THE WHITE FORD.
They made their way without interruption to the wall. This they found,
as they expected, entirely deserted, although, no doubt, guards had been
posted at the gates. The Flemings, however, could have felt no fear of
an attack by so small a force as the five hundred English whom they knew
to be in the neighborhood.
Walter and his companion soon knotted the ropes together and lowered
themselves into the moat. A few strokes took them to the other side, and
scrambling out, they made their way across the country to the spot where
the English had been posted. They found the Earl of Salisbury, who
commanded, in a great state of uneasiness. No message had reached him
during the day. He had heard the alarm-bells of the city ring, and a
scout who had gone forward returned with the news that the gates were
closed and the drawbridges raised, and that a strong body of men manned
the walls.
"Your news is indeed bad," he said, when Walter related to him the
events which had taken place in the town. "This will altogether derange
the king's plans. Now that his ally is killed, I fear that his hopes of
acquiring Flanders for England will fall to the ground. It is a thousand
pities that he listened to Van Artevelde and allowed him to enter Ghent
alone. Had his majesty landed, as he wished, and made a progress through
the country, the prince receiving the homage of all the large towns, we
could then very well have summoned Ghent as standing alone against all
Flanders. The citizens then would, no doubt, have gladly opened their
gates and received the prince, and if they had refused we would have
made short work of them. However, as it has turned out, it is as well
that we did not enter the town with the Fleming, for against so large
and turbulent a population we should have had but little chance. And
now, Master Somers, we will march at once for Sluys and bear the news to
the king, and you shall tell me as we ride thither how you and your
man-at-arms managed to escape with whole skins from such a tumult."
The king was much grieved when he heard of the death of Artevelde, and
held a council with his chief leaders. At first, in his indignation and
grief, he was disposed to march upon Ghent and to take vengeance for the
murder of his ally, but after a time calmer counsels prevailed.
The Flemings were still in rebellion against their count, who was the
friend of France. Were the English to attack Ghent they would lose the
general good-will of the Flemings, and would drive them into the arms of
France, while, if matters were left alone, the effect of the popular
outburst which had caused the death of Artevelde would die away, and
motives of interest and the fear of France would again drive them into
the arms of England. The expedition therefore returned to England, and
there the king, in a proclamation to his people, avoided all allusion to
the death of his ally, but simply stated that he had been waited upon by
the councils of all the Flemish towns, and that their faithful obedience
to himself, as legitimate King of France, was established upon a firmer
basis than ever.
This course had the effect which he had anticipated from it. The people
of Flanders perceived the danger and disadvantage which must accrue to
their trade from any permanent disagreement with England. They were
convinced by the events which soon afterward happened in France that the
King of England had more power than Philip of Valois, and could, if he
chose, punish severely any breach of faith toward him. They therefore
sent over commissioners to express their grief and submission. The death
of Artevelde was represented as the act of a frantic mob, and severe
fines were imposed upon the leaders of the party who slew him, and
although the principal towns expressed their desire still to remain
under the rule of the Count of Flanders, they suggested that the ties
which bound them to England should be strengthened by the marriage of
Louis, eldest son of the count, to one of Edward's daughters. More than
this, they offered to create a diversion for the English forces acting
in Guienne and Gascony by raising a strong force and expelling the
French garrisons still remaining in some parts of the country. This was
done. Hugo of Hastings was appointed by the king captain-general in
Flanders, and with a force of English and Flemings did good service by
expelling the French from Termond and several other towns.
The character of Jacob van Artevelde has had but scant justice done to
it by most of the historians of the time. These, living in an age of
chivalry, when noble blood and lofty deeds were held in extraordinary
respect, had little sympathy with the brewer of Ghent, and deemed it
contrary to the fitness of things that the chivalry of France should
have been defied and worsted by mere mechanics and artisans. But there
can be no doubt that Artevelde was a very great man. He may have been
personally ambitious, but he was a true patriot. He had great military
talents. He completely remodeled and wonderfully improved the internal
administration of the country, and raised its commerce, manufactures,
and agriculture to a pitch which they had never before reached. After
his death his memory was esteemed and revered by the Flemings, who long
submitted to the laws he had made, and preserved his regulations with
scrupulous exactitude.
