Battle of Hueslam
| Battle of Hueslam | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Brytisc invasion of Pepper Atoll | |||||||
| File:Hueslam1812.jpg Brytisc grenadiers storm the Mairish stockade | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Brytene | Template:Country data Mairland | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Commodore Jackson Forge Lt. Col. Cassandra Nairn | Major Ronald Schaw † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
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240 infantry 90 sailors (Total force 500 infantry, 800 sailors) |
60 regulars 233 colonists | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 24 regulars killed, 62 wounded, 3 missing in action |
17 regulars killed, 43 captured 51 colonists killed or wounded, 182 captured or missing | ||||||
The Battle of Hueslam was fought on 1 September 1812, near of the city of St Joseph on Pepper Atoll. Brytisc forces, after capturing St Joseph in a surprise naval landing, advanced against the Mairish colonial garrison which had been hastily drawn up outside the city. The Mairish regular infantry were too small in numbers to effectively challenge the Brytisc, and stockades set up by the militia were overrun in a short battle that left close to one hundred dead across both sides. The battle marked the end of Mairish presence on Pepper Atoll, which had started in the 1770s.
Background
In 1775, King Frederick II sent a squadron of the Mairish Navy to Pepper Atoll in order to destroy the self-proclaimed Pirate Court. St Joseph, the trading hub and capital of the Court, was taken easily, the pirate ships in the harbor being burned at anchor. Most pirate leaders were either stood up before a firing squad or escaped. In their place, the Mairish government imported hundreds of colonists, who settled in St Joseph and the surrounding areas. The atoll became a territory of the Mairish Crown.
By 1800, there were approximately three thousand Mairish colonists living on the atoll; St Joseph held almost two-thirds of these. To guard the highly lucrative trade industry, which saw Mairish products shipped to all sides of the Fale Ocean, a force of 60 regular soldiers was picketed in St Joseph in a barracks near the Governor's House. In 1803, a royal charter was issued for the formation of a militia regiment, made up of colonists from the city. Ronald Schaw, a venerable old soldier who had served in the army since 1790, was appointed commander of the Mairish garrison in 1811.
During the late 18th century, and the first years of the 19th century, the government of Brytene began to eye the Atoll, and especially the rich port at St Joseph. The islands were a strategic centre for shipping and trade throughout the Fale Ocean, and Brytene was looking to cement its position as a mercantile hub and naval power in the area. Controlling the lucrative and fertile islands, and the bustling port of St Joseph, was key to extending Brytene's economic and military control of the region.
The invasion
Starting on 26 August 1812, the United Elphishmen rose up in revolt, seeking independence for Elphin. They rapidly grew in size and ransacked a large area of northern Mairland. Reports of the violence were confused, and the Mairish government mistakenly believed that the raids were carried out by Soled. Alexander V ordered troops to fire on Soledan border positions, leading to a diplomatic crisis. As a result, most of the Mairish army was deployed on the border with Soled and was in no position to help the garrison on Pepper Atoll in the event of a Brytisc invasion. The Brytisc were fully aware of this vulnerability and marshalled a small squadron of sufficient size to overcome the garrison, assigning command to Commodore Jackson Forge, a Brytisc naval officer whose mother was a former inhabitant of the islands and was ethnically Peppur. The force consisted of the third-rate RFS Branstock, the frigate RFS Atmospheric, and the brig RFS Trebeck. Aboard were the 1st, 4th and 5th companies of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Northern Foot, a heavy infantry regiment from Nortymba in Brytene, as well as a heavy force of marines. Commodore Forge carried a mandate from Queen Ricola I of Brytene to "conquer the Pepper Atoll, and establish there a protectorate subject to the Crown of the Kingdom of Brytene."
Capture of St Joseph
The Brytisc squadron was first sighted on August 29th, their presence reported by merchant vessels coming in to dock. By the morning of the 30th the sails of the three ships were visible from the docks of St Joseph. Taking a dangerous risk, the RFS Trebeck sailed directly into the harbour and opened fire. The Mairish schooner MNS Marmot was burned at anchor whilst another schooner managed to flee the port, evading the Brytisc squadron to escape and bring news to the homeland. Civilians woke to the sound of church bells and peered out their windows to see the city illuminated by flames, as the RFS Branstock approached the quays, sending landing boats filled with red-coated infantry into the city. Amid the bells and scattered gunshots, Major Schaw ordered the soldiers in the barracks to assemble outside the Governor's House. Governor Nancy waited outside in his nightclothes, with only his butler and a native servant. Nancy and Schaw had an argument in full view of the anxious troops, with the Governor demanding an immediate intervention and the Major reluctant to commit his small number of soldiers to what he viewed as an already lost cause. With the Brytisc approaching rapidly, and panicked civilians streaming through the streets, the exasperated Governor mounted his horse and rode away to surrender himself.
