Chapter 12
With her binoculars, Lyra was able to see the beautiful surroundings around their camp. From the far off fields on the west to the nearby hills to the south, with her binoculars she could see them all with great ease.
Happily looking around, she sat on top of a blanket beside her tent and busied herself by enjoying the magnificent view around her. Despite the beaming sun, she tried her best to ignore the burning sensation on her skin, as the breeze wiped the trickle of sweat that was dripping on her face.
As she brought her gaze towards the nearby hill that towered over the camp, the annoyed and frustrated call off her friend came upon her, forcing her to bring down the binoculars and look towards Bon-Bon, who was giving her an angry glare.
“Lyra!” She growled. “Are you just going to sit around there all day or are you going to help me with this?” She said, pointing her hoof towards the canvas and wooden stands that comprised their unfinished tent.
“Aww…but Bon-Bon…” Lyra whined, not really wanting to work under the soaring heat. “…I’m still enjoying the view around us. And with these binoculars…” She said, levitating it in front of her. “…I can see anything that is afar.”
“Well yeah?” Bon-Bon said, giving an annoyed grunt. She was annoyed at her lazy friend for choosing to slack around and the heat was not helping with her temper. To her, the tent was more important, as the sooner it was up, the sooner they can cover themselves from the heat
“Well those views can wait, this tent can’t. Besides, where did you even get those in the first place?”
Her eyes then dilated in realization as she stared at her friend.
“Don’t tell me you stole that!” She gasped, knowing that binoculars were only given to officers.
“I didn’t steal this!” Lyra said, offended that her friend would think of such a thing. “It was given to me by a friend of mine. She’s an officer, so don’t get any ideas that she stole this and gave it to me.”
“A friend who’s an officer?” Bon-Bon asked curiously.
“Yup…” Lyra said levitating the binoculars in front of her, as she began to scan the hills in front. “…she was kind enough to give it to me, saying that there were tons of this stuff lying around. So she decided to give me one. Isn’t that kind of her.”
“Umm…yeah…” Bon-Bon said, still confused on how Lyra managed to befriend an officer. Throughout their weeks of training, Bon-Bon had only seen and herd Lyra complain about officers, grumbling on how bossy they were in training. But now, to hear that she befriended one, just seemed odd.
Looking through the binoculars, Lyra gazed towards the hill, sighting a tall figure standing on top of it. Focusing its lenses, she managed to get a clear image and saw the black hat and blue uniform of a certain and unmistakable human.
“Hey, it’s that human, Colonel.” Lyra called, but was ignored by a grumbling Bon-Bon. “I wonder what’s he doing there?”
Newman looked down the large hill he was standing on to see that large sea of white tents that were covering the open field. From his position, he could see ponies busy themselves below him, trying to turn the mishmash of cloth and crates into a proper camp. Keeping an eye of it all, he made sure that things were being done properly, noting the small detail that he would have to fix later.
Observing the forming camp, he could see the white tents spread to the horizon, the homes of thousands of ponies that would serve in the campaign against the enemy.
From the number of banners he saw flying high above the tents; he counted at least nine flags waving in the wind, which equaled to nine regiments. An entire division, of at least nine thousand ponies, camped in the fields of this flat countryside.
Although not as large as the Army of the Potomac, the Volunteer Army was still a large and great force, comprising of at least twenty-five thousand strong at its current state. Right on the field in front of him was one of the three full divisions of this new army.
But with news of more regiments being trained and prepared, Newman knew that this army would continue to grow. The only question was on how large the army would grow. With thousands upon thousands of patriotic ponies still signing up, their numbers would continue to swell, till they have a large force of armed and lightly trained ponies.
Despite having a large force that is said to currently outnumber the enemy, Newman knew that this new army stood little chance in winning a battle. With only two weeks of training in them, he knew that an attack upon the force might bring defeat upon them, due to the fact that the army hasn’t been hardened yet.
Newman himself had disagreed with the idea of massing the forces here, knowing that a battle would lead to a massacre, yet understood the reasoning behind it. With no other forces than the Volunteers and Militia to hold the line, Equestria was forced to move their only army, in hopes of deterring an enemy advance. But the only deterrent they had was a mob of armed ponies who knew how to march and point guns.
At least Newman could relax, knowing that they wouldn’t be attacking any time soon.
