St. George for England
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CHAPTER XIV: CRESSY
The surprise of the French army at finding themselves in the presenceof the English was so great that the first line recoiled in confusion.Those marching up from behind imagined that they had been alreadyengaged and repulsed by the English, and the disorder spread through thewhole army, and was increased by the common people, who had crowded tothe field in immense numbers from the whole country round to see thebattle and share in the plunder of the English camp.
From King Edward's position on the rising ground he could see theconfusion which prevailed in the French ranks, and small as were hisforces he would probably have obtained an easy victory by ordering asudden charge upon them. The English, however, being dismounted, butsmall results would have followed the scattering of the great host ofthe French. The English army therefore remained immovable, except thatthe soldiers rose from the ground, and taking their places in the ranks,awaited the onslaught of the enemy.
King Phillip himself now arrived on the field and his hatred for theEnglish led him at once to disregard the advice which had been given himand to order the battle to commence as soon as possible.
The army was divided into four bodies, of which Phillip commanded one,the Count D'Alencon the second, the King of Bohemia the third, andthe Count of Savoy the fourth. Besides these were a band of 15,000mercenaries, Genoese crossbow-men, who were now ordered to pass betweenthe ranks of cavalry and to clear the ground of the English archers, whowere drawn up in the usual form in which they fought--namely, in veryopen order, line behind line, the men standing alternately, so that eachhad ample room to use his bow and to fire over the heads of those infront. The formation was something like that of a harrow, and, indeed,exactly resembled that in which the Roman archers fought, and was calledby them a quincunx.
The Genoese had marched four leagues beneath a hot sun loaded with theirarmour and heavy cross-bows, and they remonstrated against the order,urging that they were in no condition to do good service without somerepose. The Count D'Alencon, furious at their hesitation, ordered themup, but as they advanced a terrible thunderstorm, with torrents of rain,broke over the armies, and wetting the cords of the crossbows renderedmany of them unserviceable. At length the crossbow-men were arranged infront, while behind them were the vast body of French cavalry, and theorder was given for the battle to begin.
The Genoese advanced with loud shouts but the English archers paid noattention to the noise, but waited calmly for the attack. At this momentthe sun, now approaching the west, shone out brightly between the cloudsbehind the English, its rays streaming full in the faces of the French.The Genoese were now within distance, and began to discharge theirquarrels at their impassive enemies, but as they opened fire the Englisharchers drew their bows from the cases which had protected them from therain, and stepping forward poured their arrows among the Genoese. Thecrossbow-men were smitten as with a storm, numbers were struck in theface and other unprotected parts, and they were instantly thrown intoconfusion, and casting away their cross-bows they recoiled in disorderamong the horsemen behind them.
Phillip, passionate and cruel as ever, instead of trying to rally theGenoese, ordered the cavalry behind them to fall upon them, andthe men-at-arms at once plunged in among the disordered mass of thecrossbow-men, and a wild scene of carnage and confusion ensued, theEnglish archers continuing to pour their unerring arrows into the midst.
The Count D'Alencon, who was behind, separated his division into twobodies, and swept round on one side himself, while the Count of Flandersdid the same on the other to attack the Prince of Wales in more regulararray. Taking a circuitous route, D'Alencon appeared upon a risingground on the flank of the archers of the Black Prince, and thus,avoiding their arrows, charged down with his cavalry upon the 800men-at-arms gathered round the Black Prince, while the Count of Flandersattacked on the other flank. Nobly did the flower of English chivalrywithstand the shock of the French, and the prince himself and thehighest nobles and simple men-at-arms fought side by side. None gaveaway a foot.
In vain the French, with impetuous charges, strove to break through themass of steel. The spear-heads were cleft off with sword and battle-axe,and again and again men and horses recoiled from the unbroken line.Each time the French retired the English ranks were formed anew, andas attack followed attack a pile of dead rose around them. The CountD'Alencon and the Duke of Lorraine were among the first who fell. Theyoung Count of Blois, finding that he could not ride through the wallof steel, dismounted with his knights and fought his way on foottowards the banner of the Prince of Wales. For a time the struggle wasdesperate, and the young prince, with his household knights, was for atime well-nigh beaten back.