NSTIW

[Hugh Niewoehner]

Ld Owen,
Thanks for the tales.  And thanks for the archery discussions.
They help the enjoyment of those who for some 
reason were unable to attend.  :-(

What happened to the right wing in the second field battle?  Which 
units were formed there?  

While I was not there and this may seem like second guessing the 
commanders on scene, I'd like to share this bit of reflection from one 
of the Trimaran allies.  Can we learn from this?  

>    The second field battle started about half an hour or so after the
>first, with us at the bottom of the hill and Ansteorra at the top. 
>Trimaris went with the same lineup, so we had the near-left with our
>auxiliaries to our left and rear.  This time, however, we would go up
>the hill slowly, waiting for the Trimaran right and center to commit
>before we attacked.  The Ansteorrans formed a short, heavy line at the
>top of the hill, with the Atlanteans in front of the main line's
>center.
>The archers moved out in front and peppered the Ansteorran line, causing
>apparently light damage.  However, one casualty was the Ansteorran
>right wing commander.  He was the one-legged knight, and was in the
>front line when a golf-tube arrow hit his chest dead-center.  With his
>loss, the Ansteorran right lost all chance for making a coordinated
>charge. The little household units just didn't trust each other enough
>to set up any common action.
>    The Trimaran right finally made a serious attack, and their center
>advanced to contact, so we felt safe attacking also.  We again did a
>slow "charge", and I couldn't penetrate at first.  On my next try,
>though, Conrad said I vanished into their ranks so quickly he lost all
>track of me (he was my polearmsman).  I know I killed several with gut
>thrusts (short, heavy thrusting swords are the only way to go with a
>scutum) before somebody clanged me on the head.  Valens(fighting 
>with the Ansteorrans) was trying to
>get people to move out and attack our flanks, but he only partially
>succeeded on our left.  One auxiliary unit stayed back behind us,
>waiting for the Ansteorran right to swing forward and into our left. 
>Their implied menace and the lack of an Ansteorran commander
>intimidated the Ansteorrans, and they never moved out.
>The Ansteorrans had placed most of their troops in center and right. The
>Trimarans had done almost the same thing, except Trimaris attacked on
>their right.   The heavy Trimaran right had a good numerical advantage,
>and they broke the Ansteorran left and swept in to take out the center.
> Our end of the line kept the Ansteorran right pinned down until the
>Trimaran center and left showed up for the kill.
>    The Trimarans did a better job of running their army in the second
>battle.  They were more patient, but didn't let the battle degenerate
>into an archery duel.  The Ansteorrans needed to be much more
>aggressive.  Their fragmented household structure, plus an apparent
>lack of either initiative or flexible orders, kept them stuck in their
>original setups during the battle, and they couldn't react to take
>advantage of any opportunities.

There's a whole lot more looking at the entire war if people are 
interested in hearing what others thought of everyones performance.

   Later,
       Damon