17th c Military Manuals This is a comprehensive if not complete list of known (English) Military Manuals of the 17th century.

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Over The Hills And Far Away (Traditional)

 Art and video by Thomas Payton.

This tune was published in Thomas D'Urfey's Pills to Purge Melancholy (Originally in 1706). It appeared in The Recruiting Officer, a comedy by George Farquhar and in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728). The lyrics refer to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701--1714), the Duke of Marlborough, and Queen Anne of England (1665 --1714).

Marlborough's Masterpiece: The Battle of Ramillies

 Could a single afternoon shatter the hegemony of the "Sun King" and reshape the map of Europe? In May 1706, the War of Spanish Succession hung on a knife’s edge as the French army left its defensive lines to seek a decisive engagement. Join hosts Dr. Alexander Burns, Dr. Andrew Bamford and Lee Gugino as they welcome back General Ewan Carmichael to deconstruct the Battle of Ramillies, a tactical masterpiece of 18th-century warfare.

In this episode, we apply the modern military framework of find, fix, strike, and exploit to examine how the Duke of Marlborough lured the French into a deadly trap. We explore the "Revolution in Military Affairs" triggered by the socket bayonet and flintlock musket, the brutal infantry struggle in the Ramillies churchyard, and the earth-shaking collision of 25,000 cavalrymen. Discover how Marlborough's ability to "lead from the front" and his obsession with logistics turned a polyglot coalition into the most feared force in the "Cockpit of Europe". Meet the Expert General Ewan Carmichael: A veteran military professional and historian, General Carmichael brings a unique perspective on the War of Spanish Succession. His expertise bridges the gap between 18th-century "war of posts" and modern tactical doctrine.

Ramillies 1706

 Battle of Ramillies - Wikipedia

Today's anniversary. Reenactors from all over Europe are reenacting it this weekend.

photo by Thistle and Rose Living History from last night

 

English March

 The drum march, pure and simple, was one of the main features of martial discipline, and every nation had its own particular national type. Gordon of Rothiemay records of 1637-1638 how Scottish drummers were teaching their soldiery to distinguish between "The marches of severall nationes . . . the Scottish Marche . . . the Irish Marche . . . the English Marche."1 This knowledge was a necessary item even in the economy of tactics. During the Thirty Years' War the Germans once used the Scots March so as to deceive the enemy.2 At Oudenarde the Allied drummers beat the French Retraite,which even a Vendôme could not stem.8

Warlike directions: ... 1644

 Warlike directions, or, The sovldiers practice set forth for the benefit of all such as are, or will be, scholars of martiall discipline, but especially for all such officers as are not yet setled or rightly grounded in the arte of warre, by a practitioner in the same art, T.F.

also here Warlike directions, or, The sovldiers practice set forth for the benefit of all such as are, or will be, scholars of martiall discipline, but especially for all such officers as are not yet setled or rightly grounded in the arte of warre, by a practitioner in the same art, T.F. | Early English Books Online | University of Michigan Library Digital Collections