The war elephant allowed royalty and generals to engage in battle with
each other in Homeric fashion. The classic arrangement as described in
Thai military manuals was to have the high-status warrior sit in the
front where we would normally expect the mahout or elephant driver to
be. He would be helped by two soldiers who could be found further
back on the elephant. One would sit on a raised dais that functioned as
an open howdah where an assortment of pole weapons
were kept; the other would be the mahout who directed the elephant's
movements from the rear. The difference between this classic arrangement
with a 3-man crew and the four-man crew shown in the 1866 photograph in the "Lincoln letter" blog post may be the addition of a hand-gunner (possibly the second man from
the right in the photo).
Posts
2 comments:
Wade: I read yesterday that they have discovered okapis living in the Virunga National Park in Uganda. I knew that they lived in Uganda at the time of their discovery, but I don't think that their discoveror knew that they were living in his own colony. Take care. Sincerely Paul
Wade: I read in the paper this morning that according to the IUCN the okapi is on the brink of extinction. Sincerely Paul
Post a Comment