between Eumenes and Craterus mentioned by Plutarch in Vita Eumenis where Eumenes placing the Horse before his Foot did it saith the Author because he held them the prime of his strength and therefore put upon them the hazard of the day and herein shewed himself both in counsel and action a brave and well-experienced General As for the best forms and fashions of Horse-battels the most ancient and then the most common was that of a Rhombe And this was in special account with the Thessalians witness Aelian cap. 18. who were reckoned for the best Horsemen of Greece as Xenothon reports them in his Hist. Graec. lib. 7. 644. D. and held that account to the time of King Pyrrus And for this form these reasons are given That it was fittest for all Encounters because the Horse thus postured were ready to turn Faces about any way upon all occasions That it could not be surprised in Flank or Rear as having the best and choice men in the Flank and the Commanders in every point of the Rhombe But the practice of our days consists most in the ordering of the Horse into square Bodies And the grounds hereof are That these forms are with most ease and facility to be put in order That they are aptest for the joynt movings of the Horse And that the Commanders do joyntly charge the Enemy in the Front which in no form can be done but this To speak freely of both these forms I opine with them who hold that the Rhombe in point of piercing and artificial breaking into the battel of an Army is the most proper unless perhaps that a Wedge be in the same case to be preferred for being narrow and pointed in the Front it naturally forceth a passage with the point and withal maketh way for the rest of the Body to follow and so without much ado piercing farther and farther it must necessarily hazard the breaking of the adverse Battel and so disperse it that afterwards execution may be done at pleasure On the other side the square Horse-battel in respect of doing execution and violent overthrowing of all in its way is to be preferred before any other for it bringeth more hands to fight and beareth down all things before it So that I see not but both these forms of Horse-battels may be held in use even in these times the one for entrance the other for bearing down this for a thorow execution that for a dispersion But there is one thing more in the ordering of Horse-battels of especial observation and that is their depth of which Leo his opinion was cap. 12. sect 40. that a Horse-battel was onely to be four in depth and his reasons were that bearing Lances the fifth was unprofitable because from thence their Lances could not reach to the Front neither saith he can Horse as Foot with their thickness or depth thrust one another forwards from behind and therefore in his opinion the number of four was sufficient for the depth in File And yet we find in Polybius that the Horse was for the most part in his time ordered eight in depth But this was in the Age of Lances In our now Pistol-world I finde the King of Swedens Horse which were ordered in the Wings of the Van at the battel of Lipzwick to be four in depth And those that were in the Wings of the Rear to be five in depth and so likewise were Tillies Horse In the battel of Lutzen the King of Swedens Horse were in no place above three in depth whereas Walsteins Horse were every where six It seems therefore that there can be no certain rule touching this particular but that it must be varied according to the number of Horse and the necessity of enlarging the fronts so that Aelians proportion may be received with most approbation for the general which is to double the number of the Front to the number of the Flank and as the number of the Troop ariseth to enlarge the length of the Front and the depth of the Flank proportionably one to another yet would I not have it to exceed the number of eight at any time in depth nor under four for the one extream loseth the fighting of some hands by reason of their over-depth and the other is over-weak to sustain any great shock I shall add one thing more which may concern both Horse and Foot concerning words of Command touching which I find that it was the ancient use witness Polyen lib. 4.217 sect 2. that when the Horse were commanded to turn to the right hand the word of Command was Turn to the Staff that is to that side where the Staff or Lance was then carried and when they were to turn to the left hand the word was Turn to the Reins because the Reins were born in the left hand And so to the Foot the words of Command were of old To the Pike when they were to turn to the right hand and to the Target when they were to turn to the left Now the present words of Command to this purpose both to Horse and Foot are To the right hand To the left hand To the right hand about To the left hand as you were To the left hand about To the right hand as you were Touching which I shall onely offer it to the consideration of our present Commanders whether it were not safer in this case to take up some other words of Command then those that are now in use And this in regard that our present words of Command To the right hand To the left hand are subject to be mistaken as being of too alike sound and may very well be taken one for another And all mistakes of this kind must needs be very disadvantagious and carry with them much of peril as all judicious men will readily confess So that we may do well to be herein presidented