Battle of Toruzów

The Battle of Toruzów is a military engagement between the Rictuvian National Army and the Verdictine Army.

It ended in a Verdictine victory.

Background
Toruzów was one of the major gathering points of the revolutionaries due to its considerable distance to the Rictuvian headquarters in Racilia. And it held a good position for defense. The Verdictine army decided to attack the town to cripple Rictuvian war efforts and to successfully break through Rictuvian defenses in Central Rictuvia.

On April 25, 1774, Toruzów was left unoccupied, leaving a passage to a weaker part of the Racilian line. General Strigott received information of the gap and intended to occupy it as a defensive point. He began his march the next day, on April 26 with around 5000 men and 2 light artillery pieces.

Brigadier General Peter Breidchase was ordered to march and occupy Toruzów, and had already reached its outskirts on April 27 with 5800 troops.

Battle
On the early morning of April 27, Verdictine scouts reported back to Breidchase of Rictuvian troops marching towards Toruzów. Breidchase was encamped outside Toruzów, ready to set out and gain a foothold near the Racilian line the following day.

Breidchase elected to attack the marching army, and prepared troops around the major roads and bridges leading to Toruzów. The Rictuvian troops were marching on four columns, all arriving from the northwest. The columns were split into moving to the western roads and the other column moving to the bridge in the north. Strigott prioritized the speed and mobility of his army, and thus did not expect for a battle in the area.

Around 10 in the morning, the first contact between the Rictuvian and Verdictine troops happened in the bridge in the north. Verdictine troops blocked the bridge to Toruzów and began preparing their muskets to fire. The Rictuvians troops stopped midway to the bridge, and began deploying as well. The Verdictine troops began firing at the deploying Rictuvians, and the battle began.

As the first shots of the battle were heard, the other Verdictine troops on the roads began firing at the marching Rictuvians. Strigott received the alert of the ensuing battle and proceeded to engage the enemy outside Toruzów.

Aftermath
The Rictuvians suffered heavy casualties in the battle, twice as much as the Verdicts. Strigott's army retreated back to Racilia after the war, and the Rictuvian army proceeded to further strengthen the line to prevent the enemy from breaking through. The defeat affected many future battles, due to having no troops to spare in helping the other regions.

The Verdictine troops began occupying Toruzów and awaited reinforcements to attack the Racilian line.