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ARSUF

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 657 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ARSUF , a See also:

town on the See also:coast of See also:Palestine, 12 M. N.N.E. of Jaffa, famous as the See also:scene of a victory of the crusaders under See also:Richard I. of See also:England over the See also:army of See also:Saladin. After the See also:capture of See also:Acre on the 12th of See also:July 1191, the army of the crusaders, under Richard Cceur-de-See also:Lion and the See also:duke of See also:Burgundy, opened their See also:campaign for the recovery of See also:Jerusalem by marching southward towards Jaffa, from which See also:place it was intended to move See also:direct upon the See also:holy See also:city. The See also:march was along the See also:sea-See also:shore, and, the forces of Saladin being in the vicinity, the army moved in such a formation as to be able to give See also:battle at any moment. Richand thus moved slowly, but in such compact See also:order as to arouse the admiration even of the enemy. The right See also:column of baggage and supplies, guarded by See also:infantry, was nearest the sea, the various See also:corps of heavy See also:cavalry, one behind the other, formed the central column, and on the exposed See also:left, flank was the infantry, well closed up, and " level and See also:firm as a See also:wall," according to the testimony of Saracen authors. The columns were See also:united into a narrow rectangle by the advanced and See also:rear See also:guards. The whole march was a See also:running fight between untiring See also:horse-archers and steady infantry. Only once did the column open out, and the opportunity was swiftly seized by the See also:Saracens, yet so rapid was the rally of the crusaders that little damage was done (See also:August 25). The latter maintained for many days an absolutely passive See also:defence, and could not be tempted to fight; Richard and his knights made occasional charges, but quickly withdrew, and on the 7th of See also:September this irregular skirmishing, in which the crusaders had scarcely suffered at all, culminated in the battle of Arsuf. Saladin had by now decided that the only See also:hope of success See also:lay in compelling the rear of the Christians' column to halt—and thus opening a See also:gap, should the See also:van be still on the move. Richard, on the other, See also:hand, had prepared for See also:action by closing up still more, and as the crusaders were now formed a See also:simple left turn brought them into two lines of battle, infantry in first See also:line, cavalry in second line.

Near Arsuf the road entered a See also:

defile between the sea and a wooded range of hills; and from the latter the whole Moslem army suddenly burst forth. The See also:weight of the attack See also:fell upon the rear of Richard's column, as Saladin desired. The column slowly continued its march, suffering heavily in horses, but otherwise unharmed. The first See also:assault thus made no impression, but a fierce hand-to-hand combat followed, in which the Hospitallers, who formed the rear of the See also:Christian army, were hard pressed. Their See also:grand See also:master, like many other subordinates in See also:history, repeatedly begged to be allowed to See also:charge, but Richard, who on this occasion showed the highest See also:gift of generalship, that of feeling the See also:pulse of the fight, waited for the favourable moment. Almost as he gave the See also:signal for the whole line to charge, the sorely pressed Hospitallers rode out upon the enemy on their own initiative. At once the whole of the cavalry followed suit. The See also:head (or right wing) and centre were not closely engaged, and their fleeter opponents had See also:time to ride off, but the rear of the column carried all before it in its impetuous onset, and cut down the Saracens in See also:great See also:numbers. A second charge, followed by a third, dispersed the enemy in all directions. The See also:total loss of the Saracens was more than tenfold that of the Christians, who lost but seven See also:hundred men. The army arrived at Jaffa on the loth of September. See See also:Oman, Hist. of the See also:Art of See also:War, ii.

303-317.

End of Article: ARSUF

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