Schaw took his troops and marched them out of the burning city, heading towards the village of Hueslam, about six miles away. Seeing that St Joseph was abandoned, militiamen who had escaped from the chaos followed the Mairish regulars- in all, there were 233 such men.
Once he had reached Hueslam, Schaw directed his nervous troops to set up camp. The militiamen were to build earthen stockades around the camp. The villagers, who were entirely native, were reluctant to give wood for the stockades, so as the minutes ticked by Schaw ordered a small force to forcibly take firewood and, if necessary, strip planks from the houses to reinforce the fortification.
Battle of Hueslam
The Brytisc infantry force was largely unscathed, with a handful of dead or wounded due to the confused street fighting as well as three men missing and two dead aboard the RFS Trebeck thanks to gunfire from the fleeing Mairish schooner, which had fired chain shot to discourage any pursuit and had killed sailors aboard the rigging.
Having accepted the surrender of Governor Nancy, Lieutenant-Colonel Cassandra Nairn of the 1st Battalion turned her three companies east to follow Schaw and his unit. RFS Atmospheric was signalled to escort them along the coast, whilst close to 60 marines were left to keep order in St Joseph.
At 05:12 on August 31st the Brytisc infantry discovered the hastily erected barricades. As the piquets and light infantry exchanged confused shots, the 4th Company formed column and launched an assault, but were foiled by an unseen irrigation ditch and were forced to fall back, suffering more than two dozen casualties. The Brytisc waited another 40 minutes until the arrival of the RFS Atmospheric, which proceeded to bombard the fortifications from offshore, enfilading the defenders and forcing them away from the defensive works in places.
Under cover of this bombardment the Brytisc attacked again in three columns, stretching the defenders thin and storming the camp successfully. In the fighting that followed, the majority of the Mairish militiamen were either killed or capture . However, the regulars reformed and counterattacked with the bayonet, driving the Brytisc back from the stockade; the Brytisc ended the day with roughly 30% of Lt. Col. Nairn's force killed or wounded.
On the morning of 1 September, Schaw drew up his remaining regulars in front of the stockade. After conferring with his second-in-command, Captain Joseph Haldane, the Major rode out to negotiate with the Brytisc, with a mounted militiaman behind him carrying a white flag. Nairn and an aide-de-camp came to meet them midway between the Mairish and Brytisc lines. Schaw demanded safe passage for his troops out of Pepper Atoll; this was refused, and the Mairish militiaman made as if he was going to draw his pistol. Nairn drew hers and aimed it at Schaw. Watching with the regulars, Captain Haldane aimed his pistol at Nairn and fired; the shot went wide. The Brytisc trooper rode up and cut Schaw down with his cutlass.
With the attempt at parley having failed miserably, the Mairish regulars lost all cohesion. A good number of them turned and ran behind the stockade. Haldane led some in a charge against the Brytisc that was dispersed by a fusillade of musket fire. The Brytisc infantry advanced, the remaining militia shooting off an ineffective volley that did nothing to stop them. They were tired, out of ammunition, with frayed nerves; they were no match for the hardened Brytisc as they poured fire at the fortification, sending many militiamen falling off the parapet to the ground. The regulars had lost both commanders and could not have possibly been more disorganized. They turned and ran, dropping their weapons, and the remaining militia followed, dragging their wounded friends.
Aftermath
Some of the Mairish escaped into the woods and were never seen again. The rest met other unpleasant ends. In all, 68 were killed or wounded, while some 212 were captured by the Brytisc. The Brytisc, for their part, suffered 89 casualties.
The schooner that had escaped from the port at St Joseph reached Mairland on 3 September. Civilian ships up and down the country volunteered to help the stricken islands; escorted by a squadron of the Navy, they sailed to the coast to pick up the growing number of colonist evacuees, who, by 7 September, numbered around 2,100. The Brytisc stood by while the evacuation proceeded, having no desire to wantonly kill civilians. By the end of the month, the homeless colonists had been boarded in poorhouses in Lochiel, and many eventually moved away to the countryside.
The Battle of Folle Hill on 20 September ended the Elphish revolt, and the border skirmishes with Soled died down naturally as a result. By that point, however, the Brytisc had established complete control over the Atoll. The loss of the islands was a major embarrassment for the Mairish government. In January 1813, an expedition was sent to recover the Atoll; one transport ship ran aground, and the Mairish landing force lost the element of surprise. An advance towards St Joseph was turned back and the brief war ended with the status quo ante bellum. After this fiasco, the Mairish government formally recognized Brytisc control over the Atoll.