User talk:Pikawil/Archive 1
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Naples: 1514
- Even before the battle our army had been devastated. The Spanish disease broke out here again as it did twenty years ago, with many of the same pustules causing the flesh to peel from the bones. Frequent shortages of powder and skirmishes reduced our guns ability to fire, managing only four shots a day. On the 2nd day of July, the Eve of St. Thomas, our scouts had reported upon the movements of a force of Neapolitan and Papal soldiers, possibly composed of twelve-thousand in total with a large complement of guns and knights. King Louis ordered us to mobilize in order to meet them in the field at Casoria. Despite protestations of illness and exhaustion from the lengthy siege, we moved out that afternoon and camped nearby Casoria.
- On the feast day of St Thomas, we made many prayers for the upcoming engagement, including some to Saint Barbara. King Louis heard his masses before putting the Gendarmes in a corn field, and leaving thirty men armed with pike and shot to guard his baggage in addition to those who fell ill during the night. The rest of the forces were arranged in several blocks along the plain, while the few serpentines which could be recovered were deployed upon a hummock in addition to several musketeers. The Swiss and German mercenaries were deployed close to this hummock which lay at the northern end of the plain, with the goal of forcing the Italians away from the village.
- The Italians had taken a difficult route to the north and had circled around Afragola before coming along the Via Padula road from the Southeast. As midday came close, King Louis went among the different units to give speeches and encourage them to do well. The Italians slowly deployed themselves between two thickets and rather terrifyingly, had seemingly brought forth two dragons with them, which were following two gentlemen. In addition were a complement of handgunners and pikemen along with even some old Condottieri. A duke on our side raised a stick and cried “Nestrocq”, the signal for attack, before ordering the gunners to open fire and the pikes to advance.
- The guns on both sides disabled many before the pikes closed in, with some groups pushing into one another before collapsing and forcing a retreat to group up again at a further distance. After this continued for ten minutes, the Gendarmes were ordered to charge the flanks of an Italian unit that had been fixed in one field. However, this successful move was opposed by the entry of the two dragons to the battle, both concerned for the wellbeing of their masters. The Gendarmes were pulled off their horses and lay on the ground like turtles before having their limbs hacked off by the Italians, which was a great pity. The others tried to pierce the dragons with their lances, to which the response was a burst of fire which drove the horses wild and caused our vanguard to fall into disorder. The flesh of many had been burnt off, and those in plated mail had been roasted inside their armour. The dragons and Italians pushed them further and caused the retreat to become a rout. The Italians, seeing us shaken, advanced where they saw breaks and struck down and killed our men without mercy, continuing until the vanguard was overwhelmed. The dragons in addition to the collapse of the vanguard caused the order of battle to be broken. The rearguard saw this and took up as many guns, armour and other supplies that they could before fleeing the field. Shortly after, the Germans and Swiss retired in order to preserve their own lives, which were followed by a complete rout. The Italians pursued us until six in the evening. The next morning several of us privately returned to find any who may be still alive. We found only naked bodies, for the peasantry and soldiers had stripped them during the night.
