420 HORSE-SHOES AND HORSE-SHOEING. 



' took the field with the largest army and best-appointed 

 train of baggage-waggons that had ever quitted England. 

 It was said there were upwards of 6000 carts and wag- 

 gons, which had all been brought with him.' ' Describing 

 the order of march, Froissart goes on to say that ' in the 

 rear of the king's battalion was the immense baggage- 

 train, which occupied two leagues in length : it consisted 

 of upwards of 5000 carriages, with a sufficiency of horses 

 to carry the provisions for the army, and those utensils 

 never before accustomed to he carried afoer an army — such 

 as hand-mills to grind their corn, ovens to bake their 



bread, and a variety of other necessary articles 



There were also in this army of the King of England, 

 500 pioneers with spades and pickaxes, to level the roads 

 and cut down trees and hedges, for the more easily pass- 

 ing of the carriages I must inform you that the 



King of England and his rich lords were followed by carts 

 laden with tents, pavilions, mills, and ybroe^, to grind their 

 corn and make shoes for their horses, and everything of 

 that sort which might be wanting.' ^ This appears to 

 have been the first occasion on which field forges for 

 shoeing horses accompanied an army, as well as ovens to 

 bake the soldiers' bread. The introducer of these, as well 

 as of artillery, appears to have even made an approach 

 towards the employment of pontoons not very unlike, 

 so far as material is concerned, those which are now being 

 brought into use in the Royal Engineers'; for we read 



' Chronicles of England, France, Spain, and the Adjoining Countries. 

 Edit. I. Johnes. Vol. ii. p. 469. London, 1808. 

 ' Ibid. Vol. ii. pp. 2, 3, 29. 



