanks of a Division of Foot six Fowling-pieces on the one flank of a Division of Foot and six on the other flank as you shall see them placed in these three Battels following Those Souldiers that carry the Fowling-pieces ought to have command when they come within distance of Shot of that Division of the Enemy that they are to encounter with that they shoot not at any but at the Officers of that Division Likewise you ought to have on the flanks of each Division of Pikes a Souldier with Hand-Granadoes that if you bring your men to push of Pike they are to fire the Granadoes and to throw them in amongst the Enemies Pikemen which will prove a great advantage if they be boldly and well thrown Unto every Division of Foot in the Battail of your Army you ought to have two Divisions of Horse of forty in a Division ten in front and four deep on each flank of each Division of Foot in the Battail of your Army as you shall see them in these three following Battels These Divisions of Horse will be always in a readiness to charge the Enemies Foot at all times when the General shall think fit If you out-flank your Enemies Foot with your Foot either on the one flank or both the flanks let so many of your Divisions of Foot as do out-flank your Enemies Foot be drawn up on the Enemies flank and give fire on them And the Officers in Chief that Command on the flanks of the Van-guard of the Foot ought to have particular Orders for the same in case any such thing should happen and likewise they are to have a special Order for the keeping of their true distances in their advance towards an Enemy
A General ought to be careful before he taketh the Field with his Army that he provide for the punctual supplying of his Army with Mony Ammunition Victuals Arms Men Shoes Stockings Shirts And seeing it is impossible for an Army upon a March to carry with them sufficient of all these necessaries therefore a General ought carefully to foresee as he advanceth any way with his Army that his Magazines for his Army be always so near him and so well stored with such things as he shall have occasion to use that his designs fail not for want of any of the aforesaid things And he must be careful that his Enemy be never able to cut off his Provisions at any time or his Retreat A General or Chief Commander ought to see that he doth not ruine his Army upon disadvantages either by engaging them unadvisedly in Battels or by assaulting Towns and Breaches rashly or by long Sieges or long Winter Services without good probability and assurance in the judgment of men to prevail And he must take care always to joyn Judgment with Valour in all his Actions A General ought carefully to lay hold on such occasions as offer themselves to defeat his Enemy and judiciously observe to know when to fight and when not A good Commander ought wholly to avoid doing any thing which being but of small moment may only produce evil effects in his Army For to begin a Skirmish or a Combate wherein the whole Forces are not imployed and yet the whole fortune is there laid to stake is a thing savouring too much of rashness And yet I hold it fit that wise and experienced Commanders when they meet with a new Enemy that is of Reputation before they come to joyn Battel should cause their Souldiers to make trial of them by some light Skirmishes to the end that beginning to know them and to have to deal with them they may be rid of that Terror which the Report and Reputation of these men have put them in And this part in a General is of exceeding great importance for these small experiences made by the Souldiers will cause them to cast off that terror which by means of the Enemies Reputation had possessed them Thus Livy saith that Valerius Corvinus was sent by the Romans to make some small Skirmishes with the Samnites that a new War and a new Enemy might not affright them But a good Commander must be very careful that nothing arise which upon any accident may take away the Courage and Hearts of his Souldiers Now that which may be of force to take away their Courage is to begin with loss And therefore a Commander should be very careful how he engageth any of his Troops in small Skirmishes and that he send no parties out of his Army upon any occasion without taking care that they be commanded by good Commanders and that the Officers that Command such Parties have Order not to engage themselves with the Enemy unless they have some certain hopes of Victory Nor ought he to undertake to guard any passages where he cannot bring his whole Army together Nor should he keep any Towns unless it be those upon loss whereof his utter ruine followeth And those that he guardeth he should take such care both for their Defences and also with his Army that when-ever the Enemy hath any design to assail them he may make use of all his Forces to the rescue of them If you have any certain hopes of starving your Enemy or putting him to a retreat for want of Provisions your securest way then will be not to fight with him especially if your Enemy be of equal strength with you or stronger than you are If a Commander in Chief discovereth his