Battle of the Midwood Marshes
The Battle of the Midwood Marshes was a battle between the Hive Militia and the Great Glade Militia, occurring during the Third Age of Flight. Fought on the Midwood Marshes next to the Midwood Decks, it was the culminating battle of the long confrontation between the cities of Hive and Great Glade, and ended in a decisive victory for Great Glade and its allies in the Midwood Decks.
Origins of the Conflict
- Main article: Hive-Great Glade Conflict
The battle followed a prolonged economic confrontation between Hive and Great Glade, which was fought by proxy in the Midwood Decks between the Pro-Hivers led by Greeg Kleft, and the pro-Great Glade Free Timbersmiths, led by Hoathly Hextree. The attack was launched as an attempt to gain control of the Midwood Decks by Hive, rescuing the economy and the power of the Clan Chief, Kulltuft Warhammer. Following an embargo of phraxcrystals by the Great Glade Council, the factories and phraxship production in Hive were unable to operate because of the seizure of remaining phraxcrystals to arm weapons for the Hive Militia. The attack that was intended to capture the Midwood Decks was presumably a long term contingency plan, but was debated in the Clan Hall of Hive. Only by murdering one of the clan chiefs was Kulltuft Warhammer able to launch the assault.
Battle
Despite the Hive Militia taking four weeks to march to the Midwood Decks, the Great Glade Milita only organized reinforcement of the Midwood Decks a day or so before the battle, as the Great Glade Phraxfleet arrived at the Midwood Decks with minutes to spare. The arrival of the Great Glade Phraxfleet forced the Hive Militia to change strategy. Instead of destroying the stockade wall that protected the town and sending in the Bloody Blades, the Hive Militia had to commit to a battle with a larger enemy force, which they lost due to bad military tactics, incompetent leadership, and insufficient firepower.
After attempting to destroy the Great Glade Phraxfleet, which was airlifting in reinforcements form the Great Glade
Militia, the Hive Militia attempted an infantry charge with "spikes", or primitive bayonets, hoping to overwhelm and destroy the massed Great Glade Militia. However, the superior firepower of the Great Glade Militia all but destroyed the Hive Militia infantry before they reached the Great Glade Militia lines. An attempted use of phraxcannon by the Hive Militia failed to destroy the Great Glade Militia, before the Freeglade Lancers launched an attack on the flank of the Hive Militia.
The Great Glade Militia triumphed in the bloody battle, and the Hive Militia was forced to retreat back to Hive. It is implied that all the phraxcannon used by the Hive Militia were either destroyed or lost, and the bulk of the Hive Militia killed in the battle, captured by the Great Glade Militia of lost in the retreat through the Deepwoods.