Gesta Hungarorum (Deeds of the Hungarians)

Mettermrck: That will ultimately depend on De Gaulle

Olaus Petrus: The King's just got a Napoleon complex. It'll pass with time, no doubt.

The line of infantry stretched for almost the entire span of the valley floor, facing the Hungarian army of Tábornagy Petrelius. The army had been marching north to cross the frontier into Wurzburg when from the very mountain pass which they were to take, the Wurzburger infantry now facing them appeared. The Tábornagy looked through his glass at the enemy, seeing no horse or cannon amongst their ranks, though the number of their infantry seemed to match. His own force had one regiment of light calvary, the Fehérvári Huszárok of some two thousand horse, and three brigades of artillery of ninety pieces. Calling a speedy council of war, the plan approved by the Tábornagy was thus. The infantry would advance in line with support from the cannon while all of the Hungarian calvary would remain on the left following the infantry, whereby once the infantry engaged the enemy, the horsemen would outflank the left of the enemy line and with luck, force a way through to the mountain pass and so close of all means of escape for the enemy. Though he would have preferred merely to bombard the enemy with cannon until they withdrew, this would be the first battle on land of the entire war and so the outcome would be much discussed in Budapest. A glorious victory and in particular a strong showing by the Finnish Legion was needed here if the Tábornagy was to sway the court at Budapest to grant a free Finland after the war. Therefore, with the plan approved, the Marshal set about the issuing of orders, quickly, for it would be night in a few hours.


"We're to follow in support of our infantry on the left flank until they meet the enemy, when we are to charge at the enemy from the left and force a way through behind their line. Let's about it then, draw sabres and follow me." shouted Őrnagy Hunyadi, so that all could hear his booming voice over the sound of the cannons firing. The whole squadron of calvary, as part of the larger regiment, began to trot forward so as to keep pace with the infantry advance. The advance continued for an eternity, though with no cannon or horse of their own, there was little to fear from the enemy. The cautious Hadnagy Szécsényi Ferenc couldn't help but take notice of the lush, green surroundings. The Hungarian Alpine valleys could be so beautiful in spring and this was no exception. It seemed a shame that soon this valley would be covered with the dead and wounded, yet still the Hungarian line advanced. As they approached nearer to the enemy line, Ferenc could now see the enemy uniforms more clearly and the muskets they held in their hands, aimed at him. Yet he also noticed something else, something strange. There seemed to be irregular patches of grass ahead, some darker than others, and then when the first muskets appeared, he understood. It was a trap. Before a shout of warning could escape his lips, the green-jacketed Jäger of the enemy had revealed themselves and fired into the slowly advancing Hungarian line. Their aim had been excellent and nearly a hundred Hungarian infantry, mostly officers, would never rise again. Yet looking around, Ferenc could see a number of hussars felled as well.


All caution having been thrown to the wind, the Hungarian line now charged with all available speed to revenge this ambush. The two opposing lines of infantry fired their respective volleys, each at the other, and then charged to fight with sword and bayonet. The Finnish Legion, having been at the front of the line, bore the brunt of the volley and were the first to meet the enemy. The hussars, having obeyed their orders, were now at the far left of the battle and so charged into the mass of enemy soldiers fighting their comrades. Ferenc's squadron first met the Jäger who had survived the volley of the Hungarian infantry and were then engaged with the Hungarian infantry themselves. Ferenc, his sword hacking and felling a great many enemies, soon gained a few moments repose, during which he was able to note that the cannon no longer fired and how the other squadrons of the regiment had been unable to pierce the enemy line and so cut them off. Returning quickly to his work, engaged with his sabre against a line infantrymen of Wurzburg, Ferenc soon heard renewed shouts and the blaring of a bugle. A force of what appeared to be Hungarian militia had arrived through the very mountain pass which his regiment was to have blocked, thus catching the Wurzburgers in a trap of their own, from which there was no escape. Seeing the futility of their own battle, the Wurzburgers surrendered just as the night fell. So it was that for a cost of some two-hundred line infantry, thirty hussars and some hundred militiamen, the Hungarians had defeated a force of some twelve-thousand Wurzburger infantry of whom none escaped and some nine-thousand were now prisoners, the rest having been wounded or killed during the battle. In addition, some forty enemy standards were captured, to be sent to Budapest as proof of the victory. Exhausted by the nearly four-hour battle, Tábornagy Petrelius commanded the army to make camp for the night and retired to compose a letter to the court at Budapest regarding the outcome of the battle. For the purposes of his goal, the contributions of the militia would have to be ignored to enhance the victory. Likewise the Finnish Legion, though having acquitted itself commendably, would have to play a greater role in the victory as described in the letter.


