Fab. 'Tp R E Svsijfes at prefent do ufe the fame method with their Battalions, as the Macedonians did anciently with their Phalanxes, both enranging them entire and in grofs, and in relieving one another. When they came to a Battle, they difpofed their Squadrons one in the flank of another, and not behind. They have not the way of receiving the firft into the fecond upon a repulfe, but to relieve one another, they obferve this order; they put their Battalions one in the Flank of another, but fomewhat behind it, towards the right hand; fo that if the firft be in any diftrefs, the fecond advances to relieve it. The third Battalion they place behind the other two, but at the diftahce of the fhot of a Harquebufs, that if the two Battalions fliould be worfted, the third itiight advance in their refcue, and that which advances, and the other which retire may have fpace to pafs by one another without any clafliing or collifion; for grofs bodies cannot be received fo commodioufly as little; and therefore fmall bodies, difpofed at a diftancc (as they were in the /Jow^a Legions) might better receive and relieve one ano- .fher upon occafion. And that this order of the Szvijjes is not fo good as the ancient order of the Romans, is demonftrated by many examples of their Legions when they were engaged with the Macedonian Phalanxes; for thefe were ftill worfted by the other: The fafhicn of their Arras.md their Way of Referves being more efFeftaal, than the clofenefs and folidiry of a Piialanx.
P p p 2 CHAP.
M '*.s f 4(58 The Art of WA R. Book III.
CHAP. IV.
tiovo the Author would make ufe of both Greek and Roman Arms for his Batta^ lion, and what was the ordinary Army of the Romans.
BEing therefore according to thefe Models to range and marflial an Army, I think it beft to retain foraething of the Arms and Orders both of the Phalanx and Legion. For this reafon I have faid, in a Battalion I would have 2000 Pikes (which were the Arms of the Macedonian Phalanx) and 3000 Scudiy or Shields and Swords, which are the Arms of the Romans. I have divided a Battalion into ten Battalias or Companies, as the Romans divided their Legions into ten Cohorts* I have ordered the VeUtes or light- arm'd to begin the Fight, as they did formerly. And becaufe as th^ Arms are mix'd., they participate of the one Nation and the other; that they may participate like wife in their orders, I have appointed that every Company may have rive Files of Pikes in the front, and the reft of Bucklers, thatthe front may be enabled to keep out the Horfe, and break more eafily into the Foot, having Pikes in the firft charge as well as the Enemy, by which they may be fortified to fuftain it bravely, 'till the Bucklers come up, and perfed the Vidory. And if you confider the ftrcngth and vertue of this Order, you will find how all thefe Arms perform their office exactly. For Pikes are very ufeful againft Horfe, and agamft Foot too, before the Battles be joyned; but after they are joyned, they are utterly ufelels. For this reafon, behind every third rank of Pikes, the Swijfers put a rank of Halbards, which was to make room for their Pikes, thou£jh indeed it was not enough. Placing therefore our Pikes before, and our Bucklers behind them, thev are enabled to fuftain the Horfe, and when they come to charge, rhcy do open and prefs hard upon the Foot; but when the Fight is begun, and the Butles are joyned, the Buck- lers fuceeed with their Swords, as being manageable more eafily in the crowd.
Luigi. We defire now to underftand, how with thefe Arms and Orders you would manage your Army to give the Enemy Battle.
Fabritio. I fliall (hew you nothing at prelent but this: You muft know that in an or- dinary Artay of the Romans (which they called a Confnhir Army) there were no more but two Legions of Citizens, confifting in all of 600 Horfe, and about iiooo Foot. They had befides thefe as many more Horfe and Footfent them in by their Friends and Confederates: Thefe Auxiliaries were divided into two pans, the right wing and the left; for they would never fuffer them to exceed the number of the Foot of their Legi- ons, though their Horfe indeed they permitted to be more. With this Army, confifting of 22000 Foot, and about 2000 Horfe, a Roman Conlui did all his bufinefs, and at- tempted any thing. Yet when they were to oppofe a greater power, they joyned two Confuls together, and their two Armies. You muft know likewife that in the three great Adions of an Army (their march, their encampment, and engagement) they pla- ced the Legions in the middle, becaufe the force in which they repofed their greateft confidence, they thought fit fhould be more united and compact, as I fliall fliew you more at large when I come to treat of thofe things.
