Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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A43484
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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.
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Hexham, Henry, 1585?-1650?
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1643
(1643)
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Wing H1655; ESTC R26057
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68,175
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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 â— 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
we could scarce see one another because the ashes made such a dust and presently fell downe above twenty great brick-bats which the bullet had loosened in the chimney had he not leapt away upon his head this was an other escape but for a revenge the page got one of Sir Francis Veres centinels that stood in the streete before his dore to crue up this bullet in a wheel-barrow up to the west bulwarke to the English Canonier before mentioned and because you write in your former Dialogue that one bullet may fitt the Calibre or bore of another peece this bullet fitted so justly our Canon above mentioned to a a haire which was sent going to you again piping hot out of our Canon to your Catt and he made so good a shot that I verily beleeve he sent some of you to Purgatory for we could discover some Armes and Legges which flew up into the Aire and so you were paid with your owne coine One or two more and then I have done You may remember the seventh of Ianuary that day which you did batter Sandhill and the skirt of the old Town afore mentioned for all your often shooting yet there was one halfe Canon lay upon it not farre from your breach undismounted The same page after he had taken his Levell gave fire upon two Horses and a Waggon which came riding along the strand from Albertus Sconce towards your Pile Battery it seemes laden with powder or bullets he made so direct a shot that he strook his mark killed one of your horses and the Waggon shot a peeces The page being overjoyed with this shot he would needes make an other and whiles he was a levelling his peece at an other marke one of your Canoniers turnes a peece aside from the Pile Batterie and shoots just in at the very port-hole of our halfe Canon and came so right that it licked off a pound or two of the mettle of the Muzzle upon the upper Frizes of our halfe Canon some peeces of this mettle killed a Gentleman that stood by as a spectatour and shot Sir John Ogles Cooke into his belly which was there likewise but the page which stood behind the brich a levelling the peece with his thumbe escaped and had no harme but your bullet flying by his eare made such a humming noise in his head that he thought there had been a swarme of Bees in it This I have written not for any Ostentation but onely to shew you how miraculously yea even in the greatest dangers God can preserve his servants according to his promise Psal. 90. verse 7. A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand yet it shall not come nigh thee One more and then I will end my digression at the last seige of the Bosch the yeere we took it in Anno 1629. We having advanced our approaches close under your little Skonce a musketteir of ours putting the nose of his Musket through the Musket baskets to give fire one of your Firelocks lying upon the snap for him gave fire upon him iust at the very same instant and shot his firelock bullet right into the very mouth or boore of his musket so that the bullet striking against the scrue of his brich brust open the touch-hole of his musket and a peece of the bullet came out of the said touch-hole while the Prince of Orange Sir Horace Vere Colonell Generall of the English and diverse other Officers stood by and thus you see how wonderfully it pleased God sometimes to preserue his creature Now I come to you againe where you exhort all Master-Gunners and Canoniers that will studie this Art that they with great care and diligence practise these rules abouesaid for the levelling ayming and taking their markes right remembring that there is more dexterity and cunning to be showne in shooting at a ship sayling away swiftly before the winde then at a Troupe of Horse or Men marching softly upon the Land or to dismount a peece planted upon a Tower or a Bulwarke where you haue an immoveable marke especially when as you are to shoot upward This Art must be learned and practised when you haue not much to doe that when necessity cals for your employment you may then not onely be able to doe your Prince and Countrey service against their Enemies but also gain your selfe fame and reputarion Now hauing treated at large in the former Chapter how you shall levell your peece point blanck levell with the mettle or at a range according to the elavation you giue it To shut vp all take this observation along with you that if the muzzle of your peece or the button of it be higher then those of the brich then it will carry ouer Againe if you take your aime from the button resting onely vpon the thicknesse of the Mettaline-substance your bullet will alwaies fall short But if your frizes be alike aswell at the muzzle as at your brich then you shall be sure to shoot levell with the mettell of your peece shall not faile to strike the marke you shoote at if it lies within the termes of the pointes aboue esaid NOW AND IN WHAT MANNER A GENERALL OF THE Ordnance ought to plant his Canon in a day of Battell whereby hee may most annoy an Enemy Lutracted out of the second Treatise of Don Diego Vffano his fift Dialogue between the Generall of the Ordnance and a Captain as followeth Generall SIR I would fain know of you how Ordnance ought to be placed in a Day of Battell for to gaule the Enemie most Captain I make no question but your Lordship having had experience in the Wars of Savoy and Hungarie can tell better then I am able to speak and if I should use a tedious discourse it might then seem that the Scholler might presume to teach his Master Gen. Howsoever in such a case I would willingly take the advice of an old experienced Souldier and especially of such a one who hath served in these parts As for me I dare not boast of any great experience having had enough to do to look unto my owne affaires neither have I had much leasure to inform my self well about Artillerie But now seeing I am to receive that charge upon me I pray you tell me as a man who hath been beaten thereunto and hath had long experience in the Warres how they do use to plant Ordnance in these quarters Capt. Sir There hath been but a few battel 's fought in these parts and to speak truly I am not able to satisfie you touching this point Neverthelesse I will tell you what I have seen in two wherein I was present In the one the Ordnance was planted in the head of the Battalions and in the other between them two by two and three by three upon the flanks and wings of the Muskettiers and blinded with the wings of the Cavallerie But as for me I am of the opinion that it is best