by our Sea-men who in their Sea-words of Command for the Condeing of a Ship use not to say Larboard the Helm but Port the Helm when they would have it to be put to the left side of the Ship lest by the affinity of the sound it should be taken for Star-board the Helm which is to have it to be put on the contrary side and that in many cases to a certain ruine And this also may be the better perfected by Aelians rule that the particular be placed first as to say to the Horse To the right hand turn your Face when you would have them turn to the right hand To the Reins or Sword turn your Face when they should turn to the left hand And to the Foot to say To the right hand turn your face when they are to move that way and To the Sword turn your faces when you would have them move to the left hand As for the words Double your Files or Ranks or Length or Depth The doubling of the length is to be used either to over-wing the Enemy or to avoid the
a private Company and so proceed to the whole body of an Army To Exercise a Company exactly it is to be divided into three Corporalships and then subdivided into as many Files as the number will bear and every File into Fellowships or Cameradoes The Corporal of every Corporalship is to be the leader of the chief File thereof and the Lanceprisado who in the Corporals absence when he is upon the Guard or elsewhere executes the Corporals duties is to lead another File and the practick and ready men of every Corporalship are to lead the rest The Company being thus divided and ordered these things are mainly to be taught the carriage and use of Arms Marches and Motions and the understanding of the sounds of the Drum and words of Command and Direction which are rightly termed the Souldiers Vocabula Artis The carriage of Arms is to be appropriated to the most of comeliness and use The use of the Pike is either in receiving or giving a charge By being taught the first the Souldier learns to withstand the Horse by the second to encounter with the Enemies Pikes and to understand when and how every man and so every rank are to give their push or blow In the use of the Musquet the Souldier is first to learn how to present his Piece how to take his level and when to give his Volley with those of his Rank Now the ancient and vulgar manner of Discipline for the giving of Volleys of shot was that all the shot of one Corporalship should give fire at once But this was absolutely condemnable for either those in the Rear must hazard the shooting of their leaders through their heads or else over-shoot the Enemy and spend their Powder in vain And besides the Volley thus delivered being once given the Enemy may come on without impeachment or annoyance In stead of this therefore a more useful practice hath been to order the first Rank onely to give their Volley and if the body of the Company march then that Rank that hath given the Volley to stand and the second Rank to pass thorough it and to give their Volley and then they to stand and then the third Rank to advance and give fire and so all the rest of the Ranks in order But if the Company or Brigade or Battaglia stand firm then the first Rank having given their Volleys are to fall back and the second to come in their rooms and so the third fourth and the rest And by this course the men being commanded men the Vollies may be continued and the Enemy never free from annoyance And all this is easily performed if at the first all the shot be caused to open their Files to open distance But because even this also is defective in respect that there cannot be brought up so many hands to give fire at once upon the Enemie as were to be wisht that absolute Souldier the late King of Swedeland disciplin'd his shot to give fire three ranks at once and this was done by causing the first rank to give their Volleys upon their knees the second somewhat stooping over their leaders heads the third rank standing upright to give their Volleys over all their heads and this to be done at one and the same time And by this means and course was poured more Lead upon the Enemie at once then otherwise by far by any of the other ways And this manner of giving fire must needs also be very useful and advantagious in all Wood-Services and wheresoever an Enemie is to be encountred in narrow Lanes or Paths where men cannot be led up but in a single file for if the three first men thus giving fire be instructed after they have given their Volley to place themselves close up by the sides of the path where the Enemie presents himself and so stand there sidelong towards the Enemie and give place for three others of their followers to advance and do the like a continued Volley of Shot may be thus delivered although the whole file of men should consist but of fifteen in all As for the Discipline belonging to Marches after every man once knoweth his proper place and understandeth how to observe his file and rank there is no difficulty at all in a plain march In a Countermarch also if the leaders of the files be well chosen and that every man observe his leading man there is no great difficulty neither As touching motions some are performed without change of place by turning onely their faces to the right hand or to the left or about as the Enemie is found to charge either in Flank or Rear Some require a change of place and these motions are performed by removing from one rank to another and then some move and some stand still