28mm AWI MAURICE CAMPAIGN GAME 2 - THE BATTLE OF MIDDLETON HILL

On Saturday and Monday Dave Paterson and I played out the 2^nd game in our Maurice AWI campaign.  Here are the forces for this game.  Given my crushing defeat last time my army largely consisted of militia (conscript) infantry.  Dave decided that his national advantages last time were too effective and decided to drop Lethal Volleys and took A La Bayonette and an extra unit of irregular infantry in its place. Dave had also been joined by the Notable Reverend Whitehead.

Patriot main body occupying left centre - tent marks the objective

PATRIOT Me

5 TRAINED REGULAR INFANTRY   
7 CONSCRIPT REGULAR INFANTRY
2 TRAINED REGULAR CAVALRY
2 ARTILLERY
2 IRREG INFANTRY

National advantages

OBLIQUE ORDER
Army Morale 16

BRITISH Dave

2 ELITE REGULAR INFANTRY
4 TRAINED REGULAR INFANTRY
2 TRAINED HESSIAN REGULAR INFANTRY
1 TRAINED REGULAR CAVALRY
2 ARTILLERY
2 IRREG INFANTRY

National advantages

OBLIQUE ORDER, RALLY TO THE COLOURS, A LA BAYONETTE
TOTAL Army Morale 11

Advanced Rules in use – Oblique Order, Light artillery, All Guns bombard, Honours of War

Using my Spy notable I won the scouting contest and decided with my low grade force to be the defender.  Dave took an additional 2 units of irregular infantry for his mercenary supplement as the attacker.

I deployed my Irregulars on the far left flank, 8 infantry units including all the trained in my centre left, with 4 units of militia of the right flank and the cavalry on the far right.  The main body in the centre left was deployed with the 3 militia units and the guns forward with the 5 trained units in 2 lines behind them covering the objective on Middleton Hill.

Dave deployed his 4 units of irregulars on his far right facing my 2 units. In the centre 6 infantry units with his 2 elites units in the front rank faced my main body. His 2 guns were deployed in the gap between his centre and far right.  While on his left flank he positioned a force of 2 infantry units with his cavalry in support.
 

Main bodies clash - first British attack

At the start of the game I moved my main body up to occupy a fence line   and they became engaged in a fire fight with the British infantry.  My 3 militia units and their 2 guns stood firm and fought of this British attack.  Dave eventually using retrograde movement to withdraw his troops out of musket range to reorganise.  Whilst covering this withdrawal his elite grenadiers broke and ran.  Dave then threw his 4 irregular units supported by his 2 guns against my 2 units of irregulars who were partly occupying a wood.  They fought of this attack and Dave withdrew his troops back into the cover of the wooded terrain.  Both his guns were destroyed by fire from my centre and the victorious irregulars though one of them broke and ran.

2nd British attack goes in on my far right - British grenadiers just about to break

I moved the 4 units of militia on my right forward to support my centre.  This tempted Dave to shift his main body against them and he also brought forward the 2 infantry of his left wing.  This new British attack broke 3 of the militia.  The fire from my centre and guns broke 2 of Dave’s units and the surviving right flank militia unit broke a British regular unit by their steady firing.

Overall positions just before final British attack in far distance

This last success broke the British army’s morale having lost 6 units.  Their regular infantry was reduced to the 4^th of Foot and 3 Hessian and Brunswick units. I had lost 3 conscript units and a unit of irregulars

Last hurrah - British go in against my right while 2 units screen my main body

It was good game with action across the whole battlefield as the British launched their successive attacks.  For a time I thought I might lose despite the success of repulsing the first 2 British attacks. Dave has decided that for the next game he will go back to using Lethal Volleys!

 

More photos and descriptions on Flickr at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bill26048/sets/72157635546751824/