Enemies Foot to be lodged in their night Quarters in a Campagnia with their Carriages it were good then to charge them in the night with so many Horse as you shall think fit in several places and leave part of your Horse and Dragoons to make good their retreat upon occasion If it falleth so out that your Horse cannot totally rout your Enemies Foot let them have Order to fire their Ammunition and so retreat It is very fit a General should often command his Horse and Dragoons to fall upon his Enemies outermost Horse-Quarters The which is one of the readiest easiest and securest ways that I know of to break an Enemies Army A General is not so much blamed for making trial of an ill-digested project as he will be for the obstinate continuing in the same Therefore the speediest leaving of any such enterprise doth excuse the rashness which might be imputed to the beginning Difficulties of extremity are never better cleared than by adventurous and desperate undertaking And hence groweth the difference between true Valour and fool-hardy Rashness being but one and the same thing if they were not distinguished by the subject wherein they are shewed For to run headlong into strange adventures upon no just occasion were to shew more levity than discretion and again to use the like boldness in cases of extremity deserveth the opinion of vertuous endeavours A General should always be careful so soon as he cometh out of the Field to visit his Frontier Towns and take with him some of his best Commanders and some of his choice Engineers and to see what Fortifications his Frontier Towns want and to give order for the repairing of such wants and likewise to take care that the Magazines be furnished with a years provision and that he give especial Command to the Governours of his Frontier Towns to be careful by their vigilance and good itnelligence to prevent sudden surprises and valiantly to defend their Towns and providently to dispose of their provisions in case they should be besieged Concerning Spies you must be always suspitious of them because as it is a dangerous task for him that undertaketh so it is also for him that imployeth them And that Spies may not agree to give false advice they should be examined severally that by the agreement or disagreement of their advices you may judge whether they be good and by the verification of those which speak true or false you shall know who betrayeth you or doth you true Service But this is not all to beware of your own Spies you must also take heed of those of the Enemy which you must pre-suppose you have in your Camp For this reason besides the secresie which must be used in all enterprises it is good to give a charge by publishing in a still way that you have a quite contrary design to that which you purpose to put in execution that so these Spies may report it to the Enemy But the most effectual means to be well served by these kind of men is to be very liberal to them for they are faithful to those who give them most A General must take care that he have continually Spies in the Enemies Army to know when his Enemy moveth and
and two deep marked with the letters R and S on the right and left hand of the left hand Division of Pikes marked with the letter O as is here before set down for the four ranks of Musqueteers marked with the letters M and N. Then command the four ranks of Musqueteers marked with the letters K and P to close their ranks and files to their close order And these words of Command before set down will bring the former figure marked with the letters I K L M N O P Q R S to the order of this figure marked with the figures of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. By these words of Command before set down you see the Musqueteers marked with the letters M N R S P K in the figure before this former figure are now brought into this order as you see them in this figure before marked with the figures of 5 6 11 12 9 3 under shelter of the Pikes The Musqueteers and Pikes being at their close order standing in a readiness to receive a charge from Horse and the Pikes to shelter the Musqueteers every way upon occasion from the force of the Horse The figure marked with the figure 1 is a Division of Horse threescore in front and three deep being at their close order The way how the Musqueteers shall be sheltred by the Pikes from Horse I will here declare unto you Command the two right hand files and the two left hand files of the Division of Pikes marked with the figure 2 the which Division of Pikes is twelve files of Pikes and six deep to charge to their right and left hands the two right hand files to the right hand and the two left hand files of Pikes to the left hand over the shoulders of the Musqueteers on the right and left hand marked with the figures 5 and 6 commanding these four files of Musqueteers marked with the aforesaid two figures to turn to their right and left hands When the two right hand files and the two left hand files of Pikes of the figure marked with the figure 2 are commanded to charge to the right and left hands then command the other eight files of Pikes