Battle of Helderny

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Battle of Helderny
Part of Riverlandian Conquest of Grythshead
King Malcom's War
Date8th January 1750
Location
Helderny, Kingdom of Grythshead
Result Riverlander Victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of the Riverland
 Kingdom of Grythshead
Commanders and leaders
Earl of Tarringway Sir Eustace Salter †
Strength

35,000

40 guns

22,000

28 guns
Casualties and losses
3,000

4,000 dead and wounded

4,000 men and 24 guns captured

The Battle of Helderny was an engagement of King Malcom's War fought in 1750. A surprise victory for the outmatched Riverlanders of the Earl of Tarringway's army, it marked the opening of the campaign that came to be known as the Riverlandian Conquest of Grythshead. The Grythsheader army of Sir Eustace Salter, the King's secretary, was outmaneuvered and defeated in detail. Despite being outnumbered 3:2, the wide expectation that the Grythsheaders, battle-hardened and entrenched on their own soil, would win was confounded and the Riverlander victory paved the way to the eventual defeat and annexation of Grythshead.

Background

Following the intense campaigning season of 1749 in Harroway and Ballaeter, the armies of the South Vionna theatre of war settled down into winter quarters in the middle of November. Many left garrisons in the lands they had occupied and returned to friendly towns to wait out the cold season in comfort. A large portion of the Grythsheader Western Army, which had been engaged in Ballaeter for most of the war, fell back on the town of Helderny in north-east Grythshead to spend the winter there. Under the organisation of Sir Eustace Salter, who replaced the unwell General Byng as commander of that army, the Grythsheaders used the cold season as an opportunity to reinforce their depleted army and prepare for a grand offensive into Ballaeter when the campaigning season began again.

Spies brought this intelligence to the Earl of Tarringway, commander of the Riverlander Army of Ballaeter, who decided to capitalise on a mild winter to disrupt the Grythsheader plans to concentrate their forces. Despite receiving no reinforcement from his Ballaetan allies and conscious of his inexperienced troops, Tarringway determined to march on Helderny and engage Salter's main force before it could be bought up to strength. Though advised against this course of action by his staff, he could not be dissuaded and crossed the River Lochen with 35,000 men and 40 guns on New Years' Day, 1750.

Well-informed by a network of spotting towers and semaphore stations, Sir Eustace Salter was aware of the Riverlander movements by 3rd January. On the 4th, Salter took a tour of Helderny's defences with his chief engineer, Colonel Tadler. The pair agreed that the aging walls, though thick, could not stand up to a determined barrage and were also vulnerable to being taken by escalade. Therefore, that same day, Salter marched out with his full array (including 28 artillery pieces) and began hasty construction of defensive earthworks about half a mile to the north of the town. Breastworks, entrenched batteries and log barriers were built over the proceeding three days and work only stopped late in the evening on 7th January as, by then, the Riverlander forces were in close proximity and the Grythsheaders risked being caught unready.

Opposing Forces

Further Information: Helderny Order of Battle

Grythsheader

The Grythsheader army at Helderny was a force of twenty-two-thousand men with twenty-eight artillery pieces (mostly 12pdr or 8pdr cannon). This represented the main body of the force known informally as the Western Army, though it was not its full number. At full strength, the Western Army should have numbered over forty-thousand but its winter quarters were spread across the region and many reinforcements had yet to arrive. Sir Eustace Salter was the army's official commander, who had taken over from Sir Alexander Byng when the latter was struck by cholera. Salter was not an experienced military man but instead the King's secretary, a skilled organiser. He was attended by a staff of experienced officers who kept him well advised. Though he lamented the absence of his reinforcements, Salter had the strongest portion of the army available to him at Helderny including fresh guns, strong cavalry, and veteran infantry.

Salter's Grythsheader army was organised into four infantry divisions and three cavalry brigades. Of the infantry, the 1st Division (3,800) was led by Seyward Tillett, the 2nd Division (3,900) by Osgood Stanley, the 3rd Division (4,400) by Lord Lynchfield and the Light Division (3,600) by Laurence Codrington. The cavalry was led collectively by Sir Randall Fitton and individually by Andrew Able of the Heavy Cavalry Brigade (900), Geoffrey Crispe of the Royal Brigade of Dragoons (1,400) and Evelyn Whytton leading a brigade of light cavalry (1,000). This left Salter with 3,300 cavalry and 15,700 infantry, the remainder (roughly 3,000 men) were gunners, engineers, volunteers, or those employed on the staff or supply train.

