'A handbook of Syria (including Palestine). London: Naval Staff Intelligence Department, June 1919' [‎71v] (147/738)

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MILITARY HISTORY
whelmingly so. Ten thousand was a large army for the
period, twenty thousand might be reached, but very rarely.
Cities like Aleppo and Damascus usually put in the field a
force of 1,500 or 2,000 horsemen, occasionally with allies and
auxiliaries, they reached a total of 3,500. The garrison of
Antioch when besieged by the Crusaders cannot be reckoned
at more than 5,000 soldiers. The civilian population did not
add much to its strength. The heavily armed Latin knights
were the chief element of strength in the crusading army, but
the terrible loss of horses during the siege of Antioch greatly
diminished their superiority in this respect. Early in the
siege the total number of mounted men is given as about 700,
in the decisive battle fought after the capture of the city (in
June 1098) there were probably fewer. In August 1099 (at
the battle of Ascalon) the number had increased again to
about 1,200. The Crusaders who remained in Syria after the
First Crusade were only a few thousands in number. The
battles*of the following period were fought with armies which
seldom exceeded 5-6,000 men and were often less.
When the Crusaders entered Syria the northern part was
ruled by Turks and the south by Egyptian governors. T his
division entirely excluded co-operation against the common
enemy. Even the Turks were not united. When finally they
did assemble an army under the chief command of the emir
of Mosul, their divisions and jealousies still prejudiced their
chances of success. The siege of Antioch was the first im
portant enterprise of the Latins in Syria. Its capture and
the occupation of the neighbouring country seemed them safe
communication by sea with the west and overland with the
Creek empire. The presence of a numerous and friendly
Armenian population to the north was also an important
reason for their choice of objective. Antioch was invested and
blockaded, at first very loosely, afterwards more stringently
(October 7, 1097-June 3, 1098). It is remarkable that no
attempt was made to destroy the strong walls of the city by
siege engines or by mines. At least there is no record of this.
The defenders were reduced by starvation, and entrance into