Pistoleer: Edgehill

by Smith, Skye

  The voices of men yelling at an ornery horse awakened him. He opened an eye to see who the men were. If they were anyone without rank he would yell at them. Two men had a rope around Femke's neck and they were hauling at her. Femke was not amused so she was kicking and biting and fighting the ropes. "Oy, what you doing to my horse?" Daniel yelled at them.

  One of the men ducked and rolled out of the way of a raking hoof, and as he was getting up he called back. "The kitchen has run out of meat for the stew. We've been told to round up the worst of the nags for food."

  "Take your ropes off my horse else I'll blow your feet off!" Daniel yelled back, but without stirring. He had finally gotten warm and he was loath to move.

  "Cooks orders,” one of the men told him. "Sorry."

  Daniel sat up a little and blinked until he could focus on the eastern horizon. "Tell the cook to take a look at the ridge over yonder. He'll have enough meat to feed the whole shire in a few hours."

  The men turned around and looked towards the ridge. Men the size of ants were swarming around the nose of the hill from the north. Thousands of them. On the ridge there more ants, mounted riders, looking down at them, thousands of them. "Jesus!" one of them said and they both ran off to tell the cook.

  Femke came over and nudged Daniel with her nose. She kept doing it until he reached up and removed the ropes from around her neck. Eventually he stood and coiled the ropes and laid them beside his saddle. You never knew when a length of rope would come in handy. He decided that he may as well move again for it was obvious he would get no sleep where he was. Soon enough this area would be filled with pikemen forming a defensive line.

  North of him across the field there were some likely looking hedgerows ... the kind of hedgerows that were a skirmisher’s best friend, especially if he wanted to sleep in peace. He saddled Femke and rode her over to them and then used the height of the saddle to take a closer and better look at the ridge through his looker. What he saw was illogical and therefore worrying. Why would the king's generals be sending their infantry along the base of the ridge? There must be something going on that he didn't know about, so he rode Femke back to the village of Kineton to ask some questions.

  Colonel Balfour was warming himself on a bench on the sunny side of a house when he got there. He stopped Femke well short of him so her dust would not waft over the bowl he was eating from. The courtesy was not missed by the old soldier.

  "Daniel, good morning, have you eaten?" was Balfour's greeting. "Would you care to join me in some porridge?" He motioned to an aide to bring another bowlful and then shoved over on the bench to make room for his guest.

  "What's going on?" Daniel asked.

  "Breakfast,” Balfour replied after emptying his mouth of the sticky gruel, "and then church I suppose. It is Sunday isn't it?"

  "I mean why are the king's generals moving a line of pikemen in front of the ridge."

  "Did you mean to say cavalry? I heard you say pikemen."

  "Rupert's cavalry, thousands of them, are on top of the ridge where I expected them to be. From up there they can stop your army from moving around either end of the hills and therefore stop you from blocking the roads to Oxford and London. My question is why are they moving thousands of infantry to stand in front of the ridge? What has happened to cause that? They should be marching along the London road by now."

  "The only thing I can think of is that their scouts are better at their job than ours. They must know that our army is strung out from here to Worcester. Our cannons are still miles away. Bloody Hell." Balfour said some other things that would have probably curdled Daniel's ears if he had know Scottish, and an aid who obviously knew the language ran to him from around the corner of the house. "Go and grovel to the nobility,” he told the aide, "and politely ask them if their sentries have gone to sleep, or have they simply joined the other side."

  While Daniel ate the most despicable tasting porridge he had ever eaten, Balfour completed his morning toilet, and an aid saddled his horse. Daniel couldn't finish the porridge for it was all rolled oats and not oniony enough. They mounted up and rode out together to the hedgerows that Daniel had used early to spy on the king's army. They spent about a quarter hour there sharing the spectacle looker before a squad of horsemen charged towards them from north end of the ridge. Balfour's Scottish curses wilted the grass all the way back to Kineton and all the way to the door of the church where the Earl of Essex and his officers were praying.

