Fog of War

by Teal

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dawn broke with the beautiful sight of the sun, as it slowly rose up from the east horizon. The sound of the chickens crackling in their coop from the nearby farm echoed in the open field, stirring awake the ponies who lived in their humble wooden home. After a pleasant and quiet night’s sleep, it was, once again, time to start the day, as the darkness gave way for the light. Yawning and stirring themselves awake, they shook of the last hints of sleepiness as they got ready for the day ahead of them. But for a thousand plus ponies and a hundred or so humans who were marching down the road in front of the farm, their day had begun hours earlier, when the darkness still shrouded the land.

Having struck camp early in the morning, the soldiers of the Volunteer Amy moved quickly, making sure to reap from the early morning benefits of having cool air and dark skies that didn’t prick them with heat.

Despite being tired and weary from the lack of sleep, the ponies in all of the regiments were grateful for the fact that they didn’t have to march under the scourging heat of the sun. For them, the trade of sleep and heat was a fair one, as they would just repay the lack of sleep later, when they take their next halt.

With some still moving stiff from the previous day’s march, while some staggering from the drawing call of sleep, the long columns looked like a pitiful sight. In fact, if it wasn’t for the darkness that covered them, anypony who saw the lines would have just shook their heads and sighed.

Only the urgings and croaking of the officers and sergeants kept them all in line, as the ponies tried their best to maintain an orderly look. But no matter how determined a pony could be, the complaints of the body could not be ignored for long, as ponies began passing out on the march.

With ponies beginning to pass out once more and the sun beginning to cover them again, General Stockade decided to give his army a break, seeing that they had already marched far enough. Looking at the ground around him, which was slowly being lit by the sun’s light, he could see that they were in a decent place to camp and position the army.

From the early reports he got, he knew that this area was near enough to threaten the enemy and wide and open to hold a large camp, a perfect place to place his army. So after a couple of minutes of surveying his position, he gave the order to halt.

Everypony was elated when the order was passed along the line, as many heaved a heavy sigh of relief, with a hint of weariness, when they heard it.

Grateful and relieved that they could finally rest, most of the ponies ignored the fact that they didn’t have a blanket under them or a tent over their heads, as they plopped themselves down on the soft and cold grass.

Tired from the night march, they wanted to sleep now and worry about setting up the camp later.

But that didn’t mean there was no activity in the soon to be camp, as there were still ponies who had enough energy in them to do the duties that was required and needed in establishing their new camp.

Officers posted picket lines on the edge of their positions, making sure that they had eyes watching out yonder, to make sure that no enemy would approach them and take them surprise. Soldiers carrying canteens formed water details and moved towards the nearby creek, filling their comrades’ canteens with fresh and cool water. Some of the ponies even started camp fires and started cooking meals, so that their sleeping comrades had something to eat when they woke up.

Despite the slow progress, the tired army that stopped on this small piece of farm land was beginning to build their new camp.

By the time the sun was up in the sky, sending its hot burning rays to everypony bellow, the open field had turned into a proper camp. With a large area quartering the soldiers, as their white tents stuck out on the opens fields, and the wooden farmhouse housing General Stockade and his staff, after having been graciously invited by the small family who lived there to stay within their walls throughout their stay and make themselves comfortable.

---

Siting by the long table at the mess tent, Newman finished munching his teeth on his fried potatoes before washing down the greasy substance by taking a long swig on his canteen. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he then put away his utensils before excusing himself from the others and walking away from the tent.

As he excited the tent, he ran into Lt. Feather Wing, who had just woken up from hi short nap and was trotting towards the mess for breakfast.

“Glad to finally see you awake Lieutenant.” Newman called, as Feather Wing stopped to salute.

“I’m sorry for not being awake earlier, sir.” Feather Wing apologized.

“No need to worry…” Newman assured him. “…I know you were working hard last night by keeping things in order and making sure that the brigade’s supplies weren’t lagging behind. So I think you deserved that short nap you had.”

Feather Wing nodded his thanks before giving a small smile. “Well, if you would allow me to speak freely, sir, I think the job of keeping the supplies in track would have been an easier job if it wasn’t for a certain bat pony officer who kept on sleeping on the job.”

“You mean Lt. Dawn?” Newman said, giving an amused smile.

Although Newman disapproved slackers, for their wondering minds and lazy bodies, he knew that the young Lt. Dawn was a different case. Despite being known to be lazy, Newman also knew that when a job needed to be done, Lt. Dawn would do everything she can and give her best to fulfill that duty. So even thought she was lazy, usually seen sleeping in warm places, Newman knew that she always compensated for this by giving her short bursts of productiveness.

“You know, I always thought that bat ponies were like bats, nocturnal and all.” Newman remarked, remembering the sight of the bat pony sleeping in one of the supply carts during the night march.

“Yeah, they are.” Feather Wing said. “But she says that she’s been readjusting her sleeping habits, so that she would be awake during the day. She thinks all the exciting stuff happens during day light and thought that she’ll be missing in all the fun if she slept during the day.”

