The
12th (Suffolk Regiment) at the Battle of Minden. 1st August 1759 by Brian Palmer
During
the Seven Years War (1756 - 63) a large French army of 52,000 men
commanded by Marshal Contades moved from the Rhine to take Minden and
threaten the Electorate of Hanover, one of Britain's allies in the
war. Ferdinand of Brunswick commanding an allied army consisting
of British, Brunswick, Hanoverians and Hessen - Cassell troops numbering
42,000 stood in their way. The battle began at first light with
the allies forming up in 8 columns preparing to advance. Due to a
misunderstanding of orders two brigades, which included the 12th, went
into the attack before the rest of the line had properly formed.
With drums beating and colors flying they launched a frontal attack on
French cavalry, and against all odds held firm and threw them back in
confusion. By this time the rest of the infantry had arrived in
support and the French army was routed. Minden is remarkable for
this unique attack by infantry in line against a mass of cavalry.
Battle of Nagashino by
Brian Palmer When Portuguese traders took advantage of the constant violence
in Japan to sell the Japanese their first firearms, one of the quickest to
take advantage of this new technology was the powerful daimyō Oda
Nobunaga. In 1575 the impetuous Takeda Katsuyori lay siege to Nagashino
castle, a possession of an ally of Nobunaga's, Tokugawa Ieyasu. An army
was despatched to relieve the siege by Nobunaga and Ieyasu, two of the
most influential figures in Japanese history, and the two sides faced each
other across the plain of Shidarahara. The Takeda samurai were brave,
loyal and renowned for their cavalry charges, but Nobunaga, counting on
Katsuyori's impetuosity, had 3,000 musketeers waiting behind prepared
defences for their assault. The outcome of this clash of tactics and
technologies was to change the face of Japanese warfare forever.
Battle of Isandhlwana, 22nd
January 1879 by Brian Palmer Last stand of the 24th South Wales
Borderers at Isandhlwana during the Zulu War.
Alexander the Great's Victory at Hydaspes River by
Brian Palmer During the Macedonian conquests in 326BC at the
tributary at Hydaspes (now Jhelem) of the Indus River, King Porus and
his Indian army blocked Alexander the Great's advance with some 50,000
troops leaving 40,000, the bulk of his army, on the west bank of the
river. Alexander the Great crossed the Indus river using makeshift
pontoons with 14,000 picked cavalry and infantry. The following day he
attacked the flank of King Porus' position, after 8 hours of hard
fighting, Alexander the Great's army routed the Indians, taking 9,000
prisoner including King Porus and killing 12,000. The Macedonian army
lost 980 men and this was the last battle of the Asian conquest as
Alexander's army rebelled and refused to go further
The Battle of Stirling Bridge by Brian
Palmer After Edward 1st proclaimed himself King of
Scotland Sir William Wallace rallied Scots in the South West and began
attacking English occupying forces around Scotland. Edward I ordered the
Earl of Surrey to put down the rebellion, after taking the surrender of
rebel forces at Irvine the Earl of Surrey marched against William
Wallace's forces at Stirling. He ordered his army to cross the narrow
bridge over the Forth River near the Abbey of Cambuskenneth on September
11th. From a vantage point overlooking the bridge William Wallace
watched and waited until the English army of 5,000 had crossed Stirling
bridge and with the bridge being crowded with troops he launched his
attack with his entire force wiping out the entire bridgehead. The rest
of the English army fell back but William Wallace pursued. After this
defeat English forces were evacuated south as far as the River Tweed.
Battle of Marathon by Brian Palmer The Battle of
Marathon 490 BC during the Persian Greek Wars. King Darious I of Persia
sent his son in law Mardonius to invade Greece in 492 BC. The
Persian Forces conquered Thrace and Macedonia before their fleet was devastated
by a storm. Mardonia was forced to return to Asia. A second Persian
invasion force crossed the Aegean sea. After conquering Eretria, the
Persian Army under Datis (15,000 strong) landed near Marathon.
(Marathon is 24 miles northeast of Athens.) General Miltiades, general in
the Greek army gathered a force of 10,000 Athenians and 1,000 Plataean
citizen Soldiers.
On the 12th September 490 BC, Miltiades arranged his
Greek Hoplites )Infantry) in a long line across the 2 mile plain of
Marathon. Then the Greek's charged the Persian Lines. the Centre of the
Hoplite force was pushed back but the Flanks, broke through the Persian
Forces and encircled the Persian Centre. Datis Persian army was
routed and returned to Asia. The Greek losses was 192 men compared
to the Persian losses of 6,400. This was the first major assault
from the Asian Powers against Europe and is considered the first major
decisive battles of the world.
The Battle of Thermopylae by Brian Palmer Depicting the last stand of the 300 Spartans who fought to the death
against an overwhelming Persian Army. Second in a series by Brian Palmer
of "Great Last Stands" throughout history.
Spartacus. The Slaves Revolt - 71 BC by Brian Palmer
For two years Spartacus and his army of escaped slaves and Gladiators
defeated every Roman Legion sent against him. Eventually in 71BC, they
were trapped and destroyed by six Legions led by Crassus.
Battle of Zama by Brian Palmer The second Punic War between Rome and Carthage was brought to a conclusion
on the plains of Zama (modern Tunisia), with the Romans inflicting a crushing
defeat on the army of Hannibal.
Ambush of the XI Legion by Brian Palmer Driven by revenge for the brutal treatment she had suffered at the
hands of the Romans, Queen Boadicea led the Iceni and her allies the
Trinovantas in open revolt. The IX Legion Hispania was despatched to
suppress the insurrection but were ambushed en route. Only the commander
Petilius Cerealis, and a handful of cavalry escaped.
Defence of Rorke's Drift by Brian Palmer Men of the 24th Foot defend Rorke's Drift against an overwhelming
number of Zulus near the barricades, and the hand to hand fighting. Surgeon
Reynolds can be seen attending a wounded soldier.
Battle of Culloden by Brian Palmer
The Jacobite charge which broke through the ranks of Barrell's regiment
is counter charged by four British regiments including the 48th Legoniers regiment.
