Sharp Practice 2: Gun Run: 26th Oct 2022

 

Another Wednesday Zoom hosted game. The Scenario had the the Royal Navy having landed a quantity of muskets & attempting to move them up, for handing-over to the Spanish guerrillas. The British had 3 groups of British Marines, one group of Seamen skirmishers and two groups of Spanish irregular skirmishers. They also had a moveable Deployment Point, which could start at the far side of the table, at Point B1.

The French are moving to intercept, deploying 4 groups of Conscripts & Volunteer French line infantry & two groups of Voltigeur skirmishers, starting at the top of the map, at point F1.

Turn 1 went well for everybody! All the chits came out and everybody deployed. The Brits even managed a second move, with 4 flags and the Marines were storming down the road.

Turn 2 saw the Brits continue to push the Marines down the road, while they push the Spanish moveable deployment point behind the hill, overlooking the French right flank. However, the gods stopped smiling on the British then. The French managed a 4 flag second move, which saw the French Voltigeurs rush around the hill an deny the Spanish the use of their moveable Deployment Point.

So, while the Marine Column was now well along the road, it now faced the road being blocked by 2 groups of French Line &  Voltigeurs ahead of them and another 2 groups of French Line on the right flank.

The Spanish skirmishers then decided to join the Seamen skirmishers, in the wood to the right of the British entry road & these three groups mounted a withering fusillade on Capitanne Opless and his two groups of line. This rather one sided firefight, fairly rapidly saw Opless & his men falling back.

Captain Darling saw his chance to deploy his Marines into line, to deal which the two group groups of French line now blocking the road, with their Voltigeur support. However, their movement was ponderously slow & long range fire from the French started to eat into their ranks. Then disaster struck. Captain Darling was knocked unconscious by a musket ball. All that was then left to do, was for the British to withdraw. A rare win for Capitanne Opless, even if he actually played little part in the success!?