Third Battle of Ardghate

Third Battle of Ardghate
Part of the Calsean War
Cananganamese soldiers marching after the conclusion of the battle
Date February 15, 1879 - February 16, 1879 Location Ardghate, Cananganam Result Cananganamese Total Victory
Belligerents
Cananganam	Mujansa
Commanders and leaders
Bichrī́ Sanī́yā Rṓcā Ārhā́sā
Units involved
Army of the Kaja	Army of Calse
Strength
116,672	124,928
Casualties and losses
16,721+ KIA/DOW 38,217+ WIA Total 54,938+ casualties	23,281+ KIA/DOW 46,198+ WIA Total 69,479+ casualties

The Third Battle of Ardghate was the second to final battle of the Calsean War. It was both the largest and the bloodiest battle of the war and since that time, in Nagu. It was fought from February 7, 1879 until February 16, 1879. Of the major battles of the war, the third battle of Ardghate saw the costliest of military actions until that point for both armies. Although the result of the battle was inconclusive, the Mujansan withdrawl had broken their morale and a much-needed objective for securing an end to the war. While the battle itself was a political victory, both nations' casualties were grossly reported on around the war and especially in both countries, causing much political distress in both countries and calls for an end to the war.

Background

Military Situation

Generals Bichri and Saniyah tried to secure a quick victory at Ardghate, but this had resulted in a deflection action from General Lysadem's divisions and a prolonged siege of the countryside. These extensive fortifications stretched over 30 km as both sides dug-in to secure their sections of the battlefield. A lull in the fighting had begun after the main fighting had turned focus towards the siege of Port A throughout the early dry season. Both nations were growing weary of the war, and both seeking a decisive end to the conflict, started to begin further focus in the Ardghate countryside. The fortifications were made almost semi-permanent in some sectors, with intentions for both parties to stay entrenched as they began engineering efforts to disrupt the other's lines. In November of 1878, the fighting had re-ignited east of the city in the city of Aghatsa. The Mujansans had successfully defeated the attack and protected their lines, only prolonging the siege of the region.

General Saniyah was commanded to raise yet another series of divisions for preparation of an offensive to remove the Mujansans from the city while General Bichri was to remain in control of the entire front at Ardghate, multi-tasking both the siege and the conflict at Calse. Taking advantage the Mujansans' reluctance to leave their fortifications, he had effectively free reign West and South of the city where his lines were secured. This build up in supply allowed Bichri's engineering brigades to focus on a new option to the siege. Utilizing his men's boredom, he permitted the engineer brigades to begin mining beneath the Mujansan lines much to their lack of awareness. Trench warfare had been existent as a tactical form since the start of the Siege at A, but with the consistent monsoon seasons, many soldiers suffered from disease and infection from the waterlogged conditions, though many soldiers saw it as a better alternative to being shot at by opposing sharpshooters.

While Bichri eventually grew less fond of actually intending to blow up the entire Mujansan lines from beneath, the engineering corps took matters into their own hands to finish completion of the project despite being denied access to further resources for the endeavour. After finally reaching beneath the main batteries of the Mujansan line, Bichri finally relented after ones of his close staff were shot by a Mujansan sniper and granted the engineers access to a sizable sum of gunpowder for their project, with a total of 4 metric tonnes of explosive being supplied. Once the preparations were completed in late January, Bichri and the arrival of Saniyah's newly created divisions set the plans in motion for an assault on the defenders by February 16.

Battle

February 15

The morning of February 15 had much of the Cananganamese troops were riddled with anxiety. Both armies were significant in size compared to previous battles and to calm the men, a sizable supply of mezcal was distributed to the men in the early pre-dawn hours. The mines were to be detonated by the engineers but the fuses had gotten wet from a rainstorm the night before and had to be redone which took precious time away and risked the men from being spotted by the defenders. The recently organized divisions of Saniyah had grown impatient and disorganized into a mess of command with several soldiers going back to sleep despite threats of reprimand from officers. This, combined with misplacement of trench-ladders had wasted considerable time with organizing the assault.

We had planned for days the mode of attack. Many of the younger officers didn't understand the importance of the drills, the method of equipment usage, or their behavior. Those young boys had blown the one opportunity to win this battle with as little injury as possible, and now we must all pay the consequences.

— 3rd Off. Sunt Khasama Jakkha, Memoirs of Ardghate

The Mines are Detonated

At 4:35 AM, the mines were detonated beneath the Mujansan lines. The resulting explosion destroyed almost 45 meters of the line, with a hail of Mujansan men, cannon, and entrenchment material falling across the sector. Many of the men were awe-struck by this sheer display of destruction before bugles played calling forth the charge. The Mujansan men under officer TBA quickly realized the situation and organized a counter-attack for the pending charge, and members of the Cananganamese 3rd, 14th, and 9th brigades funneled into the crater that was once the residence of the defenders. The soldiers were originally ordered to bypass the crater itself and make their way through the opening created by the shock of the explosion, but the idea of natural cover was too tempting and many of the officers inadvertently led their men into a death trap.

As the Mujansans began to re-organize, the Cananganamese brigades were stuck within the crater and the defenders quickly assessing the situation started to take advantage the moment of disarray among the attackers. The first volleys from the defenders struck true and dozens of men were immediately cut down by the defenders' fire as they attempted to scramble out of the pit. The numbers soon mounted but with new units entering the crater it became a funnel of death. General Bichri seeing the situation unfolding before him almost called off the entire offensive, but General Saniyah, taking initiative, ordered the 17th and 19th Brigades to flank the Mujansan defenders on the South side of the crater. This fight too turned into a struggle as the brigades entered into hand-to-hand combat for half an hour before they pushed back the Mujansans. Already by this point, several hundred Cananganamese soldiers lie dead in the pit with many more wounded.

Along the entire front, the explosion had awoken the defenders and attackers alike with both armies' artillery opening fire on one another. With daylight only just breaking, much of the battlefield was still covered in darkness as the Cananganamese assaulted the defenders' trenches. While the Mujansans had not committed their reserves, the lackadaisical approach of the newly risen Cananganamese brigades resulted in almost their immediate rout. After the initial shock of the explosion and following charge, many positions along the front were secured by the Cananganamese troops after brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Mujansans, now evicted from their positions, fell back further up the hillside as the momentum of the Cananganamese assault faltered.