And these kindes of motions are called doublings of ranks and doublings of files as the Enemie or Ground shall give cause to make the Front or Flank greater or lesser There is besides these another kinde of motion to be taught in which all do move and yet none do march And this is done by the opening and closing of files and is practised not onely when one rank is to pass thorow another or the whole Brigade to make a Counter-march but also when there is an intention to draw the Troop together in haste and yet in order more to the one hand then the other And thus far only shall be spoken in this place touching Motions intending to speak more at large of the use of them hereafter Concerning the understanding of the sound of the Drum the Souldiers are to be taught not only to know and observe what the Drummer beats but what time he keeps in beating that accordingly they may hasten or slack their marchings As by the voice they are called upon to all other motions of which likewise we shall say more as occasion shall require CHAP. IV. Of great Guns due to an Army-Royal of the kindes and choice of them Of the number of Horse to draw great Guns The best way of drawing heavie Guns WE have gone thus far towards the proportioning of the body of an Army as to bring the Men or Bodies together to fit them with Chiefs and Commanders and to give them some knowledge in the use of their Arms We have likewise spoken in the beginning of our first Book of such kindes of Arms as are fitted for the persons of men and are portable in their hands It remains that we give some advertisements touching those sorts of Arms or Weapons which are to be carried with Armies but are not portable by the men And these are comprehended under the name of Artillery or great Guns of which though we have spoken somewhat in the former part of our Treatise yet it was onely of such as were to be lodged in Forts and Towns of War and to be employed against them and not of those to be used in the Field and to accompany and march with an
Rear and that as well in regard that it is the place of most security as that upon all occasions his advice and command may there be best given and taken And the Ensignes are to be ordered into the midst of the Maniples or somewhat nearer the Front As for the Artillery it is to be ordered before the Front without the corners of the Vant-guard upon the most elevated ground that it may the better play upon all parts Only if the Enemy be expected to charge on all parts then is the Artillery to be placed on all parts and such Pieces as are not for the present employment to be bestowed between the Battel and the Rear unless the fight be before a Town or Camp entrenched and then it is left either in the Town or Camp and so is the Baggage likewise and all the unprofitable persons But this ordering of an Army for a Battel hath not passed without reprehension in divers particulars As first of the Phalanx and indeed all other over-great Bodies for it being an undeniable Maxime that those Troops stand in best order which can bring up most hands to fight at once it as undeniably followeth that the smaller Troops and divisions must needs do this best and therefore are preferable Because in great Squadrons or Phalanxes many men are drowned in the depth of the Files and Flanks and never appear but when the breaking of the great Body doth present them to the Butcherie The great Squadrons are also reprovable in regard that they are unmanagable and cannot be preserved in order but when the ground is large and plain and withal of an even and perfect level otherwise they must either stand immovable or upon the least motion be subject to shaking and disorder whereas the lesser Bodies are scantled for all places champion or woodie level or uneven of what condition soever Again if two or three ranks onely of the great Bodies happen to be broken or any way disorderdered the whole Body is equally interessed in the disorder and hath far less means to rally it self then a small maniple whereas on the contrary if any violence rout or disorder a maniple it proceedeth no further then to that part where it taketh the disranking of any one of these small Bodies not at all or very little extending to the confusion or disorder of any of the rest by reason that their intervals and separations or distances serve to cut off such inconveniencies and yet no way hinder the general uniting of all their strength into one Body And these are the exceptions against great Bodies and united Phalanxes The second exception against the former order is about the placing of the General himself between the Battel or Middle-guard and the Rear-guard as the former order prescribes Concerning which notwithstanding many opinions are to be found and various Presidents Vegetius in his third Book and eighteenth Chapter saith that the General of the Army is accustomed to be in the right Wing betwixt the Horse and the Foot And he addeth This is the place which governeth the whole Battel as from whence all sallyings out are direct and free so that saith he the General resting thus betwixt the Horse and Foot may best govern them with commands and directions Now of both these there have been found examples of the first Diodorus Siculus affirmeth that it was the manner of the Scythians that the King should be in the middle of the Phalanx And Arrian in his first Book and thirty sixth Chapter affirmeth that Darius took the same