What is the "lifecycle" of an average eschar and what types of cells are involved in each stage?
Response to cutaneous tissue damage occurs is several distinct but overlapping phases. First an scab is formed as the blood is 'allowed' to clot. A matrix is formed as the platelets adhere to one another, which contracts and 'dries' (forces out the serum) to form a scab. This process clearly happens prior to tissue regeneration/formation to reduce further blood loss.

Fibrinogen

In response to damage to blood vessels a signaling cascade is initated that results in the massive production of fibrin, which is deposited at the site of wounding and subsequently forms blood clots by activating platelets and stabilising the matrix by cross-linking (see PDB's protein of the month 2006).

So this is why clots do not appear to be attached to the surrounding tissue; the fibrin causes the blood to form a matrix that is very tightly bound to itself. Only after clot formation does the tissue remodeling occur, and it is during this stage that the scab will 'bind' more stongly to the surrounding tissue.

The Cell Types and Processes of Wound Healing

This figure (from (Li, 2007)) shows the various stages that occur and cells that are involved in acute wound healing  (wounds such as burns and cuts that heal "in a timely fashion");