Battle of Sherston

[4] Right before the Danes laid siege to London, Edmund rode into Wessex, where the West Saxons declared allegiance to him.

Upon hearing of Edmund in Wessex, the Danes did a forced march south, where the two armies fought at Penselwood.

He then addressed the front soldiers each by name, telling them to remember that they were fighting for "country, children, wives, and homes", which motivated them.

Edmund joined the battle, fighting hand-to-hand combat on the front line, and often "smote the enemy".

Bernard Bachrach believed that John's description was an accurate telling, while Richard Abels and Stephen Morillo theorized the account is an edited version of excerpts from Sallust's Roman histories (Catiline and the Jugurthine War) mixed with slim details of the Battle of Sherston from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

[1][2] Legend states that the leader of the West Saxon militia was named John Rattlebone, and that he was injured in battle, but continued to fight, holding in his innards using a nearby piece of stone.