Military instructions for the cavallrie, or, Rules and directions for the service of horse collected out of divers forrein authours, ancient and modern, and rectified and supplied according to the present practice of the Low-Countrey warres.

CHAP. III. Of embuscadoes.

IT is an ordinary thing in warre, to study how to endamage an enemy, and to distract his forces: to which purpose all possible means must be used, especially when the camps lie near each other. The Cavallry must principally be employed to travell and molest the enemy, sometime by hin∣dering him from his victuall, sometime by endamaging his forragers, sometime by sending some troops even up to his camp to take some booty, by that meansa 1.1 to draw him forth, and to make him fall upon some embuscadoe disposed beforehand in some fitting place.

To order your embuscadoes (or ambushes) as they ought, you must first know what number of Cavallry the enemy hath; if he have fewer horse then you, you may employ all yours, attempting to draw out all his, and to rout them. Or else you may employ some small number, by which you may (at severall times) make some good booty, the enemy not daring to issue out of his quarter. But if the enemy exceed you in horse, it is not convenient for you to make embuscadoes, unlesse it be with some few horse: for being a small number, you may easily retreat; but being a grosse, it might be entertained by part of the enemies Cavallry presently issuing, and those seconded by more, whereby you should be hardly able to retreat without disorder and losse.

b 1.2 The good successe of an embuscadoe consisteth chiefly in their not being discovered, for which cause they are usually appointed to march in the night: or being to march a great way, to cause them to passe by those places in the night, where the enemy might most likely discover them. So proportioning the time, as that they might arrive at the place appointed for ambush before day, that so they may give time to lay their embuscadoe under favour of the night. The said troops arriving long before day, they are to be kept firm on the plain, and Sentinels are to be placed on every side. In the mean time youc 1.3 must diligently search and discover about the place appointed for your embuscadoe, lest there should be any ambush of the enemies: then (being assured for that) you are to lay your embuscadoe before the dawning of the day, and to place Sentinels in places convenient, where they may be unseen: some on trees, others couched on the ground, to discover such places as they cannot descry from the trees. The embuscadoe must not be laid much before break of day, because (otherwise) they cannot discover the approch of the enemy, but at hand, and so the embuscadoe should have no time to come forth, and put themselves in order, and being so taken on the sudden,d 1.4 they might be defeated in their own ambush. Besides, in that remainder of the night, many might be overcome with sleep, and not use that vigilance which is required. The troops must be placed at good distances one from another, that so they intermix not, nor hin∣der each other in time of fight. In making the embuscadoe with a grosse of Cavallry, some num∣ber of Infantery must be laid in ambush about the mid-way, to sustain the Cavallry in their re∣treat (if need were) or otherwise to assist them upon occasion.e 1.5 In marching, some horse must be sent out a good way before, by the right way and the by-wayes, to discover whether there be no ambush of the enemies: And indeed, to be the better assured of the good successe of an ambush, it should be accompanied with some new and extraordinary invention.

If the Chief of a frontier garrison will attempt to endammage the enemy by an ambush, being inferiour in strength to the enemy, he must gather together so many of the troops of his neighbour garrisons, untill he be superiour. And by making embuscadoes two or three times in this manner, it will terrifie the enemy; in so much as that it may be conjectured, that though afterward he make embuscadoes with fewer horse, the enemy will not hazard to come forth, and so he may the safelier take booty. When the army marcheth, there is usually some Cavallry left behind in em∣buscadoe in some eminent place, from whence they may discover farre off, by that means to be se∣cured from the enemies Cavallry, which usually is sent to charge the rear of the marching army, to take some prisoners, or to get intelligence. But these must not go to their place of ambush by the right way, but having passed the place, they must return to it by some by way, lest the enemy fol∣lowing them, discover them by their footing.

