Battle of Redmalden
| Battle of Redmalden | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Riverlandian Conquest of Grythshead King Malcom's War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Ballaeter |
 Kingdom of Grythshead | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Lady Taewen |
Osgood Stanley | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
37,000 |
30,000 | ||||||
The Battle of Redmalden was an engagement of King Malcom's War fought on 24th January 1750. The Riverlander army of the Earl of Tarringway, following a minor defeat at Northburn, was engaged by the Grythsheader army of Osgood Stanley, while attempting to cross the River Lochen at the town of Redmalden.
Background
Helderny
Main Article: Battle of Helderny
As the armies which had been fighting in Ballaeter in 1749 settled into winter quarters, the Grythsheader Western Army under Sir Eustace Salter used the opportunity to reinforce his forces at Helderny and plan a grand offensive north into Ballaeter. Informed of this by spies in the Grythsheader camp, the new commander of the Riverlander Army of Ballaeter, the Earl of Tarringway, marched his army south to disrupt Salter's plans. At the Battle of Helderny on 8th January 1750, Tarringway shocked the world by defeating the battle-hardened and entrenched Grythsheaders with his newly-formed and inexperienced troops. The battle was a disaster for the Grythsheaders, who sustained 8,000 casualties (half of those captured) and lost 24 guns, 15 standards, and four generals including Salter.
Northburn
Main Article: Battle of Northburn
Under the command of Osgood Stanley, the remnants of the Grythsheader army retreated from Helderny, taking artillery, military stores, militia and refugees with them. This force encamped at the village of Northburn on the far side of a bridge over the River Lochen. At Northburn, Stanley met up with the Grythsheader 5th Division and Sir Jarred Knowton's 1st Foot Guards. Tarringway rested his army for a few days at Helderny and, reinforced by the Ballaetan cavalry brigade of Lady Taewen, he marched on Northburn. Suitably reinforced and posessing a large amount of artillery, Stanley chose to fight at Northburn to prevent Tarringway's advance further into Grythshead. The battle took place on 15th January and ended in a Grythsheader victory. After a costly clash to seize control of the bridge over the Lochen, the Riverlanders found themselves unable to advance on Stanley's main force under a hail of artillery fire.
Having sustained 1,200 casualties, Tarringway's army retreated to Helderny. Heavy rainfall on the 16th and 17th kept the Riverlanders in Helderny and the arrival of 2,000 replacements on the 19th brought Tarringway's divisions up to strength. On the 20th, cavalry scouts reported a crossing point at the market town of Redmalden. Lady Taewen's brigade rode ahead of the main army to secure Redmalden and Tarringway marched out later that day. At Northburn, Stanley recieved significant reinforcements from the Guards Lancers Regiment and the Grythsheader 6th Division, along with a large force of militia levied from across the county. Orders from King James forced Stanley to march out from Northburn and engage Tarringway. This occured on the 24th at the town of Redmalden.
Opposing Forces
Grythsheader
General Stanley's army at Redmalden was significantly reinforced since the disaster at Helderny. Though a significant portion of the infantry (about 30%) were militia, the majority were regular troops. The infantry numbered 23,600 in total. The army as a whole was 30,000 men strong, including gunners and rear echelon troops. The Grythsheader artillery numbered sixty-two pieces, though many were light, having been taken from the fortifications at Helderny.
Four regular infantry divisions made up the core of Stanley's force. These were the 1st (3,800) under Seyward Tillett, the 2nd (3,900) under Stanley himself, the 5th (3,900) under the temporary command of Sir Jarred Knowton, and the 6th (4,000) under Sir William Atkinson. The infantry was augmented by Knowton's elite 1st Foot Guards (500) and two divisions of militia. One division of militia (1,500) came under Colonel Matthew Schimmer, and the other (6,000) was led by the Bishop of Evanburgh. Stanley's cavalry consisted of the Royal Brigade of Dragoons (1,400) under Geoffrey Crispe and the Guards Lancers under Lord Amcotte. The artillery was split into six batteries and consisted mostly of six-pounder cannons from the Helderny fortifications.
A detailed breakdown is as follows:
Commander-in-Chief: General Osgood Stanley
- Cavalry - 1,800 troopers, 6 guns - Brigadier Geoffrey Crispe
- Royal Brigade of Dragoons - 1,300 troopers, 4 guns (6pdr) - Brigadier Geoffrey Crispe
- Guards Lancers Regiment - 500 troopers, 2 guns (6pdr) - Colonel Lord Ayland Amcotte, 7th Baron Amcotte
- Infantry - 23,600 men
- 1st Division - 3,800 men - General Seyward Tillett
- 2nd Division - 3,900 men - General Osgood Stanley
- 5th Division - 3,900 men - Colonel Sir Jarred Knowton
- 6th Division - 4,000 men - General Sir William Atkinson
- 1st Foot Guards - 500 men - Colonel Sir Jarred Knowton
- Schimmer's Division of Militia - 1,500 men - Colonel Matthew Schimmer
- Evanburgh's Division of Militia - 6,000 men - Randall Creighton, Bishop of Evanburgh
- Artillery - 56 guns
- 1st Battery - 8 guns (6pdr)
- 2nd Battery - 8 guns (6pdr)
- 3rd Battery - 8 guns (6pdr)
- 4th Battery - 8 guns (6pdr)
- 5th Battery - 10 guns (8pdr)
- 6th Battery - 10 guns (12pdr)