East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-02-25

arm or lever was inserted between cord,
made of CUTS or horse hair; and these
were twisted by turning the wooden arm
as many times as possible. The machine
was then ready for use. In order to dis
charge il the arm was drawn down to 9
horizontal position, by means Of wind
lass, and a stone was placed in recepta
Gle made for il at the end of the ARM
This arm was then suddenly liberated
and would fly forward with great forcC
until it encountered horizontal beam
placed to stop its revolution. The stone
would thus receive a circular motion in @
vertical plane, and would be projected a,
very great angle. Among the Romans
the strongest of these machines threw
proiectiles of about 400 pounds in weight
TO maximum distance of about s or 900
yards; but their aim was very uncertain.
They were sometimes called "onagri."
The oatapulta, with its notifications, J
was kind Of cross bow upon very
large scale. II was less powerful than
the ballista, but much more accurate. 1t
was mounted upon horizontal axis, and
turned upon vertical pivot. BY means
of this double articulation, it could be
discharged in every direction and at any
angle Of elevation. When aimed nearly
horizontally its maximum range was be-
tween $50 and $50 yards.
These different engines were used for a
long period, only in the attack or defence
of fortified towns or camps But when
the Romans found themselves opposed to
the Parthians, who never waited for the
shock of the legions, they felt the neces-
sity of providing their troops with some
heavy machines, in order to keep at a
distance an enemy who discharged clouds
of arrows while retreating. Tacitus says
that Corbulo, in order to cover the con-
struction of bridge over the Euphratcs,
held the Parthians in check by means OF
balliste and oatapulte, which threw
stones and darts to distance much
greater than the range of the Parthian
arrows. These machines soon came into
general use in the Roman armies, and
answered the purpose of modern field
artillery. They were placed in the rear
or on the aanks of the line of battle. In
the time of the Emperor Hadrian, there
were fifty-6ve Jalliste and ten onagri on
wheels tor each legion. 1t is related that
the troops of Vitellius at the battle OF
Bedviacum, transported machines upon
the main road where an open space al
lowed the free acton of their darts,
which previously broke against the trees
without doing any harm to the enemy.
A ballista of tho 18th legion, of enor-
nous size, crushed tie enemy's line with
the huge stones which iAcast.
1t is easy to perceive from whrt pre-
cedes, that the ballSta and its deriva-
tives, which discharged stones at a great
angle, corresponded to our mortars--
whilst the catapulta throwing out, either
stones or darts, in a nearly horizontal di-
rection, corresponded to our cannon. But
with this difference in both cases that
the range and the power of the ancient
machines were in no way comparable to
those of fire arms. The common flint
musket has greater range, when pointed
at the same angle, than the most power.
fui ballista of antiquity.
1t is evident, that as long as the only
projectile weapons were those we have
Just mentioned, together with the bow,
the cross bow, and the sling, the order Of
formation Of troops was altogether inde-
pendent of the effects of such arms. Ac-
cordinglywe find the nations of antiquity
and the armies Of the middle ages adopt
ing various modes of formation-which
can be reduced in a general way to two.
Several lines of several ranks each, or
solid columns or phalanxes of great
depth. During the middle ages there
seems to have been an almost complete
absence of tactica! arrangements. Cavalry
and infantry acted in huge masses. After
the first onset, bows and sings were gen
orally thrown aside for the sword or the
spear. If tho stone of the ballista or the
dart Of the cataputa happened to go in
the right direction, IA rare occurrence,)
it disabled only few men, and then lay
inert and harmless on-.hc ground. More
over, it was easy for the soldier to pro-
tect his body from the effects of most
missiles, by defensive armor. SO that we
may assume as general fact, that the
number of men killed by projeetiles in
ancient warfare was quite Insignificant.
1t was the close hand-to-hand conflict
which decided the fate Of battles. Hence,
bodily strength and activity were the
first requisites for the warrior. No pains
were spared, no training was thought too
laborious to fit the Greek soldier for his
arduous career. He was taught to leap,
to climb, to wrestle, to pitch the QUOT, to
throw the discus, and to hurl the javelin;
he ran swift-footed races, he welded the
cestus, he drove the war chariot; and his
games and recreations were but prepa-
ration for the labors of war. And the
Roman, less polished, but more iron
nerved, with a strength Of will and a
tenacity Of purpose never equalled, en-
ployed tho same means To harden his
frame to the tolls Of the field. There
was less of poetry about him, but more
of stern reality. The legionary soldier,
though belonging to a race of small
stature, has never been surpassed in en-
duranoe. Marching his thirty miles day
under a burden of seventy pounds, en-
tra,ab;oc, he ca,,r with lahorione m ya