Battle of Stifforest

Battle of Stifforest
Part of War of the Vionnan Coalition
Date 14th July 1851 Location Stifforest, Saxondale Result Imperial Victory
Belligerents
Vionna-Frankenlisch	Saxondale
Commanders and leaders
Lord Eldham	Freiherr von der Larrenwald
Units involved
I Corps	Army of East Saxondale
Strength
44,000	32,000

The Battle of Stifforest was an engagement of the War of the Vionnan Coalition during Lord Lynwood's Saxondale Campaign. The First Corps of the Imperial Army, under the command of the Viscount Eldham, met with the Freiherr von der Larrenwald and his Army of East Saxondale near the market town of Stifforest on the outskirts of the Larrenwald forest. Lord Eldham's corps achieved a decisive victory over the Saxoners and sent them tumbling back towards the fortress town of Hardyng, defeating them again two weeks later at the Battle of Warner's Stream.

Background

Following Imperial victory at Drayglossop, Lord Lynwood's army split to advance on seperate roads. The target of his offensive was Tevetdale, an important city in southern Ballaeter, protected from the north and east by the Dermott Line of fortifications but open to the south where Ballaeter bordered Saxondale. Therefore, with his army energised after their victory at the Siege of Drayglossop, Lynwood planned a swift advance through Saxondale, avoiding fighting where he could, to cross the border at the river town of Market Lundy and strike swiftly at Tevetdale. His belief was that the loss of one of their most important cities would knock Ballaeter out of the war, isolating the Saxoners and forcing them to make peace also.

For the commander of the Imperial First Corps, the Viscount Eldham, Lynwood's plan was sound but he did not appreciate his commander's hopes to avoid battle. Sent along a different road to Second and Third Corps, Lord Eldham purposely failed to keep pace with the main body of the army, in the hopes that Saxoner or Ballaetan forces would engage him. A young general and a glory-seeker, Eldham sought to prove himself for higher command by proving himself as a field commander.

The city of Stockdorf was home to not only an important military arsenal but also home to the Freiherr von Larrenwald's Army of East Saxondale. The Army of East Saxondale was the primary Saxoner field army following the defeat of the Duke of Saxondale's own army at the Battle of Stowford. When it became clear that Lord Lynwood did not plan to attack Stockdorf but rather cross the border, the Freiherr sallied out of Stockdorf, hoping to cut Lynwood's route of advance. Though too late to prevent Lynwood reaching Market Lundy, the Army of East Saxondale was able to manouvre into the path of Lord Eldham's corps and force them to fight outside the town of Stifforest.

Opposing Armies

Saxondale

The Saxoner force at Stifforest was the Army of East Saxondale, commanded by General Freiherr Felix von der Larrenwald. It consisted of 32,000 men and 36 cannon. These were organised in three batteries of artillery, forty squadrons of cavalry and sixty-four battalions of infantry. Most Saxoner troops wore white uniforms and carried the 1834 Stockdorf Model Rifle-Musket.

Saxoner cavalry was generally of inferior quality to the Imperial cavalry but was far superior in numbers: Von der Larrenwald commanded forty squadrons of horse, fielding a total of six-thousand cavalry. The Saxondale Institute of War produced some of the finest officers of the war and, at least during the early campaigns of the conflict, the Saxoner armies were some of the best led. Saxoner battalions were much smaller and more wieldy than their Imperial counterparts, numbering between 300 and 400 men each. As a result, Von der Larrenwald commanded around 23,000 infantry at Stifforrest.

The Army of East Saxondale was broken down into divisions as follows:

• Cavalry Division 1 - 3,000 Troopers - General of Division Karl Morwitz
• Cavalry Division 2 - 3,000 Troopers - General of Division Sebastian von Bolt
• Corps of Artillery - 36 Guns, 1,000 Men - General of Brigade Dietrich, Baron von Innstein
• Infantry Division 1 - 3,300 Men - General of Division Samuel von Lehman-Strohm
• Infantry Division 2 - 3,300 Men - General of Division Harald, Count von Kiesel
• Infantry Division 3 - 3,300 Men - General of Division Clemens Reichenbach
• Infantry Division 4 - 3,300 Men - General of Division Ernst Bornemann
• Infantry Division 5 - 3,300 Men - General of Division Benedict Bauschinger
• Infantry Division 6 - 3,300 Men - General of Division Wilhelm Stransky
• Infantry Division 7 - 3,300 Men - General of Division Wilhelm, Burgrave von Danz

Vionna-Frankenlisch

The Imperial force at Stifforest was the First Corps of the Imperial Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Edward Fawkes, the Viscount Eldham. It consisted of 44,000 men and 44 cannon (although only 20 were deployed). These were organised in two batteries of artillery, twelve squadrons of cavalry and eighteen battalions of infantry. Imperial infantry wore red uniforms and carried the Continental Pattern 1844 Rifle.

