of 10000 men making square Battels and therefore their 10000 men were drawn up a 100 in rank and a 100 in file and a 100 times a 100 makes 10000. And so their Batallion was square of men and might have been also of ground if they allow'd no greater Intervals of ranks than of files which hardly they could do being they were all offensively arm'd with Pikes both long and strong But our Author saith that Cyrus was glad of this wishing Croesus's whole army had been marshal'd a thousand deep for then he had sooner destroy'd it as I have told you in the second Chapter of my Discourses of the Grecian Art of War Yet Xenophon tells us that these Aegyptians fought best of any of Croesus his army yea so long till they had fair quarter given them And withal he informs us that Cyrus his own army his Foot I suppose he means were marshal'd 24 deep and that was eight more than the depth of the Macedonian Phalanx CHAP. XVII Of the Modern way of Embatteling and Marshalling Armies AS all Armies are marshal'd according to the pleasure of those who command them so their pleasure often is and ever should be over ruled by the circumstances of time the posture of the enemy they have to do with the Weather the Sun the Wind and the ground on which they are to fight if the General find by his foreparties or Vancouriers that his enemy is before him drawn up in Battel ready to receive him he will do himself an injury to march forward for it is not to be fancied that his adversary will be so courteous as to permit him to marshal his army but will take his advantage and fall upon him before he can draw up his Van especially if his march have been thorough any close or strait Country and in such a condition as that a Generals A General should have a ready wit own ready wit and resolution must serve him for Counsellors for there will be no time given him to call a Council of War But we speak now of Embatteling Armies when Generals have half the choice of the ground The manner was in many places and still is in some to marshal Armies in three distinct Bodies one behind another the first was called the Vanguard the second the Battel the third the Reer-guard But several times every one Armies marshall'd in three distinct Bodies of those consisted of three Bodies likewise these were two wings of Horse and one Body of Foot and when they march'd these three great Bodies were called the Van Battel and Reer Their proper Title was to be called so when they marched for many times when they drew up in order of Battels it was in one Breast and then the Horse were divided in two wings and the Foot made the Battel This was done when the ground was very spacious and to prevent surrounding otherwise Armies seldom fight but in two Battels if not in three But as I said time ground the power of an enemy minister occasions to a Commander of an Army to alter the ordinary custom and frame a new method of his own to serve him for that opportunity I shall give you one instance and that of a mighty army marshal'd as few before it have been and I believe none since It was that which Charles the fifth and his Brother King Ferdinand had at Vienna when they lookt for Sultan Soliman the ground was very spacious and though their numbers were very great yet those of the Turk were How the mighty Army of the Emperour Charâ—es the Fifth was marshal'd at Vienna very much beyond them and they fear'd to be out-wing'd by his numerous Horse The order of their Battel was to be this if they had fought They had sixty thousand arm'd with Pikes Halberts Partisans and other long Staves these were divided in three great Batallions each of twenty thousand on the right hand stood one of them on the left hand the second and the third in the middle There were about six or seven thousand Harquebusiers on foot to attend each of these great Batallions of Pikes who were to have several little Intervals thorough which these Harquebusiers were to salley and fire incessantly before the grand Batallions till they should be necessitated to retire through these same Intervals to the Reer and then the Pikes were immediately to close and fill up those void places These three great Batallions separated one from another made two great Intervals in each of which stood fifteen thousand Horse Here then you see upon the matter one of the bravest Armies of Christians that ever was marshal'd in one front without reserve only some thousands of men were order'd to guard the Baggage and Munitions scarce read of before or since Here you see the Pikemen make the Wings whereas both before and since they made the Body Here you see the Firemen marshal'd behind and ordain'd to fally from their station and do their service in the Van and then to retire to their place according to the custom of the ancient Grâ—cian and Roman Velites and not marshal'd on the wings of the Pikes And here you see the Horse who before that time and since made the wings of an army make now the Body of it strongly flanked with Pikes this being the inversion of former Ordinances of War was then thought necessary to prevent the surrounding and the impetuosity of the Turks numerous Cavalry Armies for most part now are marshal'd in two distinct Bodies the Vanguard and the Arreer-guard which are commonly called Battel and Reserve But it is not only difficult but purely impossible for any the most experienced General to set down any one certain rule or order whereby he may constantly Battel and Reserve keep one manner of marshalling or one form of Battel as it is called forma aciei though he could be assur'd that his Regiments or Brigades of both Horse and Foot should constantly continue of one strength since the place situation Houses Villages Castles Hills Valleys rising heights hollow grounds Waters Woods Bushes Trees and Marshes do occasion such alterations as make the form or mould of an Army cast in one place change so much as you shall not know the face of it on another piece of ground perhaps not above one or two hours march from the former And in this as I said before the General is to act his part and take such advantages as he may and readily possess himself of such places which being in the enemies power might do him prejudice One of his great cares in Embatteling would be to secure both his Flanks of an Army to be well secur'd in â—attel flanks which are called the right and left hand of his Army with some River Brook Ditch Dike or Retrenchment if these cannot be so readily got then he may do it with the Waggons or Baggage of his Army for in time of-Battel it is almost impossible for a Batallion or
