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THE WRATH OF THE PRIVATEERS
Item #1: War Dog
The history of war dogs can be traced from ancient to modern times in many different civilizations and nations. Canine soldiers have been trained for direct close-quarters battle, to cut off reinforcements, to track and kill retreating soldiers, to serve as sentries, to guard prisoners and to fight other dogs. The Romans had attack formations made entirely of war dogs fitted with special armor and spiked collars, and similar canine armor was used by European armies during the Middle Ages.
War dogs were brought to Florida in 1513 by Ponce de Leon, and records indicate that fierce dogs accompanied Hernando De Soto when he landed off the western coast of Florida in 1539. During the Seminole (Indian) War of 1835, the army formed the American Canine Corp and used dogs to track Indians and runaway slaves in the swamps. The "Roughriders" under the command of Teddy Roosevelt, used dogs as scouts during he Spanish-American War in the jungles of Cuba. Descendants of the dogs from the Spanish conquest of Florida were employed by the “cracker” cowboys to assist in herding their cattle.
Item #2: Crossbow
A crossbow or Arbalest consisted of a bow mounted on a stock. A mechanism in the stock held the bow in its fully-drawn position until it was shot by releasing a trigger shooting projectiles, often called bolts. The bolt was short with a deadly point. The crossbow range was 350 – 400 yards but could only be shot at a rate of 2 bolts per minute. The crossbow was easy to use, requiring minimal training and required little strength to operate.
The introduction of the crossbow as a weapon can be traced back as early as 600 BC in ancient China. The crossbow continued to be used as a weapon by the Greeks and Romans. William the Conqueror introduced the crossbow to Medieval England in 1066 in the Battle of Hastings. Mounted and unmounted crossbowmen held a central position in battle formations in the Medieval armies of Europe. The crossbowmen, javeliners and archers engaged the enemy in skirmishes prior to assaults by mounted knights. Crossbowmen were also valuable in counterattacks to protect their infantry. The crossbow was a popular weapon in Europe because of its range and the penetrating deadly force of the bolt.
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