I read that Oliver Cromwell had his cavalry walk at a slow trot
instead of a fast trot. One would have assumed that galloping as fast
as possible was the way a cavalry was supposed to be used. But I guess
that is not always true. I noticed in the DVD Guns, Germs and Steel,
that a Spanish horseman was moving his horse in small movements, not a
fast gallop.
I also remember reading that the Mongols used small ponies. Yet they
conquered vast amounts of territory. I heard that when the Mongols
reached Persia, each side sent out a champion. The Persian laughed at
the Mongol on his small pony. But it was the Mongols who won the
battle and conquered part of Persia.
In the book BRITISH HISTORY FOR DUMMIES, the author mentions that the
Scots charged the English with their long spears. I think the
English broke the Scot�s long spears with their halberds. The
Macedonians and Greeks had the phalanx with long pikes. They were a
fierce army. But the Romans came up with a counter using shield and
buckler and got under the phalanx, leaving the people in the phalanx
vulnerable.
The swords in Japanese history actually got shorter. I believe the
swords of 1200 were longer than the swords of the 1600�s.
So I guess bigger is not necessarily better than small. Longer is not
necessarily better than short. And faster is not necessarily better
than slower. And professional is not necessarily better than
amateur. I understand Oliver Cromwell, was a businessman, not a
professional soldier. Yet he revolutionized and added several
innovations to the army.
I am reminded of the late L.W. Spitz�s comment about the great ideas
coming from obscure places. I guess I also think about the
evolutionary fairy tale that bigger brain means more intelligence.
But Neanderthal had a bigger cranial capacity than modern Homo
sapiens. Yet Neanderthal is extinct.
# posted by GuyTak @ 8:37 PM
