1781 - Cornwallis doubts Clintons relief promise ...

... which is a all the excuse I need for a What-If-scenario and a chance to get ALL my minis out of the dust and onto two tables.

So this club night, we decided to go for 28mm, AWI, Black Powder (plus house rules) and let Peter, Mike and John defend the mildly unprepared Patriots a scant hill with some fortifications (you might call it redoubt ...) and a few siege guns. 

Meanwhile Cornwallis decided to hit this hill with his best troops (lets say others on the Yorktown siege did surely some diversion attacks as well somewhere else), some French (played by Bart) and some veteran militia where the only help the few Continentals on the redoubt would get. The British (Alisdair, Peter and Campbell) would win if they controlled the "fort" or at least the tiny bridge behind it.

A tough call for the 5 brigades of British and Hessians (including guns and a siege gun and two dragoons!!!) and promptly I heard some moaning, which I always take for a good sign for an excellent scenario! It was also the ending of our Pre-covid AWI campaign, where we had a draw between rebels and lobster backs.

First turn the British started and promptly advanced not in line. The Hessian brigades (under Col. Alisdair) were the first who charged in turn 2 the palisades of the rebels! Then the veteran militia backed up the defenders. Next turn some Brits still continued to hesitate to advance (it must have been the memory of the southern campaign, I guess ...) and  a small French brigade with some American dragoons appeared right on the flank. The stuff of nightmares of Cornwallis, I presume.

By that time the personal moral of the involved British generals were at the lowest. Alisdair did perform the best as his first brigade to charge was slowly pulverised and his second turned to block the flank for his British "comrades in arms" to fight the few rebels defending the hills.

Mike and John were defending robustly, even with their contingents melting away, I had problems to catch up with putting them back in the boxes!

After a too long period the British finally managed to silence nearly all the American guns and even made it over the parapet. Only Militia, badly wounded and shaken were standing between 2 line regiments and the bridge. Then the second line was shot off to pieces. To Notice: to say the British morale dice were abysmal would be an understatement and then some. Lots of Redcoats just wanted to go home. At the end of the time the tough objective was just not met - poor Cornwallis!

Honourably mentioning: Peter and Campbell who still managed to get a foot in the door. And by all means Alisdair who had the weakest troops and the worst tactical position kept the whole time the French at bay!!!

And yes, if we would have continued a couple of turns the bridge would have fallen as sure as the amen in the church, but also some angry French would have appeared on the parapets ready to swipe the worn out British back to Yorktown ... where the whole history can now take its turn in its usual tracks and truly can get upside down again. ;)

The American defenders and THE bridge ...

The cream of The kingdom ... lots of red lines and not thin at all!

The patriotic Continental Army awaits the attack

Just a few Militia to back up in the redoubt

British prefer advancing in cascades

The brave Hessians

The first to storm the hill

in the meantime the British ...

The Americans are waiting

... then the fire began ...

The Hessian guards are in front of the fights

Then a small French brigade makes its way across the field to support

The Hessians get repulsed

The Hessians are outflanked

and have troubles keeping up the initial attack

... The Patriots lose their guns peux a peux ...

Then the British finally charge together ...

while the British centre keeps still

The last  moments of the Hessian attack

But the British are in!!

The strain of the British generals is remarkable

Meanwhile the Hessians block the French flank attack.

Cornwallis 33rd and some Pickets are on the walls

The centre attacks too late

The Hessians melting away

... just to hold the French Grenadiers at bay once the night falls ...