Thefe Auxiliary Foot, by vertue of their converfation with the Legionary Foot, grew to be as ferviceable as they, becaufe they were train'd and difciplin'd with them, and upon occahon of Battle, drawn up in the fame Figure and Order. He therefore, who knows how the Romans marflialled one fingle Legion in the day of Battle, knows how they difpofed of them all: When I have told you therefore how they divided a Legion into three Squadrons, and how one Squadron received another; I fhall have told you how a whole and entire Army is to be ordered, when it is to be drawn up for Battle.
CHAP.
Book III. The Art of WA R. ^69 ■ CHAP. V.
The way of dr awing up a Battalion, according to the Intention of the Author.
BEing to prepare for a Battle according to the method cf the Romansy as they had two Legions, fo I would take two Battalions, and by the ordering of them, you may guefs how to order a compleat Army: For to add more men, is only to multiply their ranks. 1 think it unneceflary to repeat what foot there are in a Legion, what Companies^ what Officers, what Arms, whit l^elites in ordinary, what in extraordinary, what Pikes and what other things. For it is not long fince 1 told you diftindly, and prefs'd itup- on your memories as a thing very necelTary for the underftanding all other Orders; wherefore I (hall pafs on without farther rtfledion.
It leems to me beft that one of the ten Battalions, or Companies of a Battalion be placed in the left flank, and the other ten of the other Battalion on the right. Thofeon the left arc to be ordered in this manner: Put five Battalias (one on the fide of the other) in the front, fo ^s there may remain a fpace of four yards betwixt each; draw them up fo as they may poflefs in breadth 140 yards of j^round, and in depth forty ^ behind thefe five Battalias, I would place three others, diftant in a right line from the firft about forty yards; of thefe three, I would have two follow diredly the Companies which are upon the two extremities or corners of the five firrt, snd the third fhould be difpofed in the midft; by which means thefe three Companies fhould rake up as much ground, both in breadth and depth, as the other five, which have only five yards di- llihce betwixt the one an^ the other, whereas the three laft fhould have thirty three. This being done, I would caufe the two Companies remaining to advance, and place; themfelves behind the three former in a right line, and at the diftance of forty yards; but it fhould be in fuch a fort, that each of thefe two Companies fhould be ranged diredly behind the extremity of the three precedent Companies, and the fpace left betwixt them fhould be pi yards: By thefe means all the Companies, thus difpofed, fhould ex- tend themfelves in front idi yards, and" in depth 20. After this i would extend the Pikes extraordinary along the flanks of all the Companies on the left hand, at about twenty yards diflance; and I would make of them 140 ranks of feven in a rank, fo that they fliould fecure all the left flank (in depth) of the ten Battalias, drawn up as I faid before; and 1 would referve forty Files of them to guard the Baggage, and the unar- med people in the rear, diflributing their Corporals and other Officers in their rcfpe- dive places. The three Conftables or Captains, I would place one at the nead of them, another in the midft, and a third in the rear; who fliould execute the Office of a Ter- giduBoYy who was always placed in the rear of the Army. But to return to the front of the Army; I fay that after the Pikes extraordinary, I would place the Velites extraordinary, (which are 500) and allow them a fpace of forty yards. By the fide of thefe, on the left hand, I would place my men at Arms, with a fpace of 150 yards; after them I would advance my light Horfe, at the fame diftance as I allow'd to my men at Arms. As to the Velites in ordinary, 1 would leave them about their Battalias, which fhould take up the fpace which I left betwixt each Company, unlefs I found it more expedient to put them under the Vikei> extraordinary; which I wou'd do or not do, as I found it more or lefs for ray advantage. The Captain General of the Battalion fhould be placed in the fpace betwixt the firft and fecond orders of Battalias, or eife at the head of them, or eife in the fpace betwixt the laft of the firft five Battalias and the Pikes ex' traordinaryy as I found it raoft convenient: he fhould have about him 30 or 40 feleft men, all brave and experienc'd, and fuch as underftood how to execute their Commiffion with prudence, and how:o receive and repel a charge; and I would have the Captain General in the midft of the Drums and the Colour*;.