and then they fall down to the reer and so of Leaders become Bringers-up till another rank comes behind them But I The first not at all good would have this manner of falling off banisht out of all armies for in a great Body it breeds confusion and though in drilling it may leisurely be done without any considerable disorder yet in service with an enemy where men are falling it procures a pitiful Embarras and though it did not yet it ought to The second good give way to a more easie way of falling off which is the second way I promised to tell you of and it is that I spoke of of falling down by the Intervals of ground that is between files and this I would have constantly done by turning to the left-hand after they have fired because after that Musqueteers recover their Matches and cast about their Musquets to the left-side that they may charge again which they are a doing while they fall off to the reer But But not at all to fall off is â—est there is a third way for Musqueteers to do service better than by any of these two and that is not to fall off at all but for every rank to stand still after it hath given fire and make ready again standing the second advancing immediately before the first and that having fired likewise the third advanceth before it and so all the rest do till all have fired and then the first rank begins again It is not possible that by this way of giving fire there can be the least confusion or any thing like it if Officers be but half men there is another way of firing sometimes practised that is by three ranks together the first kneeling the second stooping and the third standing these having fired the other three ranks march thorough the first three and in the same postures fire likewise But here I shall desire it to be granted to me that which indeed is undeniable Three ranks to fire at one time and then the other three that when the last three ranks have fired the first three cannot be ready to fire the second time Next firing by three ranks at a time should not be practised but when either the business seems to be desperate or that the Bodies are so near that the Pikemen are almost come to push of Pike and then no other use can be made of the Musquet but of the Butt-end of it I say then Not so good as all six ranks to fire at once that this manner of six ranks to fire at two several times is not at all to be used for if it come to extremity it will be more proper to make them all fire at once for thereby you pour as much Lead in your enemies bosom at one time as you do the other way at two several times and thereby you do them more mischief you quail daunt and astonish them three times more for one long and continuated crack of Thunder is more terrible and dreadful to mortals than ten interrupted and several ones though all and every one of the ten be as loud as the long one But that I seem not to pass my word to you for this be pleased to take the authority of Gustavus Adolphus King of Sweden who practised it at Practised at Leipsick the Battel of Leipsick where after he had fought long and that the Saxon Army on his left-hand was beaten by the Imperialists he caused the Musqueteers of some of his Brigades to fire all at once by kneeling stooping and standing which produced effects conform to his desire If you ask me how six ranks can fire all at one time and level their Musquets right I shall tell you the foremost three How to do it ranks must first be doubled by half files and then your Body consists but of three ranks and the posture of the first is kneeling of the second stooping and of the third standing and then you may command them all to fire If you command your ranks after they have fired to fall to the reer any of the two ways already spoken of though you take never so good heed you shall lose ground besides that it hath the show of a retreat but by making the ranks successively go before those which have fired you advance still and gain ground In this order should Dragoons fight in open field when they are mixed How Dragoons should fire and fall off with Horse in this order also should they fire and advance when they intend to beat an enemy from a Pass But when they are to defend a Pass a Bridg or a Strait they must then after firing fall off to the reer by marching thorough the Intervals of their several files because it may be supposed they have no ground whereon they can advance Martinet the French Marshal de Camp tells us of another manner of firing different from all these that I have mentioned as thus Of six ranks of Musqueteers he would have the first five to kneel the sixth to stand and fire first then the fifth to rise and fire next and consecutively the rest till the first rank have fired after which he will have the foremost five ranks to kneel again till the sixth discharge if the service last so long By this way you can gain no ground and I think its very fair if you keep the ground you have for I conceive you may probably lose it and which is worse the ranks which kneel before that which gives fire may be in greater fear of their friends behind them than of their enemies before them and good reason for it in regard when men are giving death to others and in expectation of the same measure from those who stand against them they are not so composed nor govern'd with so steady reason as when they are receiving leisurely lessons in cold blood how to pour Lead in their enemies bosoms But I have spoke of this in another place perhaps more than becomes a private person since I find that manner of giving fire is practised in the French Armies by order of his most Christian Majesty In the marshalling of Regiments Brigades Companies and Troops either of Horse or Foot Commanders must be very cautious when they have to do with an enemy not to charge the ordinary forms for if at that time you offer to introduce any new form wherewith your men are not acquainted you shall not fail to put them in some confusion than which an enemy cannot desire a greater New figures of Battels commendable advantage If you have a new figure of a Battel in your head be sure to accustom your Companies and Regiment very often by exercise to the practice of it before you make use of it in earnest But by this let me not seem to put a restraint on any ingenious spirit that is capable to create new figures I think they should be exceedingly cherisht by Princes and
