North and South

by Tempest Wind

Chapter Five

Author's Note:

Another Long one, whew.

Blog Post here!

May - June, 1861

The end of May and the beginning of June saw more success for the Army of Equestria, if only just. With Luna taking the initiative and sending her armies south, into Virginia, it was only a matter of time before the Confederates began to shoot back, attempting to drive the Army of Equestria back across the Potomac.

Two such attempts would be made before Summer: once near Alexandria, and once near Harpers Ferry.

=#===#=

Luna swept the morning dew off of her campaign hat with an idle flick, as she trotted into the farmhouse that her command staff had borrowed for their field office. The mare running the farm these days wasn’t much a fan of the Army of Equestria’s presence in her home - and she made clear in no uncertain terms that she had a daughter and a husband taking up arms against Equestria - but the General Staff simply ignored the veiled insults, paid her for the usage of her home, and went about their duties.

“Talk to us, fillies and gentlecolts. We need an update on Lieutenant Colonel Narrative’s reports from earlier in the morning.”

“Trixie believes,” the light blue unicorn began, adjusting her stage performer’s hat idly, its lavender color a stark contrast with her dark blue overcoat. “Unfortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Narrative’s report is accurate. We outnumber them, certainly- by about seven thousand. But both Trixie’s and Sparkles’ Corps, your majesty, have about as much training as a boot.”

“Dost thyn suggest we retreat in the face of the enemy, Major General Lulamoon?” Luna’s retort came back, sharply, as Lulamoon simply shook her head.

“No, your majesty. But Trixie does not know if Trixie can hold a similar force of regulars. Trixie will definitely need Twilight Sparkles’ Corps, but even then Trixie is not sure.”

“You’ll have my army, Trixie.” Twilight nodded, with a frown, as the trio surveyed the map. “We’re sure they’re the confederate regulars?”

“Primarily, yes.” Trixie nodded, continuing. “They’re backed by another thousand state militia from Coltalina, but those have similar training to our ponies. Our army likely has better equipment. Trixie does not believe the Confederates are yet aware of our purchases from Sharps Rifles or Whinney and Whinny.”

“Equipment will not carry the day, though I agree, it’ll definitely help.” Twilight grumbled with a frown, as she and Trixie shared a look of concern.

“Regardless, we shall make our stand here.” Luna began, shaking her head. “We believe this creek, Bull Run Creek, will make our defensive line. If the Confederates mean to attack us across it, then we shall break them upon it.”

“Trixie has been to Bull Run Creek, your highness.” The mare interrupted, shaking her head. “It’s indefensible.” Twilight blinked at the callous rebuttal, looking over at the showmare - but the Neigh Orleaner had a fairly serious look on her face. “There’s dozens of potential crossing points. No, your majesty, Trixie thinks it’d be stupid to try and hold the river - and a trap.”

“A bold claim, but we can respect the concern and potential merit. What would you do instead, Miss Lulamoon?”

Trixie tapped a hoof gently on the map; a sparsely wooded hill, north of the Bull Run, nearby a large black line running parallel the river. “This hill, here. Trixie doesn’t think it has a name. But, it overlooks the railway. Trixie knows the railway stops here, at the river, true. But the railroad picks right back up on the back side of this hill. And a new line is being built by our own work teams. Trixie thinks they want the railway up to Alexandria. With Trixie and Twilight both here, that leaves Canterlot wide open and maybe… four hours trip up the line.”

Luna and Twilight shared a wary look, as Trixie continued to evaluate the map. The showmare was likely right.

And that meant that holding off this Confederate attack was even more important than originally realized. More so than just keeping a hoofhold in Virginia, Luna, Twilight, and Trixie had to make sure they kept Canterlot - and the ponies within - safe.

“We’ve got to get the troops ready. We’ve got a couple hours of morning, if your cavalry is right, Trixie. Luna?”

“We shall begin preparations here. Go. See to your corps. Both of you. And we shall see each other again either here or in Canterlot.”