In contrast to the six-thousand Saxoner cavalry, the Light Cavalry Division posessed only twelve squadrons for a total of twenty-five-hundred sabres.

Imperial battalions numbered 1000 men at this point in history and Lord Eldham commanded eighteen plus additional regimental troops, though this amounted to more infantry than the Saxoner army posessed with a total of around 24,000 men. The Imperial Army deployed twenty guns at Stifforest, eight 8pdr cannons of the Light Division's horse artillery and twelve 6pdr guns of the First Infantry Division. The twenty-four guns of the other two infantry divisions were not deployed as they were stuck at the rear of First Corps' supply train. Imperial infantry divisions also had significant divisional troops attached, including artillery and supply trains, causing Imperial corps to be even stronger in numbers.

First Corps was broken down into divisions as follows:

• Light Cavalry Division - 2,500 Troopers, 8 Guns - Major General Sir John Mowett-Tallard
• First Infantry Division - 14,000 Men, 12 Guns - Major General Lavinia Lewellen-Bowes, Countess of Caerayereth
• Second Infantry Division - 14,000 Men, 12 Guns - Major General Sir Lawrence Cartwright
• Third Infantry Division - 14,000 Men, 12 Guns - Major General William Tappen, Viscount Arcon

Battle

Deployment

The route of Lord Eldham's advance followed a road which bisected the town of Stifforest, a market settlement on the fringes of the great Larrenwald forest with a population of about twenty-five thousand. Stifforest was an important hub for both the agriculture of north-east Saxondale and the forestry industry of the Larrenwald. At the time, the town was in the midst of an economic boom and the local government had invested heavily in its defences. Unfortunately for the Saxoners, the construction efforts were only half finished and the formidable planned defences would not provide any hinderance for some time. The Freiherr von der Larrenwald thus made the decision to draw up to the south of Stifforest and offer battle on the open field. Without time to entrench, Von der Larrenwald deployed his batteries in open field with twelve sixteen pounders in three batteries (left, right, and centre). The Army of East Saxondale posessed howitzers bought from Vionna-Frankenlisch before the war but they were not deployed, the Saxoners had limited stocks of ammunition and did not want to waste what few shells they had. Von der Larrenwald's cavalry was divided equally

Lord Eldham himself rode at the head of his corps with his staff. Only a single squadron of dragoons were further forward than the general, their job was simply to keep the road clear and keep an eye out for signs of the enemy. A significant reconaissance force had not been set aside by Lord Eldham as he believed it would harm his chances of bringing his corps into action. Nonetheless, the Saxoner army was strung out in line and deployed batteries in open farmland. The Imperial dragoons could not help but notice their presence long before the arrival of the rest of First Corps. Once Lord Eldham had been made aware, he deployed the entirety of his cavalry in front of the rest of the corps to screen his deployment. First Corps' division of cavalry was the Light Division which was made up of two regiments of dragoons, one of hussars and one of lancers.

The Light Cavalry Division came under heavy artillery fire as it deployed to the fore of the Imperial army but did not sustain heavy casualties. Its own horse artillery battery deployed to provide counterbattery and succeeded in unseating several guns of the Saxoner central battery. Saxoner artillerymen, though skilled, had underestimated the range of the Imperial cavalry and their solid shot failed to bounce, possibly due to soft ground. Under the command of the Duke of Grythshead, the Light Division manouvred excellently to the rear of the army once it had been deployed behind them. Lord Eldham's infantry was deployed in solid blocks of five ranks thick. Due to how large Imperial battalions had become, the old doctrine of fighting in thin lines was no longer practicable and Imperial armies now fought in a similar fashion to many of the other continental powers. To the front was the Imperial First Division and two brigades of the Second Division while the spare brigade (consisting of the 7th and 8th of Foot) and the Third Division were kept back in reserve.

