206 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period II. 



suppose that her people would be well qualified to serve 

 in the navy. 



The English archers always seem to have fought 

 against men-at-arms with great bravery, and do not 

 appear to have been awed by the superior weight, 

 splendour, or trappings of the haughty knights. In 

 the many border wars which were continually going on 

 between England and Scotland, the archer infantry 

 repeatedly gained successes over the Scottish nobles, 

 which were the first instances of the foot-soldiery 

 beginning to meet the cavaby upon anything like equal 

 terms. 



It io very interesting to trace the growing importance 

 of the infantry in these conflicts between the English 

 and Scottish forces. Sir William Wallace, a man of 

 extraordinary natural ability, improved the tactics of his 

 time very materially. In the battle of Stirling, 1297, 

 the skilful manner in which he allowed a portion of the 

 English forces to cross the river Forth, and then attacked 

 and defeated them under the eyes of the remainder of 

 the army, who could not come to their assistance, gives 

 the strongest proof of his ability as a general. 



In the battle of Falkirk, in the following year, it is 

 curious to see how closely Wallace had foreshadowed the 

 modern method of resisting cavalry. He had in his 

 army only 1,000 mounted men, and less than 30,000 

 archers and spearmen, while the forces of King Edward 

 I. consisted of 7,500 men-at-arms, and it is said 80,000 

 foot-soldiers. Wallace was obliged to give battle against 

 these overwhelming numbers, the 7,500 horsemen being 

 the great strength of the English army. The old chro- 

 nicler has fortunately given a description of Wallace's 

 order of battle with such minuteness that we can see 

 the whole arrangement at a glance. He ranged his army 

 upon a slightly inclined plane, and formed his infantry 

 in circles or clumps, or what we should now technically 

 call " squares," the outer ranks being composed of pike- 

 men, who, kneeling, prf sented their pikes as an obstacle 

 to the charging horsemen ; while behind them, in the 

 centre of each clump or " square," stood the archers, who 



