"I put the Greeks ashore, and went on my way with the caramuzal to the Arm of Mayna, which is not far distant. This Arm of Mayna is a district of the land which is in the Morea, a barren land, and its inhabitants are Greek Christians. They have no houses, but exist in grottos … Continue reading Alonso De Contreras Witnesses the Accuracy of a Greek Archer
Archery
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
List of arrow wounds suffered by US soldiers, late 19th century
https://archive.org/stream/areportsurgical00otisgoog#page/n158/mode/2up Here is a rare opportunity to get hard numbers of the lethality of arrow wounds. This book is A Report of Surgical Cases Treated in the Army of the United States from 1865 to 1871. In reports of 83 arrow wounds, 26 are fatal, or 31%. Excluding men who suffered multiple wounds, 21 out … Continue reading List of arrow wounds suffered by US soldiers, late 19th century
200 year old musket vs Olympic archers
Musket using undersized ball fired at 97 yards. https://youtu.be/rJ-UazWAOSk Archers shooting a target at 70m (76 yards). https://youtu.be/5M4-hB9t3kY
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
A Brief Discourse by Humfrey Barwick- Modernized Transcription
Humfrey Barwick's pamphlet, full title A Breefe Discourse, Concerning the force and effect of all manuall weapons of fire, and the disability of the Long Bowe or Archery, in respect of others of greater force now in vse, is the most important single source of information concerning the bow vs. musket issue. Sir Roger Williams … Continue reading A Brief Discourse by Humfrey Barwick- Modernized Transcription
Musket Accuracy at 80 Yards
My copy of Firearms: A Global History to 1700 by Kenneth Chase has just arrived. Cracking it open near the middle, I landed on the section concerning Guns and Bows. Thankfully, Chase doesn't repeat the line, common in history books written for a casual audience, that firearms were somehow less effective than bows until the … Continue reading Musket Accuracy at 80 Yards
History Channel: Bows vs Crossbows vs Guns
This is a pretty silly pop history demonstration- just what one would expect from the History Channel- but still entertaining to see the power of a heavy matchlock musket. The narrator claims that his longbow can penetrate the final suit of armor at 60 yards, but we won't know, since he never actually hits any … Continue reading History Channel: Bows vs Crossbows vs Guns
Bow Vs. Musket 