The Matchlock Arquebus

The Matchlock Arquebus. . , History of the Matchlock Arquebus , The matchlock arquebus first appeared in Europe in the mid-1400s. The name is taken from its ignition source, a slow, hot-burning cotton or hemp rope called a matchcord, or simply slow match. The first dated illustration of a matchlock mechanism was produced in 1475. By the 1500s, the matchlock arquebus was used worldwide. During this time the most common tactic for using the matchlock was to line-up a group of arquebusiers (arcabuceros in Spanish) and fire a volley of lead balls at a broad line of the enemy. This volley would be much more effective than an individual soldier trying to hit a specific target. , Despite the appearance of more advanced ignition systems, such as that of the wheellock or snaphance, the low cost of production, simplicity, and high availability of the matchlock kept it in use in European armies until about 1700. Ultimately, the flintlock became a soldier's primary armament. , Firepower for Spain’s “New World” Conquests , When Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed here on September 8, 1565, his primary mission was to eliminate the French Huguenots at Fort Caroline, located on the River May (St. Johns) in present-day Jacksonville. Leaving Spain with twelve ships, Menendez fleet was battered by storms, rendering only five vessels capable of completing the journey. They proved to be sufficient for the task. He established the settlement of San Agustín , now St. Augustine , in the field behind you as his base of operations. You are standing very near to what once was the northern-most defensive wall of the outpost. The lay of the harbor provided a perfect defensive position encouraging Menendez to remain at this location for roughly nine months before moving to Anastasia Island. Menendez brought 800 people with him, including 500 soldiers. Many of these soldiers were arcabuceros, wielding the smoothbore firearm pictured here. Because each firearm was hand-made, the caliber of each weapon would vary slightly, but the projectile size likely averaged a brawny .62 caliber. This gave his firearm tremendous knock-down efficiency! Menendez's soldiers who arrived to settle St. Augustine in September 1565, came well-armed with 20 cannon and many arquebuses, crossbows, pikes, swords, and daggers. , What is that Flag? , The Cross of Burgundy represented Spanish rule in Florida from 1565 to 1763. The X-shaped cross symbolized the rough branches of the trees on which Saint Andrew was crucified. The flag was introduced into Spain by Philip I, Duke of Burgundy, and was established as one of the country’s banners by his son, Charles I, in 1516. , Mixed Weaponry , The Arquebus was just a part of a wide arsenal of weapons used by Spain in their goals of exploration and world conquest in the 1500s. Using tactics born of long, drawn-out wars on the European continent, the Spanish military possessed a wide variety of weapons to bring to bear on their enemies. A Spanish soldier might be equipped with a sword, dagger, pike, halberd, shield/buckler, arquebus, or crossbow. In addition, war dogs and specially-trained war horses made a Spanish military force one to be reckoned with. , In Florida, the arquebus was preferred over the long-barreled musket due to the density of the forests and swamps. Muskets supported on long, forked poles were used in the open-field conflicts of Europe, not in Spain's American colonies.