This is the order in which I would difpofe my Battalion on the left wing, which fhould contain half the Army, and take up in breadth 51 1 yards, and in depth as much as I have faid before (without reckoning the fpace that was poHcfted by the Pikes extraordinary, which 'fhould be as a Shield to the people without Arms, and take up a fpace of about a hundred yards \) The other Battalion I v/ould difpofe on the right fide, leaving betwixt the two Battalions a diftance of about 50 yards, having order'd it as the other: Atthe head of that fpace I would place fome pieces of Artillery, behind which fhould ftand the Captain General of the whole Army, with the Drums, the Standard or chief En- fign, and two hundred choice men about him, (moft of them on foot) and amongft 470 the Jrt of WA R. Book 111.
them ten or more, fit to execute any command. The General himfell-" /hould be lo mounted, and fo arm'd, that he miglrt be on Horfcback, and on loot, as ncceflity re- quired. As to the Artillery, ten pitcts oF Cannon would be enough for the taking of a Town. In the Field 1 would ufe thtm more for defence of my Camp, than for any Service in Battle. My fmaller pieces fliould be of lo or i 5 pound carriage, 2nd I would place them in the front of the whole Army, unlcfs the Country was fuch that I could difpofe them fecurely in the flank, where the Enemy could not come at thtm.
This form and manner of ranging an Army, and putting it in order, may do the fame things in a Battle as was done either in the Macc-donian Phalanx, or the Legion of the Romans; for the Pikes are in the front, and all the foot placed in their ranks; fo that upon any charge or engagement with tlie Enemy, they are able not only ro bear and fuftain them, bur (according to the cuOom of the Phalanx) torccrliit and reinforce , their firft rank, out of thofe which are behind.
On the other fide, if they be over-power'd, and artack'd with fuch Violence that they are forced to give ground, they may fall back into the intervals of the fecond Battalia behind them, and uniting with them, make up their body, and charge them briskly again: And if the fecond Battalia is not ftrong enough ro relieve them, they may re- tire to the third, and fight all together in conjundion; fo that by this order ( as to the bufinefs of a Battle) we may fupply and prcferve our feJves according to the Crfc/ijwatid the Roman way both.
As to the flrength of an Army, ir cannot be ordered more ftrong, becaufe the twb ; wings are exadly well fortified with Officers and Arms; nor is there any thing weak •but the rear, where the people which follow the Camp without Arms are difpofed, and ithey are guarded with the Vjkes extraordinary \ fo that the Enemy cannot aHault them ;any where, but he will find them in very good order; neither is the rear in any great V danger, becaufe an Enemy can be hardly fo ftrong as to aO'ault you equally on all f\iWs; ;if yon found he was fo ftrong, you would never take the Field againft him. But if he • was three times as many, snd as well ordered as you, if he divides, and weakens liim- felf to attack you in feveral places, beat him in one, and his whole enterprise is loft. As to the Enemies Cavalry, though they out-number you, you are fafe enough; for the Pikes ^^hich encompafs you, will defend you from any impreiHon from them, though your own Horfe be repulfed- The chief Officers are moreover plac'd in the flank, fo as they may commodioufly command, and as readily obey; and the fpaces which are left betwixt one Battalia and the other, and betwixt one rank and another, ferve not only to receive thofe who are diftrefied, but give room for fuch perfons as are fent for- ward and backward with orders from the Captain: And as 1 told you at firft, as the Romans had in their Army about 24000 men, I would have our Army confift of the fame number; and as the Auxiliaries took their method of Fighting, and their manner of drawing up, from the Legions; fo thofe Soldiers which you would joyn to your two Bat^ talions, fliould take their form and difcipline from rhem. Thefe things would be very cafieto imitate, ILould you have but one example, for by joyning either two other Bat- talions to your Army, or adding as many Auxiliaries, you are in noconfufion, you have no more to do but to double your ranks, and whereas before you put ten Battalias in the left wing, put twenty now; or elfeyou may contraiS, or extend them as your place and Enemy will give leave, Luiii. Inearneft, Sir, I am fo well polTefa'd of your Army, that I fancy I fee it drawn up before my eyes, which gives me an ardent defire to ^ee it engaged: I would not for any thing in the world that you fhould prove a Fabius Mnximusy and endeavour no more than to avoid Fighting, and keep the Enemy in fufpence; for I fliould blame you more than the Romans did him.
CHAP. VI, The Defcription of a Battle.
'F'lLr. T\0 not queftion it: Hark, do nor you iiear the Artillery? Ours have fired alrea- dy, but done little execution upon the Enemy; the Fefites extraordinary, to- gether with the light Horfe, advance ro the charge in Troops, with the greateft ftiout and fury imaginable. The Enemies Artillery has fired once, and the fliot paftcd over the head of our Foot, without any prejudice at all. That it might not have time for a fecond \'ol]cy, omVdites and our Cavalry have marched up in great hafte to pofTefs it, and the Enemy Book III.
