Angst

Battle of Besh, Humshofbrew 122

This account is based on a pre-publication release of the relevant section of The News of The Known World. It is written from a Chaldean perspective, Chaldean forces under Abraham remaining neutral and not being involved in the actual battle.

If any of the participants disagree with any part of this account they should add their own version to this thread by writing a reply in the same thread. Discussion of this kind is very welcome as it contributes to the veracity of the account by providing a variety of views of different participants.

Strategic Context
The Treaty of 121 between Pontus and New Persia was intended to settle a long-standing border dispute between Nyf?rer (Viking ruler of Estonia and Upper Mesopotamia and satrap of New Persia) and Macalix (ruler of the Galatians, a Pontic Satrapy). The result left Macalix dissatisfied and angry.

Wagwelix and Wagdimandua, the leaders of the Galatian settlers of the East Bank Tigris cities of Arbil and Tikrit respectively - that owe allegiance to Nyf?rer who in turn holds them of Angustus as part of his satrapy - decided to return to Galatia with their levies each of some 10,000 foot and their people with their herds and possessions. Their migration began with the looting and firing of their respective cities. They moved west across the Tigris into Mesopotamia, and then across the Euphrates where they were harassed by Abraham of Chaldea?s horse-skirmisher levy and Nyf?rer?s light horse. Both groups were severely mauled, Wagdimandua and her people so much so that they surrendered to Abraham on the west bank of the Euphrates near the city of Naifur.

Meanwhile, Macalix had gathered his armies and moved east to escort the Galatian migrants home, initially also harassed by Abraham. Wagwelix' migrant numbers were swelled by the Sinjar Galatians, leaving more peacefully. On reaching the Besh Ford, Macalix - escorting a tail of over 100,000 migrants with their herds and possessions - found it held against him by Emperor Angustus of New Persia and an elite Imperial Army of over 25,000. Crossing the Murat, Macalix by-passed the Besh ford and arrived to the west of the disputed ford at the end of Aufield.

Map of Theatre of Operations

This map is temporary and will hopefully be replaced by a more detailed map including positions of the forces involved. The campaign area is roughly in the valleys of the River Tug and the River Mus. Besh is a major gateway to Upper Mesopotamia via the small walled city inside the Tug Bend, commanding the strategic Besh ford and the crossroad of four tracks that converge on it.




The Armies

Macalix:
Macalix was on the road from Sivas to Corun approaching the Mus River Bend, with the migrants strung out behind him as far as Sivas (some 100 miles) with Wagwelix protecting the migrants and acting as rearguard.
Macalix had 12,000 cavalry, 2000 foot, all regulars
Ate with 6,000 cavalry
Weelix and Edobrix leading 20- 25,000 Galatian levy of which 20% cavalry
Wagwelix: 100- 125,000 Galatian migrants and their herds/possessions, of which 15- 20,000 were fighting men of limited quality.

Nyf?rer: 7,000 cavalry, 12,000 veteran Estonian armoured foot & 7,000 lighter foot on the road between Of and Sivas. He also had 4- 5,000 Caspian horse levy under Tremuras holding the southern end of Sivas Bridge.

Emperor Angustus of New Persia: camped west of the Besh Ford with an elite force of 13,000 cavalry, 11,000 foot and 6,000 construction corps, plus a seige corps.

Week 1
Macalix
Sent a detachment of light cavalry and foot to lay an ambush on the Tokat road just south of the Kimil River, effectively blocking courier contact between Nyf?rer and Angustus by the end of the week. Also send a detachment to hold the west end of Sivas Bridge. Main army drew together and moved to the junction of the Corun road and Malatya track where his army dug in behind series of earthworks facing E and SE. Weelix prepared an ambush position nearby. Ate and El Ambrix were held as cavalry reserve. By the end of the week the last of the migrants were entering the narrowest part of the Mus valley some 40 miles downriver from the Bend, while the head of the column was arriving at the Malatya junction.

Nyf?rer
Moved to the hills west of Sivas and established a camp near the abandoned fort there. Screen of cavalry and monted infantry made a series of outflanking moves forcing Wagelix to pull back, skirmishing, up the Mus valley. Tremuras tried some cautious probes over the Sivas Bridge against the Galatians holding its northern end.

Angustus
Kept the Galatians under observation. Diplomatic courier message from Macalix politely rejected. The last messenger to get through from Nyf?rer via Tokat (before it was closed by Macalix? ambush detail) arrived. On the 7th Angustus set off cautiously behind a strong screen moving up the valley from the Besh ford.


