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Gordon Frye




Location: Kingston, Washington
Joined: 20 Apr 2004
Reading list: 15 books

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PostPosted: Sat 07 Jul, 2007 8:27 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Per the mention of sword handling in period manuals, in John Cruso's "Militarie Instructions for the Cavall'rie" from 1632, he does specifically mention on page 42 the use of the sword after one's pistols have been discharged:

"Having spent both his pistols, and wanting time to lade again, his next refuge is his sword; whereof the best manner of using is to place the pummell of it upon his right thigh, and so with his right hand to direct or raise the point to his mark, higher of lower as occasion serveth: either at the bellie of the adverse horse-man (about the pummell of the saddle) or at his arm pits, or his trhoat, where if it pierce not, (as is very likely it will not fail, by slipping under the casque) yet meeting with a stay in that part of the bodie, where a man is very weak, and having a sword of a very stiffe blade, (as aforesaid) it will doubtlesse unhorse him. Being past his enemie, he is to make a back-blow at him, aiming to cut the buckle of his pouldron, whereby he disarmeth one of his armes, &ct. Basta highly commendeth the aiming at the enemies sight, and so (by raising the vizures of his casque with the point of the sword) to runne him into the head. But this seemeth not so likely to take effect as that of aiming at the throat; and sometimes (as some casques are made) it would be of no use."

And that's it for the entire book. As noted above by our colleagues, military manuals of the day just didn't address themselves to the common soldier, unless it was a specific detail that wasn't going to be common knowledge (such as a specific manual of arms for muskets, pikes, pistols etc.) Cruso doesn't get into dealing with the specifics of horsemanship, either, for that matter. There WERE books containing these subjects, they just weren't in military manuals.

Cheers!

Gordon

"After God, we owe our victory to our Horses"
Gonsalo Jimenez de Quesada
http://www.renaissancesoldier.com/
http://historypundit.blogspot.com/
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