French Attack Fort Harilon!

After Last Week’s Battle I got pretty pumped about playing more Seven Years War battles with the DBA 1500-1900 Extension. This week Gary and Rick showed up as well as John. Gary and Rick decided to play a game with similar forces as John and I had played with last week.

FORCES

British
1x Light Horse General (Brigadier Lowell)
1x Jäger (Rangers)
1x Cannon
9x Musket

French
1x Light Horse General (Chevalier de Chappell)
1x Auxilia (Indians)
1x Cannon
9x Musket

THE GAME

Gary played the French and Rick played the British. They diced for who would attack and once again it was the French so this week they said they were attacking Fort Harilon (part of a two pronged assault on the British Colonies in the Americas!)

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Brigadier Lowell arrays his forces outside Fort Harilon. Two regiments were send north of the River while the Brigadier stayed on the south side with the artillery, rangers and the third battalion…


Chevalier de Chappell, on the other hand marched on the fort on the south side of the river with two battalions of infantry and a small contingent of Indian allies…


…while the remaining battalion of infantry and the artillery remained on the north side of the river with the army’s camp.


Not liking the looks of marching sraight into the the cannon the British Battalions north of the river formed a great big column and started marching off.


The British forces in front of the fort advanced cautiously to meet the advancing French.


At the extreme left of the line, where the rangers were skirmishing in the edge of the woods, the French allied Indians attacked!!


The swiftness of action and ferocity of the rangers drove them off, and they retreated deeper into the wood.


The French artillerists maneuvered their guns to fire on the column marching past – their opening shots caused severe casualties among the first companies of the Highland Regiment! (Gary’s six to Rick’s one will do that…). This also briefly disrupted the column. But the ever cool and collected under fire Brigadier Lowell quickly had them on the march again (I swear I have never seen so many sixes rolled for PIPs! Rick actually asked if he could take my die home…).


So gallant and dashing was Brigadier Lowell, that he ordered his staff to follow him in a headlong charge into the woods to aid the Rangers pursuit of the Indians!


Of course when cornered the Indians fought back viciously and both the Rangers and Command Staff were obliged to retire.


The Indians quickly followed up the Rangers retirement…


But the rangers had set an ambush for them and very nearly wiped them out. The scattered survivors faded into the woods naught to be seen again in this battle.


The British column north of the river then wheeled to cross the river – apparently to turn the flank of the French advancing on the fort.


This forced the French onto the defensive and compelled to redeploy to meet this new threat.


The column crossing the river, the French Redeploying, and The British advancing to fire on the French


A bird’s eye view of the general situation.


The first exchanged volley of musketry forced a back the French (one stand being forced right off the table…).


The French redeploy into to lines.


“Gor! Oo’s them poncy lace-wearin types on them ‘orses out there, give ‘em a shot will yeh!”

BOOM!

Thus ended the career of Chevalier de Chappell in a cloud of shredded lace…


Sniping rangers from the woods took a heavy toll on the already shaken French and when news arrived of their commander bing mortally wounded the French retired from the field.

If the French forces in the new world continue to perform in this lack-luster fashion they will not long remain in possession of New France!


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I have Elves on the Workbench at the moment… but I could see British being next in line so I can finish up enough to have TWO commands of both British and French so we could play a Horse and Musket BIG BATTLE!!! I'll have to get some more cavalry from John to add some HORSE to our "Horse and Musket" battles!!