| Battle of Westbrook | |||
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| Previous: Battle of Fenwick Fields | |||
| Conflict: Pirate King's War | |||
| Date: 9 January 626 K.C. | |||
| Place: Westfall-Elwynn Border Crossing | |||
| Outcome: Stormwind costly victory | |||
| Belligerents: | |||
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| Commanders and Leaders: | |||
| Strength: | |||
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16,000 soldiers |
12,500 soldiers |
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| Casualties and Losses: | |||
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7,400 dead or wounded |
6,200 dead or wounded |
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The battle of Westbrook (9 January 626 K.C.) was an engagement fought between the Kingdom of Stormwind and the South Seas Confederacy that took place near the border crossing between the provinces of Westfall and Elwynn. Over the course of the day, both armies clashed and pushed each other across the border multiple times, culminating in a final confrontation on the main border bridge crossing over the Nazferiti River. It was here that the Pirate King of the Confederacy, Cyrus Lane, was supposedly slain in combat by Knight-Lieutenant Alison Clement of the First Regiment of Westridge. Thereafter, the royalist forces pushed the Confederate army back across the border towards Westfall. By evening, the Confederates fled the field and boarded ships waiting for them on the coast.
Stormwind's victory here marked the end of the Confederacy's offensive campaign in the King's realms. Although small-scale land and maritime raids would persist in southern Westfall and Duskwood, the Confederacy was to remain on the defensive for a period of time during the war.
Prelude and Armies[]
After a prior engagement at Fenwick Fields, the Confederate army quickly mobilized whatever troops were still in the region and mustered them near the border with Elwynn Forest. In conjunction with this move, the Confederate navy set sail with a squadron of ten ships, splitting off into two, smaller five ship squadrons. By morning, over 12,500 troops had gathered near the staging point southwest of the Nazferiti River. At the head of the army would be the Pirate King himself, riding out with a contingent of bodyguards in an effort to inspire the troops and lead them to ultimate victory.
Stormwind's forces had been hastily marshaled over the course of five days, attempting to gather as many troops as they could before the inevitable offensive for the borderlands began. The First Regiment of Westridge, led by Lord-Marshal Maxen Montclair, rode out to Stormwind City and warned the House of Nobles of the possibility of an attack along the border crossings and the western coasts. The House did not allow for full mobilization of all forces in the heartland, but they did allow for the movement of two regiments in the Elwynn Brigade, the Third and the Fifth, to the western front. Lord-Marshal Montclair then quickly rode back to his duchy in Westridge, raising further reinforcements from local towns and villages in his realm. By the eve of the invasion, 16,000 soldiers had gathered near Westbrook.
News of a possible seaborne invasion reached the Royal Navy, who dispatched a squadron of eight ships to investigate. They initiated defensive measures all along the western coast leading up towards the ports of Stormwind City, blocking off any incursion by the Confederacy.
Engagement at Sea[]
To the north of battlefield, on the coasts of Westfall and Elwynn, the squadrons of both the Royal Navy of Stormwind and the Confederacy met and engaged one another. The Confederate squadrons split up into two, five ship squadrons that proceeded to pincer in the eight ship royalist squadron. The battle drifted dangerously close to a nearby Confederate fortification, bristling with cannons. When the royalist ships ventured too close to the coast, the batteries on shore opened fire and began to pound the Stormwind ships. The Confederates were, above all else, concerned with attaining supremacy of the western coasts not because they had any intent in attacking Stormwind ports and docks along Elwynn's coast, but because they wished to provide naval support to their forces further inland.
After five hours of fierce fighting, the Confederates had managed to close in the trap and surrounded the eight ships of the royalist squadron. One Royal Navy ship was sunk, two were taken as prize ships, and one, the HMS Victorious, experienced a catastrophic explosion when her powder stores were breached. The Confederate navy lost two ships in the fighting, with one, The Unyielding, having been destroyed by the HMS Victorious when it exploded. The remaining four ships of the royalist squadron fled the engagement area, returning to Stormwind City for repairs. The Confederates were able to successfully claim the coast for themselves, utilizing this advantage to support the army marching towards the border.
Battle[]
By late afternoon, the armies of both sides had gathered to meet each other in pitched combat. The Stormwind army established a foothold on the western bank of the Nazferiti, holding their position and waiting for the Confederate forces to arrive. However, a preliminary bombardment by the victorious Confederate navy forced an immediate withdrawal of all royalist forces on the field. Orders were given to hold the bridge instead, knowing that the Confederates would not dare risk destroying the structure at the cost of their advance into Elwynn. Casualties during the initial bombardment were high, as most royalist commanders expected the remaining Confederate ships at sea to not be ready in time for the battle.
After the bombardment and subsequent withdrawal, order was difficult to restore among the royalist forces. The Confederates took advantage of this chaos, charging across the bridge quickly and meeting the Stormwind army on the eastern bank. The battle was long and bloody, but the royalist forces eventually gave in to the Confederate push. Elements of the First Regiment were pushed back into the keep at Westbrook Garrison, holding position there whilst the remainder of the royalist army regrouped and held the main highway leading to Goldshire and Stormwind City. Lord-Marshal Maxen Montclair, already inside the garrison keep, summoned reinforcements from Westridge, asssisting the beleaguered defenders in holding back the Confederate onslaught. With fresh reserves pouring in from across the land, the Confederate army was successfully pushed back to the bridge once more.
The battle erupted once more at the border crossing, as both sides struggled to keep up the momentum of their advance. It was the royalist force, however, that successfully capitalized on reserves and successful rallies of their troops and managed to continue pushing back the Confederate forces towards the western bank. What's more, an officer within the First Regiment, a Knight-Lieutenant Alison Clement, managed to strike at the Pirate King and mortally wound him. The loss of their commander and leader greatly affected the Confederate army, causing them to lose heart and retreat to open ground.
Once at the plains lands on the opposite side of the border, Stormwind forces quickly routed the remaining Confederates and slaughtered many during the ensuing retreat. Those who survived the royalist chase arrived at the western coast, boarding nearby ships and sailing south towards a rallying point elsewhere in the province.
Aftermath[]
The battle of Westbrook marked the end for any further offensive campaigns by the Confederacy. By now, the Confederates had suffered 15,000 to 17,000 dead or wounded in both the Duskwood and Westfall campaigns. Neither yielded a conclusive end for the Confederates, but they both did yield large amounts of war booty and plunder. Still, the cost of life seriously weakened the Confederacy's capacity to wage war on foreign soil, and it only further diminished their standing in the South Seas. While they never considered themselves to be a "proper" political state, their legitimacy as an armed force in the southern half of the Eastern Kingdoms now came into question. The supposed loss of their leader and the resources spent on the war thus far relegated the South Seas Confederacy to a defensive stance from there on out.
Stormwind and the Crown's allies sustained approximately 10,000 to 12,000 dead or wounded by the end of the conflict in the King's realms. In addition, the House of Nobles, the parliamentary body of the Kingdom of Stormwind and advisers to His Majesty King Varian Wrynn, seriously doubted the severity and costs suffered at the expense of the conflict. They believed that the Confederacy was still nothing more than a loose band of thieves and brigands, supported by traitors and criminals with like-minded goals. Although victory was achieved, the House took on a much more relaxed stance towards the Confederacy after the battle of Westbrook. Royalist commanders were still concerned about the threat posed by the remnants of the Confederacy, but other pressing matters in Draenor and beyond drew their attention elsewhere.