Commission when this Book was writ for the Author gives him not that Title in his Epistle Dedicatory This Author doth not seem to condemn the use of the Pike before the invention of Fire guns but only since and magisterially takes upon him to pass sentence against all Princes or States who in later times have composed the Bodies of their Infantries of Pikemen I shall relate to you the strongest of his Arguguments as they lye in order whereby he endeavours to get Proselytes to this new fancy and shall give such answers to them as I conceive to be pertinent but shall not flatter my self with an opinion that they will be satisfactory to all In the first place he says Officers chuse the tallest and ablest men to carry His first Argument Pikes because they must be strong to carry both them and their defensive Arms and this says he is a loss to the Army to give useless Arms to men who could use the Musket with more advantage for Pikemen says he can only receive the messengers of death Bullets he means but Musquetiers can send them First I answer he begs the question he declares the Pike useless and that Answered was the thing he undertook to prove Secondly I have already complain'd that Officers chuse not so oft as they should the ablest men for Pikes and so they are very ill used by Mr. Lupton and me for he complains of them for doing it and I complain of them for omitting it Thirdly whereas he says Pikemen can only receive but not send the messengers of Death it seems he thinks when Pikemen fight they are to stand fixed in one place but he should have remember'd that in time of action they are no more obliged to stand still than Musquetiers who are ever in action and motion for let us suppose that in Battel a Body of Musquetiers is to fight with a Batallion of Pikes he will grant me that both the one and the other advanceth Now he saith a Musquet kills at the distance of four hundred yards so doth not the Pike let it be so what then I will grant him more that in the advance many Pâ—kemen fall and no Musquetiers yet I hope he will grant me that these four hundred yards if so many may be soon traced by men who make haste to come to the Charge and even before ten ranks can orderly and successively one after another give fire and after that I aver If the Musquetiers stand to endure the push of the Pike they are inevitably ruin'd and if they fly then the Pikemen have the victory I still suppose that which cannot be deny'd me that is that the Pikemen and Musquetiers are of equal courage now in a close encounter what can a Musquet do against a Pike or a naked man with a Sword against one in Armour If then the Pikemen fly before they come up to the Musquetiers they are Cowards and the fault is in their courage not their weapons if they lose the Field and if the Musquetiers stay till the Pikemen come to them they will find that points of Pikes bring as inexorable messengers of Death as Bullets do Secondly he tells us that nothing more disheartens Soldiers than the certain Second Argument knowledg of disproportionable and unequal Arms this I grant to be true but from hence he and I draw two very different Inferences mine is that Musquetiers will be sore afraid to buckle with armed Pikemen if the Pikemen have the courage to stand out a Volley or two and it is like the Musquetiers will be afraid that the Pikemen will stand it out But he makes another Inference and it is this that the Pikemen will be afraid because they know their Pikes are of no effect and can do no execution Certainly he tells me news for I thought the Grecian German and Switz Answered Batallions of Pikes had very frequently born down all before them and so had done execution and is not this again to beg the question for he is bound to prove that the Pike can do no execution I assure him I will not take his word for it But if he mean when an enemy is put to the rout the Pikemen being heavly armed cannot follow the execution I shall readily grant it to him and Vegetius will tell him that the heavy armed are like an Iron wall which can neither run away from a Victorious enemy nor pursue a flying one for that is left to the Horse and light armed Foot But he offers to prove that Pikes can do no execution by an instance which I pray you hear and observe There happen'd a tumult between the English and Switzers in the Prince of Orange his Leaguer when he lay before Schencksconce the Switzers went to arms and being in Battel presented their Pikes here our Author is not asham'd to say that two English men with Swords only enter'd among the Switzers Pikes and cut off saith he several of their heads of the Pikes I hope not of the Switzers and brought them away with them the two English unhurt If this be all true what will it evince but the great modesty and patience of the Switzers and the prudence of the Officers of both Nations in appeasing the tumult for our Author was mad if he thought that any rational Creature would be perswaded by him to believe that two men with Swords could affront a Body of Pikemen in such a manner and go away so easily if the others had been pleased to resent it Thirdly he says only three ranks of Pikes can do hurt the rest are useless Third Argument then he adds that what with the terror of the alarm the confusion of ranks by the death of some of their number the time of night when the enemy may fall on the hazard of wounding their own Commanders and Camerades it appears sufficiently that the Pike can do no feats I must take this argument in pieces and answer it so And first I say if only three ranks of Pikes can do hurt then Pikes can do hurt and this contradicts his second argument Next his assertion cannot be true if what I have said at length in another Answered place be true that six ranks of Pikes can do hurt or as he call it execution His argument if true would be strong against the Grecian Embattelling sixteen deep and against his Masters too for I find by his Book he hath had his breeding in Holland and Denmark where in his time the Foot were Marshal'd ten deep As to what he speaks of the terror of an Alarm I ask if that must frighten a Pikeman more than either a Horseman or a Musqueteer I think less because he is better arm'd but he speaks still of Pikemen as of Cowards for what reason I cannot imagin For his confusion of ranks occasion'd by those who fall dead he knows those behind them should fill up their places and this Musqueteers are bound to