=#===#=

The rebels hit the field by four in the afternoon, as the state militia marched with their rifles and small cannon battery up the Sudley Springs Road. There must have been some miscommunication between them and the main force, Twilight guessed, as she watched from her position as they simply advanced across the Bull Run, directly into the Equestrian Right Flank. Light Narrative and his scant 250 cavalry, erring on the side of caution in the face of a thousand troops with rifles and cannons, made the smart decision to withdraw from their enemy, allowing them to march closer to the unfinished section of railroad and into Trixies’ waiting infantry; it was definitely better for Trixie’s small scouting detachment to avoid direct battle, rather than waste away the one good advantage they had over the rebels in terms of intelligence gathering.

They still took some casualties as they withdrew in good order, Twilight noted with a wince, but it looked like Narrative’s folks gave as good as they got before the withdrawal was sounded. Peering through her field glasses, Twilight watched, as Trixie’s right flank shifted along the railroad berm. Refusing their flank, Lulamoon’s infantry shifted to meet the Confederate militia, using their overwhelming numbers and larger artillery support to begin pushing the rebels back through the town.

The gunsmoke made visibility at range poor, as Twilight lowered her field glasses. “General Doo, how far out is the main Confederate line?”

“Firefly reports they’re still marching up Maneassas Sudley Road, ma’am. It’ll be dark before they hit the town. We think something delayed them marching up from Richmane.”

“Small miracles.” Twilight groused, shaking her head. “Okay. We’ll take advantage of it while we can. Trixie’s already pushing the Militia back into the city. Send a runner to Lulamoon with my compliments- quick as you can- ask her if it’s practical for us to move our guns down to Red Hill Farm, use that big hill around the farm to pitch our gun batteries down the Sudley Road. Do you follow?”

“Yes ma’am. Your compliments, guns at Red Hill.”

“Yes, yes, that’s good. Send that, and ask if she can spare anything for our left. I need something to anchor the left flank besides Storm’s cavalry. Go, send it.”

“Yes’m, your compliments ma’am!” Ditzy barked, as she herself flew off in the direction of Trixie’s own position along her battle line, flying low to avoid scattered gunfire.

“Wait, Ditzy, I- Dammit, I meant to have her send a runner, not herself. Shit.” Twilight swore, shaking her head. “Nothing for it, she’s already gone.” The mare griped, returning her field glasses to her eyes with her magic. “You need to do better than that, Twilight. You have to do better than that.”

=#===#=

The main force, as forewarned, did not arrive up the Sudley Road in time to assist any with the first day’s skirmish, instead making camp between Grigsby’s Farm and Poplar Ford- and out of direct cannon range from the hill itself.

Trixie’s reply had come late in the evening - it’d taken Ditzy a long time to reach Trixie, who threatened to follow the state militia all the way back to Coltalina - but the reply was a welcome one. Thus, De Lys and her two batteries, Battery Star and Battery Pen, joined Trixie’s three batteries under one of the Pie Sisters - Twilight wasn’t sure which one, aside from “not Pinkie” - up on Red Hill.

The Federal line was worryingly thin along the road, as most of Trixie’s and Twilight’s line took up newer positions immediately around Red Hill, with seemingly only Twilight herself at the head of two infantry brigades under Prince - turned Brigadier General - Blueblood. Behind them, stood Canterlot. Or, at least, the road that led to Canterlot lay beyond them.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Princess.” Blueblood muttered, a Whinnyworth rifle of his own cradled in the crook of one foreleg. Say what you would about the pompous unicorn, but Blueblood was not one to shy from a fight; he never had been, even when he and Twilight had come to heady arguments in their days at the Royal Guard Academy.

“I don’t.” Twilight readily admitted, with a frown. “It’s Trixie’s plan. I was in favor of drawing up around Red Hill Farm and making that our standpoint, but she wasn’t wrong when she said they could just walk right past us, then.”

“No, though they would be stupid to do so.” Blueblood hummed. “In any case, you think Trixie has a working plan, then?”

