Page 48 - History of War - Issue 10-14

GREAT BATTLES

perennialmachinationsamongthenobles,but
also by blood-feuds and petty rivalries among Great Battles
allmen.Morethanafewamongthethousands
of Englishmen on the field are keen to settle
scores with one another.
Soon snow begins to fall and then a torrent
of sleet. The wind changes direction and drives TOWTON
northwardsintothefacesoftheLancastrians,
obscuring their vision and movement. Seizing
the moment, Lord Fauconberg orders the
Yorkistarchersforwardandabodyoftroops
thatmightcompriseasmanyas10,000men
shuffles northwards. Longbow men are the core
component of every English army, having won
great victories in the Hundred Years War – at
Crécy, Poitiers, Agincourt and Verneuil. The
current law of the land demands that all men As the wind changes, the
notonlyownalongbowbutalsopractisewithit 01 falling sleet is blown into the
onthevillagebutts. faces of the Lancastrians, prompting
IntheWarsoftheRoses,however,both Fauconberg to order the Yorkist
sides count excellent archers among their archers forward. With a strong
number, which neuters their potency. This wind behind them their shafts carry
means that pitched battles in England during deep into the Lancastrian line. The
Lancastrian longbows reply but their
the 15th Century are invariably slugging arrows catch in the wind and fall short.
matches between hordes of heavily armoured
men–brutal,bone-crushingstrugglesfought
with poleaxe and glaive, war-hammer and mace.
Fauconberg, though, is a wily old campaigner
andrealisesthatthechangeinthewind’s
directiongiveshismentheadvantage.With
thewindattheirbacks,theirarrowswillcarry
further into the enemy host, while the driving
wind and sleet will hinder the Lancastrian
archers’ aim and distance when they eventually
loose their arrows in reply.
It’saningeniousplanandhisarchers
unleash a murderous volley that darkens
further the gloomy, sleet-bedighted skies.
TheLancastriansreturnfire,buttheirarrows
catchinthewindandfallshort.TheYorkists
continue their fusillade, standing out of range
of the Lancastrian arrows and causing ever-
greater consternation among the enemy ranks;
their continuous volleys begin to take a toll.
TheLancastriansmaintaintheirownbarrage
butithaslittleeffect.Infact,oncetheYorkist
bowmenfinishtheirownsheaves,manymove
forward to pluck the Lancastrian arrows from
thegroundinfrontandsendthemwhistling
back from whence they came.
This continued assault maddens the
Lancastrian host. Shields are no longer carried
incombatandeventheheavilyarmoured
lords and knights suffer beneath Fauconberg’s
relentlessbarrage.TheLancastrianwarlord,
Somerset, realising that his casualties are
growing, knows that he must move his men
forwardthoughthearrowstormandengagethe
Yorkists. He holds the numerical advantage, The Duke of Norfolk’s division
andevenifhesurrendersthehighergroundhis 05 is still travelling when the battle
begins and arrives at a key moment.
chancesarestillgood.Ifhewinstheday,the He enters the battlefi eld on the south-
Yorkistcauseissurelydoomed.Resolutely,he eastern rim and drives into the melee,
orders the advance.
thundering into the Lancastrian left with
fresh infantry and possibly cavalry too.
The height of battle
Fauconberg, having achieved his ambition
and forced Somerset from his strategically
advantageous position, now orders his
archerstodissolvethroughthemainbodyof
armoured troops behind, purposefully leaving
behindthousandsofarrowsstuckuprightin
the ground, which the wily old lord knows will
hinder the Lancastrian advance. It is time

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