XPost: soc.history.war.misc, soc.culture.scottish, alt.religion.   
   hristian.presbyterian   
   XPost: alt.religion.christian.baptist   
   From: cequka@iprimus.com.au   
      
   "allan connochie"  wrote in message   
   news:455032cf@news.greennet.net...   
   >   
   > "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   
   >   
   > Alan, if you read my previous reply, you will see that I have already   
   > picked this up. For the Scots, the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 was certainly   
   > a wasted opportunity.   
      
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