Ferenc walked among the tents of his squadron, eager at last to get some rest. The farmhouse at the edge of the valley where the officers were billetted was found to have a well nearby, which greatly pleased Ferenc. The sheer joy of having a bit of water to drink after such a battle was more than enough to brighten his mood, so much that his amusing figure generated laughter from nearby shadows.

"The way you are drinking that muddy peasant's water, one would think it was the finest red wine from the King's own cellar." chuckled the figure as he emerged from the shadows, revealing himself to be a line officer of the militia with a pipe in his hands.

"I drink this mud to your health, friend, were it not for you and your timely arrival, I'd now be lying in the mud rather than drinking it." answered Ferenc, quenching his thirst once again with the refreshing water from the well.


"Permit me to present myself. I am Százados (Captain) Teleki Jozsef, commander of a company of the King's militia, in these mountains. Our company was to disrupt the passage of the Wurzburger reinforcements and supplies into Hungary, but when our commander heard of your approach, he assembled all of the companies to march on the enemy's rear." answered the stranger, puffing a few times on his pipe as he spoke.

"A fine act indeed. Our hussars were unable to rout the enemy or roll up his line as expected and his position was strong. Were it not for your arrival, we would've exhausted ourselves against his line and been forced to retreat to let the cannon pound him to dust." said Ferenc, showing a hint of admiration for the lowly militia, always despised by the regulars.

"I do thank you for your praise, but now you'd best off to sleep. You look like the walking dead." whispered the Százados, retreating back into the shadows with his back resting against the farmhouse. Ferenc continued on his way inside, surprised that his terror and exhaustion at having seen his first battle showed. Settling down into his bed, sleep came easily.

The capital of the Hungarian Kingdom, Budapest, was awash with news in May of 1798. The old King Lajos VI had died in March and his son István IX rose to the throne and with him brought many new changes. The people, still bitter over the defeat at the Battle of Skagerock and the indecisive Battle of the Bermuda Sea needed a victory badly. Such a victory was at last found when news arrived from Tábornagy Petrelius of the Battle of Tirol. The newspapers recorded the battles of the war leading up to the present.

February 1798:
Defeat at the Battle of Skagerock (21 Hungarian warships against 40 Swedish. 11 Hungarian ships lost, 3 Swedish ships lost)

Victory at the Battle of the Bermuda Sea (7 Hungarian and 11 Hispanic ships against 10 French and 6 English warships and 2 English transports. 1 Hispanic ship lost, 2 French warships lost and 2 English transports lost)

April 1798:
Victory at the Battle of Tirol (16,000 Hungarian infantry 1,750 calvary and 90 artillery against 12,000 Wurzburger infantry. 200 infantry, 36 calvary lost by Hungarian side, entire Wurzburger force killed or captured)

May 1798:
Town of Vodi (St. Petersburg) taken by Hungarian troops after short siege.

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Amongst his first acts upon assuming the throne was an investigation into the disaster at Skagerock, which culiminated in the dismissal of Minister for War Szegedi. It had been uncovered that in the course of his duties, the Minister had quietly seen to it that the funds intended for the maintenance of the navy were directed instead into his own pockets, whereby at the aforementioned battle with the Swedish, the Hungarian ships were no more than rotting hulks for lack of funds. Furious at this Minister who no doubt used the grim state of his father as a chance for such corruption, the King confiscated his lands, titles and fortune, ordering him to serve the remainder of the war as an Ensign of the navy. Having largely adopted the plans of his predecessor, that is to say a limited war in the east, north and in colonial affairs with the majority of strength being placed against the Kingdom of Wurzburg and the Kingdom of France, the King was content merely to take personal charge of his bodyguard in the event dire events should force it to be committed to battle, at a strength of ten thousand foot, five thousand horse and fifty cannon.