do likewise Fear indeed occasions confusion and he will still have Pikemen more fearful than other men Besides he will have them to be ill train'd as if they durst not hazard to charge with their Pikes for fear of hurting either their Commanders or their Companions As to the time of night when the enemy may fall on I know not well what he means by it unless it be that he thinks the darkness or horrour of the night should put a Pikeman in greater danger than a Musqueteer and this I would gladly hear him or any other for him demonstrate His fourth argument is that Pikes are unfit and unserviceable for Convoys In answer to this I ask admit it were so is it therefore not useful at all Fourth Argument Next I say he is mistaken for many Convoys have made use of them and many Convoys must make use of Pikes according to the nature of the ground they Answered are to traverse open Heath and Champain Country or as the enemies strength is fancied to be either in Foot or Horse Many great Convoys are composed only of Firelocks or Fusees I hope Master Lupton will not thence infer that Musquets are useless Fifthly he says The Musqueteer is overtoil'd and discourag'd when he sees Fifth Argument he must do the whole duty in Sallies Skirmishes Convoys and Onslachts as he calls them suppose Infalls or Surprisals from all which the Pikeman is exempted In answer to which I ask who exempted him Truly none that I know Answered but Brancatio and Master Lupton who exempts him from all other duties and makes him unnecessary nor can I divine where our Author hath learn'd this Discipline that he offers to teach us I have shewn the Pikeman is necessary for some Convoys in all Sallies he is serviceable sometimes with his Pike or sometimes with a half Pike or a Halbert sometimes a Morning Star and sometimes Hand granado's with all which the Musqueteer many times must do service for in the medley of a Salley his Musquet is often an unnecessary Weapon unless he be within a Parapet As for Surprizals and Anslachts the Pikeman many times may be very useful and more than the Musqueteer unless he change the Lock of his Musquet as I told you in the last Chapter As to Skirmishes it will be easily granted him that neither the heavy armed Footman who should be the Pikeman nor the heavy armed Horseman who is the Curiassier are proper for them These services were performed in ancient times by the Velites and now by Musquets Fusees Fire-locks and light Horsemen the heavy armed standing ready to sustain them and either to give or receive the Charge Nor did I ever hear Musqueteers make any such complaints as these our Author is pleased to charge them with Sixthly he tells us That in Outworks before or besides an enemy the Pikeman Sixth Argument is useless unless it be to stand Centinel for says he the Musqueteers defend the works and while they are furiously giving fire the Pikeman is sitting in the Trenches taking Tabaco or telling Tales For answer I do not remember that ever I heard a Soldier tell such a tale as this of Mr. Luptons but I know not where this man is he is just now in Out-works and immediately in Trenches It seems they are all one with him but because they are not so I must divide his argument into two parts and give an answer Subdivided to both If it be in Trenches or Approaches to a besieged Fort that the Musqueâ—eers are giving fire furiously it must be either at a Sally of the enemy And answered and then sure the Pikeman is neither sitting nor idle or it is when a Battery is a making near the Counterscarp or that the Zap is begun there and then indeed both Cannon and Musqueâ— should fire furiously upon both Curtains and flanks of the Wall that from thence those who work may be as little disturbed as may be and at that time the Pikeman is busie working with a Spade Shovel or Mattock in his hand or is carefully attending to give obedience to what else he is commanded to do perhaps to receive the Sally of an enemy In the next place I come to Mr. Luptons Outworks and he must mean the Pike is useless either when an Outwork is storm'd or when it is defended from a Storm If the first the Pike is more necessary than any Fire-gun after those who carry them come to the ascending or mounting the work and this is obvious to sense If the second when an enemy is coming on to the Storm it is the Musqueteers part to give fire to keep him off and chace him away but the enemy being already at the foot of the work and mounting the Musquet is useless except from flanks and the Pikâ—man then with stones and Hand-granado's doth the service till the enemy be within push of Pike and then sure the Pike is not useless But he says a Pike is too long a weapon for this service To answer which I shall tell you that Outworks whereof Mr. Lupton speaks confusedly are Tenailles Ravelines Half-moons Crown-works and Horn-works and for the defence of these ordinarily there are other weapons than either Pike or Musquet such are Hand-granado's Stones Halberts Partisans Morning Stars two handed and hangmans Swords which are standing ready within the work that when the Pike cannot be made use of the Pikeman and Musqueteer both may make use of them or any of them And if none of these weapons be in the work a Pikeman may very soon make a Half-Pike of his long Pike which is a weapon much commended by Mr. Lupton But there is no necessity for that either for in these Outworks I have spoke of a Pikeman may with much ease stand on the Rampart and griping his Pike either at half or quarter length tumble down an enemy dead or alive from the top of the Parapet and not cut his Pike at all And because our Author may mean Redoubts and Batteries which are made at Sieges for truly I do not well know where to find him I say the Musqueteers standing on the foot banks of these and doing their work the Pikemen may stand in the body of the Redoubt or Battery and kill or throw over any enemy that is on the head of the Parapet As a Corollary to this sixth argument our Author tells us of a Scout that was lost at the Siege of Stoad where the half of the Soldiers were Pikemen to whom he attributes the loss I suppose he means by Scout some Post and why may not I say the other half of the Defendants who were Musketeers occasion'd the loss and not the Pike-men but because I know not what he means I shall grant him all he says and yet aver that the particular oversight of Pike-men will never conclude the Pike universally useless Seventhly he says Pike-men cannot make a Retreat for saith he an
