1777 - The Ambush at Unfortunate Creek's Hausen - Black Powder

This time it was an adhoc scenario, 28mm, Black Powder, some uninspired British brigadier attacked (after bribing some loyalist scouts) a happless American depot commander that was getting new supplies right at that moment! All commanders were a 7 and only the CinC's would have 8 - so Bart volunteered to be the happless, while I was very uninspired.

The British had the better troops were all lined up and ready to charge, while the American had more (as the scouts could have foretold) but all a bit in rumble -  not exactly battle geared up! But they had the first turn of course!

Remarkably the American roused to the occasion and had a somewhat of a line behind the fence plus a second militia defence line ready at the turns end. Apart from a crack unit (The Delaware "Haslet's Chicken") - which would be find themselves still in marching order - ouch! That was the part that the Scouts left out as well, the Americans had two veteran/crack units with them (the "Chicken" and the Smallwoods regiment).

Then my uninspired assault happened ... rather stuck in the centre, but very successful at the flanks - the light infantry and the grenadiers were breaking through! Everything was going to the non existing plan!

The American then were shooting my Hessians and line regiments in the middle rather Bunker Hill style to pieces or at least to a stand still. Only my Grenadiers and LI were forming a pincer. At the end my LI was isolated in the woods (but bottlenecking 4 units at the same time) and my centre was on the retreat, but the Rebels had too much of casualties and their flanks were imploding. They had lost both good units and were unable to turn around the fortunes of war this time, so logically Bart gave up at this point. I lost one unit of line while he lost rifle men skirmishers and two crack units.

Though we were naturally a bit more reckless than the enlightened warlords of their time, we had a lot of fun. I also had a gimmick in place that once one would do a blunder his cavalry would appear ... but due to the low staff value of the cheap etappe commanders and the nature of the defence none of us moved that much ...

Initial set up

A rather jolly depot

The marching Rebels

and the charging Redcoats

only the Hessians charged at 1st

but then the Rebels formed a 2nd defence

nearly all in line ... not all ...

and then they shot back

some lonely Hessians

but then the Grenadiers charged into the flank of the march column

A it was the Delawares they not immediately vapourised

on the other side the LI took on the natives

now everybody was engaged in some sort of fight

Haslets regiment was pushed even further back

the natives fled

but then one line Regiment broke and fled

The Grenadiers finished the Haslets and charged into some riflemen

while  the main centre fired my Hessians to a shaken mess

the Grenadiers are behind the lines

and I take my battered Hessians out of the line of fire

LI forward into the woods!

retreat on the Hessian line

the flank of the Rebels is melting away

the Rebels in hot pursuit of the LI

which pursuit the natives and the militia

another fight of the Grenadiers

the second crack unit is slaughtered by the Grenadiers and some pickets

some last ditch attempts of the Rebels

the LI in the woods battered but not beaten

the stand at the end of battle

the casualties