  Daniel held Balfour's horse and waited for him outside. He was in good company for all the servants of the noble officers who were billeted in the best houses were waiting about for their officers to emerge from the church. Good company for they were speaking easily to each other about army life and their stay in Worcester.

  It occurred to Daniel that if at first light the king's generals had sent their cavalry to attack this camp, they would have won a stunning victory. The thought must also have occurred to some general inside the church, because suddenly there was a lot of activity and young officers were scurrying this way and that. Eventually Balfour emerged and claimed his horse and told Daniel, "At least they granted my request to send some skirmishers into those hedges so that we would have some warning if Rupert's flying army tries to raid our camp."

  Daniel didn't stay with Balfour, but instead followed the colonel's skirmishers out to the hedgerows. He told their captain that his own orders were to ride along the line of enemy pikemen and identify the regiments that were in formation. The captain promised that his squad would be ready to cover him if the enemy cavalry took offense at him doing this. Lies, all lies. In truth he was looking for the men of Freiston. They, as pressed men, would be armed only with pikes and be in the front line. It was enough to give him hope that he would spot them.

  It didn't take him long to realize that the king's generals were not making a defensive move to keep Essex's army at bay while they moved their army along the London road. They were preparing for a full on battle. The reason for the pikemen was that they were moving their field cannons into position. The pikemen were to stop Essex's cavalry from charging the cannons before they were ready to fire. Higher up the slope there were larger cannons which presumably would lob balls at Essex's cannons, but the field cannons at the foot of the slope were there for only one purpose. To mow down men and horses with grape shot.

  The rest of the king's infantry were now moving down the slope to join the pikemen. He rode along the line about three hundred yards out from it and was most careful not to look threatening or like he was inviting a one on one duel. Femke walked slowly and smoothly so that he could scan the thousands of men with his looker, hoping to see someone who looked familiar. It was frustrating for he didn't even know if his clansmen were even amongst the pikemen forming a line along the base of the ridge, but he had to try. It was all he could think of to do. And then there was a whistle.

  Every clansman and woman who worked Wellenhay's ships, or the eel traps, or hunted or gathered in the marshes carried a small whistle hung from a chord around their neck. It was a simple safety measure in case they fell overboard or got lost. Through the years the clan had created whistle codes so they could send signals from ship to ship, or from hunter to hunter. He was hearing one of the signals. The short, long, short, long whistle that was the signal for friend.

  Daniel stuck both his arms high in the air as if to say, "Where?" The whistle was repeated, and this time he had his hands cupped to his ears so he could better sense the direction the whistling was coming from. It was from a group of men somewhere to the south of the next field gun emplacement. He held up his arms again, and then cupped his ears again. There. Just beyond the field guns a group of men were swaying their long pikes in time with each other like long grass in the wind.

  While he was focusing his looker trying to see their faces, the whistle sounded again. Three short tweets. Trouble. He dropped his looker and glanced around. It was trouble of the worst kind. A small squad of Rupert's cavalry we
re racing across the open field towards him. He turned Femke and willed her to fly, and fly she did. Perhaps she didn't have the long stride of the tall coursers who were chasing her, and perhaps she didn't have the brute strength, but she was sure footed and she loved to run.

  The squad now changed course on an angle that would cut him off from the hedges. Hedges and walls and ditches were a pain in the ass for a charging cavalry unit. What they liked was open fields. If they could keep him in the open field eventually they would have him. Daniel began to holler and scream at Balfour's skirmishers hoping they were still in the hedges, hoping they were paying attention, hoping they had their carbines loaded.