Edward now hastened to get together a great army. Every means were
adopted to raise money and to gather stores, and every man between
sixteen and sixty south of the Trent was called upon to take up arms
and commanded to assemble at Portsmouth in the middle of Lent. A
tremendous tempest, however, scattered the fleet collected to carry the
expedition, a great many of the ships were lost, and it was not until
the middle of July, 1346, that it sailed from England. It consisted of
about five hundred ships and ten thousand sailors, and carried four
thousand men-at-arms, ten thousand archers, twelve thousand Welsh, and
six thousand Irish.
This seems but a small army considering the efforts which had been made;
but it was necessary to leave a considerable force behind for the
defense of the Scottish frontier, and England had already armies in
Guienne and Brittany. Lionel, Edward's second son, was appointed regent
during his father's absence. On board Edward's own ship were Godfrey of
Harcourt and the Prince of Wales. Walter, as one of the personal squires
of the prince, was also on board.
The prince had been greatly interested in the details of Walter's escape
from Van Artevelde's house, the king himself expressed his approval of
his conduct, and Walter was generally regarded as one of the most
promising young aspirants at the court. His modesty and good temper
rendered him a general favorite, and many even of the higher nobles
noticed him by their friendly attentions, for it was felt that he stood
so high in the good-will of the prince that he might some day become a
person of great influence with him, and one whose good-will would be
valuable.
It was generally supposed, when the fleet started, that Guienne was
their destination, but they had not gone far when a signal was made to
change the direction in which they were sailing and to make for La Hogue
in Normandy. Godfrey of Harcourt had great influence in that province,
and his persuasions had much effect in determining the king to direct
his course thither. There was the further advantage that the King of
France, who was well aware of the coming invasion, would have made his
preparations to receive him in Guienne. Furthermore, Normandy was the
richest and most prosperous province in France. It had for a long time
been untouched by war, and offered great abundance of spoil. It had made
itself particularly obnoxious to the English by having recently made an
offer to the King of France to fit out an expedition and conquer England
with its own resources.
The voyage was short and favorable, and the expedition landed at La
Hogue, on the small peninsula of Cotentin, without opposition. Six days
were spent at La Hogue disembarking the men, horses, and stores, and
baking bread for the use of the army on the march. A detachment advanced
and pillaged and burned Barfleur and Cherbourg and a number of small
towns and castles.
In accordance with custom, at the commencement of the campaign a court
was held, at which the Prince of Wales was dubbed a knight by his
father. A similar honor was bestowed upon a number of other young
aspirants, among whom was Walter Somers, who had been highly
recommended for that honor to the king by Sir Walter Manny.
The force was now formed into three divisions--the one commanded by the
king himself, the second by the Earl of Warwick, and the third by
Godfrey of Harcourt. The Earl of Arundel acted as lord high constable,
and the Earl of Huntingdon, who was in command of the fleet, followed
the army along the sea-coast. Valognes, Carentan, and St. Lo were
captured without difficulty, and the English army advanced by rapid
marches upon Caen, plundering the country for six or seven leagues on
each side of the line of march. An immense quantity of booty was
obtained.
As soon as the news of Edward's landing in Normandy reached Paris,
Philip dispatched the Count d'Eu, Constable of France, with the Count of
Tankerville and six hundred men-at-arms, to oppose Edward at Caen. The
Bishop of Bayeux had thrown himself into that city, which was already
garrisoned by three hundred Genoese. The town was not defensible, and
the only chance of resistance was by opposing the passage of the river
Horn, which flowed between the suburbs and the city. The bridge was
barricaded, strong wooden towers were erected, and such was the
confidence of the inhabitants and their leaders that Edward's promise of
protection for the person and property of the citizens was rejected with
scorn, and the whole male population joined the garrison in the defense
of the bridge. Marching through the deserted suburbs the English army
attacked the bridge with such vehemence that although the enemy defended
the barricades gallantly they were speedily forced, and the English
poured into the town. Before the first fury of the attack was over near
five thousand persons were slain. The Count of Tankerville, one hundred
and forty knights, and as many squires were made prisoners. The plunder
was so enormous as to be sufficient to cover the whole expenses of the
expedition, and this with the booty which had been previously acquired
was placed on board ship and dispatched to England, while the king
marched forward with his army. At Lisieux he was met by two cardinals
sent by the pope to negotiate a truce; but Edward had learned the
fallacy of truces made with King Philip, and declined to enter into
negotiations. Finding that Rouen had been placed in a state of defense
and could not be taken without a long siege, he left it behind him and
marched along the valley of the Eure, gathering rich booty at every
step.
