Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	distance_n	file_n	rank_n	1,730	5	11.1963	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17524	The complete captain, or, an abbridgement of Cesars warres with observations upon them; together with a collection of the order of the militia of the ancients; and a particular treatise of modern war: written by the late great generall the Duke of Rohan: Englished by I.C.; Parfait capitaine. English	Rohan, Henri, duc de, 1579-1638.; Cruso, John, d. 1681.; Caesar, Julius.	1640 (1640)	STC 4338; ESTC S107127	109,532	199

the Hastati must then fight at so wide a distance that between two files they might receive two other files which sheweth the weaknesse of this first order which being so ranged in battalia could not be able to repulse nor sustein the adverse battallion And even the files being at so wide a distance from each other were not able to keep themselves right in fight nor to observe their distances but in the other way there are many conveniences to be found First many bodies of a hundred and twenty men apiece or thereabouts assaulting a battallion they may very well defeat it at the worst they may retreat without disordering themselves or loosing their distances And the second order which is embattelled behind the first just over against their intervalls may easily fill them as also in case of necessity the third body may supply those distances which are reserved for them renewing the fight three times And that which confirmeth us the more in this opinion is that in reason it ought to be so next the description of the battel of Zama which Scipio fought against Hannibal where it is said that Scipio to hinder Hannibals elephants from routing his souldiers caused the Cohorts of the Principes which were placed just over against the intervalls of the Hastati to stand just behind them so to leave streets for the passage of the elephants which sheweth plainly that the order of battalia was disposed by Cohorts and not by files I speak not of the Velites in this order of battalia nor of all other light-armed souldiers because they fought not but with casting-weapons and afar off and when the armies approched to give the shock they retired themselves behind the heavie-armed Now to form the said order I will say that the file was alwayes of ten men in depth that a Cohort or Maniple of a Legion of foure thousand two hundred men consisted alwayes of one hundred and twentie souldiers and consequently the Cohort made ten ranks and twelve files conteining at six foot square of ground for every souldier seventy two foot in breadth and sixty in depth and the moity of it when they were at three foot distance The first figure of a Cohort This figure in the Authours copy hath 13 files 11 ranks which I conceioee to be a mistake In each of the three orders howsoever the Legions were weaker or stronger there were alwayes ten Cohorts or Maniples but the Cohorts were either increased or diminished according to the proportion of the Legions The second figure of ten Cohorts The two first orders are of an equall number and the last of half as many and by this example of one Legion you may see how all the troups passed into each other The third figure of a Legion I conceive that between the Legions there was a far greater distance then between the Cohorts that so they might prevent confusion amongst them which I judge to be so necessary as that without the observation thereof it was altogether impossible to observe any good order Concerning the cavalry seeing it was divided into the like number of troups as the Infantery it is like they fought in the same order but the one half were on the right flank and the other on the left Thus the army was composed of six great bodies namely foure bodies of infantery and two bodies of the cavalry and every body divided into small troups as hath been shewed before The order of Battalia of a complete Army The fourth figure So in this figure the intervalls should be 4 times wider if the bodies must be so large but I conceive a generall mistake in the figure and that in Praissac pag. 190. to be much better CHAP. IX Of Sieges NO Romane Commander hath made braver sieges then Cesar nor described them more perfectly He hath left examples for the assailing of all sorts of sites and to maintein a siege against all kinds of reliefs At Brundusium which is upon the sea he constrained Pompey to abandon it for that he shut up the haven by which that town was to be relieved At Cadenac which was a site inexpugnable he constrained the garrison to yield it by taking away their water At Alexia where were 80000 souldiers within the town and which expected two or three times as many he so fortified himself before it both against the town and against the enemy without as he famished it And at Bourges and Marseilles he took the first by assault and constrained the other to yield when it was upon the point of being taken by assault I will not here particularize the engines which they then made use of to force places of strength because the cannon hath taken away the use of them Yet I will onely say that they approched to the walls by degrees as much sheltred as they could and then attempted to batter them down by their engines or by mines to force an assault or at least to lodge upon the breach which I the rather speak to shew that howsoever we have changed the manner of fortifications the better to make resistance against our new thundring engines neverthelesse the ancient maximes for the taking of towns are the same which we make use of at this day Concerning the siege of Alexia it is the modell by which the Prince of Parma the Prince of Orange and the Marquesse Spinola have directed themselves to make theirs And all these great works and circumvallations which we admire and by the help of which they have taken many great cities in sight of greater armies then their own which have not been able to relieve them are nothing in comparison of those which Cesar made at this siege of Alexia To conclude they which come nearest to the manner of warring of the ancient Romanes as well in sieges as in the field are they which prove the most excellent Commanders CHAP. X. Observations vpon some battels of the ancients NOw that we have shewed the ancient Militia of the Grecians and Romanes by means whereof they have obteined so many brave victories we must yet observe two principall causes which their most excellent Commanders have successefully observed to obtein victories in battel namely to strive to overwing their enemy and never to cause their army to fight all at once Cyrus to keep himself from being overwinged in the battel which he fought against Cresus doubled the front of his army by as many more as they were by making the files of his infantery but 12 deep which before were 24 and to enclose his enemy he placed his best men on the wings who having defeated the wings of the adverse army came to assault the body of the battel on their flanks and on their rear At the battel of Cannae Hannibal placed all his best souldiers on the wings and the meaner ones in the middle that so the Romanes finding but little resistance there might insensibly sink into them and by that means they