Re: Spearing men on the ground

From: Nick Eden <nick_at_...>
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004 18:53:23 +0100


On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 12:42:37 +1200, you wrote:

>Greg wrote:
>
>>I recall reading someplace that a study done on the dead on a Napoleonic (I
>>think) battlefield revealed that the corpses generally had a half dozen or
>>more
>>lance stabs, made as the lancers rode over them who would stab the corpse just
>>to be sure.
>
>IIRC this was done after a battle (or two) against Russian infantry. The
>infantry threw themselves on the ground in the face of a cavalry charge to
>let the cavalry run over them. Since the horses wouldn't trample them,
>the Russians then got up and emptied their firearms into the backs of
>the cavalry. The French put lancers among their cavalry after that.

Montrose used a similar tactic at one of the battles in the Scottish fighting post ECW. Can't remember which. Or indeed the technical name for that conflict...

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