of the figure 2 which have not as yet charged their Pikes I say command the three first ranks of those eight files to charge their Pikes to the front over the shoulders of the Musqueteers marked with the figure 3. Then command the three last ranks of Pikes of the eight files of Pikes to charge to the reer over the shoulders of the two ranks of Musqueteers marked with the figure 4. And these two ranks of Musqueteers in the reer marked with the figure 4 must observe to turn to their right hands about when the Pikes are commanded to charge to the reer The same Order and words of Command the which are here set down for the right hand Division of Foot marked with the figures 2 3 4 5 6 7 must be observed by the Officers of the left hand Division of Foot marked with the figures 7 8 9 10 11 12. The Musqueteers which are placed without-side of the Pikes marked with the figures 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 must stand ready with their Matches Cocks and Pans guarded and ready to give fire either by one rank at a time or two ranks as the Officers shall see occasion to command them which must be done after this manner If you command only the outermost ranks to give fire then must you command them to present kneeling on their right knees and command them to level so low that they shoot at the Horse legs and by that means they will shoot clear under the tops of your Pikes being charged If you please to command two ranks of Musqueteers to give fire at one time the Musqueteers being ready to present command your Pikemen to port their Pikes then command all your Musqueteers to present the first rank of Musqueteers kneeling on their right knees the second rank of Musqueteers must move up close to the first rank of Musqueteers every Musqueteer in the second rank stepping forward with his right leg within the inside of their Leaders right legs and step forwards with their left legs close up by their Leaders left legs without-side of their Leaders left legs and so present their Musquets over their Leaders heads After the Musqueteers in the first rank have thus presented command them to give fire then may you if occasion serve command your Pikemen to charge their Pikes again and your Musqueteers to make ready again But here some may object that if any one of these two Divisions of Foot marked with the figures 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 should be charged by Horse several ways at once then the four corners of the Division of Foot will be ill defended by reason that the two outermost files of Pikes to the right and left hand are charging to their right and left hands so by this means they conceive the four corners of the Division of Foot will be left naked for want of Pikes to defend them To prevent this objection the Captains Lieutenants and Serjeants ought to be placed on the four corners of a Division of Foot with the Musqueteers as you see them in this foregoing figure marked with the figure 7. For you must understand that each little long stroke at the corners of the Division of Foot standeth for an Officer Now all the Captains that command the Foot on the flanks of each Division of Horse in a day of Battel ought to have Pikes and the Lieutenants and Serjeants ought to have Partizans and Halberts of eleven foot in length In this Service against the Horse are two chief things that the Commanders of the Foot who command any Foot amongst the Horse in a day of Battel ought to give their Souldiers a strict charge to observe the first is that the Musqueteers when they are to give fire should always take aim at the Horses legs The second observation is that your Pikemen charge their Pikes against the Horses and not against the Horsemen when the Foot are charged by Horse and that your Pikemen charge not their Pikes until the Enemies Horses are come within forty paces of your Foot If you fight Foot among your Horse on the flank of your Army as you see them placed in these two figures before marked with the letters HIKLMNOPQRS and the figures 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. Then you must observe when your Enemies Horse come to charge your Horse or the Foot on the flanks of your Division of Horse that your Divisions of Horse move not from the two Divisions of Foot on their flanks unless your Enemies Horse be put to the retreat but to keep an even front with the two Divisions of Foot on their flanks and receive their Enemies Charge keeping the aforesaid order But in case your Enemies Horse rout any one of the