place And Leo also cap. 4. Sect 63. and 67. and cap. 12. Sect. 66. giveth the middle of the Battel to the General And Plutarch reports that Timoleon in his fight against the Carthaginians placed himself in the very midst of the Battel On the other side we have it in Xenophon Cyrop lib. 7. fol. 176. that Cyrus in his Battel against Croesus took his place in the right Wing betwixt the right hand of the Battel and that of the Horse that were ordered in the Wing And Alexander the Great though bred amongst the Phalangers did the like in most of his Battels And for the Moderns I find the valiant King of Sweden at the battel of Liptzwick in the right Wing in the Front of some Brigades of Horse and at the Battel of Lutzen in the very Front of the right Wing of his Vant-guard consisting of six Horse-Squadrons lined with five Bodies of Musqueteers For mine own part as amongst these various opinions I cannot approve of the Generals placing himself in the midst of the Middle-guard or Center of the main Body of Pikes in regard that it neither expresseth valour nor can he see about him to discover any advantages or disadvantages and to direct accordingly so on the other side I shall not advise to have any General to be over-hazardous in adventuring his person in the very heighth of the Front especially when the Army falls up to the charge lest the loss of the best bloud of that body procure the languishing of the whole And thus I am sure was lost at Lutzen the best General of the World though to the wonder of the World that headless Army got the day in a fury In mine opinion therefore though a General may place himself at the time of a battel in the right Wing of his own Middle-guard yet ought it to be with some Brigades of Reserve and by no means in the very Point or Post of the Van. For questionless it is a great errour in a General when his courage shall not suffer his judgment to distinguish betwixt the duties of a common Carabine and the General of an Army As for the lining of the Horse with Musqueteers or at the least with the light-armed whereof we gave a touch before it was not uncommon with the Ancients And it was always held that Horse being thus charged could not resist both And we have a notable example hereof in Hirtius de Bello Afric when Caesar having a march to make and but a small number of Horse with his Legionary Souldiers was set upon in his way by the Enemie abounding with Horse and light-armed Numidians amongst them And when Caesars Souldiers fell out to charge the Enemies Horse retreated and the Foot stood fast until their Horse with a short wheeling about returned upon the Rear of the Enemy to their rescue by which way of fight Caesar himself confessed that he was so perplexed that he found no other course to save himself then to recover some hills of shelter near at hand and that had it not been for them he must have fared worse And for those Musquereers wherewith the King of Swedens Horse at the Battels of Liptzwick and Lutzen were lined they were so shadowed from the Enemie by these Horse that when those of the Enemies came up to the charge they did a very great execution upon them before they were aware and were a main means of
over-winging of the Enemy or else to make the fairer shew and outside of an Army whereby to dis-hearten the Enemy and withal to deceive him The doubling of the Files or Depth to be done either in respect of the straitness and narrowness of the place or for the better strengthening of the battel or to draw an Enemy to fight when you have the advantage of him And thus have you the Genuine uses of both these kinde of doublings as well in length as depth wherein nevertheless due heed is to be taken that in doubling of the Front there be not given so much length that it fail in its due depth nor so much depth that the Front be over-narrowed and so subject to be environed the want of length and depth in an ordered Army for a battel being equally disadvantagious and reprovable For when it is embattelled over-shallow it can endure no shock when over-deep it is easily encompassed and in danger to be utterly ruined that way To comply therefore with all these advantages and provide against the defects I shall describe a modern form of embattelling an Army for a fight that hath received a very general approbation and deserves as general an imitation And it is in this manner supposing the Army to consist of twenty thousand men all other numbers being to be proportioned accordingly in the Front of the Van are to be Wings of the best Troops of Horse to be somewhat advanced before the main Front of the foot of the Van These Horse to be divided into several maniples or small bodies and the Divisions to be well lined with Musqueteers The Van of the Battel or Middle-Guard to be ordered into four Brigades of Pikes and Musqueteers the middle Front of every Brigade being to be somewhat advanced before which part the Artillery is to be placed and to secure it three divisions of Musqueteers with some Troops of Horse near unto them are to be ordered immediately behinde these four Brigades and all these bodies are to be well lined with Musqueteers in every one of their Divisions and for a strength to these also some Cannons may be placed in the Rear of them all In the Rear of the right Wing is to be placed rwelve Troops of Horse and as many in the Rear of the left Wing As for the Rear of the main Battel or Middle-Guard it is to be ordered