Newman gave a short chuckle and shook his head. “Well, you better get some breakfast now, Lieutenant, and don’t rush yourself doing so. I’ve got Lt. Dawn doing most of the errands, seeing the she’s the only one in this brigade who has slept for more than two hours. We’ve got plenty of friend potatoes and bread in there, so you can help yourself to a plate load of them.”

The young pegasus nodded before entering the tent and disappearing within.

Potatoes and bread…

Ever since they arrived in Equestria, Newman and his men had been eating nothing but vegetables and pastries, food that they believed wouldn’t offend their vegetarian allies. The occasional fired egg could also be seen once in a while, but the staple of their diet usually centered on any vegetable they could get, from potatoes to cabbages.

And although Newman didn’t complain about these types of food, for their provided nutrition for he and his men, he still held worry for his regiment and their sudden change of diet. Sure, the vegetables helped his men grow strong, but there was still one vital meal that they needed to provide enough protein for them all, meat.

Meat was something they haven’t seen for a while and Newman knew that his men would need large quantities to keep them all strong and going. Before, when they were still camped at Ponyville, the 220th would usually hunt far off from camp, catching a rabbit or two before splitting it between the members of their company.

They would usually do the hunting far away from camp, beyond any of the training recruits, as to not worry the ponies and make them scared of the humans.

But now, where there were thousands of ponies in a camp and any shot could be mistaken by a call for help by the pickets, hunting without the knowledge of the ponies was just too dangerous and risky. Newman already called off the hunting forays and although his men met it with great disappointment, he knew that they understood the importance of his decision.

Since the beginning of the march, the men of the 220th had been eating nothing but vegetables and bread, in taking the nutritious green food and soft luscious baked wheat, while grumbling at the fact that they couldn’t eat meat without scaring their new friends.

Newman knew that he would have to find a solution to this problem at some point, but right now, all seemed fine. It wasn’t a major problem yet, but he was already planning ahead so that I wouldn’t end up being one.

Moving away from the sea of tents and bringing his thoughts away from the meat problem, Newman gazed out to see the beautiful field in front of him. Gazing towards the south, he looked out at the wide field in before him. With clear skies and a wonderful panoramic view in front of him, Newman, for a moment, almost forgot that he was in a foreign world fighting a foreign war.

The area in front of him was large and open, a field that looked like the largest parade ground he had ever seen. Separated into two areas, the one they currently occupied was the farmland, while the one in the distance was a wild grassy plain. In-between the two, acting as a border, was a thick wooden fence.

On the far edge of the grassy plain was large ridge that ran in the center, while on the far right of the plain, seemingly bulging in the halfway mark of the field, was a lone bulky towering hill that seemed to look down upon the large field. The large hill was placed near the center right of the plain and looked like a gigantic obstacle. Seeing it, Newman knew that the hill would be a vital area to take before making any move.

The land here was beautiful and seemingly familiar. With nice open plains like this, the scenery reminded him of the lands of Pennsylvania. Farmlands and hills like this reminded him of his state and it almost seemed that he was back home.

He was always amazed at how Equestria seemed alike to their home and he always wondered why that was so. Other than the major differences of having magic and being ruled by different species, Equestria was basically a flipped version of their world. Over there, across the fields and through the road, was more of this land, more of the familiar looking ground.

“Colonel?” A familiar voice called to him. Turning around, he looked down and faced Lt. Dawn, who was standing at attention before him.

“Yes, Lieutenant, what can I do for you today?”

“Well, sir, it’s not what you can do for me, but instead, what you can do for General Stockade.” Dawn said, with a small smile.

“Let me guess, he’s calling for another meeting, isn’t he?”

“Yes, sir.” She said with a nod.

Newman nodded back sighing. “Well, I better not keep him waiting.” He said, leading the way as Dawn trotted beside him.

---

“Ah, Colonel Newman, glad for you to come.” General Stockade called as Newman entered the farmhouse that the General was using as his headquarters. Urging Newman towards them, the man moved towards the table and noticed a new face joining them in the meeting.

On the other side of the table, standing beside Stockade, was a yellow pegasus mare, with a mane that looked similar to a blazing flame. Wearing the same white uniform most members of the army wore, the only distinguishing factor about her was the fact that her insignias show that she used to be a part of some kind of military unit before the war.

Noticing Newman’s gaze towards the pegasus, Stockade looked towards Newman before moving towards the pegasus and deciding to introduce the two to each other.

“Colonel Newman…” Stockade began. “…I would like to introduce you to Colonel Spitfire, former Captain of the Wonderbolts and now the commander of the 1st Cloudsdale Volunteer Regiment, which is acting as one of this army’s scouting units.”

Newman didn’t know who the Wonderbolts were before, but he did know about the Cloudsdale units, from the reports that were passed down to him. From what he knew, the units were commonly used as scouts, heading a head of the army and keeping an eye on the enemy. To him, the Cloudsdale units were comparable to cavalry, as they seemed to act like one.

Looking towards Spitfire and seeing her nod, Newman tipped his hat in acknowledgement. He would like to know more about this new member at the meeting table, but seeing that they were all summoned here for an important reason, he knew that he would have to do that at another time.

