THURSDAY GAME: BATTLE OF THE RIVER COA.

For Thursday's game, Rick put on a Commands & Colors Napoleonics scenario. The set up is shown above. Crauford had disobeyed Wellington's order to pull back over the bridge near Almeida and had deployed the Anglo-Portugese light division to defend the crossing from Ney's French.

I took the Allies and Rick the French. This is my view of the centre. Crauford is beside the bridge. each allied unit that escapes across the bridge is worth one victory banner.

The view from the bridge.

 

 Allied left flank. Windmill in the middle of the picture, Almedia (and it's guns) extreme left.

In the centre, the French advance, the Allied right flank bear the brunt. The artillery on the high ground do their best.

The French attack in the centre drives the Rifles off the table. It threatens to do the same to a unit of British line. However, they rally and take a toll on the French attack, helped by a unit of Portugese line.

French light cavalry on the left flank rout a hussar unit. The hussars, along with a unit of heavy cavalry mount a charge, powered by the appropriate card! The heavy cavalry are pushed back.

The hussars are also destroyed. Rick plays a counter attack, to take advantage of the two units of light cavalry on the flank.

 

 

 The heavy cavalry repulse the French, but take casualties.

Meanwhile, on the right flank, French light cavalry force a unit of British light infantry into square, but take fire in return.

Back on the left flank, the French light cavalry brush off the remaining British heavies and force line infantry into square.

                   The cavalry are driven off by accurate fire from supporting British infantry.

Crauford began to get a sinking feeling as he watched a series of units pass his position in retreat over the bridge. This was tempered by the fact that each unit leaving in this way meant a victory banner!

 

The French advance in the centre drives all before it.

                                             The French advance overuns the breastwork.

The Allies are chased from the field. 

The French won by 6 banners to 4. Bizarrely the Allies 4 banners came solely from exiting units: the French lost no units. Rick used the French light infantry well; to screen the advancing line infantry. The cavalry did their job on the flanks.  

An enjoyable game, despite losing.