“I do.” Twilight nodded, accepting an offered Sharps Rifle from Raven, who also provided the alicorn an ammunition pouch full of cartridges. “You and I will hold here, on the road. From there, we’ll draw them into your two brigades, and hold them here, as Wane’s Division sweeps in from the creekbed to our left, and presses them back towards Red Hill - and the main force of the line.”

“...Let’s hope it works, then.” Blueblood grunts, shaking his head. “...Twilight, please, make sure you’re not with the main rifle line.”

“You’re going to be.”

“I’m not a General of a Corps. I’m a divisional commander.” The Prince frowned. “Plus, I’m needed. These are Canterloters, and Manehattanites. They need a good figure to keep them rallied.”

“I will be here, Blueblood, same as you.” Twilight rejected, with a frown. “We’re counting on the rebels seeing the alicorn and getting mad enough to want to come at us without thinking it through very hard.”

“Hnh. Very well, Twilight, just, keep your head down. A bullet will still kill you, same as anypony else.”

“If I am, then you as well.” Twilight nodded in reply, as the two took up position with the rest of the line - Raven having begun falling back to Luna’s position.

“We’ll see.”

=#===#=

The rebels came at their small line as expected, sending up a brigade of cavalry first, armed with carbines. Though not sizable in number, the small cavalry force put up a good fight, as Whinnyworth and Sharps rifles echoed in return to Merril Carbines, as the Cavalry stalled out in the face of Blueblood’s fifteen hundred ponies. Eventually, the two-hundred odd cavalry broke and ran for the rear, after just a couple volleys from the Equestrian line.

Even just two hundred cavalry had done damage to Blueblood’s small division, having matched Blueblood’s fifteen hundred ponies kill for kill - over a hundred of the Confederate’s cavalry lay in various states of injury or death on the Sudley Road; and just as many of Blueblood’s ponies were being pulled behind the main gun line for the same reason.

That was the least of Twilight’s and Blueblood’s worries however, as the rest of the Confederate force marched on them in earnest. Apparently some of them had moved left towards Red Hill, as only five brigades of infantry stood in front of them - still five thousand against their fifteen hundred.

The rifles cracked back and forth along Blueblood’s thin line, as they used a shallow dip in the hill to crouch behind, sending shot after shot into the advancing confederates. The gunfire, it felt to Twilight, was thick enough to cut with a knife, as ponies to her left and right were cut down, either dead or injured. Flicking the breech of her borrowed rifle open, Twilight slid another paper cartridge into the hefty rifle, raising it to her eye level, raising up with a few of the fellows around her, and loosing off a shot - before ducking back into the relative safety of the shallow trench they were taking cover in.

Rifle fire began to pour in from off to her left, and for half a second, Twilight was afraid they’d been flanked; that Dusk Wane’s division had been seen off or bypassed by the Confederates. Luckily so, the case was rather the opposite, as Wane’s Division of infantry - a full five brigades - had crossed the creek and were in the middle of firing into the Confederates’ flanks. With a cheer, Blueblood’s line - and her, carried with them - stood up as well whilst the rebels turned to face Wane’s line of battle. Between the seven brigades, the confederates were seen off after a bloody but short scrap, falling away in short order and leaving their casualties on the field.

It took nearly another hour for the right flank to quiet down, as the last few cannon shells resounded out into the setting sun - and Storm’s cavalry swept a wide flank to pursue the last few rebel units from the field, not returning until late in the evening. But, thankfully, it still quieted down.

=#===#=

“Today was a mess.” Twilight groaned, as she eased herself into a chair within the command’s farmhouse. An army surgeon tended to her left forehoof, which had been taken cleanly through by a steedfield’s minie ball. She was expected to keep it, though the surgeon was careful to warn her not to put weight on it for a few weeks, to make sure it didn’t get infected. A good pair of boots - maybe cavalry or artillery boots - would be required. “We nearly lost that left flank.”

“You are okay, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna began, with some concern, as Trixie nursed a head wound with a sopping bandage herself - it wasn’t a worry, just a bleeding wound according to the surgeon - that she’d acquired whilst holding off the other half of the rebel army around Red Hill Farm.