With orders to not to make a move against the enemy lines and to hold the line, the Volunteer Army was there to camp and wait. While waiting, they could the time given to them to drill and train, enhancing their skills till they were ready or till the enemy makes a move.
Till then, Newman was determined to turn the brigade he marched with into a real fighting force.
Looking down once more, Newman caught a glimpse of the Stars and Stripes, which was fluttering from the breeze that was blowing upon it. From his position, he could see the tired men of the 220th, lying on blanket and resting, while the others tried to cool themselves by drenching their faces with water and using any flat object as a fan.
Despite the cool air, the hot burning was still a great nuisance on the skin. The bright rays of sunshine burned and stung any part of the body that was exposed, as the heat made both men and ponies sweat a river.
It was truly a hot day and Newman only wished that a large cloud would hover above them and shield them all from the heat. It was a good thing that Newman had a three at the hill he was on or else he too would be fanning himself with his hat.
Moving his eyes away from his men, Newman brought his gaze upon three banners of the 2nd Division’s 1st Brigade, also known as the Ponyville Brigade. This brigade was the same brigade that he and his regiment drilled and trained, and now they were under his temporary command.
Due to a serious lack of qualified officers, especially those who can lead commands that were the size of a brigade and higher, the brigade and it three regiments and artillery battery was given to him, due to his familiarity with most of the officers and capabilities of the force.
At first Newman refused, knowing all too well that brigade commanders don’t lead from behind but in the front. And if he led this brigade into battle, then it was a sure possibility that the 220th would follow him into battle, as they would never let their commander fight without them, no matter how much convincing he would give them.
With the goal of bringing his entire regiment of this world alive and in one piece, he couldn’t bare the idea of them dying in battle in a foreign and strange land. It was already bad enough for them to die in a Civil War, even worse for them to face the possibly of dying here, with no reassurance to the faith of their souls. So he declined the offer and reminded them that he and his men were only here to act as advisors.
But with Celestia’s gentle urging, Newman accepted the command, with the reassurance that the brigade would not see any action till they found a replacement commander. Till another commander was found, the brigade would remain in reserve and under his command.
So with those offers given, he took the command and was now the first commander of the brigade.
Looking down and seeing his brigade, he took note on the fact that they were already done with most of the organizing and were now lazing in their tents. He made a metal note to send an order for drills later, knowing that precious time was being wasted with them doing nothing.
The gentle sound of wings soon attracted his attention away from the camp, as he turned to face the source of the sound.
“Sir…” Dawn said, landing beside him and giving a salute. “…I’m here to report that the new regimental commander have just arrived and are currently heading towards their respective regiments.”
“Yes, very good, they must get accustomed to their new command.” Newman said, returning the salute and nodding.
With the task of organizing the new army, officers from anywhere Equestria could get them were being assigned to the newly formed units, replacing the previous volunteer commanders. They were mostly newly promoted cadets, fresh from the academy, but some of them were officers from the guard, ponies who had served for a long time and new the meaning of organization and order.
If Newman was lucky, he would have at least one regimental commander who was a former officer of the Royal Guard, if not, was the possibility of having young cadets, who were more fit to act as platoon leaders or staff members, rather than regimental commanders.
Shading his eyes and looking up in the sky, he estimated that it was almost noon. The soldiers would have most likely have started their fires and began to cook their meals.
Looking away from the sky, he turned his attention to the bat pony beside him and began to give her dome new orders.
“Tell them that they should meet me by my tent at three o’clock.” Newman said. “I want to size them up and make sure that I have decent commanders.”
Not that it mattered much to him, since the problem of having reliable commanders in battle would fall upon the officer who would replace him. But it would have still been respectful and common courtesy for a brigade commander to get to know his regimental commanders, no matter how short the assignment would be.
“Yes, sir.” Dawn said with a salute.
She was just about to fly off and search for the regimental commander, when suddenly, a white furred pegasus dropped from the skies and landed beside her, facing Newman and giving the man a salute.
“Nice of you to fly in and join us, Lieutenant.” Newman said, returning the salute.
“Sir…” Feather Wing said, panting heavily.
Having just flown from the main headquarters of the army, which was located two miles away, the white pegasus officer was tired from his long journey. With the hot weather and long distance, it took a toll on the young pegasus. It didn’t help that he had to find Newman through the vast camp, where thousands of ponies and at least four hundred ponies took shelter.