Divisions of Foot on the flanks of any one Division of Horse then the Commander of the Division of Horse that is to march between two Divisions of Foot must be in a readiness to Charge the Enemies Horse that hath routed his Foot either with part of his Division of Horse or the whole as he seeth occasion or as he may with convenience That your intention of fighting Foot amongst the Horse may not be discovered by your Enemy who hath not been used to the like Discipline or at least that he may not know the way and order that you intend to fight your Foot in let your Divisions of Foot which are to fight on the flanks of your Horse in a day of Battel as you see them in the two former figures let I say the two Divisions of Foot which belong to each Division of Horse march in the reer of the Divisions of Horse as you see them in the foregoing figure till they come within Musquet-shot of their Enemies Horse then draw up the two Divisions of Foot the one on the one flank of a Division of Horse and the other on the other flank of the same Division of Horse in the same order as you see them in this foregoing figure CHAP. XIV VVhat Strength each Division of Horse ought to be from three thousand to ten thousand to fight on the flanks of a Body of Foot in a day of Battel if you will have no Foot to fight amongst the Horse IF your strength of Horse be three thousand and if they be to fight on the flanks of a Body of Foot in a day of Battel without Foot to fight amongst them then each Division of Horse ought to be thirty in front three deep and ninety in a Division If your strength of Horse be four thousand then the strength of each Division of Horse ought to be an hundred and twenty forty in front and three deep If your strength of Horse be five thousand then each Division of Horse ought to be an hundred and fifty strong fifty in front and three deep If your strength of Horse be six thousand or seven thousand then they ought to be an hundred and eighty in a Division sixty in front and three deep If your strength of Horse be eight thousand nine thousand or ten thousand then ought each Division of Horse to be an hundred in front and three deep and three hundred in a Division Your Divisions of Horse from ninety to an hundred and eighty if you have no Foot to fight amongst your Horse ought to charge their Enemies Horse after this manner Each Division of Horse from ninety to an hundred and eighty in strength ought to be sub-divided into three subdivisions as is here set down and shall be declared unto you by this following figure marked with the letters A B C. The three sub-divisions of Horse marked with the letters A B C are a Division of Horse of ninety sub-divided into three equal sub-divisions being thirty in a Division ten in front and three deep The distance of ground between the subdivision marked with the letter A and the subdivision marked with the letter B is twenty paces three feet to the pace The like distance of ground is between the sub-divisions of Horse marked with the letters B and C the little strokes that stand in the fronts flanks and reer of the three sub-divisions stand for Officers Now when the Van-guard of your Horse cometh within fifty paces of the Enemies Horse let the two sub divisions of Horse marked with the letters A and C advance towards their Enemies Division of Horse upon an easie trot and the Officers of the two Divisions of Horse must be careful that they Charge all together the Division of the Enemies Horse which they meet with And when the two sub-divisions on the right and left hand marked with the letters A and C do advance towards their Enemy to charge them then let the middle sub-division of Horse marked with the letter B follow after easily upon a walking pace And when the Officer in chief that commandeth the middle sub-division of Horse marked with the Letter D seeth the other two sub-divisions of Horses marked with the letters A and C to be mingled with the Enemy then let him command his sub-division of Horse to advance upon a round trot and charge his Enemy The same order must be observed by all the Divisions of Horses that are but ninety in strength when they come to charge an Enemy And the Divisions of Horse from ninety to an hundred and eighty in strength must observe the same order in charging their Enemy as is here set down in this Division of Horse of ninety marked with the letters A B C if no Divisions of Foot be to fight amongst the Horse If you be eight thousand nine thousand or ten thousand strong in Horse then each Division of Horse when you come to fight in Battel ought to be three hundred in strength and each Division of Horse ought to be sub-divided into five equal sub-divisions as you see them in this following figure marked with the letters D E F G H. In these five sub-divisions of Horse marked with the letters D E F G H there are sixty Horses in each sub-division twenty in front and three deep So that the five sub-divisions marked with the letters D E F G H are a Division of Horse of three hundred in strength sub-divided into five equal parts and being at their close order in rank and file And the little small strokes that you see in the flank reer and front stand for Officers The distance of ground that is left between the sub-divisions marked with the letters D and E is twenty paces three feet to the pace And the distance of ground between the sub-divisions of Horse marked with the letters E and F is twenty paces The same distance of ground is between the sub-divisions of Horse marked with the letters F and G and G and H. If you intend to have your Divisions of Horse to be three hundred in strength my opinion is that each Division of Horse ought to be sub-divided into five equal parts as you see them in this figure marked with the letters D E F G H. For these reasons a Division of Horse for three hundred in strength being divided into five equal parts as you see them in this foregoing figure will take up much more ground in front than a Division of Horse that is but three hundred in strength and not sub-divided Now it is one of the chiefest advantages that can be taken in a day of Battel by your Divisions of Horse to out-front your Enemies Divisions of Horse Besides a Division of Horse of three hundred in strength being sub-divided as is before set down will be better commanded and not so subject to fall into a disorder upon any occasion as a Division of Horse of three hundred in strength all in a body Moreover you
