Camisado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In military tactics, a camisado, or camisade, is a surprise attack occurring at night, or at daybreak, when the enemy are supposed to be asleep.[1]
The word is said to have come about from an attack of this kind, in which, as a means to recognize one another, the attackers wore shirts, chemise or camise, over their armor.[1] The term was very common in the 16th and 17th centuries.[2]
The term camisado has also been erroneously applied to the shirt worn over armor during a night attack.[2]
[edit] Notable camisades
- On 9 October 1544, French forces under the Dauphin assault Boulogne by night, but are ultimately unsuccessful.
- On 14 October 1758, General Daun surprised Frederick the Great in the Battle of Hochkirch.
[edit] Quotations
“ For I this day will lead the forlorn hope,
The camisado shall be given by me.”
- —The Four Apprentices of London by Thomas Heywood
[edit] References
- ^ a b This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.
- ^ a b "Camisado". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd edition. 1989.