have discharged their shot even in the hottest Piece of service and without the help of Musquet-rests And I suppose it needs be thought no Paradox in me to say that five ranks of Musqueteers can fire one after another without intermission and Five deep the first of the five be ready to fire again before the last have discharged let any Commander try it with expert Firemen he will find it will be done easily enough And that you may see that this is no new conceit of mine I shall tell you that Giovio informs us that at Vienna the twenty thousand Harquebusiers that were in the Christian Army were all marshal'd five deep and so made four thousand files It is without all peradventure that the best Commanders then in Europe were there who would not have permitted this if they had not known that the first rank could have fired and made ready again before all the other four had discharged neither must you impute this to the ignorance of the Historian as being a Churchman for he is so punctual as to write nothing of any Military action but what he had from the relation of the greatest Captains that were upon the place And truly if you will consider all I have said or all that may be said on this subject Reasons for it you may perhaps think with me that both Musqueteers and Pikemen may be marshal'd five deep with no inconvenience at all to the service I think I hear some speculative persons cry out that this is against the rules of all Tacticks who reject odd numbers as unfit for doubling But stay do you exercise for shew only or for use If only for shew I grant you should neither have odd ranks Objections against it nor files but if for use I say that five deep is better than six deep for those very reasons that made six deep better than eight deep and eight better than ten You say you cannot double your ranks at five deep what then I say you need not for I would have your ranks no fewer than five when you are ten Answered deep why double you your ranks is it not to make them five and thereby to enlarge your front and why then may you not be five ranks at first and thereby save your self the labour of doubling And as it is not at all necessary to double your ranks when your Batallion consists of no more but five ranks so I conceive the doubling of ranks not necessary when your Battel is but six deep for three ranks of Pikes is not strong enough either to give or receive a Charge nor are they numerous enough for Musqueteers to fire one rank after another without interruption it not being feasible for the first rank to fire and be ready before the third rank have discharged so that when six ranks are made three it is only for a parting blow for the Musqueteers to fire kneeling stooping and standing Now you may order the first three ranks of five to fire in the same fashion kneeling stooping and standing and you have by the bargain two ranks in reserve till the first three recover and those two ranks may afterward fire the first rank kneeling and the second standing and then all the five ranks have fired and are as ready either with Buts of Musquets or Swords to receive the enemy if he advance as the six ranks doubled in three and in far better order Either then your doubling of ranks is unnecessary in service or five deep at first is as good if not better as ten ranks to be doubled in five or six ranks doubled in three And though five ranks cannot be doubled the inconvenience of that is not so great as the advantages it hath of a large front and bringing many hands to fight and if upon any emergency which will fall out very seldom you conceive your front too large you may quickly help it The Authors private opinion by causing your files to double and then you are ten deep But I shall quickly part with this opinion when I hear a stronger argument against it than that which says that thereby ranks cannot be doubled for the truth is it is my private opinion that there be many superfluous words in Exercise and though I think doubling of ranks and files too sometimes convenient before the near approach of an enemy yet I hope none will deny that both of them are very improper in the time of service But Loquendum cum vulgo is a Golden sentence Well we have our Foot-Company no stronger than one hundred men and Seventeen Files in a Company of one hundred men divided into three parts whereof two are Musqueteers and Pikemen are glad to be admitted to make the third These must be marshal'd six in one file now seventeen times six is more than one hundred and sixteen times six is less than one hundred Add therefore three Corporals to the hundred Soldiers you shall have seventeen compleat files and one man over whom you may appoint to help the Ensign to carry his Colours for a Furer is not allow'd him in all establishments A Company being thus marshal'd in seventeen files eleven must be Musqueteers and six Pikemen to wit on the right hand of the Pikemen six files of Musqueteers and on the left hand five files The Captain is to teach his Soldiers to keep their just distances between file The several kinds of Distances and file end between rank and rank Distances are ordinarily threefold Order open Order and close Order The first of three foot the second of six the third of one foot and a half to which in some case is added open open order which is of twelve foot At Exercisings both ranks and files should stand at open order in Marches the files at order but the ranks at open order because of the Pikes which must have more ground than Musqueteers require and in service both the files and ranks of Musqueteers must be at order that is three foot distance but the Pikemen both in file and rank at close order that is at the distance of one foot and a half I must tell you in this place of a general mistake Mistakes in reckoning Distances and is the very same I accused Vegetius of in the Roman Militia and it is this All say that the files when they stand in Battel should be at order that is at the distance of three foot as indeed they should But if you ask how many foot of ground seventeen files whereof our Company consists possess in front they will immediately answer you fifty and one And here there is a double Distance of Files error first no ground is allowed for the Combatants to stand on for the distance of three foot between files takes up that one and fifty foot or very near it Secondly they make seventeen files to have seventeen distances whereas they have but sixteen This oversight I