into three Brigades of Foot the which are to serve for a Reserve of that Body And every middle Front of each Brigade to be somewhat advanced as those in the Van. And in the Rear of all these two half Regiments of Horse of five Troops apiece Now the grounds of this order of embattelling of an Army for a battel are these That every part of it consisting thus of several maniples and small Bodies if any one of them should happen to be broken yet is there not so much danger any thing near as when an Army is ranged into great Battalions because they may with far more ease by reason of the agility of their motion as being little Bodies and the small piece of ground which they take up to move in be restored and supplied then a main great Body can possibly be Secondly In that though the thinness of the Files which are said to be at the best when they are not above six in depth may not perhaps be able to endure any main shock or force yet by this order shall more hands be brought up to fight at once then can be in great Bodies and shall also be more able to do execution on the sudden Thirdly In that in this order every part so fenceth flankers and backs one another and is so apt to second relieve and support one another so ready either to send out supplies or to receive them as that the whole Body looks like some Master-Piece of Fortification and indeed becomes so having as it were its Bastils Towers Bulworks and several Retreats So that though many several and individual persons may chance to be laid on the ground yet shall the whole order be preserved from being dis-joynted and much more the great Body of the Army from being routed Thus I have laid down a forme of ranging an Army for a Battel which some have stiled Admirable And yet I must tell you that it hath not been free from objections and those made by some old Souldiers or at the least Souldiers of elder time For first they say that in respect that private Companies cannot hold long in their full strength and due numbers being in the Field by reason of sickness slaughter and the like accidents that thus to order an Army into small bodies and as it were into private and particular Companies by themselves their Vollies of shot can neither be great nor the harm great that the Enemy shall receive by them But to this it may be answered that we speak not here of the ordering of particular Companies by themselves but of small Bodies made up of private Companies as cause shall require so that though it be true that the strength of the Army may be weakned by these accidents of death or otherwise yet the divisions may stand fast and full Though it is as true that there will be fewer Divisions which makes nothing against the order in general Secondly these Objectors say That the mixing of the Shot and Pikes together in distinct Companies weakneth and disableth the whole Body for say they by casting off the Shot in this manner the intervals and streets are made so empty and wide that the Enemies Horse are enabled to break in and disorder them And if the Shot be not thus cast off but kept close and so made to discharge in Countermarch they are hereby apt to be thronged together by the Pikes and the distance of place being taken from them the use of their weapons also must needs fail them and so all come to ruine But to this Objection also it may be answered That all this may be helped by the uniting of these bodies into one as shall be found necessary nor need these Shot be so removed from their Body of Pikes by any casting off but that they may be reunited with ease on a sudden nor shall they be thronged by their Pikes or deprived of their distances of place because they shall not need holding this order to discharge at all in Countermarch Thirdly and lastly it is objected against this foresaid order of embattelling an Army into small Bodies that in what manner soever the Shot be employed there must needs be a weakness in the Rear so that the Enemies Horse may break in at pleasure But to this it is again replied that the uniting of the small Divisions being carefully observed assureth against all these assaults and perils And that all these objections fall rather upon the embattelling of a single Regiment then the forming of a Battel or Army made up of ten or twenty thousand men And thus
did then furiously French-like charge with their Horse upon ours and being by far the greater number instantly routed them forcing such of our Horse as sought their safety by flight to break in upon our own Foot to their utter disorder and the rest of our Horse that could not do so were all either taken or slain The execution likewise upon our Foot became hereby very great and the greater by reason that there were no kindes of Works cast up to command the entrance of the passage upon the Dike So that the Enemy was emboldned to charge home all alongst the way of our march upon the very Dike it self even to the very Bridge that we were to pass over where also by reason of the improvidence in making it without rails on the sides our men in the haste and terrour of their disorder thrust one another into a Creek of the Sea and were there smothered in the water and mud And here it was that we lost the most and best of our men Now because in these Retreats it may fall out even with the most provident Generals that an Army may be forced to lie and lodge in the open Field very near unto an Enemy it will not be amiss to propound some