Fog of War

by Teal

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The next day, just before the sun rose during the early dawn moment, the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the Volunteer Army struck camp and prepared to leave the scene. Having folded their tent and stowed them away in the wagons, the soldiers of the defeated force quietly formed columns on the road, as they made last minute checks before starting the march.

The drums and trumpets that usually called the regiments together were now silent, as the Equestrians didn’t want to steer enough noise that would attract the Griffon’s attention. Such unwanted noise would only make their enemy curious and might reveal their intention to retreat. So for now, they remained silent.

The only sound that could be heard in the area were the occasional groans of the wounded, as they were loaded onto carts and wagons, and the soft sound of shuffling hooves and boots, as the soldiers formed up by the road.

Listening to these sounds, the soldiers stood by and waited, waiting for the order that would make the long column advance and begin the painful march.

With two defeated armies separated from each other by miles of land and a grave fear of having each army individually defeated and crushed in battle, General Cutter, acting temporary commander of the combined armies of Equestria, had ordered a general retreat. He believed that when split from each other, the two Equestrian armies were vulnerable, easy picking for the Griffons, but once merged to one group, he believed that the force could support each other and stand up in a fight against the Griffons.

Planning to merge the two armies and create a decent and sizable force, Gen. Cutter ordered the two separated forces to move North and reconvene at a marked position North-West of Fillydelphia.

So now the force prepared to pack and go, marching once more across the field of Equestria, as they took their tattered force to a place where they can regroup and replenish.

In charge of leading the march was the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Division. With the remnants of the 2nd and 3rd brigade of their division behind them, and the 1st Division acting as a rear guard in the far rear, the soldiers of the 1st Brigade had the gracious honor of being at the head of the column. Not that anyone was overjoyed by it, as a different mood drifted along the lines.

Col. Newman, who was overseeing the preparations of his unit, moved along the column his brigade had formed along the road and noticed the terrible mood his soldiers were in. Observing the column, Newman could clearly see that the soldiers of the brigade now lacked the fiery enthusiasm they once held when they first went out and marched out of camp. The cheerful faces, the joyful sound of the bands, and the optimistic chatter, were now all gone and replaced with a somber gloomy mood.

Both men and ponies alike were experiencing it; while Newman himself sensed the mood of his soldiers infect his mind and soul, as he felt his stomach churn at the sight of them. It reminded him of the enthusiastic boys who marched out to war during the early months of their Civil War back home, only to march back, ragged and mystified by the horrors of war.

Not to say that these ponies were any different, for they now had their first taste of battle. The salty and sour taste of the gunpowder, sweat, and blood, which stays with you after a battle.

“Colonel Newman, sir?”

Turning around, Newman looked and saw Captain Wilson standing before him and giving him a salute. After returning the salute, Wilson withdrew his hand and said:

“Sir, where do you want me and my boys to be positioned.”

Gesturing with his hands, Newman followed were Wilson was pointing at and looked towards the side of the road where a company of dark cladded men sat and waited. Even with the dawn darkness covering the surrounding area, Newman could still make out the silhouettes of

Wilson’s marksmen. Sitting on the ground and fumbling their rifles, the marksmen relaxed as they awaited orders.

It was then that Newman realized that he had already forgotten about these men. With all the arrangement that had kept him busy all night, the thought of having these men under his command had completely slipped his mind.

“Well, Captain…” Newman said, thinking a perfect spot to place them. “…I think it would be best if you and your boys are placed at the rear of the brigade’s column.”

“At the rear, sir?” Wilson repeated.

“Yes, at the rear.” Newman said, nodding. “With this long march ahead of us, I am certain that we would gain stragglers with every mile we make. And unlike before, we don’t have time to take breaks and halt the column. So you and your company are in charge of making sure that nobody slacks and gets left behind. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Wilson replied, giving a crisp salute as he seemed happy at the responsibility given to them. “You can count on us, sir.”

“I know, I can, Captain. I know I can.” Newman said, knowing that Wilson and his boys would not fail him, for they were reliable soldiers who would always get the job done.

With that, Wilson left to tell his company of their orders, while Newman moved forwards, towards the head of the column. Passing by, he was met with greeting from his officers, both men and ponies, as he made his way to the front.

“Glad, for you to join us, Colonel.” Lt. Col. Warren said, greeting him as he stood at the head of the 220th’s column, which was also the head of the entire army’s column.

“How are the men?” Newman asked.

Ever since Newman took command of a brigade, it had been Warren who was in charge of looking after the 220th. A fine and decent officer, despite being a volunteer, Newman trusted Warren and knew that he was the perfect officer to take over the regiment when the time came.

“Oh, they’re doing fine, Colonel. Formed up as quickly as possible and prepared for anything, the men are ready and in top shape for this march.”

“And they’ll need it too.” Newman said, gazing towards the east horizon. The sun wasn’t up yet, but already he could the orange light spilling ever so slightly from the edge of the skyline. “It may be nice and cool right now, but once the sun is up, we can be sure that it would be hot and tiring.”

“Yes…” Warren said, nodding. “…but at least we don’t have to deal with that awful dust, with the regiment being in front of the column.”

“True, true.” Newman said, a hint of relief in his voice.

The terrible dust clouds were infamous to any veteran soldier, as they usually proved to be a terrible nuisance in a march. Caused by marching feet that kicked on the road way’s dirt, the large plumes of dust usually covered the soldiers behind the marching columns, coating them with thick layers of dirt that stung eyes and mixed with sweat to create a muddy and dirt image.

Turning his attention in front of him, Newman saw the clear road ahead.

