Unlike Polofox, who I posted earlier, the Italian missionary Martino Martini, the author of this history of the Manchu conquest, had actually been to China. He has little to say on the types of arms used, only this: Pages 16-18 But the City [Leaotung] was defended by exceeding many men, who generally were all armed … Continue reading Martino Martini – Bellum Tartaricum, 1654
Battles
The Commentaries of Messire Blaize de Montluc, Mareschal of France
Blaize de Montluc, 1500?-1577, a French soldier serving 50 or 60 years. He gives some accounts of battles which will embarrass English archers, and lend more credence to Humfrey Barwick and Roger William's opinions that the longbow was by that time obsolete. This battle takes place just a few days after the sinking of the … Continue reading The Commentaries of Messire Blaize de Montluc, Mareschal of France
John Smith battles Indians
This is an excerpt from chapter VI of John Smith's third book. That is, Sir John Smith the explorer, not to be confused with Sir John Smythe, who wrote a treatise, Certain Discourses (transcription linked), praising the bow over the musket (though the two men have a surprising amount in common). p. 65: This gaue … Continue reading John Smith battles Indians
Ming vs. Qing
This is a short excerpt from a report by a Ming commander in 1646. Lynn A. Struve, Voices from the Ming-Qing Cataclysm, page 139: "When our troops are beaten, it is because they covet the enemy's horses; instead of hacking at the horses to bring the riders down, they hack at the [mounted barbarians], who … Continue reading Ming vs. Qing
Battle of Tai Bay, 1661
In April 1661, Koxinga sailed into Terrace Bay, Taiwan, with 25,000 soldiers. As the military leader of the Ming, Koxinga was so hard pressed by the Qing forces that he was forced to flee mainland China and establish a new base in Taiwan. The only problem: the Dutch already had a colony there, including two … Continue reading Battle of Tai Bay, 1661
Pequot War: John Mason’s Special Providences
More anecdotes from the Pequot Wars, these from John Mason's account. The first demonstrates the low penetrating power of arrows: I shall mention two or three special Providences that GOD was pleased to vouch safe to Particular Men; viz.two Men, being one Man’s Servants, namely, John Dier and Thomas Stiles, were both of them Shot … Continue reading Pequot War: John Mason’s Special Providences
Pequot War: John Underhill’s Landing on Block Island
The Pequot War was a series of small battles fought between the English colonists of New England and the Pequot tribe, 1636-1638. Two of the English captains John Mason and John Underhill, would later write accounts of the war. Of the two, Underhill's is the more readable and informative. This section tells of the English … Continue reading Pequot War: John Underhill’s Landing on Block Island
Baron Marbot’s Encounter with Mounted Archers at Dresden and Liepzig, 1813
Some people suppose that the only reason muskets replaced bows was the musket's superior ability to penetrate armor. It is often suggested on various history and video game boards that a line of Napoleonic musketeers, lacking armor, would be annihilated by an equal number of archers, were the two ever to encounter one another. The … Continue reading Baron Marbot’s Encounter with Mounted Archers at Dresden and Liepzig, 1813
Bow Vs. Musket 