The An of IV A R.
Enemy advancing in its defence, they arc come fo clofe, that neither the Artillery of one (idc or the other can do any mifchief See with what courage and bravery our Soldiers charge; with what difcipline and dexterity they demean themfelvcs, thanks to the exercife to which they have been ufed, and the confidence that they have in our Army: See our Battalions marching up, with their Drums beating. Colours flying, and men at Arms in their wings in great order to the charge Obferve our Artilleryi which (to give place, and make room for our raen^ is drawn off by that ground which was left by the Velitei: See how the General encourages his men, and aflTures them of Viilory: See how our l^e/ites and light Horfe are extended and returned to the flanks of our Army, to fee if there they can ffnd any advantage to make an imprelfion upon the Enemy. Now, now they are met. See with what firmnefs our Battalions have received the charge, without the leaft noifc or confufion: Obferve the General how he commands his men at Arms to make good their ground; not to advance upon the Ene- my, nor defert the Foot upon any occafion whatever. See our. light Horfe marching to charge a Body of the Enemies Harquebuffiers that was firing upon our flank; and how the Enemies Horfe come in to their refcue; fo that being enclofed betwixt the Cavalry of one fide and the other, they cannot fire, but are forced to retreat behind their Battalias: See with what fury our Pikes addrefs themfelves to the Fight, and our Foot advanced already fo near, that the Pikes are become unferviceable; fo that accord- ing to our Difcipline, the Pikes retire by little and little among the Shields: See in the mean time how a Body of the Enemies men at Arms has difordered our men at Arms in the left wing; and how according to our Difcipline, retiring under the Protection of our Ttkes extraordinary^ by their alliftance they have repulfed the purfuers, and killed moft of them upon the place. See the Pikes in ordinary of the firfl Battalias, how they have (heltred themfelves under iht Scudatiy and left them to make good the fight: See with what courage, with what fecuriry, with what Icifure, they put the Enemy to the Sword. Behold how they clofe their ranks in the Fight, and are come up fo near they have fcarce room left to manage their Swords. See with what fury the Enemy flies, becaufe being armed only with Pike and with Sword, both of them are become unferviceable; one becaufe of its length, the other becaufe the Enemy is too well arm- ed. See how they throw down their Arms, how they are wounded, killed or difperfed. See how they run in the right wing; fee bow they fly in the left. So now we are fafe, and the Vidory our own.
CHAP. VIT. The Authors reafons for the occurrences in the Battle.
Fahr. XTTHat do you think now, have we not got the Victory very fortunately; but we would have had it with more advantage, had I been permitted to have put all things in execution. You fee there is no neceflity of making ufe either of the fe- cond or third order; becaufe our Van was fufficient to overcome the Enemy; fo that 1 am inclined to fpeak no farther upon this Subjed, unlefs ir be to refolve any doubt that may anfe in your mind.
Luigi. You have gained this Vidory with fo much courage and gallantry, that I fear my tranfport will not giyc mc leave to explain my felf, whether I have any fcruple or not. Nsverthelefs prefuraing upon your quicknefs, 1 (ball take the boldnefs to tell you what I think. Firft, therefore let me dcfire you to inform me, why you made ufe of your Artillery but once? ~\vhy you caufcd them to be drawn off into your Army, and made no mention of them afterward.^ It feems to me that you placed the Enemies too high, and ordered them as you fancied; which might poflibly be true; but if their Cannon Ibould be fo placed (as I do not qucflion but many times they are) as that they fhould play among your Trcops, I would fain underftand what remedy you would prefcribe; and fince 1 have begun to fptak of the Artillery, I fiiall propofe all my fcruples in this place, that I may have no occalion to mention them hereafter. I have heard many perfons find fault with the Arms ^nd orders of the ancients, as things of little or no ufe in our days, in refped of theiiiry of our Cannon; becaufe they break all ranks and pierce all Arms at fuch a rate^^hat ir fccms to them no Icfs than madnefs to oppofe any ranks or ordcr&^et' mea-againft rhcm, and to tire your Soldiers with the carriage of Arms thac will not be able to defend tiiem.
Falritio.
The An of WA R. Bcwklll.