But while he was marching forward a great army was gathering in his
rear. The Count of Harcourt, brother of Godfrey, called all Normandy to
arms. Every feudal lord and vassal answered to the summons, and before
Edward reached the banks of the Seine a formidable army had assembled.
The whole of the vassals of France were gathering by the orders of the
king at St. Denis. The English fleet had now left the coast, and Edward
had only the choice of retreating through Normandy into Brittany or of
attempting to force the passage of the Seine, and to fight his way
through France to Flanders. He chose the latter alternative, and marched
along the left bank of the river toward Paris, seeking in vain to find a
passage. The enemy followed him step by step on the opposite bank, and
all the bridges were broken down and the fords destroyed.
Edward marched on, burning the towns and ravaging the country until he
reached Poissy. The bridge was as usual destroyed, but the piles on
which it stood were still standing, and he determined to endeavor to
cross here. He accordingly halted for five days, but dispatched troops
in all directions, who burned and ravaged to the very gates of Paris.
The villages of St. Germain, St. Cloud, Bourg la Reine, and many others
within sight of the walls were destroyed, and the capital itself thrown
into a state of terror and consternation. Godfrey of Harcourt was the
first to cross the river, and with the advance-guard of English fell
upon a large body of the burghers of Amiens, and after a severe fight
defeated them, killing over five hundred. The king himself with his
whole force passed on the 16th of August.
Philip, with his army, quitted St. Denis when he heard that the English
army had passed the Seine, and by parallel marches endeavored to
interpose between it and the borders of Flanders. As his force was every
hour increasing he dispatched messengers to Edward offering him battle
within a few days on condition that he would cease to ravage the
country; but Edward declined the proposal, saying that Philip himself by
breaking down the bridges had avoided a battle as long as he could, but
that whenever he was ready to give battle he would accept the challenge.
During the whole march the armies were within a few leagues of each
other, and constant skirmishes took place between bodies detached from
the hosts.
In some of these skirmishes Walter took part, as he and the other newly
made knights were burning to distinguish themselves. Every day the
progress of the army became more difficult, as the country people
everywhere rose against them, and several times attempted to make a
stand, but were defeated with great loss. The principal towns were found
deserted, and even Poix, which offered great capabilities of defense,
had been left unguarded. Upon the English entering, the burghers offered
to pay a large ransom to save the town from plunder. The money was to be
delivered as soon as the English force had withdrawn, and Walter Somers
was ordered by the king to remain behind with a few men-at-arms to
receive the ransom.
No sooner had the army departed than the burghers, knowing that the
French army was close behind, changed their minds, refused to pay the
ransom, and fell upon the little body of men-at-arms. Although taken
quite by surprise by this act of treachery Walter instantly rallied his
men, although several had been killed at the first onslaught. He, with
Ralph and two or three of the stanchest men, covered the retreat of the
rest through the streets, making desperate charges upon the body of
armed burghers pressing upon them. Ralph fought as usual with a mace of
prodigious weight, and the terror of his blows in no slight degree
enabled the party to reach the gate in safety, but Walter had no idea of
retreating further. He dispatched one of his followers to gallop at full
speed to overtake the rear-guard of the army, which was still but two
miles distant, while with the rest he formed a line across the gate and
resisted all the attempts of the citizens to expel them.
The approach to the gate was narrow, and the overwhelming number of the
burghers were therefore of little avail. Walter had dismounted his force
and all fought on foot, and although sorely pressed they held their
ground until Lords Cobham and Holland, with their followers, rode up.