“Well…” Stockade said, once the acknowledgements were done. “…since we’re all here, I think the staff meeting can finally begin. First order of business is the news Colonel Spitfire has to report to us.” He then turned his head towards Spitfire before pointing towards the map on the table. “Colonel, if you may.”

Spitfire moved closer towards the table before putting a hoof on one part of the map. “My regiment and I have been screening for the army ever since the march began and recently we have started to encounter some of the enemy forces here.”

Looking at the map, Newman noticed that Spitefire was pointing towards a position south from theirs. If this intelligence was right, then that meant that they were heading straight down towards the enemy, who was heading west, and could easily cut them off.

“We’ve been patrolling the possible Griffon positions and, after a couple of hours, deduced that this force is composed of an entire division.”

“Well, it looks like your predictions were right, General.” Cutter said, complementing Stockade. “Your plans seem to be working out.”

Stockade gave a small nod, accepting the complement, before signaling Spitfire to continue.

“Now, recently, we have noticed a shift in the enemy’s movement.”

“A change?” Newman said. “To where?”

“They seem to have given up on their movement towards the west and decided to go north. I think they’re planning to head to Fillydelphia, if my calculations are right. From what I have seen, they are taking the roads the lead directly you the city.”

Newman’s face became serious as he nodded. He had suddenly realized the implications of this news “I think they plan to turn the flank of the city’s defenses. Maybe we were wrong to speculate that this was a foraging force, wanting to steal the crops of the farmland. Maybe, the main goal of that enemy force was to get around us and hit us in the flank”

“That may be true, Colonel, that may be true.” Stockade said, nodding his head and thinking about it. For a moment, the room was silent, as all the officers analyzed the new report and stared at the map. But after a couple of silent minutes, Stocked ran his hoof on the map before speaking out loud.

“But I think we have an advantage against them, in the form of this army.” He said. “They don’t know we’re here, blocking their path and preventing them from heading to Fillydelphia. I think a change of plans must be done. Instead of marching out today, we should set up and
make a stand here.”

Newman thought about it for a moment and wondered if this was a suitable idea.

With open ground, this was a perfect place to make a battle. But remembering his earlier survey of the field, there was little high ground that could bring an advantage for any army who wanted to face off here. Most of the ground was flat and open and the only place that proved advantageous was the ridge and hill on the other side of the wild plains.

Remembering it, Newman knew that if the army should want to make a stand here, then they must take up position in that formidable looking ridge. If they held those grounds, then the battle could be well in their favor, if the enemy held them, then Newman could only imagine the amount of power the enemy could bear down on them, no matter how small their force was.

Deciding to express this thoughts to Stockade, Newman grabbed the General’s attention, before speaking.

“Well, General, if you want to make a stand here, then I suggests taking those heights over there. If you do, then I think you would have a full view of the enemy approaching upon us, as they moved up the road or cross the field.”

Stockade listened and nodded, before standing there to think about the option given to him. He believed that the idea made sense, but there was one concern that persuaded him away from taking it.

“It’s a tempting offer, Colonel, but I think I’ll pass. The ridge line over there is too far from the creek and too open, without any trees to provide any shade for us. With a position like that, we will be fully exposed to the sun and too far away from the creek. When a battle comes, our soldiers would be too hot to fight and too thirsty to think effectively. Their canteens would be drained and the details assigned to get water would just end up falling on the field, trying to get to the creek and back.”

Newman was shocked to hear this, as it was usually common military knowledge to hold the high ground. But after reminding himself that the Equestrian’s lack this basic knowledge, he decided to make things clear and explain the reason behind it to Stockade.

“But, General…” Newman insisted. “…if we let the enemy take that ridge and hill, then we’ll end up having them look down at us. We’ll be helpless and in full view of the enemy.”

“That may be so, Colonel, but I believe that they won’t stay on that ridge for long. They plan on heading to Fillydelphia, is that not so? So if they want to move pass us, then they would have to go down from the ridge and meet us on these field, where we’ll be ready and waiting.”

“But, Gene-“

“No more, Colonel.” Stockade said, cutting off Newman. “My decision is final. I highly appreciate your suggestion, but I think my knowledge is sufficient in planning the positioning of my army.”

Stockade looked around the room to see if there were any other objections, but so none. Satisfied, he nodded to himself before looking towards the map once more.

“The army shall make a stand here and win the battle here.”

Comments

[Fireheart 1945]

Well, that was a dumb decision by the general. As if drinking will be the primary concern for troops who are fighting and dying.

Some commanders are awesome. Some... are not.

[Teal]

6193298 Some people are born leaders and great decision makers, while some just end up looking the part but not actually living up to it.

[CommanderRuiz]

That idea was the worst possible. One disregarding the suggestions of a officer who has experience fighting with the weapons and equipment that is being used and from a purely tactical stance that Ridge would be a good place for Cannons. General Stockade is most likely going to get his men killed. Also another thing the General has ponies who control the weather right why not use them to try and slow down the Griffin's March.

[Teal]

6273732 Don't worry, controlling the weather would be used in later chapters.