Your Battles

[Sir Kieran]

I am rewriting one of the battles in my book. It was supposed to be a simple fortress, and men attack the wall. However, I found it would be much more interesting if the fortress is surrounded by hills and a couple rivers, and if the armies break into smaller forces and fight for different terrains around the fortress. I used the Battle of Gettysburg from the American Civil War for the bulk of my inspiration, examining what both Lee and the Union forces' movements were/why they were successful/why they weren't.

I was just wondering if you've modeled your battles after any historical events, or what you have done to make your battles super exciting!

 

[skip.knox]

Shouldn't the fortress be *on top* of one of those hills?

 

[Malik]

Shouldn't the fortress be *on top* of one of those hills?

Yes. Definitely this.

 

[Sir Kieran]

Shouldn't the fortress be *on top* of one of those hills?

I probably should have mentioned that; the fortress is on the largest hill, smaller hills surround it.

 

[skip.knox]

I can't say that I quite model a battle after a historical battle, but I do use historical battles. That's because I'm writing alt-history fantasy, so my stories take place in an alternate historical Earth. One I am writing right now is the Battle of Adrianople. It took place in 378 AD. In it, the Goths annihilated six Roman legions and killed the Emperor Valens. In my version, the invaders are goblins. The basic tactics of the battle are unchanged, though there's a bit of magic on the right flank. Otherwise, the battle is dramatic enough as-is.

One fun thing about writing alt history is I can take the most florid version of an event rather than having to fuss about which was most historically likely. So, for example, I can have Valens burn to death in a peasant hut, even though that account is almost certainly not what actually happened.

I do want to add one point, though. It's not the battle that's interesting. It's how your characters move through it that will make it memorable. In that sense, the setting doesn't really matter.

 

[ndmellen]

This...is a curious question for me.

I grew up in Muay Thai. I was a paramedic. I spent time in Iraq.

For me, when it comes to writing battle scenes( which are my best written and graphic scenes)...The curvature of battle tactics is blase. Flanking, hold outs, switch shots, hammers, anvils and nutcrackers...blah, blah, blah. The average reader will grasp the basic concept on the lowest level. For me, personally, when I write my fight scenes, I focus on the central area of the character. The fear, the anger, the smells, the blood...the numb terror they have weighted on their skin as they do what they have to do. Or, the maniacal joy.

You can say "There was a battle!"...or, you can paint the picture of what it was like, for one person, for a squad, a flight, to actually be in that battle. Just my thoughts.

 

[Terry Greer]

I do want to add one point, though. It's not the battle that's interesting. It's how your characters move through it that will make it memorable. In that sense, the setting doesn't really matter.

Absolutely - The battle is just a backdrop for the actions (courageous or otherwise) for your character's motivations and choices.
Grand tactics have to be kept relatively simple for clarity with easy to understand aims and goals.

 

[TWErvin2]

The battles in my novels, how they play out, depends on the forces involved, including numbers, training, weapons and equipment (including magic--or for SF, technology), supplies, and the objectives.

What you describe with a fort at the center of the battle would be a little different than the meeting of two armies at Gettysburg, but extrapolating from there is not a problem. But the tactics would be different for the army that had the fort to fall back on, unless, for example, the enemy is known to have a spell or weapon or technique that will breech the walls. Unless that weapon is something new, the fortress would probably have been built on terrain and with an eye toward defending against it. Just as Lee and his subordinates, and Meade and his subordinates would have responded to/maneuvered to best advantage considering the terrain and defenses.

It's a good idea, what you're doing, to model some battles and tactics, based upon actual battles, while modifying for the story and individual and varying characteristics/dynamics.

 

[Butterfly]

I probably should have mentioned that; the fortress is on the largest hill, smaller hills surround it.

Like this?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=h...24&bih=615#q=harlech+castle&tbm=isch&imgdii=_