Opening Moves

The Freiherr von der Larrenwald planned a mostly defensive battle, hoping that he could exhaust the Imperial strength against his lines. Von der Larrenwald correctly estimated the Imperial force as larger than his but could not identify what portion of the Imperial Army he was facing, even with the many standards flown by Lord Eldham's corps. Based on the incorrect assumptions of his staff, the Freiherr sent messengers to Stockdorf, the City of Saxondale, and the Duke with word that he was facing seven Imperial divisions instead of the four that were actually present. In spite of this overestimation of his enemy, the Freiherr was reportedly confident that he could hold his position until nightfall. The overall plan of the Saxoner generals seems to have been to stand fast and repulse Imperial attacks until they could entrench themselves under cover of darkness.

Lord Eldham resolved to attack quickly with skirmishers and then run over the Saxoner lines once they were disorganised. Though he lamented his lack of artillery, he showed flexibility in planning positively in spite of it. Ever since the Wars of King Lawrence of the 1760s, the armies of the various Vionna-Frankenlischian states had shown a trend towards the maintainence of large arsenals of artillery. Though the foundries of Gestoria, Frankenlisch and Teutonberg provided Vionna-Frankenlisch with some of the finest artillery pieces in the world, lack of funds prevented the old militias from obtaining such pieces and they could not be produced quick enough to equip the new Imperial Army to the standard wished by its commanders. For an army to enter battle so unencumbered by cannon and howitzers was a rarity but, to Eldham's credit, he adapted as well as he could.

While the deployed Imperial guns fought a losing duel with the Saxoner batteries, skirmishers detached from the Imperial front line and advanced swiftly towards the Saxoner lines. Concealed by high crops, Imperial light troops swept through the farmland that seperated the two armies and began their harassment. Firing from behind low walls, fences and from the cropfields, Imperial skirmishers swept the Saxoner front line, killing many officers and suppressing their batteries to even the odds in the ongoing artillery duel. Von der Larrenwald galloped forward, leaving his staff behind, to shore up the damage in his line, encourage his men, and get a grasp on the sudden change in the situation.

Attack on the Saxoner right

It did not take long for the harassment to end when Saxoner cavalry arrived to threaten the Imperial skirmishers into retiring. The action lasted only half an hour but the damage done to Saxoner cohesion and morale was irreparable. Keen to capitalise on the situation, the Countess of Caerayereth obtained permission to lead her division (First Infantry) into the attack against the Saxoner right flank, which she was opposite. The First Division stepped off to the sound of massed bands and quickly found itself under the fire of the enemy batteries. Imperial artillery tried valiantly to suppress this bombardment but was incapable of making much progress. Lady Caerayereth's advance was bolstered by the Light Cavalry Division and met with heavy resistance as they closed with the Saxoner right flank. Withering rifle fire tore the Larkinge Fusiliers to rags and the Colonel of the 5th (Duke of Glynmoran's) was killed by the first volley of the engagement. Both sides were strong in musketry and armies of the period had learned not to stand and trade fire as every volley had the potential to be devastating. The 5th Foot was routed by gunfire as the Third Brigade charged to close with Infantry Division 5 which was the furthest right of the Saxoner divions. The Imperial First Brigade swung about to form a right angle with the Second Brigade and poured massed volleys into the Saxoner flank, killing General Bauschinger of Infantry Division 5.

Led by Sir John Mowett-Tallard, the son of a prominent Gallandic immigrant, the Light Cavalry Brigade advanced quickly past the fighting and set its sights on the Ritter von Bolt's Cavalry Division 2. Sebastian von Bolt and his officers had been prodding the division into an ordered formation, intent on throwing back the Imperial infantry before Infantry Division 5 was overrun entirely. Mowett-Tallard had been ordered by Eldham to support the First Division as closely as he could (suggesting an attack to the rear of the Saxoner flank) but he decided that duty demanded he destroy the clear target before him. Leading with his staff, Mowett-Tallard spurred his division into the attack against the Ritter von Bolt's cavalry. The Light Cavalry Division attacked in a diamond of regiments: Hamilton's Lancers leading, followed by the Royal Lopenland Hussars and the Royal Highland Light Dragoons, with the Earl of Londinium's Light Dragoons to the rear.