Grythsheader infantry

A detailed breakdown is as follows:
Commander-in-Chief: Royal Secretary Sir Eustace Salter (k)

  • Artillery - 24 guns
    • 1st Battery - 6 guns (18pdr)
    • 2nd Battery - 8 guns (12pdr)
    • 3rd Battery - 8 guns (8pdr)
    • 4th Battery - 4 guns (12pdr)

Riverlander

Outnumbering the Grythsheaders, the Riverlander Army of Ballaeter totalled thirty-five-thousand men with forty pieces of artillery. It came under the command of the Earl of Tarringway, a young general who had yet to see action during King Malcom's War. The Army of Ballaeter was a new army made mostly from fresh volunteers and most observers expected it, however strong in numbers, to wilt before the experienced veterans of the Grythsheader army. An advantage to the inexperience of this new army quickly became apparent, however: all of its kit and armament was fresh, mostly of recent manufacture if not taken from stocks, and a six-week training regimen had produced a force of men well-versed in drill and use of weaponry. The unit cohesion of the new regiments was high from collective training and discipline was excellent.

The Earl of Tarringway, who had lost two brothers in the war already, was evidently proud of his new command. He wrote to his wife on 21st December 1749, two days after having taken command: "Never before has such an impeccable force of fighting men been raised from our fields and cities." Most observers, however, took a more pessimistic view of the new troops. The visiting Count Roskoy wrote of the flamboyantly-dressed Riverlander heavy cavalry: "In forty years of war and struggle, I have never seen such a useless band of peacocks. Will all their finery turn away a cannonball?"

Heavy cavalry of the Riverlander Brigade of Life Guards

Eight infantry divisions made up a significant portion of the Army of Ballaeter and these were augmented by ad-hoc brigades formed from the grenadier and light companies which were detached from their parent battalions. Four brigades of cavalry came under the supervision of General Sarah Fitz-York and there were forty guns. The infantry divisions were Alexander Dunham's 1st (4,200), Harold Audley's 2nd (4,200), Sir Roger Parker's 3rd (3,600), Lady Euphemia Sparrow's 4th (3,600), Sewell Cotton's 5th (3,000), Sir Percival Kent's 6th (3,000), Lord Bedingfeld's 7th (3,600), and Nicholas Yden's 8th (3,600). Also the Grenadier Brigade (800) was led by Colonel Higden and the Light Brigade (800) by the Baronetess Estone. The cavalry were the Brigade of Life Guards (700) commanded by Lord Chernocke, Dennis Beresford's 1st Cavalry Brigade (900), Robert Pen's 2nd Cavalry Brigade (750), and Benedict Culpeper's brigade of lancers (500). This created a total of 2,850 cavalry and 30,400 infantry.

Commander-in-Chief: General Lord Michael Fowler, 5th Earl of Tarringway

  • Artillery - 32 guns
    • 1st Field Battery - 8 guns (12pdr)
    • 2nd Field Battery - 8 guns (12pdr)
    • 1st Siege Battery - 6 guns (24pdr)
    • 2nd Siege Battery - 6 guns (6pdr howtizer)
    • Mortar Battery - 4 guns (12pdr mortars)

Battle

Deployments

The day opened with a furious bombardment. Under the cover of the cavalry brigades of Colonels Beresford and Pen, and the Light Brigade under Major Estone, the 12pdr and 24pdr guns of the Riverlander artillery deployed atop a low ridge across from the Grythsheader positions. The cannonade which opened the battle began at 10:30 and pounded the positions of the Grythsheader army with round shot while the Riverlander infantry deployed. The Earl of Tarringway kept a significant portion of his infantry - the 6th, 7th and 8th divisions - in reserve, hidden behind the ridge. Between that ridge, known as the Great Head, and the Grythsheader positions was mostly farmland cut with fences, low stone walls, drainage ditches, and dirt roads. The distance was about a mile.

The hardness of the cold ground was both an advantage and a disadvantage to the Grythsheaders; it reduced the effect of the Riverlander guns, whose shot thudded harmlessly into the frosty soil which was resistant, this did make the digging of earthworks much more difficult, however, and the Grythsheader entrenchments were not as strong as they could have been. While the infantry was filing into their positions, the Grythsheader artillery began its reply at 11 am. Twenty-four cannon of various calibres were spread out in four batteries protected by stone-filled gabions. Sir Eustace Salter spread three batteries throughout his infantry line and placed the fourth, armed with heavy 18-pounder long guns, on the highest ground available to him - a wide knoll known by locals as The Thumb. Except for the Royal Brigade of Dragoons, which was integrated into the infantry line with its horses nearby, the cavalry was kept behind the lines; the heavy cavalry on the left flank, the light cavalry on the right flank - closest to the river.

