[Footnote 78: Valognes,--five leagues from Cherbourg.] [A.D. 1450.] CHAP. XVIII. AFTER THE CAPTURE OF VALOGNES BY SIR THOMAS KIRIEL, HE TAKES THE FIELD WITH A LARGE ARMY OF ENGLISHMEN.--HE IS MET BY THE COUNT DE CLERMONT, WHO ATTACKS AND DEFEATS HIM. On the 12th day of April, in the year 1450, after Easter, sir Thomas Kiriel dislodged from Valognes, having with him the greater part of the garrisons of Caen, Bayeux, and Vire, and, crossing the fords of St Clement[79], advanced toward the country of Bayeux and Caen. Intelligence of this movement was carried to the french headquarters, and a detachment was ordered to pursue them, under the command of the count de Clermont, the count de Castres, the seneschal of Poitou, the lord de Montgascon and de Retz, admiral of France, and others, to the amount of five or six hundred spears and archers. Although they were so few in numbers, they continued their pursuit until they overtook them. Sir Geoffry de Couvran and Joachim Rohault had, some little time before, separated from them to seek if they could gain any information of the enemy, and luckily fell in with their track. Notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, they boldly and courageously made an attack on their rear-guard, and killed and wounded several. They then retreated, and sent notice of what they had done to the count de Clermont, who was not far off. He hastened to come up with the English, which he did near a village called Fourmigny, between Carentan and Bayeux, on the 13th of the same month. The English, on perceiving the enemy, drew up in battle-array, and sent in haste to a captain, called Matago, who had that morning quitted them for Bayeux, but instantly returned to the aid of his companions. The two armies remained drawn up facing each other for three hours, while a continual skirmish was going forward,--during which, the English made, with their swords and daggers, deep holes in their front, that those who should charge them might fall in with their horses: they were also very advantageously posted, for they had, within a bow-shot of their rear, a small river with gardens and orchards thick planted with fruit-trees, so that they could not be attacked on that quarter. The count de Clermont, observing their situation, and considering that he had not an adequate force to combat them, dispatched a messenger in haste to St Lo, to require that the count de Richemont, constable of France, would come to his succour,--otherwise he and his men would have more work on their hands than they could accomplish, for that the English greatly outnumbered his force.