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THE DISTANCES TO WHICH ANCIENT SIEGE ENGINES COULD CAST THEIR PROJECTILES
The catapults, ballistas and trebuchets employed for bombarding the walls, houses and people of a town, were, of course, placed well out of range of the bows and crossbows of its defenders.
If the besiegers located their engines within reach of arrows, the men who worked the engines would be
slain by the archers of the opposing side, especially as it was not possible to shelter the larger machines, such as the trebuchets, behind screens of wood or earth on account of their great size and height.
With the advantage of shooting downwards from the commanding elevation of towers and battlements, the archers were certainly able to attain a range of from 270 to 280 yards, and in any case could shoot considerably farther than they were able to do when standing on level ground.
In order merely to ensure their safety from archers, it would, therefore, be necessary to place the engines at about 300 yards from the outer walls of a besieged town.
As catapults were not only required to hurl their missiles against the towers and battlements of a town, but were designed also to shoot clear over the walls upon the houses and soldiers inside the defences, it is evident that whether large or small they must have had a range of from 350 to 400 yards to be effective.
1 See extracts from Josephus, p. 268.
Which side could produce the larger and more powerful engines was always an important point among the combatants at a siege, the advantage at first being usually with the besieged, as they could build their engines in time of peace and keep them ready for war. On the other hand, the besiegers had to bring their smaller engines from a distance and, as was usual, construct their larger ones on the spot.
The successful attack or defence of a fortified town often depended therefore on which of the armies engaged had the more powerful balistas, catapults or trebuchets, as one engine of superior range could work destruction un-impeded if it happened that a rival of similar power was unavailable to check its depredations.
Froissart relates that 'at the siege of Mortagne in 1340, an engineer within the town constructed an engine to keep down the discharges of one
FIG. 192.-A siege catapult.
Criticism.- An excellent drawing of a catapult. This engine was moved into position on rollers and then the props were placed under its sides to adjust the range of the projectile.The end of the arm was secured by the notch of the large iron catch and was released by striking down the handle of the catch with a heavy mallet.
The arm is, however, too long for the height of the crossbar against which it strikes and would probably break off at its centre.
The hollow for the stone is much too large as a stone big enough to fit it could not be cast by a weapon of the dimensions shown in the picture.
From an Illustrated Manuscript, Fifteenth Century (No. 7239), Bibl. Nat. Paris.
Powerful machine in the besieging lines. At the third shot he was so lucky as to break the arm of the attacking engine.' The account of this incident, as given by Froissart, is so quaint and graphic that I quote it here: 'The same day they of Valencens raysed on their side a great engyn and dyd cast in stones so that it troubled sore them within the town. Thus ye firste day passed and the night in assayling, and devising how they might greve them in the fortress.
'Within Mortagne there was a connying maister in making of engyns who saw well how the engyn of Valencens did greatly greve them : he raysed an
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engyn in ye castle, the which was not very great but he trymmed it to a point, and he cast therwith but three tvmes. The firste stone fell a xii2 fro the engyn without, the second fell on ye engyn, and the thirde stone hit so true that it brake clene asonder the shaft of the engyn without; then the soldyers of Mortagne made a great shout, so that the Hainaulters could get nothing ther3 then the erle4 sayd how he wolde withdrawe.'
(From the translation made at the request of Henry VIII. by John Bourchier second Lord Berners, published 1523-1525.)
These siege engines when only of moderate size were not always successful, as in some cases the walls of a town were so massively built that the projectiles of the enemy made little impression upon them. Froissart tells us that it was then the habit of the defenders of the walls to pull off their caps or produce cloths, and derisively dust the masonry when it was struck by stones.
With regard to the range of catapults. balistas and trebuchets many extravagant statements have been made by historians. Francois de Mézeray even declares that a catapult could shoot to a distance of a thousand yards! 5
On this point I have carefully sifted the evidence to be found in ancient and mediaeval descriptions of sieges and have discarded all statements that are in the least doubtful.6 The conclusions I have arrived at will be found in the three following chapters and may, I am confident, be relied on as accurate.
- 400 yards was an immense distance for even a 50-lb. Stone to be projected by a weapon that derived its power merely from twisted cordage. 450 yards was probably the extreme range of any of these engines.
- A foot.
- Could not throw any more stones.
- Count of Hainault. He was besieging Tournay, but left that place and went to besiege Mortagne and ordered the people of Valenciennes to go with him.
- French historian; wrote a history of France in 3 vols., printed 1643-51.
- I have also had the advantage of possessing small and large working models from which to work out deductions and comparisons.