Though the day was cold, the weather was clear and visibility was perfect for the set-piece battle. Atop the Great Head, the Earl of Tarringway planted the Royal Standard and had sketches made of the battlefield by his engineers. The first casualty of the battle took place at 11:15 when engineer Major Phillip Lemotte was killed by Grythsheader skirmishers as he surveyed the ground between the armies. Well assured that the ground was hard and that the weather would remain clear, the Earl of Tarringway ignored the advice of his staff to march around the Grythsheader positions and outflank Helderny. He ordered the attack to begin at 11:30.

Attack

Under the direction of General Alexander Dunham, the attack was to begin on the left flank, where Dunham's own 1st Division was positioned. This division would hug the bank of the River Lochen and was responsible for keeping the Grythsheader light cavalry from action and outflanking the enemy right flank. On the right of Dunham's division was Sir Roger Parker's 3rd Division which would join the attack and was responsible for storming the Grythsheader defences closest to the river. Directly facing Dunham and Parker's divisions was the strong positions of Lord Lynchfield's 3rd Division. 4,400 men of Lynchfield's division occupied a network of five earthwork redoubts and were covered by a strong battery of eight-pounder guns. Sir Eustace Salter's own headquarters was located in a temporary structure amongst Lynchfield's defences. Tarringway was criticised for beginning his battle by attacking the strongest point of Salter's defences but, in his official report, the Earl argued that by seizing Lynchfield's strong right flank first he would deal a heavy opening blow and prevent Salter from withdrawing across the Lochen, albeit taking a heavy risk in the process.

As Dunham and Parker's division stepped off the begin the attack, Grythsheader skirmishers of Codrington's Light Division moved from the centre of the line to oppose the advance. Taking up positions in the broken farmland, behind walls and in ditches, the skirmishers kept up a harassing fire until they were themselves engaged by the Baronetess Estone's Light Division. The skirmishers of both armies exchanged fire at distance and, behind cover, inflicted few casualties on each other. A howitzer of the Riverlander 2nd Siege Battery was brought up to lob shells over cover, forcing the Grythsheaders to give ground, albeit steadily. Backed up by Robert Pen's 2nd Cavalry Brigade, the attack started to gain traction, despite the withering fire of Grythsheader batteries. The fire was returned by the horse artillery of Pen's brigade and guns of the Riverlander field batteries. With a fierce cannonade, Tarringway's gunners succeeded in dismounting several Grythsheader guns, though Salter's engineers worked quickly to re-seat them.

It was not until noon that the Riverlander attack came into musket range of the Grythsheader right flank. From their earthworks, the defenders fired as quick as they could reload. Advancing in lines of four ranks deep, the battalions of Parker's division fired in volleys as they approached. Dunham's division remained in battalion columns as they carried on the advance to outflank Lynchfield's division. The Grythsheader light cavalry under Evelyn Whytton was forced back, unwilling to charge the dense formations of Dunham's infantry. With no support from infantry or artillery, Whytton's force of 1000 troopers could not risk a charge, nor make a determined stand. Under fire from the flanks of the earthworks, Dunham's division manoeuvred into line formation to join Parker's attack.

With much of the Riverlander army concealed behind the Great Head, Dunham's attack of two divisions and a cavalry brigade looked to be made up of a significant portion of Tarringway's force. Under heavy fire from Riverlander artillery, and with his own guns still manoeuvring to return fire, Sir Eustace Salter ordered General Codrington to bring his Light Division across to reinforce the Grythsheader right flank. This movement was observed from the Great Head and Riverlander howitzers shifted their fire to drop shells onto the marching columns, Codrington was killed by one of these shells and Colonel Spencer of the 12th Rangers took command of the division. An argument ensued over the seniority of the new commander, delaying the movement, this was resolved when shell splinters killed Colonel Colby of the 15th Fusiliers. A runner from Salter ordered the division to speed up and the leading companies reached the right flank as the Riverlanders, led by Sir Roger Parker, were closing the distance to the Grythsheader positions.

