The Battle of South Bridge

== General Information ==
The Battle of South Bridge was one of the first major skirmishes between the British and the Redditors. At this stage in the war, it was still unclear if this was going to be a short series of isolated campaigns or a larger war for English independence. The defeat at the Battle of South Bridge is considered to be the point when Parliament and the military realized it was going to be the latter. General Oz would always remember this battle, haunted by what he had done to Corporal Bonerfart; intentionally aiming for his testicles.
== Background ==
The Third Army had been told to focus on defense of London from the north, and gathered forces throughout late April and Early May. The 57th, 77th and 52nd Regiments of Foot had specifically been assigned to defend the south banks of the River Lark, right by a prominent bridge. The regiments arrived on the 7th of June, and camped out there for another few days. They planned a strategy in which the British would concentrate the 57th regiment of foot to defend the large bridge, while the other two regiments would fire on the Redditors from the far shore, as well as preventing a river crossing. The bridge was deemed to important to local trade to destroy, and thus the British troops were ordered to only destroy the bridge if absolutely necessary.
The Redditors, however, were marching southward from Dereham near Norfolk, looking to quickly cross the River Lark and put pressure on London from the North. Their strategy was to overwhelm the British with their superior artillery, as well as their higher numbers. The Reddit First Army split into three parts, two smaller parts which were diversions across other parts of the river Lark and one larger part which was the main attacking force.
== Battle ==
On the Morning of June 12th, British scouts reported a large number of Reddit soldiers approaching in columns. The 52nd, 57th and 77th regiments scrambled to mount their defense. At approximately noon that morning, the redditors surprised the British with cannon fire much before the British were expecting. This caused the British lines to be unsteady and thin, as well as causing many casualties. The young British officers, shaken by this, ordered many of their troops to advance closer to the bridge and prepare for close quarters combat. When the Reddit columns came into sight, British artillery returned fire, although they were largely ineffective as the Reddit cannons had picked much of the English Artillery off. When the Redditors were close enough, the two sides began engaging in line firing across the bridge and river. The redditors, however, surprised British officers by charging across the bridge and the banks of the river all at once. This charge should have been met with stable British line fire, but Major Monopoly ordered his company to charge to the Bridge in order to halt the redditors before they crossed the Bridge. However, this resulted in many casualties, and was only halted when Sergeant Asgore urged Monopoly to motion for Retreat. The 3rd Line company of the 57th Regiment of foot was the first unit to retreat in this battle. Much of the 77th east of the bridge were also shaken, and retreated shortly after. The British line gradually moved back, but after about an hour of combat, Major General Buzz Killington gave the order for all three regiments which formed the larger Brigade to retreat, also letting them all know that there would be no double rations for the soldiers they lost today, not only being a 'buzzkill' in disallowing extra food, but also insensitive to the soldiers who had lost their friends in the battle.
== Aftermath ==
The Reddit forces gave chase to the Brigade for a while before stopping to seize the town of Bury St. Edmunds. The Brigade would continue to move south and regroup with the Third army at Oxford, where the 57th Regiment of Foot would be garrisoned for the next few months. The Redditors would be blocked from advancing towards England due to constant skirmishes from East Anglian Regiments, as well as local militias in the area. This then culminated in the First Reddit Army taking Norfolk before advancing towards Oxford, which the Redditors deemed a troublesome hub for British Military Activity.
After the war in 1855, This battle would be used as evidence for Major Monopoly's Field General Court Marital, which would result in his execution.
== In Popular Culture ==
* Robert Southley's Poem, Last Charge of the Die-Hards
* 1851, 1968 film
* Buzz Killington, 1984 film
Category:Events
__NOTOC__