Although the matchlock was not very accurate it could kill a man from three hundred yards. During the cavalry charge the pikemen aimed their pikes at the chests of the oncoming horses. When the enemy employed a cavalry charge, the musketeers sheltered behind and between the pikemen. The pikeman carried pikes that were between twelve and eighteen feet long. Although completely inadequate against gunfire, these tunics did provide some protection against swords. Armour was expensive and on many occasions some members of the infantry were forced to wear leather tunics instead. Most soldiers were provided with armour that covered their breasts and backs. Smaller cannons, that fired nails and scrap iron in canvas bags, were positioned in front of the infantry. The heavy artillery was stationed at the rear where it could fire over the heads of the infantry. The right-wing would be led by the lieutenant-general, the left-wing by the commissary general. On each side of the infantry were the cavalry. In the centre would be the infantry brigades of musketeers and pikemen. Before a battle began both sides would line up facing each other. The Royalist and Parliamentary armies used similar tactics and weapons during the Civil War.

Euiv english civil war