Under dogged musket fire, the 3,600 men of Parker's division scrambled over the Grythsheader earthworks and a violent melee ensued. The low temperature had hardened the ground, preventing the Grythsheaders from preparing stronger earthworks. The cold also meant that most men elected to keep their greatcoats on, with the added effect of providing a crude armour in close-combat. Lord Lynchfield's experienced regulars had the better of the fighting, forcing back three Riverlander assaults and inflicting 600 casualties on the attackers. Sir Roger Parker was amongst the wounded and refused to be carried from the field until he fainted from blood loss. With Codrington's Light Division joining the fight, the Grythsheader right appeared to have weathered the storm. However, under Dunham's direction, the 1st Division launched an attack in two columns - one pinning down the defenders and the other wheeling about to storm the earthwork redoubt from the rear. To cover Dunham's flank, Colonel Pen's cavalry brigade launched a charge against Whytton's Grythsheader light cavalry, forcing them back and capturing a pennant from the 4th Light Horse. Inspired by Dunham's example, the tired troops of Parker's 2nd Division launched a fourth assault on the Grythsheader earthworks and succeeded in carrying part of the position.

Collapse of the Grythsheader flanks

With the famed Grythsheader light cavalry broken under the hooves of Pen's brigade and Riverlander infantry overrunning the entrenchments, the Grythsheader right flank was in chaos. Lord Lynchfield attempted to rally his division around him but was caught amongst a routing battalion when his horse was shot from under him. Some units, led by veteran commanders or steadier than their comrades, attempted to make a stand. Rallied around the colours of the 3rd Grenadier Regiment, around a thousand men formed a line to block the Riverlander tide, this stand was broken by massed musket fire and seven standards were taken. Sir Eustace Salter, his headquarters caught in the disaster, attempted to lead his staff to the safety of the next redoubt but he was shot from his horse and bayonetted by a Riverlander sergeant when he refused to surrender.

Tired from continuous battle, the Riverlander divisions remained in the captured redoubts and consolidated their positions. When pressed by Tarringway to advance and roll up the Grythsheader line, General Dunham refused to push his men any further. A note from Dunham to Tarringway reads: "Let your lordship note that the First and Third divisions of Foot have carried by push of bayonet the entire right redoubt of the enemy. In spite of gunfire and musketry, the Riverlander soldier has overcome the finest adversary on the continent and taken eight battle standards. To ask more of these men is murder." Though frustrated, Tarringway accepted the argument and ordered Euphemia Sparrow to lead an advance by her own 4th Infantry Division and the 2nd and 5th Infantry Divisions of General Audley and General Cotton respectively. With the right redoubt captured, retreat across the River Lochen was impossible for the Grythsheaders, and Tarringway was free to attack the rest of their line and march on to Helderny.

With tremendous fanfare, the three divisions stepped off to begin their advance at 13:30. With 10,800 men the attack was intended to wash over the Grythsheader centre and bring the battle to a close but, under the fire of long-range artillery from the Grythsheader left flank, it began to bog down as the lines became disorganised. "The big eighteen-pounders in particular," a lieutenant of the Riverlander 41st Foot wrote, played merry hell with the spirit of our men and blood was whipped up into the air with each ball. From high ground, they could fire along the whole line and files of men three deep were blasted away by solid shot. The whole affair was quite humbling."Atop the Thumb, protected from counter-battery fire by earthworks and defended by Andrew Able's heavy cavalry brigade, the six 18pdr long guns of the Grythsheader artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the advance and checked it several times. As casualties mounted and gaps were filled the advance had to be slowed and, thanks to the broken ground, battalion lines became confused and uneven, disorganising the attack further.

From his seat atop the Great Head, the Earl of Tarringway became more and more irate. He sent a flurry of insistent messages to Generals Sparrow, Audley, and Cotton, ordering them to speed their advance and keep their men in order. Only Cotton sent a reply, informing the commander that the Grythsheader heavy artillery would have to be cleared in order to make progress and that many of the inexperienced Riverlander troops were in danger of breaking under the bombardment. When shellfire from his howitzers failed to damage the Grythsheader battery, Tarringway ignored the pleas of his staff and rode personally to his cavalry reserve. Colonel Benedict Culpeper's brigade of lancers and the Brigade of Life Guards under Lord Chernocke made up this force of 1,200 troopers under the supervision of Sarah Fitz-York. Lord Tarringway rallied this force around him and led them across the rear of the advancing infantry to encourage them before spurring them into a charge against the artillery positions on the Thumb.

