New Essay by Paul Kirchner

[Webmaster]

A new article by Paul Kirchner is now available in the Essays section:

Sir John Reresby: Seventeenth-Century Scrapper

[Jared L. Cass]

That was cool <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" /> I just love these first hand accounts.

My favorite parts were the bit about the crossbowman (awesome how he attacked with the butt of the bow after the quarrel had missed!), and the last bit about the farmer cutting into the soldiers "brain" with a sythe (sp?) Very Mair fechtbuch-ish <img src="/forum/images/icons/cool.gif" alt="" />

Jared L. Cass, ARMA Associate, Wisconsin

[Casper Bradak]

You can never read too many of those. Always interesting and informative.

[JeanryChandler]

it's interesting how they seem to run at one another and then enter a grapple. I've seen something like this in olympic sport fencing. Would they have been using rapiers or sideswords or what? it's also interesting how easily their swords seem to be broken, apparently a good way to prevent further fighting.

DB

[Casper Bradak]

Grappling in just that fashion seems to be common enough in accounts of fights and duels with rapiers.
You can't say for sure just what they were using, but given the time, the apparent fragility of the weapons, and no indication of anything but thrusts, social class and fighting style, etc., they are most likely using rapiers.

[Jared L. Cass]

Yeah, I agreee, IMO, both the time period and "style of fight" would lead me to believe that these were rapiers that they were using. Along the lines of the weapons breaking often (another indicator that they were probably rapiers), I thought this passage was interesting:

"(snip) but missing one another, closed. By this time I gott into them and broake one of their swords ...(snip)... and takeing coach, and I with them, bought new swords by the way, "

Very interesting that they BOUGHT new swords along the way. Just goes to show how common swords were. It was pretty funny when I originally read this...the image came into my head of them saying something like "we need new swords! Hmmm, I think that just down the block theres a sword store. They've even got the newest and most fashionable design's there...fit for gentlemen of our stature. Coachman, take us there!" <img src="/forum/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

Jared L. Cass, ARMA Associate, Wisconsin

[JeffGentry]

I know what you mean about the Sord store thought that was funny myself, wish it were that easy for us.