The phrase "a previous battle" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a battle that occurred before the current context or situation being discussed.
Example: "The soldiers were still haunted by the memories of a previous battle that had left many of their comrades lost."
Alternatives: "an earlier conflict" or "a prior skirmish."
O'Brien said: "In a previous Battle of Britain we saw off Junkers".
"Blythe Danner, you know, Gwyneth Paltrow's mother, used to live two doors down," Ms. Kazickas said, explaining that they became friends during a previous battle over construction in the neighborhood.
Lots of smiles and laughs at the toss, by the way – these two have never met before, so there's not much chance of any entertaining emnity left over from a previous battle, as there was, a bit, when Serena Williams beat María José Martínez Sánchez yesterday.
Akamai has asserted these patents before, in front of the same Massachusetts judge, but a previous battle ended in March 2005, when Akamai acquired the suit's defendant, Speedera Networks, for $130 million.
Gwen and Peter go to the Connors lab and help Eddie clean up from a previous battle with Electro.
At the Notch, a northern pass into the city and site of a previous battle, the 35th Infantry Regiment encountered 500 North Korean infantry, defeating them.
No figures were available for casualties among Iraqi forces, who appeared to have been deployed into the fighting in larger numbers than in any previous battle against the insurgents.
Last year, Roberts told viewers that she had been diagnosed with MDS, a rare blood and bone marrow disorder, as a complication from her previous battle with breast cancer.
Like the previous battle at Ad Decimum, it is again notable that Belisarius failed to keep his forces together, and was forced to fight with a considerable numerical disadvantage.
Indeed, Ella's appearance is entirely due to her intention to win back Erhart's love, and the desire to do so sets off the competition between her and Gunhild--a fight that echoes their previous battle for John Gabriel's affection.
L. L. Cool J, humiliated in underground rap circles, came out for Round 2 with a new single, "The Ripper Strikes Back," a reference to one of his previous battle songs, "Jack the Ripper".
