Late in the evening Clarence sent a messenger to the Earl, offering
to mediate, but the offer was indignantly refused by Warwick.

In the darkness, neither party was aware of the other's precise
position. Warwick was much stronger than the king in artillery,
and had placed it on his right wing. The king, in his ignorance of
the enemy's position, had placed his troops considerably more to
the right than those of Warwick's army. The latter, believing that
Edward's line was facing his, kept up a heavy cannonade all night
upon where he supposed Edward's left to be -- a cannonade which
was thus entirely futile.

In the morning (April 14th) a heavy mist covered the country
and prevented either force from seeing the other's dispositions.
Warwick took the command of his left wing, having with him the Duke
of Exeter. Somerset was in command of his centre, and Montague
and Oxford of his right.

Edward placed himself in the centre of his array, the Duke of
Gloucester commanded on his right, and Lord Hastings on his left.

Desirous, from his inferiority in artillery, to fight out the battle
hand to hand, Edward, at six o'clock in the morning, ordered his
trumpets to blow, and, after firing a few shots, advanced through
the mist to attack the enemy. His misconception as to Warwick's
position, which had saved his troops from the effects of the
cannonade during the night, was now disadvantageous to him, for the
Earl's right so greatly outflanked his left that when they came
into contact Hastings found himself nearly surrounded by a vastly
superior force. His wing fought valiantly, but was at length