may charge an Enemy three several ways with a Division of Horse of three hundred in strength being sub-divided as you see them in this foregoing figure whereas you can charge an Enemy but one way with a Division of Horse of three hundred in strength being all in one body The first of the three ways to charge your Enemy with a Division of Horse of three hundred in strength and sub-divided is in this manner when a Division of Horse thus sub-divided into five equal parts cometh within forty paces of your Enemies Division of Horse which they are to charge then let the two sub-divisions of Horse marked with the letters D and H advance and charge their Enemies Division of Horse on the flanks and then let the other three sub-divisions of Horse marked with the letters E F G advance and charge their Enemy in the front of their Division at the same time The second way is this when you come within forty paces of your Enemies Division of Horse then command the three sub-divisions of Horse marked with the letters D â— H to advance upon a trot and charge their Enemy then command the other two sub-divisions marked with the letters E and G to follow upon an easie pace until they see that the three sub-divisions marked with the letters D F H be mingled with their Enemy Then let the two sub-divisions marked with the letters E and G have order to advance upon a good round trot and charge their Enemy The third way of charging your Enemy is to command the five sub-divisions of Horse marked the letters D E F G H to charge the Enemy together in an even front And I account either of these three ways better to charge a Division of the Enemies Horse to rout them than to charge a Division of the Enemies Horse with a Division of three hundred Horse in one Body together without being sub-divided CHAP. XV. By the following Figures are declared what Strength each Division of Foot ought to be to Fight a Battel and Encounter with Foot and the order that must be observed for doing the same and how they shall easily and readily be in order to defend themselves against the charge of any Horse FOR Field-Service you must observe to have as many Pikes as Musqueteers amongst your Foot and each Division of Foot ought to be two hundred eighty eight in strength half Pikemen and half Musqueteers and you must rank your men but six deep so that in the Division of two hundred eighty eight men there will be four and twenty files of Pikes and four and twenty files of Musqueteers six deep The order that they must be drawn into to be in readiness to fight with Foot and to defend themselves against Horse shall be declared unto you by the following figures But in the first place I will shew you the order that these four and twenty files of Pikes and four and twenty files of Musqueteers must be drawn into The first order that the aforesaid two hundred eighty eight men must be drawn into is as you shall see them in this following figure marked with the figures 1 2 3 and the distance that they are at in rank and file is their Order The figure marked with the figure 1 is a Division of Pikes of four and twenty files six deep The six ranks of small pricks marked with the figure 2 are a Division of Musqueteers consisting of twelve files six deep And the like are six ranks of pricks on the left hand of the Division of Pikes figured with the figure 3. Now the way that you must observe to bring these four and twenty files of Pikes and four and twenty files of Musqueteers into the order as you see them in the following figure marked with the letters A B C is by these words of Command Command the three first ranks of Musqueteers of the two Divisions of Musqueteers marked with the figures 2 and 3 to march forward till the last ranks of Musqueteers of both the Divisions of Musqueteers have marched twelve feet beyond the first ranks of Pikes Then command them to stand and cause the three ranks of Musqueteers at the left hand to turn to their right hands and the three ranks of Musqueteers on the right hand to turn to their left hands Then command them to march forward and joyn together before the Division marked with the letter A. Then command the Musqueteers which before you commanded to turn to their left hands now to turn to their right hands and those Musqueteers that you commanded before to turn to their right hands command them to turn to their