Resist and Bite

For my drafting of Boudica and The Butcher, I have planned that early in the siege of Pilgerruh (aka Cleveland) that The Butcher’s army will experience a setback when Cleaver’s rebel army counterattacks in force against the Union base holding the CSX rail lines parallel to I-90 east of the city. Cleaver was desperate to reestablish his supply lines with eastern rebel cities. While eventually that Union base is reinforced and held, it does cause Cyrus to go wobbly and challenge The Butcher on putting their army into a pocket within rebel territory, outnumbered 20:1.

Probably need to listen to Sabaton’s “Resist and Bite” while I draft that scene. Elsewhere took inspiration from their song about the battle

I will probably tell this battle in two scenes. One the confrontation with Cyrus about whether to continue the siege of Pilgerruh. The second in the infirmary; while Asclepia changes an injured officer’s bandages, he gives The Butcher an account of the battle. The Butcher will respond by drawing a parallel to the Belgians defending at Chasseurs Ardennais in 1940 with the contrast that this time the line was held and disaster averted.

As part of the talk with Cyrus, he reports that no rebels from the counter attacking force escaped. The Butcher orders 1) corpses of dead rebels be displayed on the roads and rail to the eastern base to terrify the rebels so they do not attempt another assault, and 2) put captured rebels to work removing more rail between the base and Pilgerruh so rebel lose hope of reestablishing the rail line. The rails taken from the line should be used in construction of redoubts between established Union bases.