“Philip the Good will come if he truly is loyal to Henry VI,” replied Walter. “Or if he cares about this city.”
“It would be better if John Lancaster were here,” said Benedict.
“Why is that?” asked Walter with a puzzled expression.
“He is the brother of England’s great king, Henry V!” exclaimed Benedict. “No stronger message could be sent than if the regent of England and caretaker of the throne came to plead our case!”
“We both know our Regent will not come,” Walter said as he still examined the field ahead and the river banks. “The Duke of Bedford will be occupied with far too many things now, being newly appointed. Instead, we will have Sir Fastolf and Sir Montacute here to lead us into battle.”
“I pray they arrive tomorrow!” said Benedict. “We cannot beat the enemy with piercing eye gazes from across a river! We will have to engage soon if we are to save Cravant! Look how they bombard the city and set it ablaze!”
It was a grim sight to see Cravant nearly surrounded by the enemy. They could hear distant cries of battle and anguish as fires climbed into the night sky above the city.
“This will not do!” said Benedict. “The river is too wide for a crossing, the enemy’s position on the other side is protected by dense forest and impassable ground. We must look for another way across!”
“We should march back down the river,” suggested Walter. “There must be a more unassuming way to cross.”
“We will do this upon the next day,” said Benedict. “But for now, it would be wise to slumber before then.”
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| The Earl of Salisbury leads the charge in a 19th-century depiction of the Battle of Cravant's climax. |
Benedict was quick to fall asleep; he was not one to allow weighty circumstances to prevent him from catching rest. When the next day came, the English army marched further south and found a bridge gapping the river. Here, they assembled just as the sun had begun rising. As the lines were formed, with nearly fifteen hundred men-at-arms at the front and two thousand archers at their flank, a lookout shouted
“Look there, sir!” he said.
There, a purple flag of Burgundy came, led by a rider; the English knights went out to meet this man. But as they came closer, they could see the distress on his face.
“Why the long face, man?” asked Benedict. “Methinks you should be grateful to see allies here today.”
“It would be preferred for my cause if you English were not needed,” replied the rider. “But we have more urgent matters before us: Philip’s army was waylaid while marching for this place.”
There was a long and dreadful pause among the English.
“My lord will not be joining you here today,” the Burgundian rider continued.
“We cannot turn back now, Benedict,” said Walter. “But we will be hard pressed for victory without reinforcements.”
“You are right,” answered Benedict quietly. “Outnumbered as we are, I say we have history on our side! Do you know the story of the Battle of Crécy? An English army close in number as we have here, fought an enemy of seventy thousand Frenchmen. And we won!”
“Some say the French numbered one hundred thousand,” replied Walter.
“My point remains!” answered Benedict. “We can win this battle if Edward III was victorious at Crécy!”
“It will be more difficult now,” said the rider looking beyond Benedict’s large frame. “The enemy has begun to reposition south of Cravant to meet you!”
To be continued...
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