Another Peninsular War game, 28mm, Black Powder.

[Jabba]

Last Friday at New Buckenham I put on another small four player game using the Black Powder rules. Again a fictitious scenario set during the Napoleonic Peninsular War, this time set late 1810 early 1811 as the French were retreating from the Lines of Torres Vedras.

The basic premise was that a French rear guard had turned to fight the pursuing Anglo Portuguese at a river crossing which provided the last natural barrier before an expanse of open countryside.

The French aim was to gives the allies a bloody nose, forcing them to ease off the pursuit, allowing the main French force to cross the open countryside unmolested. With this open terrain in mind it would be considered a disaster for the French if their light cavalry brigade suffered unnecessary attrition.

The Anglo Portuguese aim was to continuing pressing the French, giving them no respite. The hope was that this, combined with their general impoverished state, would cause a collapse in their army's will to fight and allow a decisive action to be brought against them.

Table layout 6'x6' (tiles 2' square)

The French deployment area was anywhere east of the river. The Anglo Portuguese enter in march column. The Portuguese where the road enters from the west, the British from the south.
The French deployed on table and the Anglo Portuguese had the first turn.

Forces on the table

The battle went well for the Portuguese who advanced to the river, destroyed the French horse artillery before crossing and seeing off a French cavalry charge, after forming square.

Unfortunately the British had a harder time of it. Overextending initially they then faced an aggressive attack by the French left wing. They lost two line battalions and an attached rifle unit whilst only knocking out two French line battalions, one of these after an ill advised charge of the RHA came up short.

Final positions

Overall a French win as they definitely gave the pursuing British a bloody nose, if not the Portuguese.

More on this game including unit roster on my blog at Jabba's Wargaming

Tony.