St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and PoitiersHenty, G. A. (George Alfred)
History
St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Great Britain -- History -- Edward III, 1327-1377 -- Fiction
By some extraordinary accident they had not met any of the fugitives
flying from Cressy, and were ignorant that a battle had been fought.
The English charged them at once. Their advance-guard, consisting of
burghers, was easily overthrown. The second division, which was composed
of men-at-arms, fought bravely, but was unable to withstand the charge
of the triumphant English, and was completely broken and defeated. The
grand prior was killed and a vast number of his followers slain or
captured. During the whole of the morning detached parties from Edward's
army scoured the country, dispersing and slaughtering bands of French
who still remained together, and toward night the Earl of Northampton
returned to the camp with the news that no enemy remained in the
vicinity that could offer a show of resistance to the English force.
It is said that a far greater number of French were killed upon the
second day than upon the first. This can be accounted for by the fact
that on the first day but a small portion of the English army were
engaged, and that upon the second the English were fresh and vigorous,
and their enemies exhausted and dispirited.
The greater number of the French nobles and knights who fell died in
their attempt to break through the Black Prince's array. Besides the
King of Bohemia, nine sovereign princes and eighty great nobles were
killed, with twelve hundred knights, fifteen hundred men-at-arms, and
thirty thousand foot; while on the English side only three knights and a
small number of men-at-arms and infantry were killed. The body of the
King of Bohemia and those of the other great leaders were carried in
solemn pomp to the Abbey of Maintenay. Edward himself and his son
accompanied them as mourners.
On the Monday following Edward marched with his army against Calais, and
summoned the town to surrender. John of Vienne, who commanded the
garrison, refused to comply with the demand. The fortifications of the
town were extremely strong and the garrison numerous, and Edward
perceived that an assault would be very unlikely to succeed, and would
entail great loss, while a repulse would have dimmed the luster of the
success which he had gained. He therefore determined to reduce it by
famine, and the troops were set to work to build huts. So permanently
and strongly were these constructed that it seemed to the enemy that
King Edward was determined to remain before Calais even should he have
to stay there for ten years.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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