[MR] Wikipedia: Battle of the Herrings 1429

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today is the anniversary of one of the most unusual battles in the Hundred
Years' War, the Battle of the Herrings (the Battle of Rouvray to the
French).

Sir John Fastolf had command of a 300-wagon supply convoy between
English-held Paris and their army besieging the French city of Orléans. A
large part of the cargo was pickled herrings, but also included weapons and
other supplies. His total force was about 1,600 men.

As the convoy reached the flat plain around Rouvray, Fastolf became aware
of a blocking force of French cavalry and artillery, supported by about 400
Scottish infantry. The Franco-Scottish force numbered about 4,000. Fastolf
ordered his wagons drawn into a circle. Anti-cavalry stakes were hastily
pounded into the ground and sharpened. The stakes were reminiscent of Henry
V's tactic at Agincourt in 1415. The stakes suggest that Fastolf expected
an attack, and may have planned to use his wagons and stakes in a defensive
ring.

The French began their attack with gunpowder artillery and were doing
considerable damage to the English fortification. The Scotish infantry, led
by Sir John Stewart of Darnley, chose this moment to attack and the
bombardment stopped early. One wonders if Stewart lost control of his men,
who attacked on impulse, as Stewart was under orders not to advance. In any
case the Stewart himself and the Scots were cut down almost to the last man
by English archers and crossbowmen. The French made a half-hearted charge
to support the Scots, but in the end left them to their fate. At this point
Fastolf counter-attacked the French wings, and drove them from the field.

The Scots' losses had immense consequences. Most of the official Scottish
army had already been massacred in 1424 at the Battle of Verneuil. The
Scots that fell at the Battle of the Herrings were the last large Scottish
official contingent fighting for the French. The Scots blamed these losses
on half-hearted French support, and ended further large-scale Scottish
participation in the French wars. There were some smaller and sometimes
independent companies still in French service (Joan of Arc's vanguard at
the lifting of the Siege of Orléans was heavily Scottish).

Fastolf's use of the wagons was not actually new. It had been used
successfully by the Hussites at the 1419 Battle of Nekmíř. The Hussites
went on to develop tactics using "war wagons" as portable forts, and
Fastolf may have heard of their successes.

More on the Battle of the Herrings is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Herrings .

Sir John Fastolf is among the more interesting English commanders during
this phase of the Hundred Years' War. Unfortunately, Fastolf became
associated with Shakespeare's cowardly character Fallstaff (who was
actually based on the Lollard Sir John Oldcastle), and the real knight's
reputation was tarnished forever. More about Sir John Fastolf is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fastolf .

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