A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' WarFortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir
History
A History of the British Army, Vol. 1: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' War
Fortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir
Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army -- History
The decisive battle of Barnet furnishes a still more brilliant
instance of Edward's skill, and of his quickness to seize the vital
point in a campaign. All turned upon his forcing his enemies to
action before they could gather their full strength about them.
Edward marched his men up to Warwick's position actually after dusk
had fallen, a rare accomplishment in those days, and drew up his
men as best he could in the dark. When day broke with dense fog he
discovered that his army far out-flanked Warwick's left, and was as
far out-flanked by Warwick's on his own left. The result seems to
have been that the two armies edged continually round each other
until their respective positions were reversed,[39] for some of
Warwick's cavalry, coming back from the pursuit of Edward's left,
found itself on its return not, as it supposed, in rear of Edward's
army, but of its own. The cry of treason, always common in the Wars
of the Roses, was quickly raised, and in the general confusion the
battle was lost to Warwick. None the less the victory was due to
Edward's promptness; and indeed the rapidity alike of his decisions
and of his marches stamp him as a soldier of no ordinary talent,
and as in many respects far in advance of his time.
[Sidenote: 1487.]
For the rest the Wars of the Roses show unmistakable signs of the
changes that were coming over the art of war.[40] A most important
point is the ever increasing employment of artillery in the field
and the greater value attached to it. Richard, Duke of York, is
said to have had a great train of ordnance and so many as three
thousand gunners with him at Dartmouth in 1452. Artillerymen were
becoming far more common, and as a natural consequence bade fair to
command a smaller price in the wage-market. From this time also it
may be said that the duel of artillery tends to become the regular
preliminary to a general action. Still more significant is the
augmented prominence of the common foot-soldier, known from his
peculiar weapon as the bill-man, who now begins to supplant the
dismounted man-at-arms in the work of infantry, and as a natural
consequence restores the latter to his proper station among the
cavalry. New weapons again make their appearance in the hands of
the foot-soldier. Both Edward and Warwick introduced hired bands
of Burgundian hand-gun men, whereby the English became acquainted
with the new arm that was to drive out the famous bow. Again, on
the field of Stoke there were seen two thousand tall Germans armed
with halberd and pike, under the command of one Martin Schwartz,
who fought on the losing side, but stood in their ranks till they
were cut down to a man.[41] Lastly, the old order of battle in
three lines was becoming rapidly obsolete. At Bosworth both armies
were drawn up in a single line, with the cavalry on the wings; and
the cavalry itself was beginning at the same time to forsake the
formation in column for that in line, or as it was called, _en
haye_.
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