  Femke had no hope of winning the race for she was beaten by the angles. Three of the cavalrymen were now between Daniel and the relative safety of the hedgerow, and three others had changed their course slightly to come up behind him. And then there were plumes of gunsmoke from the hedgerow, and then the crash of guns, and then the three cavalry horses that had cut Femke off began to act strangely. One stumbled, one turned sideways, and one began hopping. Femke won her race, and bless her courage, she actually leaped over the first of the hedgerows.

  It took Daniel some skill and effort to slow her down safely, for she seemed determined to leap the second of the hedgerows too. She was lathered up and breathing in great snorts and was in no mood to sense what he wanted her to do, so he was sawing at her reins to get her to stop and calm down. He eventually got her turned and walking and only then was he was able to see what was happening behind him.

  Balfour's skirmishers knew their business. They had not wasted their single shots by aiming at the well armoured cavalry men, but instead had aimed at the running horses. The three leading horses were now limping their riders away from the hedges. The skirmishers were reloading. The rest of the cavalry squad were staying out of carbine range. One of the limping horses fell to her knees and the rider leaped off her and began to quick march himself away from the hedges before the carbines could be reloaded.

  Daniel dismounted and walked over to the skirmisher captain and told him, "Them son's of bitc... er ... nobles will not be pleased with you. They'll be back with the rest of their company. Do you want me to ride to Balfour and get you more men?"

  "First ya can be showin' the common courtesy of thankin' the men that just be savin' yer skin,” the captain replied with a Somerset burr in his voice, but then he laughed. "Aye, we are for it, and that's no lie. Tell the colonel that if he don't send another three squads of skirmishers to me within the hour, that I'll take it as an order to withdraw."

  Before he left the skirmishers Daniel passed around his looker so that all these rough Somerset men could properly see what they were up against. The king's army was coming down the steep slope and lining up about twenty feet up from the flats. The captain pointed over to his own army who were now being assembled along the flat meadows facing the king's army. "The bloody king is going to attack us,” the captain said. "and he will do it soon, before our cannons and the rest of our infantry can arrive from Worcester. Damn his eyes. He won't be satisfied until those dry meadows are drenched in blood."

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  The Pistoleer - Edgehill by Skye Smith Copyright 2013-14

  Chapter 25 - Two armies line up at Edgehill, November 1642

  Daniel found Balfour with the companies of mounted infantry and light cavalry that were being assembled to protect the north end of the long line of pikemen and musketeers. Unfortunately the Earl of Bedford was there doing his duty as the General of Horse by giving the men a rousing speech and some general instructions of what was expected of them tactically.

  Bedford was telling them that their duty in this battle was to break holes the king's line of pikemen. That they were to ride up to that line, kill pikemen with their pistols, and then ride back to safety behind their own line of pikemen so that they could reload, and then charge again, and again, until there were holes in the line.

  Daniel sidled Femke along to stand beside Balfour's stallion, and then whispered to him the message from his skirmisher captain. When the message was acknowledged, he added, "My offer is still open to shoot Bedford."

  "Shhh, someone will hear you," Balfour replied sternly, but then grinned.

  "But he's going to get a lot of men killed for nothing. Does the Earl really think that Rupert's cavalry will just sit around and watch our cavalry attack their pikemen. They will cut our cavalry off as they retreat to reload, and then hack them to pieces with their sabres. If our cavalry do make it back to our pike lines, our men will open their line for them, leaving a hole for Rupert's cavalry to chase through. Better I shoot that fool now and be done with it."

  "You are so right,” Balfour said but when he saw Daniel reach for his pistol, he added, "about Rupert's cavalry, not about shooting Bedford. I'll wait until Bedford has gone to tell the same book learned battle tactics to the southern wing of our cavalry and then I will speak some sense to these men."

  Once Bedford and his entourage of gleaming manor born sons were well out of earshot, Balfour began his own speech. "Lord Bedford means well, but his tactics were flawed and I would have you ignore them." This was far more polite than telling them that the fool was trying to get them all killed. "Rupert's cavalry are the second and third sons of England’s nobility supported by some seasoned veterans from the German wars. They have better horses than you, better armour, and better pistols, plus they are all trained in sabres.