Moving uphill, the Riverlander cavalry could not speed up to a full charge and came under close-range fire from the artillery. Benedict Culpeper was killed by canister shot at the head of his lancers and a squadron of the Life Guards took 50% casualties. In spite of this, the Riverlanders overcame the guns and the momentum carried them straight over the battery and into Andrew Able's Grythsheader heavy cavalry. The commander of the Grythsheader cavalry, Sir Randall Fitton, spurred Able's brigade into a counter-attack and was killed by lancers. Able too was wounded and carried away by his trumpeter. Overcome by the lancers, who could stab from a greater range, and under fire from the pistols and carbines of the Life Guards, Able's brigade broke and fled the field. The high ground of the Thumb fell into the hands of the Riverlanders and the Grythsheader centre was isolated.

Grythsheader Retreat

Now in serious danger of being encircled, the remains of the Grythsheader army looked to General Osgood Stanley of the 2nd Division for leadership. Stanley, urged on by Lord Lynchfield, initially prepared to hold his defensive position and launch a counterattack against the two Riverlander divisions on his right. However, the 6th, 7th, and 8th Infantry Divisions of the Riverlander army, until then kept hidden in reserve, suddenly became visible as they marched over the peak of the Great Head to join the attack. The appearance of 10,000 more Riverlander troops convinced Stanley of the hopelessness of the position and he ordered the remains of the army to withdraw. Lord Lynchfield offered to form a rearguard with the remains of his 3rd Division and the Light Division and Stanley accepted, taking the intact 1st and 2nd Divisions and the Royal Brigade of Dragoons and beginning to march back in the direction of Helderny.

With 4,000 men left from a combined 8,000, the 3rd Division and Light Division formed an L-shape. The majority of the troops remained in their redoubts and earthworks to repulse the attack by Euphemia Sparrow's three divisions while a smaller force formed a line to the right in case Dunham's two divisions should attempt to roll up the line. Colonel Griffin Higden's brigade, made up of the Riverlander grenadiers, marched up to the peak of the Thumb followed by gunners from the 1st Siege Battery who were proficient in handling heavy guns. They turned the captured 18pdr guns on Lynchfield's positions and began firing as Euphemia Sparrow's infantry started coming under musket fire. Under attack from two angles and having bought Stanley's men, about 13,000 in total, time enough to escape in good order, Lord Lynchfield ordered a white flag displayed and surrendered the remains of his force to Lord Tarringway. This brought the battle to a close.

Aftermath

By defeating the Grythsheader army at Helderny, the Earl of Tarringway began his career as a commander with a fantastic victory. Now recognised as one of the greatest generals in Vionna-Frankenlischian history, Helderny was Tarringway's first battle and much of his career was influenced by this early success and the lessons he learned from it. He was particularly convinced of the need of steady infantry and brave, competent suboordinates.

Helderny was a great victory for the Riverlanders, who had previously seen little success in the west and had endured heavy defeats at the hands of the armies of Grythshead. Sir Eustace Salter's Western Army was broken. 4,000 men had been killed and wounded on the field and another 4,000 were taken prisoner. 24 cannon were also taken, only the horse artillery of the Grythsheader dragoons were saved from capture. This, at the cost of 3,000 killed and wounded, was one of the most significant victories the Riverlanders had won since the war began. In addition to the cannon and soldiers, fifteen battle standards, 3,000 muskets and a vast quantity of ammunition was taken by the Riverlanders, though a large amount of the Western Army's supplies were still in Helderny and avoided capture.

Much of Tarringway's exhausted army was rested at the scene of the battle, using the Grythsheader defences to make crude shelters. The 6th, 7th, and 8th Infantry Divisions, which had not taken part in the fighting, were placed under Lord Bedingfeld and sent ahead of the main force to besiege the town of Helderny. Slowed down by the need to navigate the battlefield, this force did not arrive at the town until 16:00 and overcaution meant that they did not begin siege operations for another two hours. By this time, Osgood Stanley had called up the local militia, emptied the military stores and destroyed all of the supplies which could not be taken. With 13,500 soldiers, 50 cannon and about 4,000 civilians and militia, Stanley marched south towards Northburn to join up with other Grythsheader troops and establish a defence. Bedingfeld failed to disrupt Stanley's retreat and Helderny, abandoned by its defenders, surrendered to Tarringway upon his arrival.

After taking Helderny, Tarringway took five days to rest his army, send out scouts and foragers, and await the arrival of Lady Taewen's brigade of Ballaetan light cavalry. On 13th January, once he was well informed on Stanley's new position at Northburn, Tarringway marched south and engaged the Grythsheader army on the 15th at the Battle of Northburn.

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