But his attention was quickly drawn away, by the sound of hooves approaching them. Turning his head, he looked towards the source to see a brown earth pony of the Volunteer Army.

“General Cutter sends his regards, sir…” The pony said. “…and says that you may begin the march.”

“Very well.” Newman said, nodding before dismissing the pony.

“Colonel Warren…” Newman said, addressing the man beside him. “…order the column forward.”

“Forward march.” Warren said, his order being pass around y other officers, as it went along the line to other regiments, till the entire brigade followed the orders.

With the 1st Brigade moving forward, under the dim and early morning, the rest of the army, a long serpent along the road, followed close behind.

---

From atop a hill that overlooked the abandoned pony defenses, General Steel, the 1st Imperial Corp’s Commander, looked down to gaze upon
the intricate system of defense that his soldiers were now occupying.

Looking dominant from his position, Steel felt like a conqueror who had just crushed his enemy and claimed their land. Which wasn’t far from the truth, for he had indeed crush his enemy and conquered their land, just not all of it.

A veteran of the Griffon-Zebra War, with a long scar on his beak to prove it, Steel knew all too well the feeling of victory. He had been a regimental commander back then, full of inexperience and mistakes, but he had emerged as a victorious corps commander by the end of the war, cheered on by crowds and praised by fellow soldiers.

During that war, fighting had almost seemed like a sport, as the Zebras failed to form a cohesive army to fight the Griffons. Every battle fought may have been fierce, for the Zebras were not short in fighting spirit, yet lacked the back and forth struggle two commanders usually faced.

Those battle always seemed one sided to Steel and lacked the actual thrill and challenge he had expected.

But now, as he stood in Equestrian territory, he was beginning to feel some difference between the two.

Despite the lack of proper planning and strategy in the ponies, Steel could already tell that they were no Zebras. The ponies, Steel observed, were prepared and ready to wage war.

A proof of this was the formidable looking defenses they had built to defend the city Fillydelphia. A combination of earthworks and battery emplacements, the defensive formation would have taken a long siege before they would have fallen. Steel himself feared that a direct assault on the works would have brought heavy casualties on his corps, heavy casualties that would have crippled his force.

But although the ponies were prepared physically, it seemed they were not ready emotionally, as their heart was not set to war yet.

During the artillery barrage, which he had ordered to soften the Equestrian position before his first proving attack began, a cannon shell struck one of the munitions storage on the central defenses, blowing it up and creating a tremendous explosion that shook the surrounding area. This explosion seemed to have not only shake the earth, but also shake the pony’s will to fight, as the center line fell back in a chaotic route.

Seeing this and knowing that he could take advantage of it, Steel had ordered one of his divisions forward to seize the center before the ponies could react and seal the center. The advance went perfectly and after a couple of hours fighting, the pony’s defenses had collapsed and retreated, moving out of their defenses and even pass the city of Fillydelphia. With such a route, Steel was able to advance and capture the city, moving his entire corps forward.

With such incompetence in fighting, Steel knew that he could easily defeat them in any battle by simply out maneuvering. The ponies were too inexperienced to understand his grand movements and tactics, making them an easy picking. Sure, they were a much more formidable enemy than the Zebras, with their modern weapons and sizable force, but these facts weren’t enough to deter Steel.

For he didn’t care whether they had weapons equivalent to theirs or an army as big as theirs, for as long as the ponies were poorly led, they would be crushed and fall.

“General Steel, sir.” A courier said, sweating under the sun, as he saluted the General who didn’t even bother to look at him.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Message from General Mallet, sir.” The courier replied.

Ah, General Mallet. Steel thought, remembering the commander of his 1st Division, whom he sent as a distraction in the south to draw away some of the Equestrian forces. He had heard that Mallet had defeated an Equestrian force the same day he had captured Fillydelphia, so Steel wondered what good new Mallet had for him today. “What does it say?” He soon asked.

The courier cleared his throat before reading the message out loud.

“The General reports that the Equestrians in his front have left and moved north. He had decided against pursuing them, as they were too far already. So he has now struck camp and is marching this way. He predicts he’ll be here by night fall.”

“Good, good.” Steel said, happy to learn that his corps would be up to full strength again, once General Mallet arrives.

With the Equestians marching north, Steel could only presume that they too were trying converge their forces to create a sizable force. If this was so, then Steel wanted to have all the soldiers he can get, so that he would have a decent sized force to engage them with.

In battle, with his better trained force and better knowledge in tactics, he believed that he could easily crush the Equestrians. Although not as easy as the Zebras, the Equestrians were still easy pickings for the Griffon Empire. They were a weak nation, with no recent knowledge of war, aside from their century old texts books. Unlike the Griffons who were always fresh from a war, minds always learning new and better tactics to fight.

Steel could just laugh at this thought, the Equestrians were in a serious disadvantage and yet they still chose to fight. Don’t they know that there is nothing that could stop the Griffon’s expansion? The Griffons had the best drilled and fighting army in the world, while the Equestrians relied on farmers and shopkeepers to defend their land. Were the ponies just oblivious to the facts?

Knowing that the Equestrians were just bluffing with their petty force, Steel wanted to bring the ponies into another fight that would bloody their forces and weaken their already weak will to fight and show them that fighting the Griffons was hopeless. Once their will is gone and the idea of Griffon superiority engraved into their minds, then the ponies would surely falter and be conquered.

Tomorrow, with his entire corps whole again, he would move up for the attack. To deliver another crushing blow to the enemy.

Comments

[Fireheart 1945]

Overconfident, isn't he?