Practical Manual of Artillery

without any harm to the soldiers, artillerymen, and sappers of the army, for this is the greatest praise and honor that one can acquire from any military action. In effect, bloody enterprises lose the reason to be praised, as has been seen on a thousand occasions, and especially in Flanders at the siege of Maastricht original: "Mastricche"; in that siege, because the quality of the site was poorly considered, the battery was not leveled throughout, and the hour of the assault was anticipated to delay the time because they were not well-informed of the defenses and shelters that were inside, twenty-two very valiant Spanish captains perished, along with their ensigns, sergeants, and many other officers, as well as the cavaliers and Italian adventurer gentlemen, of whom there were not a few who chose to assign themselves that day.

And above all other considerations and warnings that can be given to the General of Artillery and his ministers, there is the knowing how to guard against some danger, the ammunition of the army's powder; for what greater scorn and shame could be suffered in an army than, through the negligence and poor custody of the General's ministers, and many times through the little secrecy that is kept among them, the enemy comes to have notice of where the ammunition is and burns it or takes it, as often happens.

Once the battery has started, he must try (all at one time) to remove as much as possible the defenses of the flanks and any others the enemy might have, so that the enemy cannot use their artillery at the hour of the assault. He should not be ignorant that in such actions, diligence and speed are what not only facilitate the enterprises and ensure victories, but remove the enemy’s comfort of taking shelter inside and do not give time for any expected relief to arrive.

He must then ensure that the artillery is well set and leveled, having a few shots fired first as a test, and arranging the Camerade companies/groups of cannons in such a way that all the balls strike the enemy wall at right angles at once, as was said in another place. This will be achieved by firing the cannons all at the same time; because without any doubt, the united power of the artillery macerates and smashes the wall much more than it does when the balls strike one by one. The General of Artillery must not be stingy in dispensing ammunition in such war actions, lest he then be forced by blame and shame to leave the enterprise imperfect.

He must also be a strong persuader toward the General of the army to ensure that the hour of the assault is not anticipated before the battery is leveled as much as possible, having sent someone to reconnoiter it first to know for certain in what state it is found. This is against the opinions of some Generals and Masters of the Camp who are so hasty, who say that for a Spanish soldier it is enough to be able to put his head through a hole and he will give the assault nonetheless. Such men do not realize that, by wanting to save powder and a few labors, the death of so many captains and other valiant soldiers ensues, whom one sees every day remaining spent and buried in the enemy ditches. Furthermore, it often happens that the besieged regain spirit for having killed so many of their enemies in the assaults, and because of the bewilderment of the assailants who see so much slaughter of their friends and companions before their eyes, they are driven away and thrown back from the battery with most notable infamy.

Having to select bombardiers for the service of the enterprise, it is fitting for the General of Artillery to choose a few from many, provided that these are practical and expert men. For with those few, he will achieve greater honor than with many who are inexperienced. But if the war were to be of long duration, it would be necessary for him to lead both these and those, that is, the practical and the inexperienced; because with the exercise of a long war, everyone becomes a master and learns the practice. Having made the selection of the bombardiers, he must assign to each of them his valiant assistants, who (if possible) should all be known men, natives, free, and unmarried; because a married man is personally found in the enterprise, but his mind and heart remain at home with his family. He must also lead with him some old bombardiers, with whom it will often be appropriate for him to consult. Exercise the young bombardiers continuously, so that in time of need they are found practical and well-instructed.

In the actions of the artillery, the General must show himself liberal and gracious to all, and especially to those who do some signaled act for the benefit of it. Avoid in every way becoming too familiar with his subjects, nor being rigorous and severe, by following the extremes. For the one leads to contempt and to being held in little estimation