Regarding the Gladius and Mail

[Dan Howard]

There's a Saracen account of a Frankish knight with dozens of arrows sticking out of his armor, yet riding away unharmed.  Apparently he was amazed at how effective his armor was and that the man was not harmed.

Could I not conclude that mail was indeed pierced by arrows, as it would have to defeat the rings to become lodged in the gambeson/underarmor.   The Muslims were not Longbowmen firing at men 30 feet away.  I understand that a projectile much faster, therefor you can't "glance/absorb" the impact as you could a slower, yet more forceful impact.  Still... not all armor was fit for Kings.

I always envisioned a (pre-modern) battlefield looking more like a bunch of ragtag insurgents, i.e. all manner of completely random weapons and gear, yet with the discipline and training of a modern army.

All of this is covered in the "Mail Unchained" article above, including the Sarcaen anecdote. There is no mention of him being amazed; just that it happened - to multiple Crusaders, not just one.

Light, fast arrows can't punch through armour. You need heavy arrows and heavy bows. English armour-piercers weighed up to a quarter of a pound.