Our second ever Seven Years War game using Blackpowder and we went for the '
if its got a tricorne - its in' rule so most of the AWI stuff joined the lines too adding to the numbers. Purests may want to look away now.
The game was a simple British attack on the French holding a line centred on an old monastrey. The French deployed very heavily in the centre but left two rather weak flanks, which would turn out to be their undoing.
The game begin with the British attack getting off to a very slow start, with all the infantry refusing to move. This left the Light Dragoons on the far left to ride off on their own towards their French opposite numbers. The French did little apart from shuffling their lines and once again the British failed to move. However the first clash occured as the two sides light cavalry met on the left flank. In a display of sheer destruction, the British Dragoons rode down the French hussar squadrons and swept up onto the flank of the French line. In their own turn the British Dragoons swept around the flank of the French army and caught a further two units of hussars in the flank, promptle destroying them both while the French infantry suddenly saw three squadrons of British dragoons to their rear and eight regiments of British infantry finally beginning the advance to their front.
While the Dragoons sold themselves dearly, taking out a unit of French infantry in the process the French had a few more problems. Dillons Irish, rushing to reinforce the right flank, blundered and marched off the table! Things looked bad on the French right, but things were to turn at the other end.
A poorly made british cavalry charge saw the entire British Cavalry Brigade left presenting its flank to two lines of French Grenadiers de France. This was then rewarded with a volley into the side and this then shot up one squadron. As the british then charged again they took more fire as they traversed the French lines and then crashed into the Cuirassier du Roi, who promptly minced the British Brigade. Soon the British Cavalry was fleeing from the field, despite having out-numbered the enemy.
At the same time the British attack on the centre came off worse in a firefight over the cornfield, but it did some damage before it withdrew. However the tipping point came of the French weak right flank. First the British Guards and Scots moved up to the wall and let off several volleys, cutting down a unit and weakening a French Brigade. The British Grenadiers then let rip a volley that despactched a unit of French grenadiers and their brigade crumbled. With one weak brigade on the right to hold the French had to pull something special out of the bag.
As it was they met disaster. A blundered command roll saw Dillons Irish, who had just returned onto the table, promptly retreat off again and thus break their brigades morale. French gunners fled their guns and the French right flank collapsed. With two entire British infantry brigades now ready to flank the French centre, and half their brigades destroyed, the French commander called the retreat and they withdrew from the battlefield...
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