Battle for the crossings, A Peninsular war encounter.

28mm Peninsular war

This scenario was adapted from one of the Table Top Teasers which appear in Battlegames magazine written by C S Grant. We used Black Powder this week as we were unsure if our Napoleonic Command standard bearer was back from watching a few games of rounders in Toronto. As it happened he turned up and, unusually for him, took a command with Napoleons lads. Figures were mainly mine with some cavalry reinforcement courtesy of Dave Huntley.

Dave , Neal and Derek were the French while Me, Tom and Carl took the British.

The French-

The British 5th Division- 

The advance towards the river crossings begins. 

The French going first. 

The British respond with Carl advancing his cavalry Brigade straight up the road towards the main crossing in the centre of the village. 

Toms infantry follow. 

with mine on the left flank. 

French cavalry cross the ford forcing Carl across to meet them and protect the infantry. 

French infantry form up across the river. 

while their centre colums advances up the road to occupy the village. 

Toms Brigade head off to tackle Derek's  French Brigade,

The Dragoons clash. 

The French occupy one quarter of the village. 

Cavalry take fire. 

The  French centre stalls. 

The British cavalry are routed in spectacular fashion leaving the supporting regiment dangerously exposed. 

British Light troops occupy one quarter of the village but their red coated colleagues fail to reach their destination and are raked by French troops firing from buildings.

To this point the British have occupied 2 quarters while the French occupy one. 

Another French cavalry unit has crossed the river. Both of these units have suffered casualties. 

As has the third. 

which took 3 casualties from firing as it came passed the village. 

The remaining quarter is taken by the French. 

Derek's Brigade deploys to assault the village. 



The British face their tormentors.



The Lights have been replaced by by a redcoat unit. 



Toms Brigade deploy.

The British artillery are having problems getting into the battle. 

My Brigade forms a firing line in the face of the French cavalry threat. 

This rifle fire proves effective and the  Dragoons  are disordered and test morale.

A Frenchman is shot! 

A French column takes fire. 

As do their skirmishers. 

The French assault begins.

French artillery bombard the British quarter. 

British lines come under attack. 

It was about this time we realised the French cavalry brigade was broken as well as the British so this flank was a bit of a stalemate.

The Rifles did much of the damage.

The French columns win the melee 

The British fall back one unit being routed. 

The French ended with significant footholds across the river and occupied half of the village. 

Things weren't looking too good  for the British whose cavalry suffered from terrible dice throws, blowing the bloody dice doesn't work son!

Anyway everyone enjoyed the game and, at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

Updates coming on some projects, specifically 40k, Roman villa and Zulu wars 

Thanks For Reading

Mick