  What the Earl asked of you is a tactic used by the Dutch because they have as few sons of nobles in their cavalry as we do. Rupert is more likely to use the tactic used by the Swedes because they have as many sons of nobles in their cavalry as he does. Instead of racing up to our pike line, firing off their pistols in hopes of creating a hole, and retreating to reload if there is no hole, Rupert will charge our pike line with sabres drawn. If our pikemen flinch and open a hole, they will continue the charge through the line and use the sabres on our musketeers. Their pistols they will keep in reserve.

  In the king's army the cavalry are the attackers while the infantry is little more than a defensive fence. The infantry is made up of the servants and grooms of the noble cavalrymen, or of a rabble of men pressed against their will into the king's service. None of them will have been in a battle like this before. If Rupert's cavalry do not protect them, then they will not hold their line.

  Likewise, our own pike men will not have been in a battle like this before, but at least they are volunteers and better trained and better armed. What Rupert is counting on is that some of our pikemen will make the mistake of dropping their pikes and running from a cavalry charge, and that will open a hole in our line, and that will be the undoing of our musketeers.

  Your job today is to keep Rupert away from our pike men. The best way of doing that is to get them to chase you, and then lead them away from our lines. Did you all hear that. Lead them away from our lines. You are not to seek safety behind our pike line for reloading, for that will open a hole in our line." He looked around into the faces of the officers and waited at each face until they gave him the nod. The last face he looked into was Daniels. "Danny, do you have anything to add?"

  Daniel thought for a moment, and then called out. "The best way of getting them to chase you is to attack them, or rather, attack their horses. They can afford the finest armour and that armour will defeat your pistol balls, so instead shoot to lame their horses. Just ride up to them, turn, fire, and then run to escape them. Don't even watch your shot hit home, just run. Run away from the battlefield and keep running until they give up the chase, and then load up and attack their horses again. If you can keep Rupert's cavalry busy chasing you, then our infantry can safely cross the open field and roll over their infantry."

  After a few more words, Balfour turned to two of the captains and ordered them to take their companies to reinforce the skirmishers already in the hedgerows. Then he turned his horse to follow Bedford to the southern wing
and undo whatever Bedford had been telling them there. Daniel rode with him and while they rode Balfour told him, "You lied back there about our infantry being able to safely cross the open field if there is no cavalry."

  "How so?" Daniel asked while going back in his mind through what he had said.

  "The king's generals know that our volunteer infantry will roll over their pressed infantry so instead of making two parallel lines in the Dutch way, they are forming staggered squares in the Swedish way. They have also placed two field guns in front of each of their infantry regiments. The grape from those guns will shred our men before they ever reach the king's lines. That will give heart to the king's infantry and they will stand their ground."

  Daniel stopped and took out his looker. Balfour also stopped for he also wanted a look through it. They were sitting high in their saddles so from their position in front of the center of Essex's pike line they had a good view across to the center of the king's line. From here Daniel could clearly see the field guns just north of his Freiston men. The gunners were gathered around an officer, presumably being told tactics and a rousing speech.. "Who is the officer with the field guns, the ones directly across from us?" he asked and passed the looker to Balfour.

  Balfour focused the thing and then looked along the line from one end to the other and up on the ridge behind it. "I can see Charlie’s headquarters half way up the ridge. Look at all the flags and standards. Oh, there is Charlie. He is prancing along behind the pike squares yelling hearty sayings at the men."

  "Focus on the field guns across from us. The officer I asked you about is to the south of them speaking to the gunners."

  "Why, that is the king's captain-general, the Earl of Lindsey. I can tell by his colors. Now why is the captain-general down on the front line speaking with some gunners rather than riding with the king? Why is he on the font line at all? If anything he should be up at headquarters running things. He doesn't even have a horse nearby. Very strange."