Evening, y'all. This is my first worldbuilding-centric post. It's about one of the crucial events of one of my secondary settings, which, as of yet is unnamed and likely will stay that way, since I'm more concerned with my other two.

I'm largely inspired by u/GarlicSphere and others that have made these interactive posts, and decided it would be fun. I'll also include the armies and commanders of the campaign, in case you all decide to use them, or use them to supliment your own settings, forces

Background:

The Kingdom of Avelorn is the furthest north of the human Kingdoms, bordered to the East by a loose confederation of Northern Tribes, several Goblinoid petty kingdoms, the 'Hill dwarves' (A dwarven Kingdom that primarily settled in the foothills, rather than the mountains like most other Dwarf states), and the "Steppe Elves", who do not live on a Steppe, but live on flatter, more open and temperate ground than the other two Elven Kingdoms, and to the West by the 'Dogmen' (beastfolk, several Kingdoms) and the 'Wood Elves'. But the most pressing concern is their Northern Border, which they share primarily with the Snow Elves.

The Snow Elves are the greatest Regional power in the North, with only Avelorn having the material to really challenge them. As the current Snow Elf Queen, while callous, has no desire to initiate a full scale war that, though they would likely win, would be ruinously costly and require an extensive campaign into the south, the two Kingdoms are legally at Peace.

Legally.

The border between the two kingdoms has been a place of frontier violence, rading, and counter raiding as long as anyone can remember. The Queen has been willing to turn a blind eye to her Kin leading raids into Avelorn, so long as she can retain plausible deniability that it's merely the actions of a rogue prince hoping to carve out his own petty kingdom, and so there's no need to escelate things to open war. In the worst case, when one of the raiding parties are caught, she loses a son or a neice that was of relatively little consequence to the rather large Snow Elf royal family, and it xomes at the cost to the enemy of hundreds of acres of farmland burned, and hundreds of people killed or abducted before the raid can be fended off.

The raids fall on many of the northern Baronies and Counties but they fall heaviest on the Barony of Till. Till is the furthest north of Avelorns' holdings, and among the poorest and smallest. Despite this, it has a reputation for producing great soldiers, the constant raidings meaning each new levy
includes a higher percentage of veterans to shore up and help instruct the greener troops.

The Winter campaign was brought on by Prince Telon's winter raid of 1491, one of the largest in recent memory. The Objective, originally, was to drive off and ideally capture the raiders. General Cersowitz, it being his duty to protect the people of the North, marched west with what troops he could spare, collecting militiamen and volunteers along the way, hoping, at least, to post his forces along the Pine River and disincentivize future raids. Once he arrived, after the Battle of Flathill, however, he discovered what the Northerners had known for a while: The Border raiders, when threatened, would simply recross the river, and take shelter in the border forts. To have any meaningful effect, they would have to take the forts. Cerzowitz, eventually, made the fatal decision. He called up what troops could be spared from the Northern army, and any militiamen and levies that could be spared, and crossed the Pine River, escalating a border raid into open war.

Forces and Personalities

Snow Elves (Red):

Prince Telon's Command
- 200 Cavalrymen directly under his command, crossing from Brickbridge, including 50 light lancers
-150 Light Horsemen under Captain Alson leaving from Fort Aleri and intending to cross at and burn Westwatch
- These are primarily irregular light horse, drawn from the border raiders. Hard fighters, but motivated mostly by bloodlust and plunder, and a poorly cohesive force. Mostly armored in Jacks and Bascinets, carrying spears, with swords and axes for the press, on unarmored horses). The Light lancers are better disciplined and more cohesive, but have virtually the same equipment, if of a slightly more uniform make and look)

Fort Aleri. An 'old style' stone wall fort with a wooden stockade, on a hill overlooking the road and stone bridge crossing. 100 Rampart guns and a single 6-inch Culverin

- 1500 infantry, including 300 Arquebusiers and 1200 billmen (Professionals, though most are untried in combat. Primarily armored in jacks, mail shirts, and a miture of bascinets and sallets, which the Snow Elf army took a liking to after a campaign against the 'wood elves')
- 100 Light cavalrymen (Border Raiders)

The 'Comet Fort' (far east). A new model Star Fort, but small compared to those in the heartland, and with only four points, hence the name. 200 Rampart guns, 18 five inch Culverins, and three 10 inch guns.

