Battle of the Fords
Battle of the Fords | |||||||||||||||||
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Conflict | War of the Five Kings | ||||||||||||||||
Date | 299 AC | ||||||||||||||||
Place | Red Fork of the Trident | ||||||||||||||||
Result | Tully victory | ||||||||||||||||
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The Battle of the Fords was a series of engagements fought between the forces of House Stark and House Lannister during the War of the Five Kings.
Prelude
Lord Tywin Lannister was attempting to stop the pillaging and burning of the Westerlands by returning to the west and confronting the force under King Robb Stark. In order to do so, he had to cross the Red Fork of the Trident. Ser Edmure Tully learned of Lord Tywin's advance and called his banners in preparation of preventing them from crossing the river.[1]
The Battle
Ser Edmure organized his forces so that every crossing both north and south of Riverrun was defended by a strong force. Lord Jason Mallister was commanded with the defense of four fords, while Lord Karyl Vance commanded the defense of fords to the north of Riverrun. The west bank of the Red Fork is higher than the east and wooded. The defenders used those trees to hide archers and placed scorpions as support. Ser Edmure kept his best knights as a reserve, to ride where they were needed most.
Initially Lord Tywin probed the defenses, attempting to find an unguarded ford. Ser Flement Brax was sent south to attempt a breach there, and there was fighting to the north of Riverrun too. After two days of skirmishing, Lord Tywin launched a number of heavier assaults. Edmure believed the main attack was directed at the Stone Mill, under the command of Ser Gregor Clegane. Ser Gregor and his men managed to gain the west bank with terrible losses, but Ser Edmure smashed him with his reserve. Elsewhere, Ser Addam Marbrand was thrown back three times, Lord Leo Lefford drowned and Ser Lyle Crakehall was taken captive. At the end of the day, Lord Tywin's army was seen to be marching southeast.[2]
Aftermath
The three day delay at the Fords allowed Lord Tywin to learn of Stannis Baratheon's attack on King's Landing and he hurried his army south-east in time to take Stannis's army in the rear. Robb Stark later claimed the victory by Ser Edmure destroyed his plans of forcing Tywin to return to the west, where he would be unable to save king's landing from Stannis Baratheon.[3]
Quotes
- Blackfish to Edmure Tully
Edmure: I held Riverrun, and I bloodied Lord Tywin’s nose-
Robb: So you did, but a bloody nose won’t win the war, will it? Did you ever think to ask yourself why we remained in the west so long after Oxcross? You knew I did not have enough men to threaten Lannisport or Casterly Rock.
Edmure: Why ... there were other castles ... gold, cattle...
Robb: You think we stayed for plunder? Uncle, I wanted Lord Tywin to come west. [4]
- Robb Stark to Edmure Tully
We were all horsed, The Lannister host was mainly foot. We planned to run Lord Tywin a merry chase up and down the coast, then slip behind him to take up a strong defensive position athwart the gold road, at a place my scouts had found where the ground would have been greatly in our favor. If he had come at us there, he would have paid a grievous price. But if he did not attack, he would have been trapped in the west, a thousand leagues from where he needed to be. All the while we would have lived off his land, instead of him living off ours. [4]
I never meant ... never, Robb, you must let me make amends. I will lead the van in the next battle! [4]
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References and Notes
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 39, Catelyn
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 45, Catelyn
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 14, Catelyn
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 14, Catelyn II.