First Battle of Bradwater

First Battle of Bradwater
Part of Second Imperial-Balonic War
Date 1st May 1871 Location Bradwater, West Oakcliffe Commonwealth of Oakcliffe, Balion Result Imperial Victory Imperial troops occupy Bradwater
Belligerents
Vionna-Frankenlisch	United States of Balion
Commanders and leaders
Sir Ian Carrin-Jones Marquess of Tevetdale	Gabriel H. Beauchamp
Strength
13 warships 25,000 soldiers	1,800 soldiers 3,000 militia

The First Battle of Bradwater was an engagement of the Second Imperial-Balionic War, the first major battle of the war and the opening engagement of the Bradwater Campaign It was fought by Vionna-Frankenlischian forces under Admiral Sir Ian Carrin-Jones and the Marquess of Tevetdale, against Balionic regulars and militia defending Bradwater under the command of General Gabriel H. Beauchamp.

In response to the Balionic seizure of Fort Edward, war broke out between Vionna-Frankenlisch and Balion and an invasion force was dispatched from Frankenlisch to retake the fort. Capturing the city of Bradwater was also a main objective, as the Fort could not be held without it. 25,000 soldiers under the Marquess of Tevetdale made up the Imperial Balion Corps.

Background

After the war began with the Balionic attack on Fort Edward on 12th April, the Imperial government had made the recapture of the fort and a swift return to the status quo its war aims. This was soon considered insufficient as Fort Edward, located in the center of Gestoria Bay, West Oakcliffe, would be highly vulnerable as long as the surrounding city of Bradwater remained in Balionic hands. Quickly a plan developed to not only retake the fort but also to capture Bradwater and use it as a bargaining chip to secure a swift victory. Sir Ian Carrin-Jones was given command of a naval squadron of 13 warships and an auxiliary fleet of 35 transports and an army corps of 25,000 troops was assembled under the Marquess of Tevetdale. These forces set sail from Frankenlisch on 18th April and arrived off the coast of New Frankenlisch on the 30th.

Opposing Forces

Imperial

Lord Tevetdale's Imperial Balion Corps was made up of two infantry divisions, an infantry brigade, a cavalry division and six batteries of artillery. The corps was organised as follows:

• Glynmoran Division - 8 battalions in two brigades under Major General Robert Cochrane, Baron Balstow
• Guards Division - 8 battalions in two brigades under Major General Richard Halliwell, Viscount Ravenstern
• Ballaeter Brigade - 4 battalions under Major General Edward Bastamore, Earl of Kennilone
• Frankenlisch Cavalry Division - 6 regiments in 2 brigades under Sir Alexander Pender

Six batteries of seven guns each were part of the corps but were not involved in the battle. Artillery support was provided by the Imperial warships. Marines of the Imperial Navy were also involved in the battle but were not part of the IBC. Sir Ian Carrin-Jones' squadron consisted of the following warships:

• HMNS Beauclare - Central-battery ironclad of 22 guns
• HMNS Battingworth - Central-battery ironclad of 22 guns
• HMNS Royal Prince - Ship-of-the-line of 98 guns
• HMNS Imperial Scepter - Ship-of-the-line of 98 guns
• HMNS Recruit - Steam frigate of 32 guns
• HMNS Tiger - Steam frigate of 28 guns
• HMNS Phoenix - Steam frigate of 28 guns
• HMNS Lion - Steam frigate of 24 guns
• HMNS Highflyer - Steam frigate of 30 guns
• HMNS Amphitrite - Steam frigate of 34 guns
• HMNS Ajax - Steam frigate of 18 guns
• HMNS Hornet - Steam frigate of 42 guns
• HMNS Cossack - Steam frigate of 30 guns

Balionic

General Gabriel H. Beauchamp's defending forces were vastly outnumbered and mostly militiamen. He had not left a garrison at Fort Edward following its capture earlier in the month and the fort was undefended. In total the Balionic forces numbered 4,800 troops with twenty-two pieces of artillery. With the exception of the batteries emplaced around Gestoria Bay, the Balionic forces were not well dug-in with only a few street barricades within Bradwater itself. The Balionic forces consisted of the following:

