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Archery AND muskets

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Mark (U2073932) on Sunday, 11th December 2005

  Just an idea. During the ECW and up to the Napoleonic war could the British have fielded a formation of archers?
  We all know bows were replaced not because they were better, faster loading or more accurate. It was because it took much, much less time to train a musketeer than a prime archer.
  A trained long bow men getting three arrows in the air at the same time is much more deadly than an infantryman firing 3/4/5 rounds a minute.
  
  So why couldn't the army have had small formations of archers in the army to cause panic, break up attacks and to pick off leaders,
  used in tandom with the green jacket riflemen. It may have worked.
  
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by WarFanatic (U2676733) on Monday, 12th December 2005

  Perhaps it because Archers were a thing of the past and so muskets was now 'modern' warfare and military tactitians didnt want to go down that old road. But I agree in combination with Musketeers a small group of Archers could create havoc at a much more deadlier range.

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  Posted by Mr Pedant (U2464726) on Monday, 12th December 2005

  I think a very small number of archers were deployed in the ECW.
  
  One of the main reasons it fell out of use was that it took years to master a longbow and as the skill fell out of use among civilians there was no-one to recruit.
  
  I remember reading that a prominent commando with a longbow hobby took a longbow to Normandy around D-Day and did record a combat kill with one.

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  Posted by Anglo-Norman (U1965016) on Monday, 12th December 2005

  Lowbows were still recommended as a theory into the 1630s and even 40s by advocates of the 'double armed' man (who was supposed to wield both longbow and pike at the same time!). Such theorists regarded it as a weapon from a more chivalrous age (ironic, when you consider the part it played in the downfall of the chivalry). There is no evidence that it was used in English warfare during this period though, although one was used during a siege (Bristol or Gloucester - I can't recall which) in 1643. Some longbows are recorded as being in use by Scottish troops during the period, however.
  
  As well as the problem of training (a bowman took about 10 years to train from the age of 9, IIRC, whilst I learnt to load and fire a flintlock musket with reasonable accuracy in ten minutes), proper war bows had to be made from imported yew (preferably Italian), whilst muskets could be made from locally sourced materials.

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  Posted by WarFanatic (U2676733) on Monday, 12th December 2005

  Its just basically ease of access. If it is easier and quicker to gather a large contingent of musketeers than a military commander will prefer it to waiting 10 years for a few archers.

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• Message 6

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  Posted by George1507 (U2607963) on Tuesday, 13th December 2005

  The longbow was effective, but was incredibly inefficient. The English expedition which eventually went to Agincourt took 4 million arrows with them, made as many new arrows while they were there, and used them all.
  
  Muskets, however inefficient by the standards of guns today, were never that inefficient, and were less susceptible to changes in wind and so on.
  
  Tactics, which developed quite quickly after the adoption of the musket - such as triangulated fire - meant the musket became even more effective and efficient and ended the use of the longbow pretty much for good.
  
  
  
  

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  Posted by Turnwrest (U2188092) on Wednesday, 14th December 2005

  I've seen references to the "clubmen" using the bows (and brownbills, morions etc.) from the Parish armouries.

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