After defeating the Lancastrians (and killing Warwick) at the battle of Barnet, (April 15, 1471), Edward IV had little time to rest or regroup; a fresh landing on England’s shores was lead by Quenn Margaret and her son, confusingly also named Edward, the Prince of Wales. King Edward pursued the Lancastrian forces, but they managed to deceive him as to their route. Margaret needed to cross the river Severn to escape (and also rally support in Wales)., but was refused entry into the city of Gloucester, and thus proceeded on the Tewkesbury, where there was a bridge. Before the Lancastrians could effect passage, King Edward and the Yorkists caught up with them, setting the stage for the battle the following morning.
Hawk’s eye view of the Battlefield; near are the Yorkists; in center is Edward IV’s battle, with Gloucester’s battle ready to move up behind him; to the far right is Hastings battle, , and to the far left is the detachment of 200 “scurriers” hidden in the woods. Opposite are the Lancastrians, with Somerset’s flank march hidden by the low ridge, then the figurehead commander, Prince Edward with his small bodyguard, then Wenlocks’ battle, and finally that of Devon. ,
View from the Yorkist right.
View from the Lancastrian left.
Abother view; with my table being a bit larger than the prescribed 6 by 4 feet, I added the river Severn for effect. The enclosed fields have no effect on play in game terms.
View from the opposite side of the field.
Rules and scenario are by my friends in the UK, Tim Couper and David Knight.
Additional background from the Osprey, given to me a year or two ago by our book and history loving friends; turned out to be quite prescient!
I plan a test game to refresh myself on the rules; I will be running this game at HAVOC in Massachusetts the first weekend in April, and probably at Historicon as well.
Blunders On The Danube
