Battle of Cranbury Hill

The Battle of Cranbury Hill was a battle in the First Tall Kingdom War where Pemblish forces inadvertently conducted a prolonged siege against their own forces at Cranbury Fort due to a combination of poor communication and navigation, low visibility, and terrible leadership. The siege resulted in heavy losses for the Pemblish army.
== Initial Capture ==
A key Pemblish objective early in the war was to capture Preisel, a large wooden fort located on Cranbury Hill, overlooking the main river crossing for the lower Selbe river in the central Transmarches. Capturing the fort would all but secure the crossing and allow Pemblish forces to proceed towards the outskirts of Hansea whilst restricting Käsekrieger advances.
Pemblish forces gained an early boon by catching the garrison at Cranbury by surprise, as a small contigent from Bayor's Bridge under Lieutenant-Commander Ansley hurried to the fort on hearing word of the the war declaration. A swift assault by his forces in the the early hours of the morning surprised the Hanseatischer garrison; Ansley's forces succeeded in opening the gates and capturing the fort with minimal Pemblish casualties. Ansley opted to maintain the impression that the fort was under Hanseatic control by retaining its flags and emblems, in fear that an assault by a serious force would quickly overwhelm them. Ansley sent a message to Bayor's Bridge advising the fort had been captured but that reinforcements were urgently required. They soon after succeeded in tricking and massacring a Hanseatic reinforcement contingent that had been intended to bolster the forces at Preisel.
== The Siege ==
However, Pemblish general Mislington had prepared his own plan and created a makeshift crossing to the north; his force approached Cranbury Hill from the north under the banners of Hansea to "trick" the Käsekrieger garrison into allowing them entry, oblivious that his allies had already secured the fort. On seeing the large approaching force from inside Preisel, Ansley believed that the Käsekrieger had realised his deception and had come to besiege him and thus ordered for his forces to open fire on the approaching, disguised Pemblish army. The requested reinforcements from Bayor's Bridge had arrived just beforehand and, unaware of general Mislington's plans, reassured Ansley that Mislington's forces were but hours away.
== Aftermath ==
It was the first major utilisation of static cannons in land warfare and highlighted the devastating power they could have against an unprepared, massed force; this dented the confidence of Pemblish officers in their ability to assault Hanseatischer fortifications. It also highlighted the risks of using cannons, with Pemblish survivors telling horror stories of injuries caused by faulty equipment during the siege; such tales plagued the Käsekrieger throughout the war as their forces increasingly realised the unreliability of their cannon stock. 
== Impacts on Military Theory ==
The siege was a turning point in the war and the blunders that lead to it had a huge impact on Pemblish post-war military theory; although suppression by the Pemblish monarchy and military meant there was little discourse or retrospective of the events during the war itself, despite it occurring so early in the conflict. However, the military potential of cannons were noted by the soldiers and officers present and the effectiveness of cannons as a defensive tool shook Pemblish military confidence for years to come; it is theorised that the phycological trauma of the event deeply affected several later high-ranking Pemblish officers 
In military schools and circles, it is cited as a textbook example of the importance of:
# Well defined military command structure and authority
# Fast and accurate communication for mobilising troops and organising strategy
# Knowledge of contemporary technology and consideration for its potential impacts on established notions of warfare
Although less appreciated in wider military circles, the initial tactics employed by LC Ansley in capturing Preisel fort lead rise to the "Answar" (guerrilla warfare) school of military tactics in groups such as the Greywatch and within sections of the Pemblish Strategium.
Category:War
Category:Battle
Category:Tall Kingdom Politics
Category:Pemblish Politics