left hands Then file the Musqueteers that you have brought before the front of the Pikes even with the files of Pikes Then command the other six ranks of Musqueteers on the right and left hand of the Division of Pikes to advance forwards and front with the Musqueteers which are in the front of the Pikes leaving eighteen foot distance between the Divisions of Musqueteers marked with the letters C and B and B and D as you see them in this following figure marked with the letters A B C D and the distance that they are at in rank and file is their Order The figure marked with the letter A is a Division of Pikes consisting of four and twenty files six deep The three ranks of small pricks marked with the letter B are four and twenty files of Musqueteers three deep The three ranks of small pricks marked with the letter C are twelve files of Musqueteers three deep the like are the three ranks of Musqueteers marked with the letter D. And the Musqueteers standing in this order as you see them in this foregoing figure marked with the letters B C D are now in a readiness to give fire on an Enemy Now the way that the Musqueteers must observe in firing on their Enemy is thus Command both your Pikemen and Musqueteers to shoulder their Arms and march together in the same order as you see them in the foregoing figure marked with the letters A B C D commanding the three Divisions of Musqueteers marked with the letters B C D to make ready and when the Musqueteers are all ready command the two first ranks of Musqueteers in the aforesaid three Divisions of Musqueteers to present The three first ranks of the three Divisions of Musqueteers marked with the letters C B D must present kneeling upon their right knees The second ranks of the aforesaid Divisions of Musqueteers must march up close to the three first ranks of Musqueteers which are presenting on their right knees every Musqueteer in the second rank stepping forwards with their right legs within the in side of their Leaders right legs and then step forwards with their left legs close up to their Leaders left legs without-side of their legs and present their Musquets over their Leaders heads in their first ranks And after the two first ranks of Musqueteers of the three
your Army to discover and search for Ambushments and parties of the Enemy which will be always apt to attend upon an Army for booties When you come to march with your Army through any Woody Country then you ought to have loose Wings of Musqueteers to march on the flanks of your Army some Musquet-shot off from the Body of your Foot to keep small or great parties from firing on your main Body And in such places you ought to have a special care that your Baggage be well guarded on the flanks and that your Scout-Master and Spies do bring you intelligence daily It is most necessary when you march to make an halt once in a day for the ease of your Souldiers and relief and ease of your Carriage-Horses in some convenient place where is both Horse-meat and water It is very fit you give orders to your Pioners to make you three ways on each side of your Carriage way that is six ways besides your Carriage-way or as many as conveniently the ground and places through which you are to march with your Army will give way So by this means the one half of your Army may march on one side of your Carriages and the other half on the other side of your Carriages By marching in this order your train will be the shorter and a less guard will serve to guard the reer of your Waggons by reason the main body of your Army will be so near the reer of your Waggons And also your Army will march much the nearer together whereby you will the sooner draw them into order to fight upon any occasion Likewise you will be able to march safer and farther in a day than you can when your Army marcheth but in one or two ways If it fall out so that you must be constrained to march with your Army and Baggage in one High-way or over one Bridge the Conductor that hath the Conducting of the Van-guard of your Train ought to know upon such an occasion what Regiment his Train of Artillery is to follow and that he have a special care not to march into any narrow passage before those Troops he is to follow If you have any occasion to send out any parties to provide Provisions for your Army against night you ought to give order unto those Officers to keep their Souldiers from stragling for such oversights do many times bring great inconvenncies to an Army Therefore Officers ought not at any time to suffer their Souldiers to straggle nor slacken the severity of Military Discipline though they believe themselves far from an Enemy and in great security For Souldiers are commonly least secure when they think themselves most secure Security is commonly the fore-runner of misery In marching with an Army to fight with your Enemy you ought to carry with you as much Bread Cheese or Cattel and Salt as you may conveniently for it is impossible that Souldiers should find Bread to be bought every where And if it be possible to be done with safety lie with your Army between your Enemy and his Provisions