Battle of Havre

The Battle of Havre occurred exactly two months after the Battle of Carenton during the Six Years' War, a large Stahlheimian push to overtake the defense at the Almeronian border and push into the heartland of the country. It began on the 28th of Seed's Growth and ended on the 34th of Seed's Growth 975 4E. The King of Almeron was rallying his forces at the capital and was unable to lead his forces personally in battle, leaving the command of the Almeronian defense to the minor noble and ruler of Havre, Baron Pierre Martin. The Almeronian forces were heavily outnumbered and stood little chance of winning the battle but managed to occupy the Imperial offensive for several days while defending the town. Ultimately, almost all of the defenders were slain.

Background
After the Battle of Carenton, both countries rapidly tried to gather their forces in preparation for another battle. Marshal Erwin Mueller gathered reinforcements from neighboring Stahlheimian provinces and in short order was ready to advance. Meanwhile, King Charles III was busy in the Almeronian capital, gathering as many soldiers as he could in order to counter an Imperial push into the country. This left the town of Havre with only a brigade of footsoldiers to defend it, some 4,000 total voulgiers and crossbowmen stationed to protect the border from any early incursions. They were commanded by the town's Lord, Baron Martin, a lesser noble who had experience in past wars with Lorenthal but lacked resources to aptly defend the border.

Early in the morning on the 28th of Seed's Growth, a full invasion force of 55,000 men under the command of Marshal Mueller pushed through the Almeronian border with little resistance and made their way to Havre. Lord Martin was alerted of their advance by a fleeing border guard and was given perhaps four hours to prepare the town before the enemy would be upon them. He did the best he was able to ready the town's defenses, positioning his voulgiers at important chokepoints and crossbowmen from the town's few watchtowers and any buildings with strong lines of sight. Several citizens were evacuated, though perhaps 1,000 remained and vowed to defend their homes from the encroaching foe despite the desperate odds that faced them. This left a defending force of only 5,000 against an army of more than 10 times that strength, but the Baron would not leave the town in Imperial hands. Similarly, Mueller could not allow the town to stand lest it's forces hinder his forces if he averted it.

Thus, as Mueller's forces reached the town and he was alerted of the situation, he prepared to make an example of the defenders. He had his forces encircle the town entirely, preparing not to besiege it but smother it with artillery fire until a direct assault would crush them with minimal losses to his army. He asked but once for the Baron to surrender, and in reply he only saw the Almeronian flag being waved high above from the town's watch tower. The Baron knew his best strategy would be to have his men find as much cover as possible and be ready to take up their positions at the town's chokepoints at a moment's notice, but beyond that he could do little to counter such a large force. The Baron dug his forces in, and the artillery barrage began.

Course of the Battle
Mueller ordered his cannon crews to open fire immediately, and within minutes deafening explosions and the stench of gunpowder filled the townfolk. The barrages served to kill only a few, but the terror they brought upon the defenders was enough to unnerve many and make them question if surrendering would not serve them better. This barrage continued for over a day before there was a pause, half the buildings in Havre turned completely to rubble. The Baron rallied his men, calling out in the relative calm for them to take their positions and defend their homes. The soldiers filled the streets and disorganized volleys from disoriented crossbowmen began to pick at the Stahlheimian army.

Mueller ordered his men to engage, and soon the streets were filled with bodies as masses of soldiers pushed back and forth in an effort to hold the town. The fighting at the first chokepoints lasted until the next day, and only when his men were near breaking did the Baron call for them to retreat and fresh soldiers to defend the next sets of chokepoints, deeper in. Though Mueller held an astronomical numerical advantage, having to clear each house and pile of rubble of varying soldiers proved incredibly tedious, and urging his men to charge into ranks of organized polearms with no possibility of flanking them was a difficult thing.

The clearing of Havre was incredibly slow, and though there was constant progress it took the Empire several days before reaching the town center. After five days of gruesome fighting and clearing buildings of crossbowmen there had been far more casualties than expected. There were perhaps only 500 Almeronian soldiers left under the command of the Baron to defend the town center, the last possible defense with four different avenues of attack from which the enemy could come. In six days of fighting Mueller had lost close to 3,000 men, a sizable blow that while not debilitating was enough to tire his force.

The Baron positioned 100 men at each of the four roads leading to the town center, keeping an additional 100 held in reserve to fill any gaps in the lines that he could. When battle was met between the two forces, it was made clear that though the soldiers could physically hold for hours, their mental strength was evaporating with the knowledge of sure death. Baron Martin did his best to rally his men, jumping into the fray himself and cutting a swathe through Imperial soldiers in his efforts to galvanize what was left of the defenders. This worked for a time, though when he was cut down all hope was lost. A large amount of the remaining soldiers buckled and began to look for a way to flee, others gathering near the town hall for a defiant last stand.

Regardless of intent, all those that remained were cut down. The battle was over, and though somewhat costly, Stahlheim had found victory and was now free to continue it's march deeper into Almeron.

Aftermath
Mueller was truly furious at how difficult it had been to take the town, though in a sign of great respect for the brave fallen did not disgrace the Almeronian banner. He kept it pristine and with his personal command party throughout the campaign, both in remembrance of his failures and the surprising valor of his enemies. Of the 52,000 soldiers Mueller still commanded, a brigade of 3,000 was left to clean the town and convert it into a command center for the campaign. The rest marched under the Marshal deeper into Almeronian territory, towards Bellemont. The six days it had taken to end the battle gave time for King Charles to gather his forces, an effort that ultimately altered the course of the war.