Fabritio. Yotir demand con/ifling ot many heads, requires a large anlvver. 'Tis true I caufed my Artillery to play but once, and I was in doubt whether they fhould do that; and the reafon is, bccaufe it concerns a man more to keep himfelf from being hurt, than to mifcliief his Enemy. You mufl underfland, that to provide againft the fury of great Guns, it is necedary to keep where they cannot reach you, or to place your felf behind fome wall or bank that may fbelter you, for there is nothing elfc that can fecure. you; and then you muft be fare that either the one or the other are able to proted you. Thofe Generals who put thcmfelves in a Pofture to give battle, cannot place their Ar- mies behind a wall or a bank, or at a diftance where the Enemies Cannon cannot reach them; and therefore feeing they have no way to defend themfelves abfolutely, the belt courfeis to fecure themfelves as well as they can, and char is by pofleffing their Cannon with as much fpeed as is poffible.
The way to poflefs themfelves of it, is to march up to it fuddenly, and in as wide an order as is convenient; fuddenly, that they may fire but once,• and wide, that the exe- cution may be the iefs. This is not to be done by a band of Soldiers in order; for if they march any thing widej they diforder themfelves; and if they run on in a huddle, it will be no hard matter for the Enemy to break them. And thcrciore I ordered itjy Battle fo, that it might do both the one and the other; for having placed icoo of the Velites in the wings, I commanded that as foon as our Artillery had fired, thty fliculd advance with the light Horfe, to feize upon their Carrtion; for which reafon our Ar- tillery was fliot off- but once, and that the Enemy might not have time to charge the fecond time, and fire upon us again; for we could not take fo mucii time our felvcs, but they would have had as much to do the fame; wherefore the reafon why I fired not ray Cannon the fecond time, was, that if tne Enemy fired once, they might not have lei' fure to fire anymore. To render therefore the Enemies Artillery unferviccable, rhebeft remedy is to attack it with all poflible fpeed; for if the Enemy dcferrs it, 'tis your own,• if he undertakes to defend it, he mufl: advance before it, and then being betwixt it and us, they cannot fire but upon their own men, 1 Ihould think thefe reafcns fufEci^ ent without farther examples; yet having plenty of them from the ancients, I will af- ford you fome of them. Fenticiius being to fight xhe Parthians (whofe ftrength confifted principally in their bows and arrows) wasfo fubril as to let them come up clofeto his Camp before he would draw out his Army; which he did, that he might charge them on a fudden, before they had leifure to flioot their arrows. Cafar tells us, that when he was in 'France, being to engage with the enemy, he was charged fo briskly, and fo fuddenly by them, that his men had not time to deliver their darts according to thecu- flom of the Romans. You fee therefore that to frufirate a thing in the field which is to be difcharged at a diftance, and to prevent its doing you any hurt, there is no better way than to march up to it with all fpeed, and pofiefs it if you can. Another reafon moved me likewife to fire my Artillery no more, which may feem trivial to you; yet to me it is not fo contemptible. There is nothing obftruftsan Army, and puts it inro greater confufion, than to take away or hinder their fight; for feveral great Armies have been broken and defeated, by having their fight obftrufled cither with the duft or the Sun: now there is nothing that caufes greater obfcurity, or is a greater impediment to the fight, than the fmoke of Artillery; and therefore 1 think it more wifdom to let the Enemy be blind by himfelf, than for you to be blind too, and endeavour to find him. Thefe things confidered, I would either not fire my artillery at all, or elfc (be- caufe that perhaps would not be approved, in refpeft of the repufation which thofe great Guns have obtained in the World) I would place them in the wings of my Army, that when they fire, the fmoke might not fly in the faces of my front, which is the flower and hopes of my Army. And to prove that to trouble the fight of an Enemy, is a thing of more than ordinary advantage; I need bring no more than the example of Epami- mndast who to blind the eyes of his Enemy, before he advanced to charge them, caufed his light horfe to gallop up and down before their front to raife the duft, and binder their fight; which was done fo effedually, that he got the Victory thereby. As to your opinion that I placed the Enemies Cannon, and direded their bullets as I pleafcd, caufing them to pafs over the heads of my Foot, I anfwer, that great Guns do without comparifon oftner mifs the Infantry, than hit them, becaufe the Foot are fo low, and the Artillery fo hard to be pointed, that if they be placed never fo little too high, they flioot over; and never fo little too low, they graze and never come near them. The inequality of the ground docs likewife preferve the Foot very much j for every little hill or bank betwixt the Artillery and them, fhelters them exceedingly. As to the Horfe, efpecially the Men at arms, becaufe their order is clofer than the order of the light horfe, and they are to keep firmer in a body, they are more obnoxious to the Cannon, and are therefore to be kept in the rear of the Army, till the Enemy has fir'd