HERRINGS, BATTLE OF THE, the name applied to the action of Rouvray, fought in 1429 between the French (and Scots) and the English, who, under Sir John Falstolfe (or Falstaff), were convoying Lenten provisions, chiefly herrings, to the besiegers of Orleans. (See ORLEANS and HUNDRED YEARS' WAR.) Its historical interest lies not merely in the name of the commander, but in the fact that, faced by four times his own number, he used his wagons to form a "laager," with the archers firing from them and spearmen between. The French horse beat in vain against this "laager" which may well have been an improvisation based on accounts of the recent successes of the Hussite Wagenburg in Bohemia. (See