• 8th West Oakcliffe Regiment - 800 men under General Gabriel H. Beauchamp
• B Company, 11th West Oakcliffe Regiment - 100 men under Captain T. Wickens †
• West Oakcliffe Engineer Company - 300 men under Major O.P. Docherty
• 4th Union (West Oakcliffe) Artillery - 6 guns, 200 men under Captain W. McDunnon
• 5th Union (West Oakcliffe) Artillery - 6 guns, 200 men under Major K.T. Allen
• 1st West Oakcliffe (Militia) Artillery - 4 guns, 100 men under Lieutenant Veld
• 2nd West Oakcliffe (Militia) Artillery - 3 guns, 80 men under Lieutenant S. Strevens
• 1st Siege Artillery - 3 mortars, 80 men under Captain V. Travers
• 1st Squadron, 3rd (West Oakcliffe) Dragoons - 120 troopers under Captain P. Deckwin
• 2nd West Oakcliffe Militia - 600 men under Major H.H. Hollens
• 3rd West Oakcliffe Militia - 550 men under Major W. Mulchahey
• 4th West Oakcliffe Militia - 550 men under Lt Colonel P.O. Richter
• 6th West Oakcliffe Militia - 600 men under Colonel F. Watringham
• West Oakcliffe Volunteer (Militia) Engineer Company - 150 men under Captain K.P. Mitchell
• Bradwater Precinct, West Oakcliffe Police (Militia) - 70 men under Commander E. Whitmore
• 1st Bradwater Volunteer Rifles (Militia) - 200 men under Major L. Parker
• 2nd Bradwater Volunteer Rifles (Militia) - 200 men under Captain A. Price
• 3rd Bradwater Volunteer Rifles (Militia) - 200 men under Lieutenant A. Tarasov
• 4th Bradwater Volunteer Rifles (Militia) - 200 men under Captain M.L. Morton
• 1st West Oakcliffe (Militia) Horse - 100 men under Captain P. James

Battle

Before landings begun, the Imperial squadron nosed its way into Gestoria Bay led by the ironclad HMNS Battingworth. Sir Ian Carrin-Jones' flagship, Beauclare followed, with the frigates Ajax and Lion behind that as they were considered the sturdiest of the smaller ships of the squadron. News of the Imperial fleet's arrival had reached Bradwater the night before and General Beauchamp had enough time to site his batteries and establish some light defences. Beauchamp's two federal batteries, the 4th and 5th West Oakcliffe, were placed overlooking Fort Edward from the east and west banks of the bay respectively. No garrison had been placed in Fort Edward. The seven guns of the 1st and 2nd West Oakcliffe militia artillery were positioned singularly around the small port of Bradwater at the end of the bay, commanded by a Lieutenant Veld they covered the jetties and were able to fire across to any potential landing-point around Bradwater itself. When the Imperial fleet arrived off Gestoria Bay at noon, observers rode to spread the warning and the batteries were ready for action by the time the first Imperial warships began sailing into the bay at 1300. General Beauchamp made his headquarters at the Saint Morgan Hotel in the middle of Bradwater but he was visiting the east batteries when the Imperial ships entered the bay and gave the command to begin firing himself at 1305.

Fort Edward

Carrin-Jones was unperturbed by the Balionic gunfire which was initially inaccurate. HMNS Beauclare fired back with her eight starboard 10-inch guns. Though the guns themselves were powerful, the crews manning them were inexperienced and strict loading procedures led to a lower rate-of-fire. Imperial counter-battery fire was ineffective against the well-entrenched and concealed Balionic guns. One battery of six guns was distributed over an area of 500 meters which made precise aiming difficult. Though the Imperial gunners were unable to destroy any of the Balionic artillery, the ironclads were impervious to the fire they were receiving and the Imperial counter-battery efforts were at least able to blind the Balionic gunners with smoke. At 1220, boats were launched from Beauclare and Battingworth carrying marines to take Fort Edward. Unoccupied, the fort was taken by 1300 but, with no ammunition for its guns, remained uninvolved for the rest of the battle.

The landings were led by Lieutenant Frederick Fitz-Howarth, second officer of Beauclare, and involved 200 marines in a variety of small boats. There were no casualties as the boats were shielded by the ironclads, protecting them from Balionic fire. One cutter was lost when it was broken against an unseen cluster of fort debris but its occupants all reached safety relatively unharmed. Sergeant Farris of Beauclare's marine contingent raised the Imperial flag over Fort Edward at 1310 and the attention of the Imperial commanders turned to landing troops on the mainland.