Week 2
Macalix on learning that Angustus was moving against him, threw out a screen that was only pulled back once Angustus had come within sight of the Corun road and Macalix? earthworks.
Angustus halted to await the arrival of Nyf?rer, while the construction corps build a series of fortified camps overlooking the Corun road where the road begins to climb, 12 miles west of Macalix? position.
Nyf?rer began to aggressively attack the Galatian levy rearguard, badly shaking their morale, so many fled. Wagwelix rallied them but some of the migrants panicked, abandoning wagons, flocks and herds, some migrants lost trying to ford the river. By 14th Nyf?rer was within 5 miles of Macalix? position.

Week 3
Ate had about 6,000 men, virtually all cavalry: Macalix? paid forces numbered about 12,000 cavalry and 2,000 foot: Weelix and Edobrix had 20-25,000 Galatian levy of which perhaps 20% were cavalry: Wagwelix and the migrants numbered about 100-125,000 of which 15-20,000 were fighting men, though of rather limited quality.
Nyf?rer was accompanied by some 7,000 cavalry, 12,000 veteran Estonian armoured foot, and 7,000 lighter foot: Angustus had 13,000 cavalry, 11,000 foot and 6,000 Imperial Construction Corps; he also had the siege corps but this was left at the Besh ford and took no part in the events which follow: on the other side of the Sivas bridge was Tremuras with 4-5,000 Caspian levy, mostly cavalry..

Nyf?rer put some effort and some cash into courting the local Iberians: he was entirely correct in thinking that they didn?t like Galatians, and they took his money readily enough, but they trusted not the Vikings ? however, those that he employed as guides guided him well enough. And the merchants were happy to sell him supplies ? and wooden stakes ? though the price and quality did not always match too well.
Nyf?rer moved to the hills west of Sivas and by the evening of the 2nd had established a camp near the old abandoned hill-fort there.
Next day he pushed a screen of cavalry and mounted infantry down into the valley whilst moving round the hills to establish a new camp. On the 4th he tried to move further along the hillside above the Mus valley but the terrain became more difficult and Nyf?rer established a strong camp whence his screen watched the Galatians: there was minor fairly unaggressive skirmishing. On the 7th he moved to another strong camp level with the rear of the Galatian column.
Angustus? scouts had already told him of the Galatian move down the Mus valley and they continued to monitor the Galatian advance.
Angustus courteously received an inoffensive, charming and indeed pleasant herald who had been sent by Macalix to say: ?You are trespassing on my land for the second time please leave within two days by the shortest possible route: as you are opposite the Besh ford the shortest possible route is defined as being across the ford towards Besh.? Angustus gave the fellow a small gift and an excellent meal before sending him on his way with the message that the surrender submission to Angustus of the Galatian migrants would be kindly received.
A bloodied and weary messenger (complaining bitterly that he had met problems that even BT didn?t face: he had had to go via Tokat and the Galatians nearly got him in the Kimil valley) from Nyf?rer arrived at Angustus? camp late on the 6th.
On the 7th Angustus set off up the valley from Besh, moving cautiously behind a formidable scouting screen.
Macalix had sent a detachment of levy, light cavalry and foot, towards Corun then up the Tokat road: they prepared an ambush just south of the Kimil river and pushed scouts round north of the hills: they missed Nyf?rer?s messenger (vs) but he was the last one to get through.
Macalix also detailed a detachment to hold the Sivas bridge.
Macalix kept the armies concentrated and they moved briskly down the valley to the junction of the Malatya track with the Corun road.
There Macalix established a series of field fortifications facing east and south-east: Weelix prepared a position nearby for an ambush: Ate and El Ambrix commanded a cavalry reserve.
By the end of the 1st week the migrants? tail was entering the narrower part of the Mus valley some 40 miles or so from the river?s great bend to the south: the head of the column had just reached the Malatya junction.
Tremuras was rather unenthusiastically testing the Galatians at the Sivas bridge.