being better furnished with Provisions than your Enemy For lying near your Enemy with safety and without fighting will in the end surely discourage your Enemies Souldiers by their necessities or force them to fight upon disadvantages or at last put them to a retreat And then the Victory is more then half won if any of these things happen unto your Enemy An Army may be divided into four parts namely the Cavalry the Infantry the Artillery and the Victuals If you March with Cannon and suffer an Enemy to approach too near you without intrenching it is impossible for you to avoid fighting or losing your Cannon Therefore a General ought to know how to make use of it at his advantage and avoid the inconveniences of it by his foresight either by intrenching or retreating in time if he hath no mind to hazard a Battel There is nothing that bringeth so much disorder to an Army upon the March as the Baggage And therefore it is highly necessary to reduce it to the smallest proportion that may be and the Waggon-Master-General ought to make a review of it every morning when the Army marcheth for otherwise it will daily increase Your Marshal-General ought not to suffer many Women or Boys to March with an Army whereby Sickness and Famine get into the Army If your Army be of any great strength then may you march with it in two parts each part about two or three miles distant from the other if you have no Enemy near you that is able to affront you And if you can march in this order with safety you will march much the farther in a day and your Souldiers will be much better provided for at night If you are to march with an Army into a Country where you think the Inhabitants will flie before you then ought you to carry Hand-mills and Baking-pans along with you that each Company upon occasion may be able to grind their own Corn and provide themselves Bread It is very fit and necessary if you have any occasion to pass over any Rivers that are not fordable in your march to carry with you Boats or Punts to make a Bridge of It is most necessary likewise to carry with you Caltrops into the Field the which are very convenient at times to be thrown in places as either into Fords or narrow passages where Horses are to pass to spoil them and they are of especial use in a night upon a Retreat to be thrown into narrow passages or by day into dirty or watry passages Those Caltrops that are made for Fords must be made somewhat more weighty than those that are made for other passages that the water may not be able to carry them away CHAP. XVII Some Observations for the Quartering of an Army at Night upon a March and for the setting out of their Guards to secure their Quarters YOU ought to give a strict charge to the Quarter-Master-General of the Foot to have a special care if it be possible to Quarter your Infantry upon a march and your Train of Artillery in places that are naturally or casually well fortified as with inclosures or in places compassed with Rivers or Moors and where there may be Provisions for your Carriage-Horses or where Provisions may conveniently be brought in by the Country-people for them This way of Quartering your Army must be carefully observed if any Enemy of strength be near you that may be able to do you any affront upon any of your Quarters If any Enemy of strength be near you you ought to Quarter your Army as near together as possibly you can but by all means if it be possible avoid Quartering your Infantry in the Campagnia The time of lodging an Army is a dangerous time to be assaulted in because the Army is then tired and every man desirous to be lodged hastneth to the quarter in disorder which is a thing hard
the two left hand files of Pikes of the six ranks of Pikes marked with the figures 1 and 2 to charge to their right and left hands over the shoulders of the Musqueteers on the right and left hand marked with the figures 5 and 6. Command also the four files of Musqueteers marked with the aforesaid two figures to turn to their right and left hands When the two right hand files of Pikes are commanded to charge to their right and left hands then command the other twenty files of Pikes in the first three ranks of Pikes marked with the figure 1 to Charge to the front over the shoulders of the Musqueteers marked with the figure 3. Then command the twenty files of Pikes marked with the figure 2 to Charge to the reer over the shoulders of the two ranks of Musqueteers in the reer marked with the figure 4. And the aforesaid Musqueteers must observe to turn to their right hands about when the Pikes are commanded to charge to the reer The Musqueteers which are placed without-side of the Pikes marked with the figures 3 4 5 and 6 must stand ready with their Matches Cock and Pans guarded and to be ready to give fire either by one rank at a time or two ranks as the Officers shall see occasion to command them the which must be done after this manner If you command only the outermost ranks of Musqueteers to give fire then must you command them to present kneeling on their right knees and command them to level so low with their Musquets that they