was marshal'd in one Division I know some are of opinion that the Majors Company should be in the Reer Objection against that way of marshalling of the Lieutenant-Colonels Division because the third place of honour in the Regiment belongs to him and the Colonel having the Van of the first Division and the Lieutenant-Colonel of the second the Major should have the Reer of the second Division because it is the Reer of the whole Regiment I should easily subscribe to this if it were not for two reasons First though it be but Answered one Regiment yet being divided it should be lookt on as two distinct Bodies and it is more honourable to have the Reer of the first than of the last Secondly when a Regiment is divided into two parts the Major ought to wait and lodg at the quarter of that Division of the Regiment where the Colonel is because from him he receives his Orders Directions and the Word which he is not oblig'd to carry to the Lieutenant-Colonel if the quarters of the two Divisions be divided as many times they are but the oldest Captain is obliged to come and receive them from the Major at the Colonels Quarter the first Captain in that case officiating as Major for the Lieutenant-Colonels Batallion Now if the Major ought to be where the Colonel is as I think he should then I think the Majors Company should be where himself is The Great Gustavus used another way of marshalling his Regiments and Brigades of Foot which taken altogether was not square of front yet all the four parts or Bodies which composed it were square The manner was this Regiment or Brigade marshal'd a third way Suppose one of his Brigades to be eighteen hundred men as I can assure you he had many weaker whereof twelve hundred were Musqueteers and six hundred were Pikemen the Pikes advanced twenty paces before the two Bodies of Musqueteers who immediately join'd to fill up the void place the Pikemen had possest Then were the Pikes divided into three equal Bodies two hundred to each Batallion the middle Body whereof advanced before the other two so far that its Reer might be about ten paces before the Van of the other two The two Bodies of Pikes that staid behind were order'd to open a little to both hands and then stand still all fronting one way to the Enemy by this means the place which the two hundred Pikes possest in the middle remaining void there were two passages like sally-ports between the Reer of the advanced Body of Pikes and the two Batallions that staid behind out of one whereof on the right hand issued constantly one or two or more hundreds of Musqueteers who before all the three Bodies of Pikes gave incessantly fire on the Enemy and when the word or sign for a Retreat was given they retir'd by the other passage on the left hand back to the great Body of Musqueteers where so many of them as came back unwounded were presently put in rank and file the fire continuing without intermission by Musqueteers who still sallied thorough the passage on the right hand and it is to be observed that the firemen fought thus in small Bodies each of them not above five files of Musqueteers and these for most part but three deep So you may consider that near the third part of the Musqueteers being on service the other two thirds were securely shelter'd behind the three Batallions of Pikemen who were to be compleatly arm'd for the defensive These Pikes had Field pieces with them which fir'd as oft as they could as well as the Musqueteers this continued till the Pikemen came to push of Pike with the Enemy if both parties staid so long as seldom they did and then the Musqueteers were to do what they were order'd to do and the order did depend on emergencies and accidents which as they could not be then seen so no certain rules could be given for them In this order did I see all the Swedish Brigades drawn up for one year after the Kings death but after that time I saw it wear out when Defensive Arms first and then Pikes came Worn out to be neglected and by some vilipended For the March of a Regiment if it can all march in one breast it should The March of a Regiment do so but if not and if the ground permit it let the right hand of Musqueteers march in breast next it the Body of Pikes and after it the left wing of Musqueteers But if none of these can be then as many should march in one petty Division as the way can permit as suppose twelve eight or ten and so soon as you come to open ground you are to march presently in Squadrons or as they are now called Squads or in full Battel that is the Regiment all in one front for by that means your Soldiers are readiest to receive an Enemy they march in a more comely order and straggle far less than when they march few in breast and in a long row The Major appoints Captains Lieutenants and Ensigns to lead Divisions and Serjeants to attend the flanks every one according to their dignities but for my own part I never thought it convenient much less necessary that every small Division of a Regiment should have a Bringer up since he must be as some will have it a Commission'd Officer as well as the Leader of a Division should be For first consider that in a Regiment of one thousand strong there are an hundred sixty and six files and admit that the way will permit eight files to march in breast as that falls not always out by that account you shall have one and twenty Divisions consisting of eight Files apiece multiply twenty one by eight the Product is a hundred and Reasons why every petty Division cannot have a Bringer up sixty eight Files which consists of a thousand and eight men eight more than the number Reckon again how many Commission'd Officers you have in ten Companies besides the three Field-Officers you shall have but twenty nine now of these twenty one must be allow'd to lead the Divisions and by that account you have but nine Officers to bring up so you want thirteen Commission'd Officers for that imployment for Serjeants should neither be permitted to lead or bring up but in case of necessity their duty being to attend the flanks Besides all Commission'd Officers are not always present some frequently being either sick wounded or absent on furloff It will be enough therefore if all these petty Divisions be led by Commission'd Officers which yet cannot be unless you allow some Ensign-bearers to stay from their 〈…〉 ours and by this means you may spare six foot of ground between two Divisions for those who will allow Bringers up allow eighteen foot between two Divisions to wit six foot between the Reer of the first Division and him that brings it up secondly six foot between