Macalix, when he was told of Angustus? move north, launched a vigorous scouting screen which was at first rather easily bounced back by the New Persians: Macalix reinforced his scouting screen but withdrew it behind his fortifications when the New Persians? slow and cautious advance finally brought them within sight of the Corun road and his fortifications.
Angustus declined the advice of his generals to attack the fortifications immediately (?Yes, I know that Tospades and his infantry could take them, but we should wait for Nyf?rer?s attack to materialise?).
The 1st Brigade of the Imperial Construction Corps (1BotICC), fortified a magnificent series of linked camps overlooking the Corun road, some three miles south of the road and 12 miles west of the Galatian defences, where the road begins to climb.
Nyf?rer moved his infantry down into and then west along the Mus valley, keeping close to the hills north of the valley: he simultaneously launched his cavalry aggressively down into the Mus valley to engage Wagwelix? warriors defending the rear of the Galatian column. The warriors were no match for Laganides? cavalry and many fled: the migrants at the rear panicked, abandoning wagons and even some of the flocks and herds. Some tried to ford the river and were lost.
Wagwelix rallied the warriors and ordered the abandoned wagons (and their supplies) fired; in the respite thus gained he got the migrants and the warriors to form the rest of their wagons into a series of lagers along the road and on the river bank.
Nyf?rer pushed slowly but steadily westwards down the valley and by the 14th was about 5 miles from Macalix? position, again camped in a good position in the foothills.
Nyf?rer sent several messengers to Angustus.
The migrants, by the end of the 2nd week, had established a series of lagers in the narrow part of the Mus valley (vs) holding perhaps 2/3 of their number. But the head of the column had kept moving along the Corun road and many, perhaps 30,000, had passed the New Persian position unhindered: about 5,000 more were scattered between this and Macalix? fortifications.
Macalix extended his field fortifications facing up the valley towards Nyf?rer. He had still succeeded in preventing further messengers from Nyf?rer reaching Angustus. Weelix decided on an alternative ambush site ? a carefully chosen scrubby hillock with a very obvious but decoy lager some distance away.
Tremuras was rather unenthusiastically testing the Galatians at the Sivas bridge; some of his men patrolled the south bank of the river and they killed four of Nyf?rer?s would-be messengers.

Week 3: time for dicisions!

Nyf?rer, confident of his infantry, attacked Macalix? defences on the 17th, his cavalry screening the nearby lagers, particularly the decoy. Nyf?rer?s confidence in his infantry was well-judged; they over-ran the field fortifications with relatively few losses and were beginning to slaughter the defenders when Weelix and a few thousand foot levy emerged from cover and hit their already somewhat disorganised flank.
Odin?s Estonians fought on savagely, and even when more of Weelix? men joined in, they fought on taking and inflicting heavy losses.
Ate and El Ambrix were dissuaded from joining in by the rapid approach of the New Persians (not the 1BotICC: they were left to hold the fortified camps and when some of the nearby migrants sought to take advantage of the, as they thought, now undefended camps, the 1BotICC chopped them to ribbons).
Anxious to show their loyalty, the Syrians with Phallaces at their head, led the charge (Tomeniaces bar Slivv would have ordered this if Phallaces hadn?t volunteered).
Ate and El Ambrix with the cavalry reserve stopped the Syrian charge in its tracks and were just settling down to enjoy a vengeful even if necessarily brief pursuit when Tomeniaces and the armoured Imperial New Persian cavalry arrived and routed the Anatolian and Galatian cavalry, Ate receiving a wound to her shoulder. Tomeniaces called off the pursuit as the Anatolians and Galatians fled into the east-facing defences.
Tremuras was rather unenthusiastically testing the Galatians at the Sivas bridge yet again when they, anxious that they had been forgotten, left their post and fled: the Caspians pursued and scattered them, slaughtering many.

The outcome & aftermath.

With Tospades and his veteran infantry rapidly approaching, Macalix and Weelix ordered the retreat: locals had already shown them a just about passable route north over the hills to the Kimil head-waters. They would have to abandon heavy equipment and few if any of the migrants were going to be able to follow them. Mardaces organised a rear-guard but in the event it proved unnecessary: only the most foolhardy would try to pursue them over those hills.
Macalix and Weelix, the latter carrying Ate despite her and Macalix? protests (?You carry your infant! I?ll carry her.? ?Well mind where you hold me, you brute.?) along with the various Galatian and Anatolian survivors, escaped over the hills to the Kimil headwaters: many cavalry mounts were lost to the terrible terrain.
They made their way to Corun and eventually we assume that they will find their way back to their homes.
Wagwelix surrendered to the New Persians, but foolishly to Tomeniaces who promptly had him hanged. The other trapped migrants had no choice but to surrender. They were relatively well-treated: all weapons and valuables, all healthy mounts, and all but a bare minimum of their supplies were confiscated, as were the comely lasses and a few good-looking lads. At Tomeniaces suggestion, the wagons having been searched, the migrants were then permitted to leave, either to Galatia or back to New Persia. Few chose the latter.
Losses, totals for the month, all causes, approximate.
Nyf?rer 900 cavalry & 11,200 infantry;
Tremuras 500 cavalry;
Angustus 3,300 cavalry, 200 infantry, & 150 1BotICC;
Ate 2,800 cavalry;
Macalix 5,400 cavalry & 1,900 infantry;
Weelix 1,800 cavalry & 10,800 infantry;
Wagwelix 8,700 infantry killed & about 2,000 captured;
13,000 migrants killed & 50,000 captured.
Phallaces, Odin the Lean, & El Ambrix were among the dead