Landings

With Fort Edward taken and the Balionic artillery under heavy Imperial fire, the order was given for the transports carrying the Imperial Balion Corps to move up. The ships carrying the cavalry, artillery, and supplies were at the rear as these were not expected to land until the port had been taken. At the front were the transports carrying the Glynmoran and Guards divisions, protected by the frigates Recruit and Hornet. Ninety-six small boats had been prepared to allow significant numbers of infantry to land immediately. These were carried aboard the transports or towed behind them and it took an hour for the Imperial troops to move from their transports into the boats. During this time the ironclads and the Balionic batteries fought a fierce artillery duel that nonetheless caused little damage to either side. The shallow waters prevented the Imperial warships from moving closer to shore and they were forced to remain in the middle of the bay around Fort Edward firing away from distance. Imperial explosive shells were of poor quality due to degradation while in storage, as a result, many of them failed to explode and the few which did were mostly ineffective.

By 1420, the boats carrying the first landing wave had been maneuvered into position around Fort Edward. Hidden by the smoke of the guns, the landing boats began moving towards shore ten minutes later. Eighty boats made up the first landing wave and they were split equally between the Guards Division assaulting the east bank of the bay and the Glynmoran Division assaulting the west. From the Guards Division, Lord Rykeworth's 80th Foot Guards and Sir Douglas Palmer's 6th Foot Guards took part in the first wave. From the Glynmoran Division the wave comprised the 1st Battalion, 25th Foot and the 2nd Battalion, 65th Foot, commanded by Lord Glace and Pewen, and Lady Cattelford respectively.

On the eastern bank, the Imperial landing boats were not spotted until they were nearly ashore. This was because the wind was blowing the smoke of the Imperial guns eastward and obscuring the movement of the boats. When the bombardment was halted to allow the guardsmen to storm ashore it was too late for the Balionic batteries to respond to the threat. 4th Union (West Oakcliffe) Artillery came under the command of Captain Walter McDunnon and had kept up a tremendous fire throughout the engagement up until that point, trading shells with the Imperial ironclads in the bay. When the first landing boats made shore at 1445, McDunnon's six cannon (all 3-inch rifled guns of the Union Army Ordnance Corps) had been firing continuously for an hour and a half and the limited 3-inch ammunition was nearly exhausted. A company of 50 men from the 3rd West Oakcliffe Militia and a group of 70 men from McDunnon's battery formed a skirmish party and deployed between the guns and the shore to hold up the Imperial forces and give McDunnon and his guns time to withdraw to Bradwater. Lord Rykeworth was the first man ashore and he led a mixed party of guardsmen from the 80th and sailors up the pebbled shore into the guns of the Balionic skirmish party. The Balionic skirmishers fired a ragged volley, killing several guardsmen, and, while the men from the battery held their ground and kept firing, the militia broke and ran back towards McDunnon's abandoned defenses. Rykeworth's guardsmen and sailors took significant casualties charging uphill but soon caught up with McDunnon's 70 skirmishers and totally annihilated them in a brutal melee. The main body of the 3rd West Oakcliffe Militia were rushed up to oppose the Imperial landing and cover McDunnon's retreat to Bradwater. By the time the militia had formed up on a ridge overlooking the landing beach, the Imperial guardsmen were already beginning to form in their companies. The militia, commanded by Major William Mulchahey, fired several ineffectual volleys at long range and withdrew in good order towards Bradwater when the Imperial 6th Foot Guards began moving against them. By 1500 the Balionic defenses on the east bank of Gestoria Bay were firmly in Imperial hands but the defenders had been allowed to withdraw to Bradwater with all their artillery and equipment. Though the little remaining ammunition had to be abandoned, the evacuation of the 3-inch rifles was particularly important as they were some of the only weapons of this type in service at the time.

Conversely, on the western bank, the strong winds had worked against the Imperials. Smoke from the artillery duel stopped covering the incoming boats while they were still 400 yards from shore and Major Karl Allen's 5th Union (West Oakcliffe) Artillery switched its aim to the small boats. Allen's battery was identical to McDunnon's in armament but spread across a wider area and, in concealed and entrenched positions, Allen's six guns caused chaos amongst the Imperial boats. Firing shrapnel and case at short range, the Balionic guns were able to inflict heavy casualties on the Imperial troops as they approached and counter-bombardment from the ironclad Battingworth firing solid shot was largely ineffectual. Though not blessed with the same high ground as on the east bank, the Balionic artillery on the west bank was well-entrenched and defended by the 100 regular troops of B Company, 11th West Oakcliffe in rifle pits and behind felled trees. A cobbled path led to Bradwater but a substantial forest behind the Balionic positions meant that retreat to the west was only possible for men on foot. The first boats of the battered Imperial landing group began to make shore at 1450. As soon as they were out of the boats, the Imperial infantry spread out into skirmish lines and sought cover amongst the rocks on the shoreline.

