Living shields in the XVIIth century ??

[cegorach]

Recently I have read that during the siege of Birze ( 07.09.1625) Swedes used local Lithuanian peasants to protect themselves against enemy (Polish-Lithuanian garrison) firepower... Since I always check every event if possible I am asking if any of Swedish or Finnish members have heard about it ?

It will be very hard to find out since it is something of minor consequence during not very important battle, but maybe someone heard about it, I would be greateful. :book:

Regards Cegorach

[Ironside]

Couldn't find anything special about it on the net. Doesn't have any books about that time.

Only thing I could find is an indication that Birze fell after 5 days of digging , not fighting.
If there's any truth in it (Cegorach's question), then it's probably that Lithuanian peasants were used as diggers, something that's dangerous enough.

[Watchman]

Never heard about it, but then this is the first time I've heard about a place called Birze for that matter. However, Ironside's theory sounds credible; press-ganging local commoners to serve as labor force in a siege sounds like a doable move, although AFAIK it wasn't very commonly done, and if it was indeed carried out the poor peasants would no doubt have lost quite a few lives to the fire coming from the defenders who of course did everything they could to hinder the digging of approaches and trenches.

How the Hell they could have employed the peasants as "human shields" is quite beyond me, especially if artillery was involved. Even in assaults; driving a mass of farmers in front of the storming parties doesn't seem like a very workable tactic in the gunpowder era, and even less so if the peasants share a language with the defenders - odds of them at the very least being in the way and bogging down the assault troops would seem rather high, and in the worst case they'd join the defenders atop the ramparts to fight against the attackers...

[Justiciar]

Recently I have read that during the siege of Birze ( 07.09.1625) Swedes used local Lithuanian peasants to protect themselves against enemy (Polish-Lithuanian garrison) firepower... Since I always check every event if possible I am asking if any of Swedish or Finnish members have heard about it?
Henry Morgan did something similar to the Spanish garrison at Portobelo, I think.. could be wrong though.

[cegorach]

Thanks Ironside - at least it is close to truth - it might be oneway or another, but at least both sides raported something similar not like sometimes ( e.g. Walhoff 1626).
BTW Watchman it is even possible that the peasants didn't share the same language with the defenders they spoke Lithuanian when the increasingly higher numbers of the society spoke Polish - the result of cultural golden age and very quick Polonisation in the late XVIth and the early XVIIth, but is just a note, a possibility which could be entirely wrong.

Generally I will try to revive most of Polish-Swedish threads in the Monastery.
I have bought about 100 historical books in last 3 months or so, so we can both benefit, I believe. I still have to order 'the Invincible' ( most likely this week),because I have Poltava and having look at 'The Invincible' I was pretty disappointed about some medieval polish army crap, but I needto read this whole - in Poltava there was only one mistake or at least questionable statement, not bad for a foreigner...

Regards Cegorach :2thumbsup: