The French & Indian Wars, Rebels and Patriots, 28mm

We opted for a French & Indian Wars game as there were just two of us. We’ve played ‘Scenario L – Defending Mendenhall’s Battery’ from the rules before. As memory serves it was an easy win for the defenders – the ones with the big guns. We thought we’d try to reverse the outcome, with the British attacking the French hilltop battery. We played the game on a 6×4 foot table, with a few scattered woods, a stream and the gun battery on a low hill. In Rebels and Patriots terms, the attacker British had 36 points of troops, and the defenders 18 points, not counting the brace of medium guns and their crew. they were the objective – the British attack was all about capturing them, as they were busily pounding Fort George, just off-table to the south. The French guns had a clear field of fire in front of them, and so this probably wasn’t going to be too easy for the attackers. I needed to get creative. Sean chose his 18 points wisely – a unit of 12 veteran French line, another of 12 Companie de la Marine (light infantry with an ‘aggressive’ bonus), and 6 French backwoodsmen (Coureur de Bois), rated as Skirmishers with a ‘Sharpshooter’ bonus). I blew my 36 points on three 12 figure  line units (American Provincials and 12 British veteran line), two shock Units (12 British Grenadiers and 12 Fraser’s Highlanders), and two units of 12 British light infantry.Of course, a lot of this was down to a speedy advance on my part, and good French gunnery. Neither of us got off to a good start though, with most of my infantry failing a lot of activation orders. Fortunately the same was true of the French guns. eventually though, things started rolling, as my light infantry swung in a left hook through the woods and over the stream, while the shock troops and the veteran British line did the same to the right.The trouble was, by then the French gunners  also got their act together, and pretty much wiped out by New Jersey Provincials in the centre – my reserve.  So, everything depended on my left and right hooks brushing aside the defenders and storming the two-gun battery. The trouble was, both the Highlanders and the Light Infantry were still plagued by activation trouble, this time by taking hits, and so getting pinned while under fire.When they reached the stream where the road crossed it at a ford, they came under fire from the French regulars of the Bearn regiment.  So, while the faltering Highlanders stopped to fire at the French Marines who were moving up to back up their line troops, my other two units on the right splashed across the stream towards the enemy in the woods. Actually, I needed to get aggressive, as otherwise my units would be shot to pieces by those guns.The French regulars of Regt. de Bearn lined the woods, giving them some cover, so I had halted the 12-man detachment of the 50th (Shirley’s) Foot – the ones with their cut-down tricornes, who stood at the edge of a cornfield by the stream and fired volleys into the trees – and the French. For the assault,  Shirley’s foot kept firing until the very last moment while the Grenadiers charged over the stream and into the French line, In the hard-fought melee that followed, the French were driven back, step by step, and the Grenadiers followed up. By the though the grenadiers were down to just a handful of men, and couldn’t finish off the last of the French line. It had been an expensive victory – it cost me my best unit! Over on the British left though, the assault by the Light Infantry went ahead, despite mounting casualties from the guns. Then – disaster. After taking casualties from the  Coureur de Bois, the leading British unit failed a morale check and routed form the field,. that left one British Light Infantry unit to storm the battery, guarded by the French backwoodsmen. It almost worked too – until one gun turned about and fired grapeshot into their ranks! The British lights melted away, as did any chance of achieving a British victory. Actually, there was one very slim chance left. Shirley’s foot charged the last of the French regulars, and routed them, before turning on the French Marines, which by now had moved up into the wood. This time the charge was supported by fore from the Grenadiers – or rather ‘Grenadier’ – ludicrously one of them remained, thanks to good morale, but rolled 6 dice in firing!Shirley’s foot charged through the woods and into the line of waiting Frenchmen. It went well – the Marines were driven back, and then retreated back towards the guns. It was clear that by now that the remainder of the 50th Line  wouldn’t be able to capture the French battery. So, I conceded, and the survivors of the assault slunk back into Fort George with their tails between their legs. Nevertheless , it was a really fun little game! Next time…

Tags: Rebels and Patriots