Selected quad for the lemma: war_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
war_n	bullet_n	great_a	piece_n	2,015	5	9.9190	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64847	The commentaries of Sr. Francis Vere being diverse pieces of service, wherein he had command / written by himself in way of commentary ; published by William Dillingham ...	Vere, Francis, Sir, 1560-1609.; Dillingham, William, 1617?-1689.; Dorislaus, Isaac, 1595-1649.; Ogle, John, Sir, 1569-1640.	1657 (1657)	Wing V240; ESTC R219854	108,031	242

Cannon carrying bullets of fourty and fourty eight pounds a piece from their pile-battery and that which stood under their Cattey upon the foot of the Downs to batter Sand-hil the Porc-espic and Helmont and that day till evening he shot upon Sand-hil and the curtain of the old town above two and twenty hundred Cannon-shot insomuch that it might rather have been called Yron-hil then Sand-hil for it stuck so full of bullets that many of them tumbled down into the False-bray and others striking on their own bullets breaking in pieces flew up into the aire as high as a steeple During this furious battery the enemie all the day long made great preparations to assault us against night and to that end brought down scaling ladders great store of ammunition hand-granadoes and diverse other instruments and materials of war fitting thereunto and withall toward evening drew down his army and ordered his men in this manner Count Farneze an Italian should first give on with two thousand Italians Spaniards upon Sand-hil the breach and the curtain of the old town the Governour of Dixmunde with two thousand Spaniards and other Nations upon the Porc-espic and Helmont Another Captain with five hundred men to fall on upon the West-raveline and another Captain with five hundred men more upon the South-quarriers and the Spanish Serjeant-major-generall which was an hostage in Ostend upon the West-quarriers making in all eight thousand men to assault the West-side the Count of Bucquoy was to have assaulted the East-side the East-raveline and the new-haven as a second for them which fell on upon Sand-hil and the old town on the West-side and thus their men time and place was ordered Generall Vere knowing the enemies intent that he would assault us at a low-water slept not but was exceeding carefull and vigilant all the day to prepare things necessary to defend the town and with-stand the enemie And because there were no Sparrs Beams and Palizadoes in the magazine he caused divers houses that were shot to be pulled down and taking the Beams and Sparrs from off them he made the carpenters make Palizadoes and Stockadoes of them and at a high-water shut the West-sluces and engrossed as much water as possibly he could into the old and new town And toward evening drew all the men in the town that were able to fight into arms and disposed of them as followeth To maintain Sand-hil and defend the breach he placed his brother Sir Horace Vere and Sir Charles Fairfax with twelve weak companies whereof some were not above ten or twelve men strong giving them double arms a pike and a musket and good store of ammunition Upon the curtain of the old town between Sand-hil and a redoubt called Schottenburch a most dangerous place which he feared most being torn and beaten down with the sea and the enemies Cannon Sir Francis Vere stood himself with Captain Zeglin with six weak companies to help to defend it Within the redoubt of Schottenburch it self he appointed Captain Utenhoven and Captain Haughton with their two companies From Schottenburch along the curtain to the old Church which the enemy had shot down he placed Colonel Lone with three hundred Zelanders that came into the town the day the Parley brake off From the old Church along the curtain and the flanks to the North-part Captain Zithan commanded over six weak companies Upon the Redoubt called Moses-table was Captain Montesquir de Roques a worthy French Captain whom Sir Francis Vere loved entirely for the worth and valour that was in him with two French companies For the guarding of the North-raveline he appointed Captain Charles Rassart with four weak companies the rest of the curtain by reason of the flanks upon the cut of the new-haven being reasonable well defended were left unmanned Upon the curtain of the new town under Flaming-burgh were placed five weak companies to second Moses-table if need did require Upon Flaming-burgh two whole cannon and two field-pieces were planted to scowre the old town Upon the West-raveline two companies were likewise placed and a whole cannon and two half-cannons planted upon it For the defending of the Porc-espic a place of great importance lying under Helmont Sir Francis Vere placed four of the strongest companies that could be found in the town Upon the bulwark called Helmont which flanked directly the breach and Sand-hil and scowred along the strand between the enemies pile-battery the old-haven over which they were to passe to come to Sand-hil and the curtain of the old-town which also did help to defend the Porc-espic he placed ten weak companies whereof the Generalls company was one and had upon it nine brasse and yron pieces laden with chained-bullets boxes with musket-bullets and cartridge-shot These ten companies were kept as a reserve to be employed as a second where most occasion required and were commanded by Captain Metkirck and Serjeant-major Carpenter The rest of the bulwarks rampiers and the counterscarp about the town were but slightly manned with a few men in regard the enemie could come to attempt none of thē till he became master of the former Here you see a great many companies thus disposed of but all or the most of them were exceeding weak and some of them not above seven or eight men strong which in all could not make above twelve hundred able fighting-men to resist an armie of ten thousand men that stood ready to assault them The Ordnance and other instruments and materials of warre the Generall disposed of in this sort upon the casement of the West-bulwark he planted two whole and two half-Cannons which flanked Helmont and the Porc-espic and scowred along the old-haven down as far as the Ton-beacon beyond their pile-battery next to that place where they were to passe over the haven at a low-water These Ordnance were likewise charged with musket-bullets chained-bullets and yron-bullets Upon all these batteries especially those which flanked the breach and played directly upon the strand Sir Francis Vere disposed of the best Cannoniers in the town among the rest an Englishman called Francis the Gurmer an excellent Cannonier which had been the death of many a Spaniard And because they should be sure to take their mark right upon their cog before it grew dark he commanded them to let flie two or three Cannon-bullets upon the strand and towards the new-haven to see for a triall where their bullets fell that they might finde their ground the better in the night when the enemy was to fall on Moreover upon the top of the breach and along the curtain of the old town were set firkins of ashes to be tumbled down the wall upon the enemie to blinde them also little firkins with frize-ruyters or quadrant tenter-nails three sticking in the ground and one upright which were likewise to be cast down the rampier to prick them when they sought to enter Then many great heaps of stones and brick-bats which the souldiers brought from the old

