Straight and True

摘要

The English got a rude surprise in 1429 at the siege of Orleans. They found that a French marksman named Jehan de Montesiler had some kind of hand cannon capable of picking off individual soldiers. He did this at the extreme range of arrows and was so sure of his advantage that to amuse himself he taunted the besiegers by occasionally lying down and pretending to be dead. The entire episode was a shock to the English. It is now recognized as the earliest documented use of handheld firearms in Europe.