To employ all the Cavallry (supposed to be 4000, in fourty troops) in embuscadoe, three troops must be sent before towards the enemy, under an able Commander, giving notice onely to him

and the Captains where the embuscadoe shall be; and letting none of the souldiers know that any more horse are to follow them, lest any of them (in the enemies charge) being taken prisoner, should reveal it to the enemy. Of these three troops, one hundred are to be sent to the enemies camp, viz. fifty Cuirassiers with their Captain and Lieutenant, and fifty Harquebusiers with their Lieutenant. Of these Harquebusiersf 1.6 25 shall advance before with a good Corporall, attempting to take horses, prisoners, &c. as they shall be able. In view of these Harquebusiers, at the distance of a canon shot, 25 Cuirassiers must make Alto, under command of their Lieutenant, to receive those 25 Harquebusiers when they return with booty. The Captain, with the other 25 Cuirassiers and 25 Harquebusiers shall keep behind some half league off, divided into two troops; the Har∣quebubusiers being placed nearest the enemy in convenient manner, partly to succour the said fifty horse (which likely will be charged by the horse of the enemies guards) and also to make their retreat, wherein the Cuirassiers are of principall use. These foure troops must still retreat in fit∣ting distance one from another, one of them still turning face to the enemie; unlesse the enemy so charge them as they must be forced to flie in disorder. The other 200 horse (being 150 Cuirassiers, and 50 Harquebusiers) shall enter the embuscadoe, with their Chief, about half an houres riding off from the other fifty horse; which when they see returning and charged, they shall issue out: the fifty Harquebusiers first giving a charge rank after rank, then the Cuirassiers, leaving twenty horse in the rear to make the retreat.

The grosse (which had taken another way, lest the enemie should perceive by the footing that there was a greater number, and so should stay or turn back) must be in ambush about an houres march behind the said 200 horse. And seeing them return charged (as surely they will, the ene∣mie thinking himself the stronger) shall suffer them to passe, and the enemie also, that so they may charge them on the rear when they see their time. For better assurance, it were good to lead out with them (as before was intimated) someg 1.7 500 musketiers, and 300 pikes, which must be in am∣bush about a league behind the grosse of Cavallrie, on the way by which the said 300 horse should return charged. These foot must take heed they be not discovered untill the enemie be come up to them, and then shall give them a full vollie to disorder them. Upon this, the grosse of Cavallrie (now issued out) shall charge them on the rear and flanks: and then the said 300 horse are to face about, and sustain the charge; by all which means it is not like that the enemie can escape without much losse.

According to this proportion, a greater or smaller number may be ordered, so as, if you would make an embuscadoe with 100 horse onely, 50 of them must be sent before towards the enemies camp, or village where he is quartered. Of these fiftie, fifteen are to advance before the rest, to take some prisoners or horses: the other thirtiefive shall be in ambush about half a league behind them, in some place (if it be possible) whence they may see those fifteen: but if not, then to place two horse between themselves and those fifteen, to give notice when the said fifteen shall return charged. Whereupon twentiefive (of these thirtiefive) shall advance, leaving ten of the best mounted at the place, to let the enemie see there is a greater number of horse. These ten must make good the retreat, untill the other fiftie arrive which lay in ambush two leagues behind, with Sentinells to discover afarre off towards the other thirtiefive, between which (about the mid∣way) two horse were also placed to discover the motions of the first fiftie, and thereof to inform these fiftie which were in ambush behind them. These, seeing the first fiftie return charged, shall let them passe, and then issue out against the enemie: the first fiftie (making their retreat by twelve or fifteen of their best mounted horse-men) having reunited themselves and taken breath, they must makeh 1.8 Alto, and assist the other, as hath been shewed. This order is to be observed when you have certain intelligence (by your discoverers) that the enemie hath no forces there∣about. But when you cannot be assured of that (left the enemie with a troop of fiftie or sixtie horse, casually meeting with some of your said small divisions, should defeat them) there might be twentie or twentiefive horse first sent out, whereof fifteen to advance to take some bootie, the other staying about half a league behind in some covert place, shewing themselves when those fifteen return charged, so to give suspicion to the enemie, or to make their retreat. The rest might be in ambush altogether, some two leagues behind them, demeaning themselves as before hath been shewed.