and so finally the place was forced and all the men put to the sword being in number three hundred and fifty all chosen men with the losse and hurting of about fourscore of my men The place thus succoured and my men refreshed for some few dayes I returned homewards and found in my way that Burick a small town of Cleve and a little fort on that side the Rhyne were in the mean time surprised The enemy then held a royall fort not far from Wesel which served to favour the passage of his forces over the Rhyne This place I understood by those of Wesel to be slenderly provided of victuals so as they had but to serve them from hand to mouth out of the town and that their store of powder was very small I knew the service would be acceptable to the States if I could take that piece from the enemy and therefore resolved to do what lay in me and first appointed a guard of horse and foot to hinder their recourse to the town for their provisions Then passing into the town of Burick with such stuff as I could get on a sudden and such workmen I began to make ladders so as the night following I had fortie ladders in readinesse upon which two men might go in front for I being so weak and the enemy having the alarm of my being abroad I was to expect their coming so as it was not for me to linger upon the starving those of the fort With this provision I resolved to give a scalado to the fort which as it was high or rampire so had it neither water in the ditch nor pallisado to hinder us The fort was spatious capable of fifteen hundred men and had four very royall bulwarks upon one of which I purposed to give an attempt and onely false alarms on the other quarters of the fort and to this end for avoiding confusion both in the carriage rearing planting and scaling as also for the more speedy and round excution I appointed eight men to every ladder to bear plant and mount the same whereof four were shot and four pikes one of either sort to mount a front And being come near the fort in a place convenient to range the men they were divided into two parts and ranged a front with commandment upon a signall given the one half to give upon one face of the bulwark the other upon the other which they did accordingly and gave a furious attempt mounting the ladders and fighting at the top of them the enemy being ready to receive us but by reason many of the ladders which were made as I have said in haste and of such stuff as could be gotten on a sudden were not of sufficient strength but broke with the weight and stirring of the men seeing no likelihood to prevail and the day now growing on I caused our men to retire and to bring away with them their ladders that were whole with no great harm to our men by reason the enemie being diverted by the false alarms did not flank us neither if they had plaid from the flanks with small shot could they have done any great hurt by reason of the distance the most hurt we had was with blows on the head from the place we attempted both with weapons and stones for the journey being long to ease the souldiers they brought forth no morrians I therefore purposing not to give over this enterprise prouided head-pieces for them in the town of Wesell and used such diligence that before the next morning I was again furnished with ladders and in greater number for I had perswaded the horsmen that were well armed for the purpose with their pistols to take some ladders also and be ready to give the scalado in the same manner but somewhat later for even then day began to break which not giving us time to persevere in the attempt was the onely hindrance of our victory for our shot having order when they came to the top of the ladders not to enter but taking the top of the wall for a breast and safeguard to shoot at the enemie fighting at the work-side and standing in the hollow of the bulwark till the same were cleared of defendants for to enter more assuredly which manner of assaulting though it be not ordinary yet well considered is of wonderfull advantage for having the out-side of both the faces of the bulwark not flanked as I said before on their backs which in the darkness of the night and for the alarms given on the other parts they could not see nor intend and in this manner having galled driven many of the enemy from the wall and being in a manner ready to enter day came upon us and the enemie having discovered us from the other flanks turned both small and great shot against us so as we were forced to retire carrying our ladders with us with lesse losse then the day before in the fight though more in the retreit by reason of the day light The same day I provided more ladders purposing the next morning to try fortune again when in the evening the Governor of the fort by a drum wrote me a letter complaining that against the ordinary proceedings of men of war I assaulted before I summoned and the drum in mine ear told me that if I would but do them the honour to shew them any piece of ordnance I should quickly have the fort By which drawing of theirs I perceived they were in fear and in discretion thought it meeter to make my advantage thereof by drawing them to yield then to despair them to my greater losse by further attempting to carrie them by force and so taking a piece out of the town of Burick I planted the same before morning and by break of day sent a trumpet to summon them to yield which they did assent unto so they might passe away with their arms which I granted and so they came forth the same morning two companies of Almains and two half companies of Italians near as strong in number as those that attempted them for besides the English I used none but some few horsmen most of their officers were hurt and slain and of the souldiers more then of mine This is true and therefore let it be thought that howsoever this attempt may seem rash with the ordinary proceedings of other captains yet notwithstanding I was confident upon a certain and infallible discourse of reason In the place I found four double Cannons with pretty store of ammunition and victuals The same night I and the troops were countermanded by the States but I left the place with some guard and better store of necessaries before my departure The surprise of ZVTPHEN sconce IN the year of our Lord one thousand five hundred ninetie one I lying then at Deesburgh with the English forces the Count Maurice wrote unto me that by a certain day he would be with his forces before Zutphen to besiege the same