The French are coming! Conclusion

How did that happen? The earth has turned upside down, indeed! Beaten by the French, bested by Rebel-Rabble, who turned his own strategy against him. What a shame, what a shame (lament!), Oh what a shame! Let the retreat sound! Let‘s hope we can run faster...
And with that Lord Taylor disappeared out of sight of his own staff, leaving just a faint smell of something very hm... behind, never to be seen again.

This was the conclusion of the last battle, we were able to recreate where we stopped last time. (I have to remember that one!)

The American, played by Paul, were still hidden in the woods on their left flank and ‘shadowing‘ my right, that had retreated to the centre almost.

The British  had managed to enter the woods in the centre and two units, one of them the upgraded Light Infantry,  were closing in against Indian scouts and Militia.

On the right the American Cavalry elite was badly beaten and the remaining Continentals were facing advancing Hessians and Grenadiers. For the American it looked bleak.

The game started and the british advanced further, mauled and shot at the Rebel lines and attacked what seemed just a sweeping up of the right flank of the Rebels. – But it didn‘t happen. The Hessians disintegrated.

The American CinC came to help to rally the cavalry and the counter attack destroyed my redcoats and my weakened grenadiers.

In the Woods the badly mauled French came to help the Indians, just to be shot off my advancing artillery, into their flank - Autsch.

After that the mainly intact French reserve stormed into the woods and deleted my British line. An event that was publicly recorded in the annuals of the wargaming club, even a French visitor could‘t hide his amusement and wonder.

Alarmed of the disintegration of the British flank and centre the British CinC quickly ordered troops from the left to the right, but all in all a little too late. They shared the same fate.

At the end the American counter-attack did that what I had hoped would have done my troops, if my Hessians would have beaten the trapped American cavalry. They swept up the battle line from the flank. Paul countered my plans with the exact strategy I had in mind. If I think about it, I still don‘t know how he did it!!!

All in all it was a very thrilling and highly entertaining game this time. Well done Paul!

The start of the critical phase

The fateful attack of the Auxuerre Regiment

The American guns loosing their targets

The Auxuerres again enfiladed by British Guns

The victorious Saissoinnais re-capturing the woods

The revitalised American right flank begin to roll-up the British

Again the American guns can‘t find targets ...

The first advancing continentals are getting hurt.

Finally the American army came out of the woods!

Rolled up to its very centre, the British commander sends for parley ...