St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers

by G. A. Henty

King Edward now advanced into the forest of Cressy.

Hugh de le Spencer, with a considerable force, was dispatched to Crotoy, which he carried by assault after a severe conflict, in which four thousand of the French men-at-arms were slain. The capture of this city removed all danger of want from the army, for large stores of wine and meal were found there, and Sir Hugh at once sent off a supply to the tired army in the field.

The possession of Crotoy and the mouth of the Somme would have now rendered it easy for the English monarch to have transported his troops to England, and to have returned triumphant after the accomplishment of his extraordinary and most successful march through France. The army, however, was elated by the many great successes it had won, he was now in Ponthieu, which was one of his own fiefs, and he determined to make a stand in spite of the immense superiority of the enemy.

Next morning, then—Friday, the 25th of August, 1346—he dispatched the Earl of Warwick, with Godfrey of Harcourt and Lord Cobham, to examine the ground and choose a site for a battle.

The plan of the fight was drawn out by the king and his councilors, and the king yielded to the Black Prince the chief place of danger and honor, placing with him the Earl of Warwick, Sir John Chandos, and many of his best knights.

The ground which had been chosen for the battle was an irregular slope between the forest of Cressy and the river Maie near the little village of Canchy. The slope looked toward the south and east, from which quarters the enemy was expected to arrive, and some slight defenses were added to the natural advantages of the ground.

On the night of the 25th all the principal leaders of the British host were entertained by King Edward. Next morning mass was celebrated, and the king, the prince, and many knights and nobles received the sacrament, after which the trumpets sounded, and the army marched to take up its position. Its numbers are variously estimated, but the best account puts it at about thirty thousand men, which, considering that thirty-two thousand had crossed the Channel to La Hogue, is probably about the force which would have been present, allowing that two thousand had fallen in the various actions or had died from disease.

The division of the Black Prince consisted of eight hundred men-at-arms, four thousand archers, and six thousand Welsh foot. The archers, as usual, were placed in front, supported by the light troops of Wales and the men-at-arms; on his left was the second division, commanded by the Earls of Arundel and Northampton; its extreme left rested on Canchy and the river, and it was further protected by a deep ditch; this corps was about seven thousand strong.

The king himself took up his position on a knoll of rising ground surmounted by a windmill, and twelve thousand men under his personal command were placed here in reserve.

In the rear of the prince's division an inclosure of stakes was formed; in this, guarded by a small body of archers, were ranged the wagons and baggage of the army, together with all the horses, the king having determined that the knights and men-at-arms on his side should fight on foot.