Miscellaneous

Lake County Press, Issue 2789, 12 June 1919, Page 7

Miscellaneous

HISTORIC GROUND. Sept. 7, 1191—Sept. 19, 1918. King Richard and Allenby. ‘“On Thursday, September 19, early, Yeomanry and Indian cavalry moved up the seashore at a gallop, crossed the Nahr Falik, and swept north, driving everything before them, and capturing 700 prisoners on the wav” (writes C. W. G. Oman). Mow many that read these lines were aware that on a September day, no less than 797 years ago, British cavalry charged once before across the seashore and along the hanks of the Nahr Falik? For here was fought during the Third Crusade the only pitched battle in Palestine in which English horsemen took an important part—Richard Coeur de Lion’s great victory at Arsu.

The crusading army was deployed on this same belt of hard shore from which Allenhy’s horsemen started; the Nahr Falik formed the northern wing-pro-tection of their lino. Only in 1190 the Christians were moving from north to south, making from their base at Acre towards Arsuf and Jaffa—lll*l9lß they were moving from south to north, with Jaffa as their base and Acre as one of the many objectives at which they were aiming.

The famous old harbour city lias fallen after a weak resistance—a strange contrast with 1191, for it yields to-day to a sudden rush of cavalry. in 1189-90 it held out for very nearly two years. A Mighty Man of War. In September, 1191, Coeur do Lion was marching southward along the seashore, intending to establish himself at Jaffa, and thence as the nearest seabase to make that final push at Jerusalem which lie was never to make. 11 is army, like Allonby’s, was composite—not British, Australians, and Indians, with little contingents of French and Italians, but French, English, and Syrian Franks, with smaller companies from well-nigh every European land, and not least important the veteran bands of the Knights of the Temple and St. John.

Richard may not have been a good King for England, but ho was a mighty man of war; not the brainless adventurer which modern historians have sometimes pictured, but a great tactician, with strong views on the way in which cavalry and infantry must support each other, and ou the methods that the West must use to face the formidable horse-bowmen of the East, the Turks and Kurds and Mamelukes of the Great Saladin. For in the 12th century it was the elusive and untiring light horse of the Saracens that had for the moment got the mastery of the heavy knights of Europe, had destroyed the armies of ! King Guy of Jerusalem, and taken the Holy City. It was to be Richard’s task to show that the horse-archer was not invincible when his enemy knew the game. Crusaders in Action.

We have two good descriptions of the g battle—one from the pen of a Crusader | who marched with Richard, the other? from that of the admiring secretary and 2 biographer of his great opponent. It is \ from the Moslem’s account that we get I the better idea of the tactical skill of the English King. Richard was not going to be surprised, nor to see his army destroyed piecemeal through some hasty charge of his unruly feudal chivalry. He was about to give the enemy a lesson in the corelation of horse and foot. His army marched along the shore in 12 divisions, each consisting of a body of infantry, with a squadron of cavalry attached. The infantry formed a continuous column of march, with the cross-bow-men, the King’s favourite corps in the onto rrank—that most inland and farthest east. The knights moved parallel to them, each squadron keeping level to the particular body of foot to which it was told off. Finally, the bagagge and impedimenta, covered by the other two lines, kept close to the seashore. The Templars formed the first division, the Hospitallers held the rear; in ! the other 10 units we know that the | English formed the fifth—i.o., were in exactly the centre of the long column that was moving in close order southward. The King was expecting to be attacked, and had his army in such an order that a simple command that each man should make a half-turn to the left would produce a complete order of battle—infantry in front line, cavalry in support. Swarms of Horse Arohers.