hand of the Battel Before the Battel begin there use to be fore-parties of both Horse and Forlorn Hopes Foot sent out to skirmish these are called Forlorn Hopes and Enfans Perdues Those of the Foot should advance one hundred paces before the Body those of the Horse further But I find at the Battels fought both at Dreux and St. Dennis between the Protestants and Roman Catholicks of France none of those Forlorn Hopes were made use of at all and as few were used at Lutsen where Gustavus Adolphus lost his life When an Enemy is marshalling his Army your Artillery should incessantly To advance on an Enemy play upon him to hinder him all you may to order his affairs and if your Battel be already marshall'd under the shelter of your Ordnance you should advance and take your advantage of him before his Batallions or Squadrons be drawn up but in so good order that the Scene be not changed that by your precipitation you give not him an opportunity to take advantage of you Your advance on an Enemy in what posture soever he be should be with a constant firm and steady pace the Musketeers whether they be on the Flanks or interlin'd with either the Horse or the Pikes firing all the while but when you come within Pistol-shot you should double your pace till your Pikes closely serr'd together charge these whether Horse or Foot whom they find before them It is true the business very oft comes not to push of Pike but it hath and may come oft to it and then Pike-men are very serviceable If a misfortune fall out that a Brigade Regiment or other part of an Army be beat or begin to run and quit the Field this should be conceal'd from the rest of the Army and the Souldiers told that the Enemy in other places is beaten and if they fight but a little the Victory will be instantly theirs I shall not speak here of what advantage a large Front is having done it so often before but if a General perceive that the business may be quickly decided To marshal the Foot in three Rankâ— I think he should double the Front of his Foot and make but three Ranks where formerly they were six and so being able to out-wing his Enemy he may fall on his Flank for at no extraordinary march an Army may be brought to push of Pike before three Ranks of Musketeers have fired successively if they do not begin to fire till they be within distance less than Musket-shot and after they have given their three Volleys then they may give the fourth which will signifie as much if not more than all the three by kneeling stooping and standing whereof I have spoke in the eleventh and twelfth Chapters When any Regiment or Brigade runs or offers to quit the Field the Reserve behind should be order'd immediately to advance and encounter the Victorious Enemy who will hardly be able to withstand that fresh charge for it may be almost received as a Maxime That a Troop Regiment or Brigade A good Rule but not Infallible how strong soever it be which hath fought with and beaten that Body of equal number that stood against it may be easily routed by a Troop Regiment or Brigade that hath not fought though far inferiour in number If any part of an Army get the Victory of those who stand against it he who commands that part ought to send some Troops in pursuit of the routed Enemy and Not to fall on the Flank of an Enemy a great neglect with the rest fall on the Flank of that Batallion which stands next him and yet keeps ground The neglect of this duty lost the famous General Count Tili the Battel of Leipsick for himself being on the Right hand of the Imperial Army beat the Duke of Saxe and his Army out of the Field whom Tili hotly pursuing did not fall on the Left Flank of the Swedish Army left naked Inflanced by the flight of the Saxons But at that same time the King of Sweden who was on the Right hand of his own Army had routed Count Pappenheim who The doing it contributes to the Victory commanded the Left Wing of the Imperialists upon which that martial King did not fail to charge the Flank of the Imperial Battel which was left naked by Pappenheim's Flight and this help'd to procure the Victory to the Sweed As I told you in another place Banier's Right Wing was well near beaten at Woodstock nor did the Reserve come so soon to his succours About that same Instanced time Lieutenant General King had routed the Right Wing of the Imperial Army and with it bore down the Right hand of their Reserve and â—â—ll on the Right Flank of their Battel which yet disputed their ground with Felt-Marshal Leslie who thereupon cast down their Arms and yielded the Victory to the Swedes And the mentioning this Victory puts me in mind to advertize all Officers of Foot not to teach their Musketeers to neglect the use of their Rammers a lesson too often taught and practis'd for at this Bartel I speak of the Imperial Foot were on a Hill up which Leslie advanced with his Infantry but neither his nor the Imperial Musketers made use of Rammers only as the common custome is when they charg'd with Ball they knock'd the Buts of their Muskets at their Right foot by which means most of the Bullets of the Imperial and Saxish Fire-men fell out at the mouths of their Musket when they presented them down the Hill upon the Sweeds whose Bullets could not run that fortune being presented upward And for this reason it was observ'd that few of the Sweedish Foot fell When a Reserve or a part of it advanceth those who fled have a fair opportunity to rally and in a short time to second the Reserve and though To rally rallying at so near a distance is not frequently seen yet it is not banish'd out of the Modern Wars or Armies At Dreux both Armies rallied twice or thrice with various success the Generals of both Armies being both made Prisoners And at Lutsen both Armies rallied often for they fought from morning till night most of the Imperial Cannon being twice taken was as oft retaken Fresh succours in time of Battel discourage an Enemy Some Great Captains have thought it fit in time of Battel to make a show of their Waggon-men Carters and Baggage-men at a distance as if they were succours newly arrived and certainly nothing terrifies an Army more in time of equal sight than an unexpected Enemy as Robert Duke of Normandy's fortunate arrival in the time of Battel between Godfrey of Bouillâ—n and Instance the Saracens in the Holy Land deliver'd the Victory to the Christians But these feigned Musters of Baggage-men and Carriage-horses produce not always False shews sometimes happy the wished effects Sulpitius a Roman Dictator being to fight with the Gauls order'd