Ini 1.9 grosse ambushes they must make their number seem as small as may be;k 1.10 but in small ones, they are to make shew of a greater number then they have: for which reason, all the horse must not go out of the embuscadoe at once, but some twelve or fifteen (when their number is small) must remain at the further part of the wood, to favour the retreat of the rest, (as hath been said) and to cause the enemie to think that there is a greater number of them within the wood. To this purpose some six horse may be left some league behind the rest, a little out of the way; but so as they may discover if the rest return charged, and then shew themselves at the end of the wood (as before is shewed) to make the enemie think there is a grosse embuscadoe, leaving one horseman further within the wood then the rest, and he to give fire when the enemie may perceive or heare him, which the enemie may think was done by a mistake.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Boni duces, no capertomarte (in q••o est com∣m••ne periculum) sed ex occulto sempe•• auemant; ut (integris suis) quantò possunt holles interimant cerie v••l terrerat. Veg. lib. 3. cap. 9.
• b 1.2

  Count Philip of Nassaw anno 1595. intending to set upon Mon∣dragons forragers, with 600 horse passed the river Lippe, to lay an embuscadoe. But being discovered by some of the enemies souldi∣ers or betrayed, (as Meteren hath it, lib. 17.) was taken unawares and routed: him∣self and Conut Sol••us wounded to death, many others slain, and divers taken pri∣soners. The Romanes were enquisite in laying and disco∣vering of am∣bushes.
• c 1.3

  Qui superven∣tus & insidias subsessas passus est, culpam suam non potest excusare: quia haec evitare potuit, & per spe∣culatores idoneos ante cognoscere. Veg. lib. 3. cap. 22
• d 1.4

  Deprehensa sub∣sessa, si circumve∣niatur ab hoste plus periculi susti∣net quàm parabat inferre. Ibid. c 6.
• e 1.5

  With antiqui∣ty embuscadoes. were very fre∣quent and were to be used by ei∣ther party. Vtrique parti in itinere ad subsessas communis occasio est. Nam qui pracedit, opportu∣nis vallibus, vel sylvosis montibus, quasi post se relinquit insidias, in quas cum inciderit inimicus, recurrit ipse & adjuvat suos. Qui verò sequitur adversis semitis, longè antè desti∣nat expeditos, ut praecedentem adversarium atceat transitu, decepisum quo à fronte & à ••ergo concludat. Ibid. cap. 22.
• f 1.6

  Pauei equites pramittuntur, valida manus per alia mut••tur loca: primi ubi ad agmen inimico∣rum pervenerum equites, teniant levites, atque dis∣cedunt, &c. tunc illa manus super∣veniens, opprimit ignorantes. ibid.
• g 1.7

  C. Cassius in Syria adversu•• Parthos ducens aciem, equitem ostendit à fronte, cùm à tergo pedi∣tem in confragoso loco occultasset: cein cedenie equi∣tatie, & per notae se recipiente, in praeparatat insi∣dias perduxit ex∣ercitum Partho∣rum, & cecedit. Frontin. Strata∣gem. 2. lib. cap. 5.
• h 1.8

  The word Al∣to, or Alte, is used in all languages in Christen∣dome, and signi∣fieth to make a stand. I cannot guesse whence it should be deri∣ved, unlesse it should be from the highdutch word halte, which is (as we say) hold, and with us is used in the same si∣gnification.
• i 1.9

  Eil autem opti∣mum instruendi artificium, ut plus inferas adversariis copiarum, quàm primo aspectu ostendas. Aelian. cap. 47.
• k 1.10

  Sin parvum habeas exercitum, plures buccinae sonent, ut ma∣gnam multitudi∣nem hostium ve∣nire arbitrentur. Leo Tact. cap. 17. 28.