James River Watcher #2

>>>> James River Watcher #2 <<<< It was just after lunch, and George was approaching the Engineering Captain’s tent. He had asked to speak to the Captain, and he had ready his plan for the old broken building that he had seen last night. He knew that there was something to be gained from using that old pile of rubble, and he hoped that his plan would reveal what that something might be. However, first things first, he had to convince the Captain of his plan. George scratched at the canvas wall and a response from within bade him to enter. It was a bit cooler inside the tent as the rear wall was raised slightly from the ground allowing a small breeze to circulate. The Captain turned from his folding desk, heavy with papers and maps, and said,” Well, what can I do for you Lt.? George swallowed uncomfortably and thrust forward his plan that he had worked up during the night. He began to explain what he had seen at the old house ruin and his ideas about how his plan might be of some value based on what he had seen. The Captain quickly read through the plan as George had laid it out in words, and then studied the sketch map that George had supplied. The Captain looked up from the papers and asked George, “ So, what makes you think that there is anything important going on across the river?” The young Lt. replied quickly,” Well first, the numerous lights across the river indicate at some kind of activity in or near the water. Second, the heavy patrol on this side of the river along the roadway that I was mapping. There is a possibility that the Rebs may be setting up some sort of barricade or trap in the river!” In his anxiety, to get his ideas across, George had forgotten his concern of the Captain’s seniority and was eagerly leaning forward to make his points. The Captain, stroking his beard and looking hard at the sketch map, answered quietly, “Your observations are interesting and may be accurate to an extent. How do you propose to gain any further information on these observations?” George had been waiting for this question, and had worked out a rather sophisticated answer to the question, but he found himself simply blurting out, “Well, sir, I had planned to take a telescope and go up in the old ruin to see what was going on!” At the Captain’s frown, George realized that perhaps he had not covered all the items and questions that would arise from such an admission. The Captain’s next words confirmed his fears, “ Lt. while such is a novel idea, perhaps a few questions might be in order: First, can you get up to the room that you have drawn in your diagram, and is it in such a shape as it would need be to work there? Furthermore, how would you get any reports back to me? Moreover, have the Rebs posted any sort of guards or sentries around or near, the old building? If so, what do we do about that, while keeping a secret in the building itself? Fourth, movement into and out of the old building on a routine basis would reveal passage into and out of the old building which would be very suspicious to any Reb that might be looking for such.” The Captain looked to George for some answers to the questions. George hesitated for a moment, and then replied,” I had planned to stay in the tower, for at least five days. My reports to you would be with a directed light blinker, and my staying in the old building would solve the concern of creating a pathway back and forth. I was assuming that the room that I sketched would be in good shape since that whole side of the original structure was not touched by the artillery barrage that brought the other parts of the building down.” The Captain nodded his had at this explanation and made a few notes on the plan sheets that George had provided. “Well, Lt.,” he said, looking up from the paper on his knee, “ the idea has merit, I must say. I will be pleased to bring this to the Major. It will be up to him to approve or disapprove. I will bring this to him today, so be ready to discuss all this with the Major later today. I suspect that he will have some questions, and hopefully you will have the answers. Dismissed, and as I said your idea has merit.” (To be continued) Respectfully; Jim Mathews

Eastern European Castle Ruin

This is an Eastern European castle ruin  featuring the Main Entrance  roadway through the upper ward,  The church is the lower section of the ruin and what remains of the keep (donjon) looms above it very like a finger pointing to the sky

(G) Harunlye, Abbasid, Turkey (Early Islamic Fortifications)

Muslim Lands, c 800 CE

Early Islamic Fortifications, Qasr al Hayr al: Ghurbi; Umayyad Iraq

Restormal Castle, near Lostwithiel, Cornwall, England

Bodham Castle, Suxxex , England

>>>> Knight Templar (1120 - 1312) <<<<

The Templars were men who both determined to follow the religion an prayer  of Christianity, and also to defend Christians  and their property and territory against non-Christians.  In time these men gathered together  and formed what was then known as an “order”  which was first approved of by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem and later by the Pope at the Church Council at Troyes in northeast France.  At the height of their involvement in the middle east they occupied the following castles:

--Rouche Roussel; --Darbsaq; --Baghras; --Tortosa; --Safitha; --Sidon; --Vadum Jacob; --Safed; --Castle Pilgrim; --Quarantene; --Gaza.

They were prominent in the following battles:

--Hattin; --Cresson; --Ain Jalot; --Montgisard; -- and La Forble.

Essentially the Templar’s equipment was that as laid down by the Order’s Statute’s of 1165:

 Chain-Mail Shirt (Hauberk)

Long Sleeves (Hauberk slit front and rear to enable riding a horse)

Chain-Mail Hood (Couf)

Flap, “ventaille” (ventilator) which was provided to open or close off the lower face of the couf.  

 Over the Couf was worn a one piece metal helmet with a nose guard;

 Chain-Mail (Chausses) leggings (laced up in the back);

 Chain-Mail shoes and iron spurs;

 Over his armour, the Templar warrior wore a white woolen “Cappa” (robe) with tight-fitting sleeves, no hood, and a red Templar’s Cross on his left breast.  The robe was slit to the crotch both front and back to enable the warrior to ride a horse.

  The warrior carried a curved triangular shield with the Templar black and white insignia.

He carried a heavy sword in a plain leather scabbard and sword belt;

  He also was armed with a long ash-wood lance with a plain iron point;

 He wore under the white wool robe, a padded Jupeau d’ armour (jerkin);

  Finally, under the hauberk he wore woolen breeches, woolen leggings and a white linen shirt.

References:

---- M. Barber, “The New Knighthood, A History of the Order of the Temple,” (Cambridge, 1994);

---- Helen Nicholson, “Templars, Hospitalars, and the Teutonic Knights, Images of the Military Orders, 1128 -1291,” (Leichster, 1993).

Respectfully Submitted;

Marcus Audens 

>>>> Knight Templar (1120 -- 1312) ; Chronology Part #1 <<<<

1095 -- The FIRST CRUSADE is called by Pope Urban II.

1099 -- Jerusalem is captured  by First Crusade, the Kingdom of Jerusalem is established.

c. 1119 -- A group of knights connected to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem found a religious brotherhood to fight Muslim bandits in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

1120 -- The clergy of the Church Council at Nablus agree that the new brotherhood  is a valid religious order and King Baldwin II of Jerusalem gives the brothers his palace in the former Aqsa mosque: “The Temple of Solomon”, so they become “Templars.”

1128 -- Countess Teresa of Portugal promises the Order of Temple the castle of Soure on the Muslim frontier of Portugal.

1129 -- Council of Troyes (in Champagne, France).  The Order of the Temple receives papal approval and the Latin religious rule of the Order is established.

Early 1130’s -- Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, writes “in praise of the new knighthood” for Hugh de Payns, Master of the Order of the Temple, to encourage the new Order.

1131 -- Count Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona gives the Templars the border stronghold of Granyena.

1134 -- King Alphonso I of Aragon dies , bequeathing his kingdom to the Templars, the Hospitallers and the canons of the Holy Sepulcher.

1136-7 -- The Templars are established in the Amanus March, the frontier area north of Antioch in Syria (now Antakya, Turkey).

>> Reference:

Nicholson, W. Reynolds (Illus.), “Knight Templar (1120 - 1312),” Warrior-91, Osprey Pub. (Great Britain, 2004)

Respectfully Submitted;

Marcus Audens