First Battle of Marsh

The First Battle of Marsh was fought in the Marsh system between the Manticoran Q-ship HMAMC Wayfarer under the command of Captain Honor Harrington and the forces of Andre Warnecke's self-styled "rebel" squadron of ships.
Wayfarer completely destroyed Warnecke's forces with no casualties of her own.
== Prelude ==
Following the capture of PNS Vaubon, Harrington acquired more information on the activities of Andre Warnecke from Commander Warner Caslet, as well as the location of his base of operations. Harrington wanted assistance taking the system, but the Silesian Confederate Navy was currently occupied taking care of the Psyche secessionists, and while the Sachsen System's Imperial Andermani Navy commander offered a squadron with ground combat echelon, it would be three months before it was ready for action.
Harrington decided that continuing the disguise of being a merchant freighter would be the best way to approach Sidemore.
Using a power surge through all eight of her forward Alpha nodes, Wayfarer simulated a spectacular failure of a couple of Alpha nodes, resulting in a Warshawski flare, which was picked up by Admiral Rayna Sherman's flagship, the President Warnecke, in orbit around Sidemore. Identifying herself as the Andermani freighter Sternenlicht, Wayfarer claimed she'd lost two Alpha nodes in her forward sail, and the resulting explosion had caused some casualties. She requested technical and medical assistance.
Andre Warnecke decided to play his own ruse, offering assistance, and telling Wayfarer that a Silesian anti-piracy patrol (Sherman's forces) out of Sachsen were in-system on a courtesy visit, and that they'd be able to offer an escort back to the planet as well as medical assistance. ()
== Order of battle ==
=== Royal Manticoran Navy ===
* HMAMC Wayfarer, a Trojan-class Q-ship under the command of Captain Honor Harrington, sailing under the disguise as the Andermani freighter Sternenlicht.
=== Privateer squadron of the Chalice Republic ===
Cruiser squadron, CO Rear Admiral Rayna Sherman:
* President Warnecke, squadron flagship - CO Rear Admiral Rayna Sherman
* Willis
* Hendrickson
* Jarmon
== Course of battle ==
As Sherman's cruisers approached, Wayfarer began deploying waves of missile pods, which looked to Sherman as if Wayfarer were dumping cargo, presumably contraband. At 300,000 km, the missile pods all fired simultaneously, launching over 300 missiles at Sherman's forces. Only President Warnecke had her fire-control online, but it wasn't enough to stop the seventy-five missiles targeted on each cruiser. As soon as the missiles hit, destroying Willis, Hendrickson, and Jarmon, Wayfarer brought her full broadside to bear, finishing off President Warnecke. ()
== Casualties ==
Warnecke's forces weren't able to get a single shot off, and all four cruisers were destroyed with all hands. Approximately three thousand personnel were killed on board the cruisers. ()
== Aftermath ==
Attempting to continue the ruse, Warnecke contacted Wayfarer, and claimed that Harrington really had slaughtered a Silesian patrol. Harrington told Warnecke that she knew all about him, and informed him that since she had destroyed all four of his heavy cruisers, as well as four more ships previouslyDuring the exchange Harrington took credit for two of Warnecke's ships that the PNS Vaubon had destroyed, as well as two that Harrington had destroyed earlier., he was trapped in the system with no way to escape before either the Silesian Confederate Navy or the Imperial Andermani Navy showed up with enough forces to take Sidemore.
Warnecke demanded that he and several hundred of his followers be allowed to leave the system, or he would detonate nuclear devices he had placed on the planet's surface under several towns. He detonated one such device as a demonstration, killing approximately fifteen thousand people. ()
== References ==
Marsh, First Battle of