Napoleonic Game 6.10.13.

Last night Graham laid on a most spectacular game for us,set after Waterloo,when the French had to drain their depots,and call up militia and provincial troops to stop the Allies from reaching Paris.
I was commanding the French against Brian and Richard who had a coalition of Austrians,Brunswick and Russian troops.
Basically I was defending a ridge with a village at either end,and the Allies had to capture the positions and get a gun battery over the hill (did somebody mention me there??)

Move number one,and the whole of the known world seems to be advancing on my positions!!
Richard was in charge of the Brunswickers,and mounted a most ferocious attack on the right hand village which contained troops who can only be described as "crap"-however at the end of the game I still held the village and had given Richard a bloody nose!!

Richard's rifles are giving me something to think about-because of his superior range I couldn't shoot back at him,but as it happens he kept missing!!-lucky or what??
Meanwhile in the centre,Brian was trying to get his troops into some sort of order,however my artillery,placed beside the left hand village was doing great work,and stopped some of his advance,allowing me to mount an audacious cavalry attack against his light troops,forcing them into square!!

This is a shot from Richard's side of the board,showing his attack on the village and against my troops on the ridge-cracking stuff,I was slowly being out-numbered,and in danger of being "swamped"-would the dice God be kind to me?-YES!! with a good deal of luck I held on to the ridge on this flank,but now Brian was piling the pressure onto my left hand village and ridge position.

A bit of a lull has settled on the battle field in this shot,giving me time to reorganise,and especially to move all of my cavalry onto my left,behind the village-it can't remain this quiet for long though!!

I thought not!! with guns blazing and drums beating,the big advance begins! With the poor troops I have under my command I couldn't possibly stand up to this,could I?-Oh yes I could!!

Look at this!! I have exchanged my battered regiments for fresh ones,and am exchanging volley for volley with the cream of the Austrian army!!Richard is sneaking up on me on his flank attempting to out-gun me on the ridge-good move!!

Both Brian and I have launched our cavalry at each other in this photo,the melee swung both ways,I won the first round,Brian won the second,I won the third etc. etc.- At this point my nerves are shattered,the village walls have been knocked down by pin-point artillery fire,and Brian's Russians have smashed into my "crap" defenders,who turned out to be not so "crap" and eventually beat him back-hurrah!!

The contest for the ridge is still being fiercely fought,but I still have possession of it and the two villages,this was move number 15, and the Alllies were no where near gaining their objective,so I was declared the winner!! Just as well really 'cos it looks like Brian has lost all interest-pay attention Brian!!

This was a good game-well thought out,and balanced,congratulations to Graham.
Roll on Thursday.