Tewkesbury Battle Report

The day dawned with both armies arrayed for battle. The day was warm and soon to get much hotter.



The Yorkist’s opened the engagement. They advanced, en echelon with their right flank refused, with Richard of Gloucester’s men leading the attack. Once within bowshot they engaged in an archery duel, which they got much the better of, then resolutely advanced again. Somerset, realizing that his planned flank attack was in jeopardy of coming too late, ordered his men to slowly withdraw so as to trade space for time. They were too slow.



Before they knew it the soldiers of Somerset’s line found themselves heavily engaged with the Duke of Gloucester’s men. They were, having suffered under the barrage of Yorkist arrows, in imminent danger of collapse. Somerset’s men looked around for their leader but he was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly he appeared, from the direction of Coln Brook and directly on the flank of Gloucester’s line.

This part of the game was nip and tuck. The player in charge of Gloucester’s ‘battle’ had been unable to view the scenario; he had no idea what was coming and his fellow Yorkist player 9who had read the scenario) thought it would be fun not to tell him (that’s doctors for you). The initiative had been with the Yorkist's up to now, and the Lancastrians were very worried that what was left of Somerset’s line would break before the flank attack could come to grips.



Somerset’s men charged in from the flank before the Yorkist’s could turn to face. Richard of Gloucester’s men must surely run. The fight was harder than expected. Richard’s men encouraged by the activity of their stern and steadfast leader battled hard but eventually they collapsed and routed towards the rear with half of Somerset’s men in pursuit. Still Richard would not give in. In a last ditch effort to hold up the flank of the Royal army he rallied some of his men, and gallantly threw himself against his oncoming pursuers. Here he fell with the last of his troops; brave to the end.




Now it was Edward’s time. With the demise of his brother and the total rout of his brother’s ‘battle’, Edward’s battle line was now exposed to attack from the flank. Personally leading his reserve, his men-at-arms crashed into his brother’s pursuers. Thoroughly disorganized and tired by their pursuit they were no match for Edward’s fresh troops. At almost the same moment Somerset heard cries of derision and panic coming from his rear. Splashing across Coln Brook Edward’s cavalry had arrived. It charged into the rearmost band of Somerset’s men. They were ridden down to a man. The Yorkist position was stabilizing.



To be continued......................

Battle of Tewkesbury 4th May 1471.

Background.
On the 14th April 1471 Queen Margaret and her son Edward Prince of Wales landed at Weymouth with a small army of invasion. Their aim was the reinstatement of Henry VI and the Lancastrian Regime. On the same day Edward IV went one step towards preventing those ambitions; he defeated and killed the Earl of Warwick, styled “The Kingmaker”, at the Battle of Barnet.

On learning of Warwick’s defeat the Queen marched her army to Exeter, the heart of pro-Lancastrian south west England, to make plans and recruit. Eleven days after landing her army had swollen to about 5000 men. On the 25th they marched north to unite with the Tudors in Wales.

Meanwhile, Edward IV had been informed of the new threat rising in the west and began to array another army at Windsor. On the 24th he started out towards the west country.

Whilst the bulk of the Queen’s forces marched towards Bath, two much smaller forces were dispatched east to give the impression they were marching on London. The ruse failed. On 1st May the Lancastrians arrived at Bristol. On the same day the Yorkists arrived at Chipping Sodbury. On 2nd May the Lancastrian army marched out of Bristol and the Yorkists, convinced battle was imminent, deployed to meet them on Sodbury Hill. This time he was wrong. The Lancastrians slipped by and stole a day’s march up the Severn Valley.

As soon as Edward realised what had happened he dispatched messengers to Richard Beauchamp, the governor of Gloucester instructing him to bar the city’s gates and deny the enemy the bridge over the Severn. On 3rd May, after a march of 36 miles in 24 hours, the Queen’s army arrived at Gloucester. Beauchamp did his duty and denied the Queen’s army access across the river. Losing the whole day in failed negotiations, the Lancastrians had no choice now but to march onto Tewkesbury where a ferry was available.

The army arrived that evening, tired out, and made camp. It would take the whole of the next day for the army to cross over the Severn. As darkness fell, scouts reported Edward IV was at Treddington only 3 miles away. The crossing would be impossible in the face of the enemy. All choice was removed. The Lancastrians had been hunted down and forced to do battle on the morrow.





Scenario Notes

Terrain.

The Gastons were an area broken by “evil lanes” an “so many hedges, trees and bushes”.
These make all movement difficult (half speed) and provide some cover [type II]. All terrain within this area is “virtual” and may be moved around to ease the movement of figures.

The Vineyards were probably the property of the Abbey. I have assumed that they are what they say they are, they are consequently type III.

I have classed Coln Brook as type III. Stop at contact and one move to cross.



Lancastrian Player:

Basic deck with the addition of one infantry and one cavalry Move in the Open card. Draw 5 cards from the characterisation [morale] deck replacing any stratagems, OR, draw 4 cards from the deck and automatically count the following stratagem as having been drawn.

“…by certain paths and ways therefore afore purveyed, and to the Kings party unknown, he [Somerset] departed out of the field, past the lane, and came into a fair place, or close, even afore the king [Edward IV] where he was embattled, and from the hill that was in one of the closes, he set right fiercely upon the end [flank of the Yorkist’s battle line] of the King’s battle.”

The Lancastrians add a Stratagem to their card deck. On its appearance the Lancastrian player may place the following troops on top, or behind [river side], of the hill in any facing:

Providing that units of Somerset’s command have not moved: His unit of men-at-arms and / or a Bill and bow unit made up of stands from other units in his command.

Providing that units of Wenlock’s command have not moved: A Bill and bow unit made up of stands from other units in his command.



Yorkist Player:
Basic deck with the addition of one infantry and one cavalry Move in the Open card. Draw 6 cards from the characterisation [morale] deck replacing any stratagems, OR, draw 5 cards from the deck and automatically count the following stratagem as having been drawn.

Before the battle got under way Edward IV, fearing an ambush, ordered his prickers to scout out the ‘Park’ which lay 400 yards away. The Yorkist player may repeat these orders and place a unit of light cavalry off table. Add a Stratagem card to the deck. They may only arrive after the first melee has been fought, from the direction of the Park, on the Stratagem card's appearance. If they are not deployed off table they must form the rear of Edward's battle.