all that attended the Baggage of his Army to mount upon Mules and Sumpter-Horses and hide themselves in some near Hills and Woods and in the time of fight to make a show as if they would cut off the Gauls pass to their Camp which the Muleteers doing upon a sign from the Dictator the Gauls immediately fled Such a Stratagein did King Robert Bruce happily use against Edward the Second of England in the Battel nâ—ar Sterling But Not always the like being practis'd by the French at Agencourt against Henry the Fifth King of England had an issue contrary to the thing intended It hath been always and ever will be a rule of War Thaâ— no man offer to plunder or look for booty till the Enemy be totally routed and chac'd No plunder till an Enemy be totally routed out of the Field but for most part it is ill observed When Parmenio at Arbela sent word to his Master Alexander that the Perstans were fallen on the Baggage which was but slenderly guarded it was well answer'd of that great Prince Let saith he the Enemy be master of all the goods that belong to my Army so I over master him for then I shall recover my own and get his to boot The not observing this rule lost the Christians the Victory against the Turk at Agria At the Battel of Janquo in Bohemia in the year 1644. if I mistake Instanceâ— not the Imperialists were well near masters of the Field in so far that several Brigades of the Swedes had run away and very many of their Officers were taken Prisoners but they fell too soon to the plunder of the Swedish Waggons which Torstensone Christina's Felt-Marshal did not offer to rescue though his own Lady was taken with them but took the advantage of the Enemies disorder and with fresh and couragious Troops pluck'd the Victory out of his hand beat them out of the Field recover'd his Lady all his Prisoners and Baggage and made himself master of all the Imperial Coaches and Waggons took numbers of Prisoners and among them him who commanded in chief the Count of Hatsfeld I know not how the proposition of some will relish with our great Captains that some lusty strong men should be arm'd with Head-pieces and Corslet and long and large Targets all Musket-proof and a Rank of these serr'd together order'd to march before every Batallion of Pikes and so protect them from shot till they be within two Pikes length of the Enemy that they can make use of their own Weapons But whether this be approv'd or not I think it would be of no great charge to the Prince or State who manageth the War to order every Pike man to have at his girdle a Pistol with a Barrel two foot long whereof the three first Ranks may make use before they present their Pikes and the other three fire over the heads of those who are before them in the time they are charging Now the Battel is done and if it fall out that it hath been so well fought Things to be done after the Battel that none of the Armies can boast of Victory but that both have left the place of Combate as it were by mutual consent or that they are parted by night then either both prepare to fight next day or the one finding those wants of which the other hath no knowledge takes the advantage of darkness and retires to some place of security where he may provide for his hurt men be furnish'd with what he wants recruit his Forces and so give a stop to his Enemies further progress and this no doubt is a tacite acknowledgement that he yields the honour of the day to him who keeps the Field But this was never laid in ballance by any prudent Captain with the preservation of his Army the loss whereof may lose the Prince his Master more than such a Punctilio of Honour which at a more fortunate Rencounter may quickly be recover'd But if both resolve to try their fortunes next day then both prepare for it the wounded are sent away Ammunition is given out and those who are sound are refresh'd and encourag'd This falls out but seldome though sometimes it hath happen'd The Victory is pronounc'd to be his Badge of Victory who remains master of the ground where both fought and in ancient times he acknowledg'd himself to be vanquish'd who desired liberty to bury his dead Bernard Duke of Saxon Weymar having besieged Reinfeld and two Imperial Armies coming to raise the Siege he fought both till night parted the fray but with this difference that the Imperialists got between him and the besieged Town and so succour'd it upon which the Duke retired and left his Enemy the badges of Victory but with a resolution to return and throw the Dye of War once more as he did as you shall hear anon When an entire Victory is obtain'd he who hath lost the day should not lose What a Vanquish'd General should do his Courage too but ought to gather up his Shipwrack rally his dispers'd and broken Troops get new recruits dissemble his losses encourage his party and draw to a head again these are things practis'd by all intelligent Generals withal he should with all convenient diligence send a Trumpeter to the Victorious General to demand a list of his Prisoners which when he hath got he should make all the haste he can to get them ransom'd or exchang'd and this is a duty he owes to Prudence Honour and Conscience On the other hand he who hath gain'd the Victory may lose himself if he be What a Victorious General should do secure for a resolute enemy may soon take him napping As that same Duke of Weymar did the Imperial Army that had beaten him for having got together the rest of his Forces that were not with him at his late overthrow he return'd and gave Battel to the Imperialists who dream'd of no such thing and obtain'd so compleat a Victory over them that he made all the general persons his Prisoners who were led into Paris in triumph Duc de Savelli an Italian was one of them who escap'd afterward out of Prison but the deep contemplation of the sudden change of fortune in his Military imployments mov'd him to make an exchange of his Helmet with a Cardinals Cap. It is for that that he who commands a Victorious Army should not in sloth pass away his time but improve his Victory to the greatest advantage of his Master and not be guilty of that whereof one of the greatest Captains among the Ancients Hannibal was taxed that he knew not how to use Victory whereof two others one before him and another after him could never be accused and those were the Great Alexander and the Great Julius Caesar CHAP. XXIII Of Retreats TO Retire after a Battel or a brisk Rencounter leads me to speak of Retreats Next the sighting well and winning of a Battel the three great