“Okay enough.” Twilight sighed, lighting a cigar with a frown. “We nearly lost that flank.” She repeated, taking a puff on the thin Puerto Caballo brand. Smoking was a dirty habit to some folks - and she’d done well to not smoke in front of the girls - but she was a soldier before an element of harmony. If she wanted to smoke, she’d smoke, dammit.

“It’s true.” Trixie added, quietly. “Casualties were bad. Nineteen hundred or so of theirs. About twelve hundred of ours.”

“And we outnumbered them twofold.” Luna agreed, solemnly. “I’d say t’was unacceptable losses but we have to accept them. We kept the road to Canterlot closed by doing so.”

“It’s true.” Twilight sighed, tapping some ash into an offered ashtray, and shooting Raven a thankful glance. “Blueblood should be fine. Just a stray bit of a spent round cut across his shoulder. So, no officers will need to be replaced. I’m mildly concerned they’ll attack us again, but if they do… Supplies are good. We took a good amount off the rebel supply train they abandoned - along with a full battery’s worth of good three inch ordnance rifles - so we can take another attack or two if they do assault us again.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Trixie nodded, “But Trixie agrees with Twilight’s assessment, Your Majesty. We can hold off another attack if we must. Trixie is more concerned with the Harpers Ferry area. We have not heard back from Charms’ Regulars, or Winds’ Corps.”

“A valid concern.” Luna paused, frowning down at the map in front of the trio, as cigar smoke filled the room. “And one we must rectify. Soon.”

=#===#=

“Dammit I told Berry to warn me if the rebels were trying to bypass Winds’ shitty excuse for an army corps!” Lightning Charm barked, a scowl lining her muzzle as she shoved down a shot of whisky from her liquor flask. “What happened?”

“Ma’am,” The Sergeant replied, gamely, after she returned his salute and he returned to parade rest. “I’m the first scout back from Berry’s Cavalry, they’re doing their best to mirror the rebel movement. They’ve not crossed the river, but they are likely to take the Ferry Arsenal. Colonel Berry thought it prudent to try and delay that.”

“Against a goddamn corps of twelve thousand? Hell no. But that’s not your fault, Sergeant. Go back to Cherry- Colonel Berry, and tell her to bust her ass back down to my Corps. Adjutant Rose, draft me a letter to General Wind. Tell her I’m marching up to Harpers Arsenal and I’ll likely need her volunteers’ support if the Confederates decide to stand and fight.”

“Yes, General.” Wilted Rose nodded. “I’ll phrase it diplomatically.”

“Thank you, Wilted. Go, Sergeant, you’re dismissed, go find your wayward commander and get her to link up with me. We’ll be moving north in a couple hours once I break camp, so have her meet me on the plank road between here and the Ferry.”

“Yes, General. Right away.”

=#===#=

Lightning Charm scowled at the Confederates arrayed up along the hill overlooking Whinnychester, Virginia. It galled her that the confederate ponies were up there, along the riverline. Even that green as the grass castle guard Tempest saw that this was shit ground. And now she had to fight over it. Brash and bold creatures, Charm admitted to herself, standing between her corps and their line of supply.

Her own guns were in the process of rolling up to prepare for bombardment, and Charm doubted the rebels - who seemed to be fielding Neighpoleon guns - were aware that her thirty pounder parrott siege rifles far out-ranged their own batteries. The infantry were prepared and waiting for bombardment to commence, and Berry’s wayward cavalry was waiting tensely on the left flank to capitalize.

Unlike the volunteers, who had done good enough under Her Majesty Luna’s exacting instruction to avoid a rout even despite their deficiencies as soldiers, Charm’s Regulars could not only take the fight to the enemy, but break them in doing so. And they would, too.

“Rose,” Lightning Charm began, lowering her field glasses. “Once the guns are wheeled up, they are free to engage the rebel line of battle. Begin with counter battery fire, and then support the infantry as they move.”

“Yes, General.”

