Battle of Southpass

The Battle of Southpass Bridge, or simply known as the Battle of Southpass, was the first formal confrontation between the Royal Army of the Kingdom of Stormwind and the mercenary armies of the South Seas Confederacy. The battle was fought on November 8th, in the year 625 in the King's Calendar. The battle took place on Southpass Bridge, the formal border crossing between the provinces of Duskwood and the jungles of Stranglethorn Vale. The battle was characterized by a much smaller, but well trained royal force fending off against an army twice the size of their own. While the Royal Army troops, composed primarily of the First Regiment of Westridge, held off against the Confederacy for roughly two hours, the Confederacy managed to claim a costly victory over the Royal Army. This marked the beginning of the Pirate King's campaign in the southern most lands of the Kingdom of Stormwind.

Prelude and Armies
The battle at Southpass Bridge was the first formal battle between the land armies of both the Kingdom of Stormwind and the South Seas Confederacy. Before this engagement, the Confederacy had conducted a series of small-scale naval and land raids on the Kingdom's lands -- notably those of the Duchy of Westridge. This included skirmishes against Confederate encampments and hideouts in Westfall and Elwynn, along with a naval raid against the trade-port of Bridgeport in Westridge itself. The first signs of fighting came when the Confederates proceeded to bombard the southernmost villages in Duskwood. This led to the Night Watch, the local militia of the province, to be summoned towards Southpass along with a small contingent of guardsmen from the Stormwind Guard. Once there, both forces skirmished for some time, with the guard requesting assistance from any local army forces nearby. The First Regiment of Westridge responded, arriving with a band of roughly eleven soldiers. This bolstered the total defense of the bridge to around twenty and more soldiers in the Crown's army. The Confederates were estimated to have brought anywhere from fifty to eighty soldiers, with high estimated at one hundred.

Battle
The battle was fought over the course of two hours. Stormwind forces deployed barricades on their side of the bridge, with the Confederates bringing up two, small-caliber field guns to assist in their push. After a brief warning by the Confederacy that the royalist forces should surrender their arms, the first shots of the battle began. The Confederates brought up musketeers to pour in volleys of fire unto the Stormwind forces, along with a short barrage by the two field guns on the Confederate's side of the bridge. From there, both sides engaged in melee. The Confederates used pike walls and swordsmen to great effect, while the royalists relied heavily on the use of their barricades and a shield wall to hold back the Confederates.

After continued fighting, reinforcements arrived for both sides. The royalists received aid from a small force hastily mustered at the start of the battle back at Westbrook. The Confederates called upon a small reserve of twenty or so soldiers, crossing them secretly across the Nazferiti River and surrounding the royalist forces from the rear. The battle continued on, but a brief pause occurred in the fighting. The Pirate King himself appeared, asking for the royalist forces to retreat at once and spread word of their victory. The royalists did not surrender, and a bombardment came down in the midst of the battle from inland naval guns used by the Confederacy. The royalists, now at their breaking point, forced their way out of the encirclement and retreated.

Aftermath
Approximately sixteen soldiers of the Crown were slain on the field of battle, with many more wounded. However, due to the use of bombardment in the midst of battle, the Confederates only further exacerbated their own casualty count, with estimates placing their dead at thirty to even forty dead. Still, the Confederates moved to reinforce their position on the bridge, while the Royal Army dispatched advisers to Darkshire in order to strengthen their defenses in preparation for any future Confederate incursions.