may shoot at the horses legs by that means they will shoot clear under the tops of your Pikes being charged If you please to command two ranks of Musqueteers to give fire at one time then as soon as the Musqueteers are ready to present command your Pikemen to port their Pikes then command all the Musqueteers without-side of the Pikes to present where the first ranks of Musqueteers are to kneel on their right knees then the second tanks of Musqueteers must move up close to the first ranks of Musqueteers every Musqueteer in the second ranks stepping forwards with their right legs within the in-side of their Leaders right legs then they must step forwards with their left legs close up by their Leaders left legs without-side of their Leaders legs and present their Musquets over their Leaders heads in the first rank When the Musqueteers have thus presented command them to give fire And if Horse charge a Division of Foot which stand in the same order that this Division of Horse doth marked with the figures 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 You must command your Pikemen to charge again and be careful to place the Captains Lieutenants and Serjeants of the Division on the four corners of the Division as you see them in the foregoing figure marked with the figure 7. CHAP. XVI Some Observations concerning the Marching of an Army You must be careful before you march with your Army into the Field to see your Souldiers well Cloathed well Armed and well Disciplined and that you be stored with Shooes and Stockings for the March and also with Ammunition Bread and Mony If you be not careful of this you will soon bring your Army to ruine You must also have a great care of those Souldiers which fall sick or are hurt upon a March for this alone will not only encourage Souldiers to undergo any danger or labour but by it you will win their affections so that they will never forsake you You ought to know the nature of the Country the quality of the ways the compendiousness of turning the nature of Hills and the course of Rivers through which you are to march And the best way to know these things is by good Guides and good Maps For he that leadeth an Army by an unknown and undiscovered way and marching blindfold upon uncertain adventures is subject to many casualties and disadvantages Let every Commander therefore perswade himself that good Discoverers are as the eye of an Army and serve for lights in the darkness of ignorance to direct the resolutions of good providence and to make the path of safety so manifest that he need not stumble upon casualties For that which a General should chiefly observe upon a March is first Safety and next Convenience If you March into a Country which is hard to enter and which hath but few passages whereby to enter into it you must force one and before you go farther you must there fortifie as well to assure your way for your necessaries as for your retreat For a General must be careful never to March into any such place where his Enemy may be able to cut off his Provisions or his Retreat It is most convenient and ready to have your Divisions of Horse and Foot to march at the same strength or some ten or twelve men more in a Division than you intend to fight them by which means your Army will be much more ready upon any occasion to be imbattelled And your Officers and Souldiers being used to march with their Divisions in the same strength and order as you intend to fight them will not be so apt to be in a disorder as that Army that doth not use to march with their Divisions of Horse and Foot at the same strength as they intend to fight them Your Regiments of Horse and Foot ought to be divided into Brigades your Foot into three Brigades and your Horse into six Brigades if you be twelve Regiments of Horse strong or above It is most necessary to use your Brigades and your Divisions of Horse and Foot to march in Battalia when time and ground will give leave for otherwise you will not be able to march three hundred paces in the view of an Enemy with your Brigades imbattelled but your Divisions of Horse and Foot will be apt to lose their distances and by consequence will be most apt to fall into a confusion You must be careful to be furnished at the least at every quarter with three Guides If you be to march in the night you ought to have six Before you set forwards your Guides must be agreed upon the way which they will take There must also be a Captain of the Guides a man of spirit and vigilance and one that may take care to get Guides from place to place You must be careful to carry with you the Maps of the Country through which you are to march The best way to keep your men from straggling upon a march when they pretend to go out of their ranks and files to drink or to ease themselves is this let them have command to leave their Pikes or Musquets with their Camerades and the Lieutenant and Serjeant ought to see this order observed You ought upon a march to send out some parties of Horse or Foot according as the situation of the Country and the strength of the Enemy requireth in the Van-guard and flanks of