<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">23 April 1801<br/>Ford City, Field Marshal Wetherby's Headquarters</span></span><br/>The Duke of Cornwall paced in front of the fireplace in the map room of his headquarters. He was graciously accommodated by one of the royals who had a residence in this magnificent city. An ancient castle, left over from midievel times and refurbished sometime within the past fifty years gave the back drop for the Army commander's headquarters.<br/><br/>Cornwall was concerned about the fate of the Army of the Anglica. He had not received any word from Marshal Monash, but he had received reports from Major General Creighton Hobson's 3rd Guards Cavalry Division. The enemy had not materialized in force anywhere along the Dervish border, surprisingly. There were reports of contact with both Dragoons and light cavalry on both sides of the border in troop-sized formations. The most disturbing of all came from<span style="font-style: italic">Princess Katerina Squadron</span>(13th Hussars)<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Massacre at Blemshire</span><br/>Just west of Watertown, the village of Blemshire, a small hamlet of about 1500 people nestled in some foothills about four miles from the Dervish border. A Troop, Princess Katerina Squadron found all 1500 inhabitants of the village murdered and all livestock missing. The food stores were all barren as well. Four hundred bodies were found inside the church, but most were scattered about the countryside within a one and a half mile radius of Blemshire. The village elders were found impaled upon fourteen foot spruce trees. Their corpses left to rot in the sun, while scavenging birds bit off several sections of the bodies. The eyeballs had already been pecked out. Flies infested the remains and bloated corpses. Lieutenant Colonel Henderson, commander of the 13th Hussars was mortified by the sight of so many slaughtered civilians. He has vowed to bring vengeance upon whichever Dervish unit wrought such devastating barbarism upon the Anglo-Serpican people.<br/><br/>Cornwall also felt the anger well up inside him from receiving the report. He immediately sent a dispatch rider to Marshal Monash's headquarters to inform him of this report. Also, that the 3rd Guards Cavalry had located primarily troop-sized formations of cavalry.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Reports from the 3rd Guards  Cavalry in the west</span><br/>The 10th "Coldstream" Dragoons had ventured as far as the hills overlooking Mount Norin (Nuremburg), Dervishland. The Coldstream Dragoons insist they have not been compromised. The commander broke the squadron up into three 200-man units to conduct decentralized reconnaissance in the enemy hinterland. A Troop and C Troop both report sighting a major Dervish unit 20 miles south east of Mount Norin.<br/><br/>The infantry are clad in black blazers and black trousers with white gaiters and forest green kepis on their heads. The cavalry they have encountered are clad in cream colored blazers with forest green trousers and brown bicorn caps adorned with brilliant colored plumage. The units identified marching in column formation in a south-easterly direction were Generalmajor Theodor Busse's 8th Infantry Division organized into four brigades of Infantry, with its own inherent regiment of artillery and a 1200-man regiment of Hussars. Busse's infantry numbers approximately 14,000 men according to the 10th Dragoons.<br/><br/>Of notice, is that the 8th Dervish Infantry was moving as though it were part of a main body. They did not appear overly vigilant, a quality associated with an advance party. The 10th Dragoons believe there is at least one other division ahead of the 8th in some order of march.<br/><br/>Cobb's Rangers (18th Dragoons) report engaging enemy Hussars at Three Rivers (Passau), north of the Anglian river, not far from Upper Anglia, just west of where the Province meets York. Cobb's Rangers inflicted at least twenty casualties upon the enemy, receiving only one in return.<br/><br/>The Perth Raiders (16th Dragoons) report spotting a Dervish Infantry Division on the road between Reagan (Regensburg) and Watertown (Pilsen). One brigade of the division was at least half a day's march ahead of  the rest of the division. They appeared to be ready for a fight. The lead Brigade was clad with Navy blue blazers, red trousers, blue gaiters and red kepis. This unit is identified by the 16th Dragoons as Generalmajor Ingel Niefeld's 11th Infantry Division. The lead brigade is estimated at 3,000 solders. The remainder of the division is believed to be around 9,000 infantry and includes a regiment of artillery. A Cavalry regiment numbering over a thousand troopers is patrolling in front of and to the flanks of Niefeld's Division.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Reports from the Army of the Boar</span><br/>Bain's Outriders, the elite 12th Dragoons report movement north of the Boar River, about thirty miles east of Wallenburg, at the foothills of Hart Mountain. the 12th Dragoons spied Generalmajor von Hessen-Homburg's 1st Infantry Division. A lead brigade numbering about 4,000 soldiers leads the advance about a half a day's march in front of the remaining two brigades of the division, which number approximately 8,000 soldiers. The Division has an inherent artillery regiment and accompanying hussar regiment numbering more than a thousand troopers. The 1st Division is clad in green blazers, red pantaloons, white gaiters and they wear the red fez. The Cavalry wear a mix of white and yellow uniforms with a mix of czapka's and colpaks.<br/><br/>I Corps' 15th Dragoons,<span style="font-style: italic">"The Hell Hounds"</span>report sighting an additional division following the 1st Division about one day's march behind on the road from Breslau to Hart Mountain. This formation is believed to be Generalmajor Adolf Mumb's 2nd Infantry Division numbering 12,000 men, a regiment of artillery and about 1200 cavalry.<br/><br/>None of the other sectors along the Boar report contact with Dervish.<br/><br/>The II Corps report no contact with Dervish units in the south.<br/><br/>Field Marshal Weatherby sent a dispatch rider to Marshal Monash insisting he defend Watertown with no less than two divisions of infantry. He also wants the field marshal to remain vigilant to other potential penetrations of the western border. In the report, there is mention of two Dervish Divisions heading toward the Northeastern border near Wallenburg.<br/><br/>Field marshal Weatherby sent a dispatch rider to Marshal Bain asking that he defend Wallenburg with no less than two divisions and be prepared for further incursions south of Wallenburg. He asks both army commanders to keep him informed of any other contacts they may establish.<br/><br/>For General Abernathy's II Corps, Marshal Weatherby requests that the General leave one division near Saltville and move with all due haste, due north in order to intercept the Dervish on their move into the York Province. Please report any contact with the enemy. Permission is granted General Abernathy's II Corps to take on the offensive in pursuing the enemy.<br/><br/>Lord Cornwell, did not know which army to join in order to influence the battle. He decided to send his chief of staff, Brigadier Lathbury to the Army of the Boar and he himself would join Marshal Bain at Watertown.