“Brigadier General Clear Water, take your Division and pull them in a sweep up to the right, setting Shimmer’s full-strength brigade as your back stop. Use the cornfields to creep up the line during bombardment, then engage from the split rail. Once you engage, that will be the cavalry’s warning to begin wrapping the confederate right, opposite you.”

“Understood, General Charm.”

“Good. Once the cavalry wraps the right, advance up the Martinsburg Pike, and rout the enemy from the field. Tartarus, this wasn’t even worth alerting General Wind over, let’s mop these miscreants up before the militia arrives and gets any ideas. Move to it, everyone.”

=#===#=

The assault went off mostly as ordered, Charm noted, as she watched her force move forwards from their staging area, the large guns of her two gun batteries keeping the rebels busy, and her cavalry sweeping off to the left flank to get set up on the rebel right. The cannons weren’t having all the effect she’d wanted; though they had done well seeing off the rebel guns, as poor shots as they were. Her infantry were lagging behind; the slope had been rougher than expected, but they were marching anyway, and would be up into the corn and firing on the rebels soon.

Cavalry was prepared and waiting - Cherry was going to be a problem, Lightning Charm could tell with disdain; she wasn’t bad at following orders - but she was terrible at interpreting them and when they were supposed to be followed exactly, and when she should use her own initiative. Poor taste for a cavalry officer.

The infantry began their assault as Charm focused in on it with her field glasses, watching as her regulars put up accurate and withering fire across the confederate’s hastily raised battlements. They fired three volleys, then a fourth, as Cherry’s cavalry saw off the Confederate right flank with accurate carbine fire.

Lightning scowled however, as Cherry’s cavalry charged into the middle of the last two standing rebel brigades, steel cavalry sabers flashing as bayonets and gunfire intermixed with the charging regular infantry.

“Damn her, damn that officer.” Charm growled angrily, stowing her field glasses. “Let’s move up there then, for tartarus sake. Shooting will be over by the time I get there, and Faust dammit if Berry didn’t die with half her cavalry up there, I’ve half a mind to shoot her myself.”

=#===#=

Cherry hadn’t died with her unit, though not for lack of trying apparently, as she sat in the middle of a platoons’ worth of corpses, staring mutely at the churned bodies atop the hill. It was grisly, and it looked like they’d taken a canister or case shell from one of the cannons present at the battle. Her uniform was shredded, and she had cuts here and there, but otherwise she was fine - physically, anyhow.

“Colonel Berry. Retire with your unit - or whatever is left of it - to the rear. Consider yourself relieved.” Charm began, surveying the rest of the units around her. The rebels were retreating in loose, shattered order, and her own troops were getting the wounded and dead rounded up for care and burial. Belatedly, Charm watched, as Tempest’s Corps arrived - seven hours from her request, as she’d expected - at the bottom of the hill.

Late and useless, as usual. “I, General, Charm, I-”

“You are relieved, Colonel Cherry Berry. To the rear. Dismissed.”

Comments

[shining paladin]

nice chapter mate keep it up cant want for the next chapter hope to see secret missions behind enemy lines personally i like to use a pipe i get more enjoyment from tobacco that way

[Fireheart 1945]

What exactly is the difference between pony infantry and cavalry? I doubt ponies are riding on the backs of other ponies.

[Tempest Wind]

11485408
Battlefield role primarily.

Infantry mostly marches in line formation, carrying heavier, full-sized rifles, bayonets, and the like. Their job is to be the main attacking or defending force in a fight, and due to their size, they can't guarantee they'll all be flight capable.

Cavalry units tend to be smaller, and their duties range from recon gathering to screening friendly troop movements, raiding, covering long distance in short times, etc. They carry shorter and usually much lighter Carbines, Pistols, and sabers, and might all be mustered as fliers so as to take advantage of aerial recon.

[Tempest Wind]

11485326
We'll see! I have some thoughts on those sorts of things, I'll just have to find somewhere reasonable to place them.

I don't smoke myself, but I know a fair few folks that do/did.