XPost: soc.history.war.misc, soc.culture.scottish, alt.religion.   
   hristian.presbyterian   
   XPost: alt.religion.christian.baptist   
   From: allan@EASYNET.CO.UK   
      
   "allan connochie"  wrote in message   
   news:4550324c@news.greennet.net...   
   >   
   > "Raktizer Omheit"  wrote in message   
   > news:454ec049_1@news.iprimus.com.au...   
   > > The Scottish aristocracy was so arrogant and snobbish that they refused   
   to   
   > > grant to their middling class or middle class peasantry the right to use   
   > > longbows on a large scale when fighting in major battles against English   
   > > longbow archers. This led to disastrous and humiliating defeats for the   
   > > Scottish armies against English armies at the Battles of Dupplin Moor in   
   > > 1332, Halidon Hill in 1333, St. Neville's Cross in 1346, Flodden Field   
   in   
   > > 1513, Solway Moss in 1542, and Pinkie Cleugh in 1547. The longbow had a   
   > much   
   > > better rate of fire, range, accuracy, and penetrating power than the   
   > > crossbow.   
   >   
   > The longbow was a factor (and certainly vital at the 14thC battles) but   
   > aren't you overstating it a bit. It didn't let the English win at Stirling   
   > Bridge, Bannockburn or Roslin. Basically the Scots won some outstanding   
   set   
   > pieces but their overall success was more often down to avoiding large   
   scale   
   > battles and relying on guerilla warfare etc. In general they did have the   
   > resources to match England pitch battle after pitch battle unless England   
   > was distracted someplace else. At the likes of Solway Moss the bad   
   > leadership from the Scots was a bit of a factor too!   
   >   
   >   
   > > The Scottish were again defeated heavily on four occasions during the   
   > > English Civil Wars of the 1640's and 1650's, that is, at the Battles of   
   > > Preston in 1648, Dunbar in 1650, Inverkeithing in 1651, and Worcester in   
   > > 1651.   
   >   
   > Nothing to do with the longbow mind. Had the mad-mullahs not interfered   
   then   
   > it is likely that the English invading army would have been defeated at   
   > Preston   
      
      
   slip up! that should have read Dunbar!!!!   
      
   Allan   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)