Page 263 - Canadian Dominion Directory 1871 - Partie 1-fusionné
P. 263

HISTORLCAL  AND  MISCELLANEOUS
                              ?i-ris SECTION is  designed  to  incorporate a  number  of  items which  do nol
                              correctly  belong to one of  the other  three parts in  the book.
                                The  Historical  rderences,  whether  referring  to  a  particular  King or  to
                              a  battle,  have  been  chosen  because  îhey  are  of  significance in-so-far  as
                              Heraldry is  concerned  and  they  are references which  will  occur  from time
                              to  Cime  in  the reading  carried  out by  any keen  student of  Heraldry.
                                The  items  which  are  non-historical  are  also  items  which  are  better
                              grouped  together  on  their  own,  rather  than  being  classified  as  Heraldry,
                              Genealogy, or Amour and  Arrns.
                                                               army  on  a  fume1 shaped  piece  of
                                                               ground  bordered  on  both  sides  by
                                                               thick masses of  trees. In front of  the
                                                               English positions the soIdiers set six-
                                                               foot  stakes  which  were  pointed  at
                                             A
                                                               both  ends,  into  the  ground.  These
                                                               about five feet.
                              Agiocourt - A  battle fought  on the
                                                                 By  midday  nothing  had  hap-
                              25th  October  1415.
                                                               pened  and  the two armies still stood
                                On  the  days  prior  to  the  battle  and  looked  at  eacb  other.  On  the
                              the  English  army  of  some  5,000  comrnand  ' Banners  Advance'  the
                              men  at arms  and  archers had  been  English  army moved fonvard  about
                              dogged by  a vastly  superior French  200 yards and replanted  their stakes.
                              army  estimated  at  approximately  As  the  afternoon  wore  on  the
                              50,000. On  the evening  of  the  24th  French  decided  to attack.
                                                                 The  French  army.  which  con-
                              October, Henry V who led the Eng-   were pointed  forward at a height  of
                              lish  army  decided  to  bring  the  sisted almost entirely of  knights and
                              French  to  battIe  on  the  following  mounted  men-at-arms, al1 wanted  to
                              day.  fi personally  spent  the  night  be in  the  van. They  had  very  little
                              in  careful  reconnaissance  of  the  discipline  and  as  they  rode jnto  the
                              ground  and in  prayer  and, by exer-  gradually lessening area between the
                              cise of  the strictest discipline, main-  trees they were bumping and  boring
                              tained  aIrnost  complete  silence  in  each  other  and  when  some  200
                              the lines  of  the English  troops. The  yards  from  tlie  English  positions
                              French  army,  at  the  same  tirne,  tiley  met  a hail  of  arrows frorn  the
                              spent most of  the night in rowdyism  Englisli archers. From tlien onwards
                              and  drinking.                   a11 was pandemonium. Those of  the
                                Early on the morning of  the 25th  French  Knights  who  managed  to
                              October Henry lined up the English  reach the English positions could not
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