Luckily for him, despite the vastness of the camp, Newman was easily identifiable, due to his tall posture and unique black hat. It was also his
luck that Newman was standing on one of the highest points in the area, which was a large lump of ground that overlooked the camp below.
“Sir…” Feather Wing said again, finally catching his breath, but still panting heavily.
Suppressing a giggle and trying to hide the crooked grin on her face, Dawn couldn’t help but enjoy the look of the pegasus beside her, as she found the Feather Wing’s tired state amusing. It was something about the young pegasus that she found interesting and unique, as his actions always seemed serious, yet painted with the carelessness of an eager pony.
She found his eagerness both amusing and admirable, as she found him a pony who was truly committed and determined to accomplish something, yet careless due to his eagerness to conduct some exciting soldiering. With those combined, he made a fun pony to poke at, as well as a great companion to have.
“General Stockade request you’re presence at his headquarters as soon as possible, sir.” Feather Wing said, having regained composure.
“General Stockade you say…” Newman said, rubbing his chin.
Newman had heard of the name before and knew that the General was the commander of the combined armies of Equestria. But other than those basic facts, Newman knew nothing else of the pony who was technically his commander. He was quite curios on what type of officer Stockade would be like and wondered what qualities made him fit to be the commander of all of the entirety of the Equestrian Army.
With the request in front of him, it would be the first time Newman would meet Stockade face to face.
“Do you have any idea why I’m being called to his headquarter?” Newman asked.
Feather Wing shrugged and shook his head. “He didn’t say, sir.”
Newman nodded and once again glanced up towards the sky to see no clouds above.
Groaning he shook his head and whipped some sweat that was running down his forehead. With a long journey to the headquarters and a hot day, Newman knew that this would be a tiresome journey.
General Stockade’s headquarters was an old stone farmhouse, which belonged to a wheat farmer who graciously allowed Stockade and his staff to work in the lower floor of the structure, as well as offering the commanding general a room upstairs.
“Should I stay outside, sir?” Feather Wing asked when they reached the porch.
The young officer had decided to endure the heat once more and accompany him to the trek towards the headquarters, earning the great appreciation of Newman.
Looking at the pegasus, Newman shook his head and beckoned him to follow him. I doubt it that you’re going to hear anything that needs to be kept a secret.” Newman said.
“Very well, sir.” Feather Wing said nodding.
Entering the farmhouse, Neman was greeted with the sight of staff officers who were rushing from one corner to the other, carrying papers, while couriers went pass him to try and deliver the messages they carried. The room was alive and busy, as the general’s staff did their job in an organized, yet quick fashion.
At the center of the room was a long table, where two ponies stood discussing about the day’s orders. Approaching the table, Newman saw that the two ponies were both unicorns.
As he approached, the heavy sound of his steps echoed on the wooden floor, attracting the attention of most ponies, including the two who were by the long table. Turning their heads, they brought their gazes to Newman as he stood in front of them.
“Ah, Colonel Newman.” The first unicorn said, moving towards him. “It is good to finally meet you face to face. I am General Stockade, commander of the combined armies of Equestria.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, sir.” Newman said with a salute. He found it odd that he had to call a pony ‘sir’ and had to salute him, but he kept those thoughts inside him.
“And this pony over here…” Stockade said, gesturing to the unicorn beside him. “…is General Cutter, commander of the Volunteer Army.”
“Sir.” Newman said, acknowledging him.
“Colonel.” Cutter said with a nod.
After a short exchange of pleasantries, Stockade beckoned Newman to join them at the long table, which the man accepted. Stepping to one corner of the wooden table, with Feather Wing beside him, Newman looked down at the nearest map beside.
From the map, he could see that the surrounding area around them were mostly fields, with the occasional hills and high ground in one area and another. It was a lovely place, perfect ground. A battle any part here would be a dream battlefield for a good commander, as there were many locations where the terrain can be used for a fighting force’s advantage.
“Now, Colonel…” Stoackade said, making the man look towards the pony. “…you’re probably wondering why I called you here.”
“Well, I have to admit that I was a bit curious, sir.” Newman replied.
Stockade smiled and gestured to a large map in the center of the table.