So the war continued in spite of the government scandal, whereby owing to the recent successes in Finland, it was decided that the advancing army which crossed the Finnish frontier from the Kingdom of Estonia would occupy only southern Finland before turning east to assist Novgorod against the Russian Empire. Elsewhere, the Kingdom of Wurzburg had defeated the armies of both the Palatine and Burgundy, while the Kingdom of Holland lay siege to the capital of the Duchy of Hannover.

Mettermrck: Thanks, and yes, the arrival of the militia was timely.

Olaus Petrus: Definately. The thing is, since I haven't had a war in a long time and I never hunt pirates, I permanently left the navy maintenance at 50% to save money. I forgot to put it back up to 100% when the war began and my navy did very badly....so I'm writing it off as a corrupt minister pocketing navy funds

stnylan: Thanks, although there's alot more battle to come. I haven't even covered the first year of the war completely yet

De Gaulle and the Helvetians had agreed to a parley and the French dragoons were to provide his honor guard. Captain Marchand urged his horse onwards, at last catching a glimpse of his commander deep in conference with his staff. So the meeting was to take place soon. As he approached, the Marshal mounted his horse and signalled the dragoons to advance behind him. The whole body of troops rode for some distance, until the red and white coats of the Helvetians were visible ahead. Pausing briefly, the Marshal advanced with his staff, ordering his guard to remain a little ways behind as the Helvetian officers did the same.

"I wonder what they're talking about up ahead. Yesterday we were to hack a way through them with our sabres and today we parley with them. What a strange war this is." remarked the Major in a hushed voice.

"I've no idea, but you best keep your eyes on the Helvetians. We're not agreed yet." added Captain Marchand.

The Marshal and the commander of the Helvetians remained in quiet discussion for some time, inaudible to their respective retainers. After what seemed to last an eternity, the conversation ended with as little fanfare as it had begun. The Marshal and the Helvetian commander shook hands, while a pouch of gold coins was exchanged between their respective staffs to be left to the Helvetians. So they had come to an agreement. With speed now, the Marshal and his staff rode back to the guard while the Helvetians did the same. The Marshal spoke quickly as he rode by but Marchand was able to understand a few words.

"We ride to Milan. The Hungarians have won at Tirol." said the Marshal and soon he was out of sight. The Major had evidently heard it too and a curious glance was exchanged between them.

"It seems this war will last longer than you thought after all. I only pray I may see my father and my country again." said Captain Marchand, sighing between the words.

"We shall see." grunted the Major as he struggled to urge his horse forward. With that, the two officers and the squadron of dragoons rode after the Marshal and his staff, already a speck in the distance.

Olaus Petrus: True, dangerous precedent though. Can't have Hungary's vassals adopting their own independent stances. Something to think about after the war maybe.....

stnylan: Sure enough. I'm a bit upset at my own lack of progress too. Busy school-time, and the updates only move the story forward a couple of weeks instead of a decade or more like the history-book style

