Battle of Hippo's Gorge

Battle of Hippo's Gorge
Part of the Aevos Coalition War
Date: 162 S.A. Place: Eastern territories, Kingdom of Balian Result: Covenant Victory Previous Battle: Battle of the Westmark Next Battle: Siege of Fredericksburg Belligerents The Grand Covenant: Kingdom of Haense Kingdom of Balian Viceroyalty of Hyspia Grand Kingdom of Urguan Commonwealth of the Petra Kingdom of Norland United Kingdom of Aaun Exhilic Kingdom of Númendil League of Veletz & Allies: League of Veletz The Horde Principality of Stassion The Ferrymen Commanders Aleksandr II, King of Haense Sybille, Queen of Balian Cesar II, Viceroy of Hyspia Garedyn Mossborn, Grand King of Urguan Catherine I, Queen of Petra Ellenore Eiriksson, High Keeper of Norland John I, King of Aaun Tar-Caraneth, Queen of Numendil Captain Basiyl 'Banjo' Mareno Gaspard II van Aert Apek'Vinteki, Targoth of Krugmar Richard I, Prince of Stassion Vyllaenen The Ferryman Strength ~16,000 Cavalry ~500 Infantry ~11,500 Cavalry Casualties ~4,900 Dead or Wounded ~11,400 Dead or Wounded

The Battle of Hippo's Gorge also called the Battle of Crimson Banks was a pitched field battle fought between the Grand Covenant and the League of Veletz & their Allies during the Aevos Coalition War, ending with the total rout of the Veletzian expeditionary force.

Prelude

Following the Covenant's defeat at Westmark, the Captain-General of Veletz announced a southern offensive [1] aiming to establish a foothold within the domain of a Grand Covenent member state. The allied armies of Veletz, the Iron Horde, and Stassion navigated southward across the Petra via the Constance River before continuing on foot towards the rural easternmost reaches of Balian.

The Grand Covenant had regrouped those who survived Westmark to persue the opposing offensive and replenished their forces in the southern canonist Kingdom. In preparation for the battle, Balianese & Covenant engineers built palisades & dug ditches surrounding their camp.

Battle

Upon the southern expedition's arrival in Balianite territory, they were confronted by a larger enemy force that had adopted similar tactics to those which had previously defeated it at Westmark, mobilizing all of its troops on horseback, except for a small contingent of 500 militia.

The Grand Covenant's defending army stood within a peninsula, fortified by ditches and palisades. This defense point only had four entrances which faced the emerging Veletzian and allied troops. Behind the Covenant's camp, a shore and a costal archipelago, adding a protection to the rear. This defensive layout ensured that the expeditionary force would have to launch a frontal assault, an innovation from the previous battle where Covenant forces found themselves surrounded and attacked from all sides by a numerically weaker foe.

Aftermath

In the aftermath of the Battle of Hippo's Gorge, the Forces of the Grand Covenant gained enough morale to go on the offensive as the League of Veletz and their allies reeled back from the defeat. The Grand Covenant regained morale and replenished their troops, learning from this battle on how to counter the devastating cavalry tactics employed by Veletz and their allies at the Battle of Westmark. After this battle, the Grand Covenant marched on the Principality of Stassion, sparking the Siege of Fredericksburg.