Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-09-14
WARFARE IN CHIyALROUs TIMES.

One instance of promiscuous slaughter is
remarkable for the high esteem to which it
sometimes raised its chief perpetrator. In the
famous war between the citizens of Ghent and
the carl of Flanders there was no worse cpl
sode than when the Lord Of d'Anghiefi took
the town Of Grammont by storm one fine Sum
day in June, and showed no mercy to man Wo-
man or child. Numbers Of old people and Wo-
men were burned in their beds, and the town,
being set on fire in more than 200 places, was
reduced to ashes, even the churches included.
'sFair son. said the earl Of Flanders, greeting
his returning relative, ''you are valiant war
rior, and, if it pleases God, will be gallant
one you have made handsome beginning"
History cannot but rejoice that the young
dukes first feat of arms was also his last, and
that not many days later, he lost his life in
skrmish. Of course, all persons found with
in town taken by assault were by the rule of
war liable, and all the male adults likely, to
be killed. Only by timely surrender could
the besieged cherish any hope for their lives or
fortunes and even the offer OF surrender
might be refused, and an unconditional sub
mission be insisted on instead. There is no
darker blot on the character of Edward III
than the savage disposition he displayed when,
with respect to the brave defenders of Calais,
war-right Of putting them to death by the rep
reservations made to him of the danger he
might incur of an equally sanguinary retalia-
tion in the future. There was in general
strong feeling against making ladies prisoners
of war nor could the French ever forgive our
countrymen for allowing the soldiers of the
Black Prince to take prisoner the duchess OF
Bourbon, mother to the king, and to obtain
ransom for her release. To the French ap-
pears to have besn due whatever advance was
made in the more humane treatment OF prls-
oners. Both the Spaniards and Germans were
wont to fasten their prisoners with iron chains;
but of the French Froissart says expressly
''They neither imprisoned their captives nor
put on them shackles and fetters: as the Ger
mans do in order to obtain better ransom
curses on them for it They are without pity
or honor, and ought never to receive any quar-
ter The French entertained their prisoners
we'll and ransomed them courteously, without
being too hard with them" In this spirit
Bertrand du Guesclin let his English prisoners
90 at large on their parole for their ransom,
a generosity toward their foes which the Eng
lish on no occasion knew how to requite.
Froissart gives one striking illustration of the
greater barbarity of the Spaniards toward their
prisoners, which should not be forgotten IN
endeayoring to form general estimate of the
character of the military type of life in the
palmiest days of chivalry. In war between
CASTLE and Portugal, whenever the Castlllans
took any prisoners, they tore out their eyes,
tore eff their arms and legs, and in such
plight sent them back to Lisbon. 1t speaks
highly for the conduct of the Lisboners that
they did not retaliate such treatment, but al
lowed their prisoners every comfort they could
expect in their circumStanceS.-Gen ent}enldnS
Magazine.