courses touching this particular And in this case it hath been practised that every Regiment should lie down and lodge in the very same order that they marched all the day before with all their Arms by them the Pikes to stick up an end close by the bearers as they lay and every Rot or File that is every six of Musqueteers to bring their Musquets to their Rot-masters or leaders of their File who were to see them set with their mouths upright and so bound together with a piece of Match that they might stand ready at hand upon all alarms As for the person of the General himself and the Officers of the Field they were to bestow themselves in their Coaches or the like and the private Captains to make use of such kinde of frames of wood as in the Low-Countries are termed Horses being very proper for that purpose and of which it is good for every Captain to have one Touching the Horse-Regiments every man was to ease himself and his Horse by alighting and resting himself on the ground and by feeding his Horse near unto him And in this posture to take repast and sleep and so to attend the light of the ensuing morn for the pursuance of their intended retreat And thus having given some notes touching the Dislodgings and Retreats of an Army we will finish this Chapter with some Rules touching Incampings In these Incampings the General Quarter-master is especially to observe these particulars following That friends as near as may be be lodged by friends and this as well for preventing of tumults as the faithful seconding one of another That such Horse as are most unready and unfit for sudden occasions be covered with Foot for three parts of them at least That no impediments as Merchants Victuallers Artificers be lodged amongst the Souldiers and That the Camp be well entrenched And because an Army be it never so well entrenched lying thus will be forced to send Forragers abroad it is a necessary Providence and especially if the Enemy be any thing near that some convenient number of Troops do by turns stand by their Arms that they be always ready to answer all alarms which is greatly furthered and a Rescue the sooner and with less dismay performed when some Captains are thus found always in point and ready to march at the first word of Command And hereof we have a punctual example at Caesars first landing in this our Island For he having received a great loss in his Shipping by a Tempest the which encouraged the Britains so much the more to oppose him the which himself also suspecting he caused his Army to be strongly entrenched And sending out one of his Legions in its turn to fetch in Corn the Enemy on a sudden assaulted it the which being discovered by an unusual dust Caesar instantly took two Cohorts which might amount to the number of 720 men which were in station before the Ports of the Camp commanding that other two should supply their places and led them on to the succour of the Legion that was abroad the which he found in a dangerous fight with the Enemy And without this oportune supply had in all likelyhood been cut off and was thus relieved As for the Forms of Trenches they are to be regulated either by the advantage or disadvantage of the site Their flanks are to be distanced about seventy Paces one from another Their depth bredth and heighth according to the time and intention of stay in that place and the expectance of an Enemy In them entrances or passages are to be laid out for Horse Foot and Carriages And to be covered with Ravelins without and Bars within And these Trenches are to be furnished with convenient Artillery so ordered and mounted that being well flanked they may command the Campagna round about And besides all this the Camp is to be secured by strong and vigilant Guards some whereof are the main Guards the rest the pettie Guards One main-Guard is to be near the Generals Quarter and the Commander thereof is stiled The Captain General of the Watch. Another main-Guard is to be in every Regiment which hath likewise its Captain by whom the Rounds are laid out and the Rounders sent abroad to visit the Guards of the Companies and out of the Main-guard by the Generals Lodging the Rounders are taken out to visit all the petty Guards And because it may be dangerous when in one Discipline two Rounds meet in their Circuit that they which speak first in taking the Word of the other may hereby help the Enemie to rob the Word To prevent it it hath by some been thought a provident course that the two elder Rounders should make an exchange of their Companions and so proceed to finish their Circuit without giving or taking the word of any Round at all The which I onely offer to our present Commanders to take into their consideration As for the petty Guards they are of two sorts for either they consist of many persons and are then termed a Corps du Guard or of one single man who is called a Centinel A Corps du Guard may either be of Horse which is a Guard without the entrenchments of the Camp or of Foot who watch within before or at the Ports of the Trenches or any where else where the Ser jeant-Major shall hold it fit In the setting out of the Centinels it is to be observed that they be not placed over-far from any Corps du Guard lest by being surprized by an Enemy the secrets of the Army be discovered And because it cannot chuse but be full of hazard and subject to many casualties for an Army to be brought up any thing near to an over-powerful Enemy a