Then the tide of war was turned, the town was plundered and burned, and
great numbers of the inhabitants slain. Walter gained great credit for
holding the gate, for had he been driven out, the town could have
resisted, until the arrival of Louis, all assaults of the English.
The river Somme now barred the passage of Edward. Most of the bridges
had been destroyed, and those remaining were so strongly fortified that
they could not be forced.
The position of the English was now very critical. On one flank and in
front were impassable rivers. The whole country was in arms against
them, and on their rear and flank pressed a hostile army fourfold their
strength. The country was swampy and thinly populated, and flour and
provisions were only obtained with great difficulty. Edward, on finding
from the reports of his marshals who had been sent to examine the
bridges, that no passage across the river could be found, turned and
marched down the river toward the sea, halting for the night at
Oisemont.
Here, a great number of peasantry attempted a defense, but were easily
defeated and a number of prisoners taken. Late in the evening the Earl
of Warwick, who had pushed forward as far as Abbeville and St. Valery,
returned with the news that the passages at those places were as
strongly guarded as elsewhere, but that he had learned from a peasant
that a ford existed somewhere below Abbeville, although the man was
himself ignorant of its position.
Edward at once called the prisoners belonging to that part of the
country before him, and promised to any one who would tell him where the
ford lay his freedom and that of twenty of his companions. A peasant
called Gobin Agase stepped forward and offered to show the ford, where
at low tide twelve men could cross abreast. It was, he said, called La
Blanche Tache.
Edward left Oisemont at midnight and reached the ford at daylight. The
river, however, was full and the army had to wait impatiently for low
tide. When they arrived there no enemy was to be seen on the opposite
bank, but before the water fell sufficiently for a passage to be
attempted, Sir Godemar du Fay with twelve thousand men, sent by King
Philip, who was aware of the existence of the ford, arrived on the
opposite side.
The enterprise was a difficult one indeed, for the water, even at low
tide, is deep. Godemar du Fay, however, threw away part of his advantage
by advancing into the stream. The English archers lined the banks, and
poured showers of arrows into the ranks of the enemy, while the Genoese
bowmen on their side were able to give comparatively little assistance
to the French.
King Edward shouted to his knights, "Let those who love me follow me,"
and spurred his horse into the water. Behind him followed his most
valiant knights, and Walter, riding close to the Prince of Wales, was
one of the foremost.
The French resisted valiantly and a desperate battle took place on the
narrow ford, but the impetuosity of the English prevailed, and step by
step they drove the French back to the other side of the river. The
whole army poured after their leaders, and the French were soon entirely
routed and fled, leaving two thousand men-at-arms dead on the field.
King Edward, having now freed himself from the difficulties which had
encompassed him on the other side of the river, prepared to choose a
ground to give battle to the whole French army.
Louis had advanced slowly, feeling confident that the English would be
unable to cross the river, and that he should catch them hemmed in by
it. His mortification and surprise on finding, when he approached La
Blanche Tache, that twelve thousand men had been insufficient to hold a
ford by which but twelve could cross abreast, and that his enemy had
escaped from his grasp, were great. The tide had now risen again, and he
was obliged to march on to Abbeville and cross the river there.
King Edward now advanced into the forest of Cressy.
Hugh de le Spencer, with a considerable force, was dispatched to Crotoy,
which he carried by assault after a severe conflict, in which four
thousand of the French men-at-arms were slain. The capture of this city
removed all danger of want from the army, for large stores of wine and
meal were found there, and Sir Hugh at once sent off a supply to the
tired army in the field.
The possession of Crotoy and the mouth of the Somme would have now
rendered it easy for the English monarch to have transported his troops
to England, and to have returned triumphant after the accomplishment of
his extraordinary and most successful march through France. The army,
however, was elated by the many great successes it had won, he was now
in Ponthieu, which was one of his own fiefs, and he determined to make a
stand in spite of the immense superiority of the enemy.
Next morning, then--Friday, the 25th of August, 1346--he dispatched the
Earl of Warwick, with Godfrey of Harcourt and Lord Cobham, to examine
the ground and choose a site for a battle.
