Battle of Stowford

Battle of Stowford
Part of War of the Vionnan Coalition
Date 4th July 1851 Location Stowford, Kingdom of Ballaeter Result Vionna-Frankenlischian strategic victory Tactical stalemate
Belligerents
Vionna-Frankenlisch	Saxondale
Commanders and leaders
Howard Richmond	George II
Units involved
Army of Vionna	Army of Saxondale
Strength
42,000 Men 72 Guns	48,000 Men 42 Guns
Casualties and losses
2,086	2,918

The Battle of Stowford was a major battle of the War of the Vionnan Coalition fought between the Army of Vionna, an Imperial force of 42,000 commanded by Howard Richmond, and the Army of Saxondale, commanded by Duke George Frederick-Augustus and made up of 48,000 men. The Army of Vionna was marching on Saxondale itself with intent to besiege it and met the Saxoner army lightly entrenched on a hill beside the village of Stowford and blocking the main road to Saxondale. In a battle which lasted only three hours the Imperial Army, in an attack led by Lord Francois de Omond's 2nd Reserve Division, pushed the Saxoner army back from Stowford and forced Duke George to retreat. The battle allowed Richmond to march on Saxondale and occupy the city, knocking Saxondale out of the war.

Background

Following his decisive victory at the Battle of Glaenarm, General Howard Richmond led his army, battered though it was, into the Kingdom of Ballaeter. Here he planned to defeat the Coalition army in detail and knock both Oxbridge and Ballaeter out of the war. This was soon rendered impossible. A master logistician, King Richard of Oxbridge was able to move his forces quickly and retreated back into his own territories. General MacTavish, having realised Richmond's lack of quality artillery and how unsuited his men were to siege warfare, garrisoned the Dermott Line, a ring of strong fortifications which defended the heartlands of Ballaeter including its capital. With his preferred objectives denied to him, Richmond decided to turn his forces to face the Duchy of Saxondale.

With the numerical advantage on his side and, desperate for a victory, Duke George Frederick-August von Saxe-Wettin-Einhalt of Saxondale was himself marching to face Richmond. Both confident of victory, Richmond and Saxe-Wettin-Einhalt met at the border village of Stowford.

Preparations for Battle

Imperial Forces

The Imperial Army came under the command of General Howard Richmond, who had masterminded the defensive victory at Glaenarm. It was divided into two corps and nine divisions.

• I Reserve Corps (Lt. Gen. Jasper Tannenbray, 5 divisions, 22,332 troops)
  • I (Cunard) Reserve Division (Brig. Gen. Quentin Winthrope with 2 brigades)
  • II (Riverland) Reserve Division (Maj. Gen. Lord Francois de Omond with 2 brigades)
  • III (Grythshead) Reserve Division (Maj. Gen. Sir William Turrell with 2 brigades)
  • IV (Cunard) Reserve Division (Maj. Gen. Cornelius Weston with 2 brigades)
  • Earl of Clare's Cavalry Division (Maj. Gen. Lord Vincent de Clare, Earl of Clare with 4 regiments)
• II Reserve Corps (Lt. Gen. Sir George Cosmo Pennington, 4 divisions 20,616 troops)
  • V Reserve Division (Maj. Gen. Archie Ashton with 2 brigades)
  • VI (Riverland) Reserve Division (Maj. Gen. Bartholomew Kaylock with 2 brigades)
  • VII (Colonial) Reserve Division (Maj. Gen. Sir Alden Watson with 2 brigades)
  • VIII (Briceport) Reserve Division (Maj. Gen. Sir Ian Brice with 2 brigades)

The Imperial deployments totalled around 42,000 with 72 artillery pieces available to them. General Richmond arrayed his forces in front of a fordable section of the River Clausach in clear sight. The terrain, hilly as it was, created certain difficulties in the deployment of his artillery and Richmond thus elected to keep his cannon limbered and planned to move them closer.

Saxoner Forces

Saxondale's forces were commanded by their duke, George Frederick-August von Saxe-Wettin-Einhalt, one of the last Germanic nobles in the country. They numbered 48,000 men and 42 artillery pieces. Though they possessed fewer cannon, the Saxoner pieces were larger and better positioned atop a hill. Von Saxe-Wettin-Einhalt's army occupied a central hill and prepared to fight a defensive battle.

Battle

Richmond opened the battle with a steady bombardment by his mortars and howitzers, which had the angle to hit the Saxoner positions. Von Saxe-Wettin-Einhalt did not respond as his guns were not yet set up and he did not wish to waste his limited ammunition.