“Well you see Colonel, from our scouting parties; we have learned that the Griffons are planning to send a small force, estimated to be a division strong, to the west of Manehattan. Their objectives are not clear, seeing that there is no major town or city in that vicinity, but my presumption is that they plan to gather supplies. They most likely want to forage and collect food at the rural area over there, since it is filled with farms that can help feed them with large stocks of wheat.”
He gave a short paused as he shook his head.
“Then again, I could be wrong with this theory, but all we know right know is that they’re moving west.”
“So, the Griffons are planning to move against us?” Newman asked.
“No…” Stockade shook his head. “…at least not directly. But if they exploit their movement, then we could be in trouble. With them moving to the west, our force here…” He said, pointing at the southern outskirts of Fillydelphia. “…would have its right flank exposed, if the enemy choose to advance north.
Newman listened to the General’s explanation of the situation and nodded with each word. “So what do you propose to do, General?”
“Well, I plan to meet them of course.” He said, lightly tapping his hoof on the top of the table. “I can’t have them loitering around Equestrian soil without expecting any punishment. So I’m going to pull out two division and conduct a counter march that would move towards them, hopefully deterring them to continue any further movement.”
“You don’t plant to engage?” Cutter asked curiously.
“No…” Stockade stated. “...I only plan to push them back, by massing a larger force against them. But if the enemy could not be persuaded, then whether we like it or not, we must engage, unless we want them marching towards our flank.” Stockade looked towards the map, as a small grin drew on his face.
To him, the plan seemed good and well thought. With his careful and meticulous thinking and calculations, he planned to execute the operation without a single loss of life. The only thing that separated the plan from being conducted was the approval of the advisor that was assigned to them.
So he looked up and stared at Newman, wanting to know his opinion. Stockade was actually surprised to see the tall human, despite the fact that he was expecting to see a strange creature. With a tall height and stoic frame, Newman, to Stockade, looked like a picturesque officer, a valuable ally in any fight.
“Well, Colonel, what do you think of the plan?” He asked, waiting for the human’s reply.
Newman thought about the plan that was presented at him and saw the logic at the action. If the army stayed in their position, then there was a chance of the enemy moving towards their right, making it even harder to fight. So if they managed to deter the advancing force with one of their own, then they could prevent that scenario from happening.
But there was only one problem that kept on pecking him, as he feared that it might cause future problems. The possibility of weakening their defenses over here, due to the sudden march of two divisions, was something that should not be looked over.
“Well…” He began. “…it seems like a sound plan. But how many troops would you leave to defend Fillydelphia?”
Stockade nodded and smiled at Newman’s approval, as well as quickly answering the question he asked. “I’ll leave one division and all of the militia units defending the city. With a sufficient amount of cannon and good entrenchments, the garrison force that would be left would be more than sufficient to hold off any attempt by the enemy. What do you think, General Cutter?”
“With the fortification we currently have, I think we have a sufficient force left to defend.” Cutter replied, nodding.
“Good, good…” Stockade said. “…are there any more questions or inquiries?”
No one said anything.
“Very well then, it seems that we all agree with the plan.” Stockade said. “We will be bringing the 1st and 2nd Division with us, while the 3rd would stay with the militia and garrison the fortifications.” He then brought his attention to Newman and began to address the man.
“As our advisor and a commander of one of my brigades, you, Colonel, are obliged to join us. But don’t worry Colonel, we’ll keep your brigade in reserve and only pull you in the fight in case we need you, which I highly doubt, since we already have sufficient numbers and I have high confidence that their small force would risk an engagement with our larger one.”
Newman nodded, relieved to learn that his brigade wouldn’t be in the front lines. With them at the back, it lowered the risk of having the men of the 220th getting injured of dying.
“Alright, everypony…” General Stockade said, giving the map one final look before glancing towards the officers gathered around him. “…we will move our force at first light tomorrow. I will inform all division commanders during the meeting later tonight. Hopefully, if this operation goes to plan, then the enemy would stop their prods and stay put.”
Newman only nodded at the confident words Stockade was saying, knowing that his plan was a well thought and organized one. The movement would help prevent further enemy intrusion and possibly make the enemy fall back, without firing a shot.
But despite the meticulous planning that was surely poured into the planning, Newman also knew that no plan survived the first contact with the enemy. Hopefully, things would not come to that.