The plan of the fight was drawn out by the king and his councilors, and
the king yielded to the Black Prince the chief place of danger and
honor, placing with him the Earl of Warwick, Sir John Chandos, and many
of his best knights.
The ground which had been chosen for the battle was an irregular slope
between the forest of Cressy and the river Maie near the little village
of Canchy. The slope looked toward the south and east, from which
quarters the enemy was expected to arrive, and some slight defenses were
added to the natural advantages of the ground.
On the night of the 25th all the principal leaders of the British host
were entertained by King Edward. Next morning mass was celebrated, and
the king, the prince, and many knights and nobles received the
sacrament, after which the trumpets sounded, and the army marched to
take up its position. Its numbers are variously estimated, but the best
account puts it at about thirty thousand men, which, considering that
thirty-two thousand had crossed the Channel to La Hogue, is probably
about the force which would have been present, allowing that two
thousand had fallen in the various actions or had died from disease.
The division of the Black Prince consisted of eight hundred men-at-arms,
four thousand archers, and six thousand Welsh foot. The archers, as
usual, were placed in front, supported by the light troops of Wales and
the men-at-arms; on his left was the second division, commanded by the
Earls of Arundel and Northampton; its extreme left rested on Canchy and
the river, and it was further protected by a deep ditch; this corps was
about seven thousand strong.
The king himself took up his position on a knoll of rising ground
surmounted by a windmill, and twelve thousand men under his personal
command were placed here in reserve.
In the rear of the prince's division an inclosure of stakes was formed;
in this, guarded by a small body of archers, were ranged the wagons and
baggage of the army, together with all the horses, the king having
determined that the knights and men-at-arms on his side should fight on
foot.
When the army had taken up its position, the king, mounted on a small
palfrey, with a white staff in his hand, rode from rank to rank
exhorting his soldiers to do their duty gallantly. It was nearly noon
before he had passed through all the lines, and permission was then
given to the soldiers to fall out from their ranks and to take
refreshments while waiting for the coming of the enemy. This was
accordingly done, the men eating and drinking at their ease and lying
down in their ranks on the soft grass, with their steel caps and their
bows or pikes beside them.
In the mean time the French had, on their side, been preparing for the
battle. Philip had crossed the Somme at Abbeville late on Thursday
afternoon, and remained there next day, marshaling the large
reenforcements which were hourly arriving. His force now considerably
exceeded one hundred thousand men, the number with which he had marched
from Amiens three days previously.
Friday was the Festival of St. Louis, and that evening Philip gave a
splendid banquet to the whole of the nobles of his army.
On the following morning the king, accompanied by his brother the Count
D'Alencon, the old King of Bohemia and his son, the King of Rome, the
Duke of Lorraine, the Count of Blois, the Count of Flanders, and a great
number of other feudal princes, heard mass at the abbey, and then
marched with his great army toward Cressy. He moved but slowly in order
to give time to all the forces scattered over the neighborhood to come
up, and four knights, headed by one of the King of Bohemia's officers,
went forward to reconnoiter the English position. They approached within
very short distance of the English lines and gained a very exact
knowledge of the position, the English taking no measures to interrupt
the reconnaissance. They returned with the information they had
gathered, and the leader of the party, Le Moyne de Basele, one of the
most judicious officers of his time, strongly advised the king to halt
his troops, pointing out that as it was evident the English were ready
to give battle, and as they were fresh and vigorous, while the French
were wearied and hungry, it would be better to encamp and give battle
the next morning.
Philip saw the wisdom of the advice and ordered his two marshals, the
Lord of St. Venant and Charles de Montmorency, to command a halt. They
instantly spurred off, one to the front and the other to the rear,
commanding the leaders to halt their banners. Those in advance at once
obeyed, but those behind still pressed on, declaring that they would not
halt until they were in the front line. All wanted to be first, in order
to obtain their share of the honor and glory of defeating the English.
Those in front, seeing the others still coming on, again pressed
forward, and thus, in spite of the efforts of the king and his marshals,
the French nobles with their followers pressed forward in confusion,
until, passing through a small wood, they found themselves suddenly in
the presence of the English army.