Heavy casualties were taken by the Imperial forces in this assault, including Captain E.G. Taylor of the 80th (Royal Cunaris) Foot Guards - the first officer ashore. Taylor led the first wave of troops forward but the rush was halted when he was beheaded by a splinter of rock thrown up by a shell burst, causing his troops to seek shelter. The attack on the west bank, though reinforced by the incoming boats, stalled until Lord Glace and Pewen came ashore to direct the advance. Striking at guardsmen and sailors alike with the flat of his sabre, he was able to urge the attack onward and soon the ragged and enraged guards were baring down on Major Allen's 5th Union Artillery. From positions of cover, the defenders from the 11th West Oakcliffe Regiment's B Company poured accurate rifle fire into the advancing Vionna-Frankenlischian guardsmen but, outnumbered, they were soon overwhelmed. Forty men of the company, including the commanding Captain Wickens were dragged from their rifle pits and bayoneted. The desperate defence was kept up by 5th Union Artillery and a detachment from the West Oakcliffe Volunteer Engineers in an attempt to cover the evacuation of the valuable 3-inch rifles. One gun was dragged away under fire but the pressure from Imperial gunfire combined with the narrow path meant that the other guns could not be limbered and evacuated quickly. The remaining guns were abandoned as a result, a major loss for the Union Army's Ordnance Corps. With companies from the 6th Foot Guards swiftly approaching, the remaining Balionic defenders fled west into dense woodland. Despite the best efforts of their officers, the fleeing troops refused to reform and hold up the Imperial advance. Now unopposed, the main body of the Brigade of Foot Guards were put ashore and formed up to march on Bradwater.

Fighting in Bradwater

Following the successful landings, it took a full hour for Imperial forces to form up and begin their march on Bradwater itself. During this time, no offensive action was taken by the Balionic forces in the city. The Imperial ironclads had the approaches to the landing beaches covered and any observed moves would be peppered by shellfire before coming into contact with the Imperial infantry. General Beauchamp refused to risk his own 8th West Oakcliffe Regiment in a proposed counterattack and militia commanders were outraged, militiamen from other parts of the state began to leave the city and return to their own localities and spread word of the Imperial landings. By the time Imperial troops from both beachheads began marching on Bradwater at 1620, Beauchamp had lost a significant portion of his best artillery and two-hundred troops killed and wounded. A further four-hundred had also fled Bradwater. Directing the battle from HMNS Battingworth Lord Tevetdale gave the order for the troops ashore to advance on the city while the second portion of Imperial troops were rowed ashore.

Sir Douglas Palmer's 6th Foot Guards led the advance on Bradwater, pushing aside several hastily assembled roadblocks guarded by the 4th Bradwater Volunteer Rifles and elements of the local police force. A more concerted effort by the 2nd and 3rd Bradwater Volunteer Rifles on the edge of the city held up the Guards' advance for half an hour but these were eventually decimated by a volley from the 80th Foot Guards and sent routing back into the city center. The guardsmen divided into companies and began to spread out into the city, advancing on the center of the city's defence at the town hall and the Trollope Arsenal. Union Army mortars of the 1st Siege Artillery, positioned in a graveyard on Maine Street, were overrun when the militiamen defending them threw down their rifles and routed. Captain Travers, commanding the mortars, rode to General Beauchamp and finally managed to convince him to commit the 8th West Oakcliffe, the only regular Union regiment available. This unit was rushed into defensive positions half a mile west of the town hall and were able to temporarily halt the Imperial advance.

In the eastern quarter of the city a strong defense by the 6th West Oakcliffe Militia, eventually reinforced by the 2nd Militia Artillery, repulsed the first assault by the Baroness Cattelford's 2nd Battalion of the 65th Foot. Firing from behind strong earthworks or from the windows of houses, the militiamen shot down forty Imperial soldiers as they advanced in a dense column and forced them back to reform. The arrival Lord Glace and Pewen's 25th Foot allowed the Imperials to outflank the militia positions and push them back into the city, albeit with significant difficulty. The 1st West Oakcliffe Militia Horse covered the retreat of the defenders and were only forced back themselves when the lead elements of Sir Meredith Taylor-Lancaster's 58th Foot began to arrive from the second wave of landings. Further advances in the east did not take place until the brigade commander, Sir Henry Walcher, arrived in person to force the issue.