It was known that Saladin was near ; his scouts had been detected in the woods inland, and it was pretty certain that lie would choose his own moment for a sudden attack on the long marching column. His plan was one that the Saracen had often used before with success; partial attacks by swarms of horse archers, who should so harass and delay certain parts of the Frankish host, and compel them to halt or to make a desperate charge outward, which would break the line and allow it to he cut in two, and destroyed piecemeal. Ho had underrated his new adversary. The Crusaders were well on their way, when out of the woods and rolling ground to the east there burst forth the Saracen host. “All over the face of the land you might see the well-ordered bands of the Turks, myriads of particoloured banners; of mailed men alone there appeared to be more than 20.000. “Swifter than eagles they swept down upon our line of march. The air was black with the dust that their hoofs cast up. Before the face of each emir went bis musicians, making a horrid din with horns, trumpets, drums, and cymbals, whilst the infidels came on behind with howls and cries of war. For they think that the lender the noise the bolder grows the spirit of the warrior. They beset us before and behind and on the flank for a space of two miles.” Deadly Crossbow Bolts. The .main thrust of Salad in's light horse was upon the rear, when they closed in upon the Hospitallers and the infantry attached to them. lint all along the line the attack was vigorous if intermittent. The result was disappointing to the Moslems; in a contest of missiles the crossbow bolt proved more effective than the light reed-arrow of the horseman. The cavalry in the centre of the marching column suffered somewhat from high-trajectory arrows which passed over the heads of their comrades on foot. Some knights had to dismount and take a place ,lance in hand, among the infantry. But there was no disorderly charge in retaliation ; the line held, the Saracens could not find a gap; they themselves were suffering severely from the cross-bow bolts. At last Saladin determined to come tc

I close quarters ; his squadrons charged in I with the lance at many points—most fierce on the Hospitallers and the . French division immediately ahead of them. Rout of the Turks. ’ This wast the moment for which King Richard had been waiting; when the enemy closed lie gave the signal which had been appointed for the cavalry. At the sound of six trumpets the infantry opened up intervals, through which the knights charged in serried squadrons. The Turks and Mamelukes could not stand for a moment the onset of the heavy cavalry of the West; they broke. Boha-ed-din, the secretary of Saladin, is most frank in his admissions. “The cavalry of the enemy raised their war cry, and dashed out at the, the infantry suddenly opening up gaps for their passage. Our rout was complete. 1 was myself in the centre; that corps having fled in confusion. 1 thought to take refuge with the left, which was nearest me. M heu 1 reached ot I found it in full retreat. 1 turned accordingly to' the spot where the Sultan”s bodyguard should have served as a rallying point for the rest. The banners were still up right and the royal drums beating, but! 1 only ]7 horsemen were around them. , We had to go.” Great Slaughter. | At the northern end of the battle the infidels had behind them not only the course of the Nahr Falik, but the j swamp of Birket Jlamandan, through which the stream flows. Impeded in their flight, they could not disperse or move quickly, and the slaughter was very great. In the centre and southern end they had easier ground, and escaped into woods. Rush pursuit had ruined many a crusading army; there was nothing of the kind on September 7, 1191. By the King’s orders the enemy was not chased for more than a mile; the army then halted, and reformed. As Richard had thought likely, the Sultan had hoped for a counter offensive; he came forward a second time, hoping to find a disordered host in front of him. To his disgust there was an orderly array, which advanced for a second time in perfect line. A new charge sot the Saracens flying in a rout from which there was no rallying; they were lost to sight in the woods. Richard would not break his army or separate horse from foot; he resumed his inarch, and camped at Arsuf, on the seashore. That night scouts went out to search the field—there was no Saracen in sight save 32 emirs and 7,000 rank and file dead upon the field.

Allenby’s Success. Richard won his battle—but he was never to sec Jerusalem. Foiled by jealousies and division in his cam]) among the motley host of allies, of whom many wished him ill, he had finally to abandon his objective on the Holy City—he refused to set eyes upon it from a convenient observation post that was pointed out to him, because he might never enter it. So the war ended in a compromise and a treaty which left the shore to the Frank, but Jerusalem to the Sultan. The lot of General Allenby has been more happy. He has outdone the fatal mistake of the Third Crusade. ONEMAN “PONTOONS.” Building bridges under fire, the greatest ordeal that the army engineers of other campaigns were subjected to, bids fair to go out of fashion. In future a regiment going across a stream will, if a recent invention meets with approval, merely wade into the stream and drift across, meantime utilising both hands to manipulate his rifle. The new invention is a sort of glorified “water wings’” arrangement, and is adapted to the fording of dee]) streams without the necessity of bridge building. The encircling buoy is blown up by the soldier. It holds him upright in the water with his shoulders and arms clear of the surface. In e neriments recently conducted, a man made several bull’s-eyes on a target‘DO yards away while floating across tie stream.