The city of Wurzburg had seemed a great deal larger from the outside. Walking through it's narrow, snow-laden streets, Ferenc could have mistaked it for any other European city of the time. Except Budapest of course, no city could measure to Budapest, but it seemed an ocean away these days. His mind wandered to the letters he'd been getting from his parents and the professor lately. The same old news from his parents, about the tax increase to pay for this war, about how splendid all the young men look marching off and all the trivial pursuits of the people back home. At least the professor had had something more tangible to contribute, enclosing a list of all his old classmates and where they'd been assigned. He would now be able to write them at least and see how they were making out. Pausing to return the salute of a passing patrol, he at last reached the house which had served as his home for the past week since the retreat from Mainz. He nodded his greetings to the father as he passed through, eager to enter his room and begin writing at once. The family, as usual, was smiling and welcomed him inside as he arrived, but it pained him to see something else under it all. Sheer hate. No doubt they'd heard from others what the army of occupation was like and equally glad that they at least had an officer who paid, in Hungarian gold. Still, there was no getting away from the fact that he was an invader. Perhaps they'd had another son, an older one, in the army. In any event, it was none of his concern, so long as they did him no harm. Shrugging off his great-coat, he sat down to review the letter from the professor outlining where his classmates had been assigned. It seems Teleki Jozsef, his dearest friend at university, was attached to the army of Ezredes Rozgonyi in Italy, while Bakai Attila was with the Ujvidéki Hadsereg under Tábornagy Petöfi. He would write his first letter to Jozsef.

Dear friend, I have only recently learned of your assignment in this war. I myself am with the Army of Germany. We have seen much battle of late and have been forced to retreat from the city of Mainz back to Wurzburg. Most of the calvary of which I was part is now destroyed, the rest including myself have lost our horses. It was quite shocking, having my horse shot out from under me, though better it than I. We have lost much of our army in the storming of Mainz and we were not successful in it's taking. Now we await reinforcements and I await the end of the campaign. I trust you are in good health, and will return my greetings as soon as you are able.

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As he finished, he put it aside intending to dispatch it at a later time. Now he only craved sleep and the promise of a better day tomorrow. He could not have known that a few short weeks ago, Marshal De Gaulle and sixty-thousand French calvary had engaged the Army of Italy of fifteen-thousand foot, seven-thousand five-hundred horse and ninety artillery pieces, slaughtering all except a battery of ten horse-drawn pieces and crews who managed to flee. Amongst those killed, Teleki Jozsef, line officer of the Royal Hungarian Army.

stnylan: Yep. Although the good news, I think I've come up with a way to make time go a bit faster while still keeping the style.

Yep, part of the transition. I'm going to try and keep the general moods of society flowing the same as in our history, using France as a model. Now we're in the nationalist period, although it'll be interesting to see how Ferenc reacts to the inevitable counter-nationalism that develops right after the war....

Olaus Petrus: True, although one has to wonder how rich Ferenc and/or Ferenc's parents are if he's throwing solid gold coins left and right.

Sorry for the long pause in updating. Combination of exams and writer's block



Captain Marchand allowed himself a small sigh before turning to rejoin the column. Once more, the Hungarians were saved from the fury of Marshal De Gaulle and the French by sheer luck. It was difficult for him to reconcile himself with the fact that despite a great effort on his part and that of his countrymen, having bested and completely destroyed the only Hungarian army south of Mainz, they were now obliged to turn away from the open Hungarian frontier and return home empty handed. Despite the victory at Milan and the promise of the undefended prizes beyond the frontier, the Hispanic advance into the south of France and the Dutch landing at Genoa led the Marshal to abandon his gains for fear of being surrounded and cut off from supplies and reinforcements. This first year of the war had not decided the outcome as many in France had expected despite numerous victories by the French armies and those of their allies. It seemed that there was no end in sight, for whenever a Hungarian army was destroyed or fleet sunk, many more would soon appear to take it's place. For their part, the Hungarians had made modest advances into Russia and the Kingdom of Wurzburg, though the Paris League still had strength to spare. The forces of the Irish and Scandinavians had yet to see any real battle, and their numbers would do well to bolster the French and Russian armies already fighting well.

Abandoning these thoughts to the generals and staff officers, Marchand concentrated on the task at hand. Since the death of the Major, his commander, he himself had been leading the dragoon squadron though retaining his old rank. It had been a long way from Milan but he felt confident that he had adapted to the role as well as could be expected. Now there was the matter of directing his squadron towards fodder, food and lodging for the night and he settled easily into a practiced routine while thoughts of the Piedmont rolled around in his mind. Command came naturally to him, though he felt the worst was yet to come. The war had only begun.