The Military Archery at Neville's Cross, 1346
By: Robert Hardy
I found the following article to be a fascinating and insightful read. It brought up several interesting aspects of the medieval archer and logistics of military campaigning that I not previously thought of. Give it a read I'm sure there is something to be learned by all. Enjoy!
"The Military Archery at Neville's Cross, 1346." Medievalists.net. Themebuilder, 27 Jan 2011. Web. 4 Apr 2011. <http://www.medievalists.net/2011/01/27/the-military-archery-at-nevilles-cross-1346/>.
I've often read that archers were placed on the extreme flanks of the army (in a wedge shape). Hardy makes the common sense suggestion that archers would have had to be placed within the battle line itself due to its length, otherwise a large portion of the center would have been out of range of the archers. The length of the line at Agincourt being estimated at 1000 yds, would have left a 400 yd gap in is center. It might be that they intended to create this funneling effect, but I doubt it. I would think that you would want all of your firepower brought to bear as quickly and as effectively as possible during any battle. Very good article!
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