- 3,000 Infantry, including 600 Arquebusiers
- 120 Light Horse (Light Lancers)
- 100 levied bowmen, from Four Pines

Princess Aleri's Command (Center force, the 'Pine River Army')

- 8,000 Infantry
* 2,000 at Stoat, with 600 Arquebusiers and 1,400 billmen
* 6,000 at Amber, with 900 Arquebusiers, 4,800 billmen, and 300 targeteers (Arming swords and Targes)
-1,300 cavalry
* 500 with the force at Stoat, including 200 light lancers, 80 mounted Arquebusiers, and 220 heavy lancers (Armored in a three-quarter harness with cuirass, spaulders, and cuisses, armed with Lance, Sword and mace, with many carrying pistols)
* 800 at Amber, with 300 heavy lancers and 500 irregular light horse
-8 Field Guns
*6 at Amber
*2 at Stoat

Total: 12,600 Infantry (2,400 Arquebusiers, 100 archers, 300 Targeteers 9,800 Billmen), 1,870 Cavalry (520 heavy lancers, 370 Light Lancers, 80 mounted Arquebusiers, 900 Irregulars), 30 guns (8 field guns, 22 emplaced)

Key Commanders:
- Captain Alson: An old, bold soldier and hard charging cavalry officer. He lost an eye and two fingers in the last Succession crisis. Unfortunately, he was on the losing side, and was sent to the Pine River Army, in the hopes he'd get killed in a border raid. Technically commands the Squadron of heavy lancers, but good cavalry officers are a luxery in the theatre, and he's often tasked with keeping the irregulars in something approximating order.

General Aleri: The commanding general of the Pine River Army. One of the younger princesses, and below Telon in the line of succession. A good general, who has worked hard to modernize and expand the army, and bring the river forts up to date with limited material. Dreams of one day being ordered to carry her army across the Pine river and destroy the northern Baronies, rather than bleeding her forces in frontier violence

Prince Telon: One of the middling Princes, and an infamous raider. A cruel individual, and distrusted by the career soldiers, but very popular with the Irregulars. The acting commander of the Pine River Army's Cavalry

Avelorn (Blue)

Barony of Till (Center forces)
- Rowland Till's retinue, 100 men at arms (sightly more lightly armored than those in the rest of Avelorn, most wearing Brigandines rather than cuirasses, and many do not carry Gauntlets. Armed with Lance, sword, and Mace like most heavy cavalry)
-Flathill militia. 500 men, including 100 Arquebusiers. Well drilled and well equipped for militia, most with Mail shirts and brigandines and breastplates. Reinforced by 70 survivors from the Brickbridge militia
- Till Militia. 700 (300 at Westwatch and Battlebank, 400 at Three Pines and Tom's Rill)

Smith George's Partisans (Far west cavalry)
- 300 Irregular cavalry

Column from the Army of the North (Eastern force)
- 7,000 Professional Infantry (Northern Legion) (Mail shirts, brigandines, and bascinets, most serving as Targeteers, with Ensings armed with two handed swords and Poleaxes to defend the colors) under Legate Sulise
- 500 Knights of the Royal Household under Humphrey Bisweck (Full harness, the heaviest cavalry for either army
- 4 3 inch field guns and 2 9 inch Culverines
- 1,800 Levies, volunteers, and Militia, including 200 Arquebusiers and 300 Bowmen

Total: 10,070 Infantry (7,000 professional Targeteers, 2470 Militia, 300 Arquebusiers, 300 bowmen), 900 Cavalry (600 Knights and Men at Arms, 300 Irregulars). 6 guns

Key commanders:
General Cersowitz: A quiet, sad looking man. The son of a Tanner of one of the Northern tribes pushed out by the eastern confederation. Enlisted as a piper at 12, in Sulise's auxillary band. A Captain by 19, a Legate by 24, and a general at 27. Partially due to talent, and partially due to most of his senior officers being killed. Well seasoned from six campaigns against the eastern confederation. A loyal officer who takes pride in his peoples' newfound citizenship, and devoted to its defense, even to the point of rashness. Generally regarded as the best General Avelorn has, even if a commoner, and a Confidant of the royal family
Legate Sulise: Often called the Rawhide for her cloak of flayed skin. A hard fighter and fearless infantry captain. Over 20 years of experience, first as a Warchief, then as an Auxillary captain, and now as a Legate.
Sir Humphrey Bisweck: A great Knight, well seasoned in the wars of the south. A trusty soldier and a great cavalry officer, if unimaginative, and respectful of the laws of war. The epitamy of Avelorns conception of Chivalry
Rowland Till: The current Baron of Till. One of Avelorn's best soldiers, but has a dark reputation for returning the cruelty of Snow Elf raiders in equal measure. Captured a Snow Elf prince on a raid two years prior, flayed him, and returned the skin. The most familiar with fighting the Irregular cavalry of the Snow Elves
Smith George: A tinsmith. His family killed in a raid a decade prior, he sold everything he had for a sword and a horse, and formed a Partisan company to return the Snow Elves raid for raid and cut up the reeving bands in bushwacking campaigns His Irregulars are poorly disciplined, but cohesive, and draw onmanpower from all along the border of Snow Elf territory, with many coming from outside Avelorn, and a few Snow Elf renegades in their ranks

The quote was supposedly said by Lincoln to Oliver Otis Howard in 1863, before then11th corps was shifted to the west. Howard recalled it in a speech he made inn1897, following the chartering of the Lincoln Memorial University of Tennessee, which today houses the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum