General de Brigade Battle Recap

I had my first true battle with my 28mm collection of Napoleonic peninsular collection. It was a very fun afternoon of gaming. four players participated and I was the game master. We played for about three and a half hours and, though debatable, we played to a result: a very close victory for the Anglo-Portuguese players as they barely held the ridge.

The game begins with the French attacking in allied middle while pinning the two flanks.

Early on in the action.

The Confederation of the Rhine regiment moves steadily through a small wood to engage the allied left.

A crucial cavalry engagement takes place, with French dragoons defeating British hussars. A pursuit roll determined that the dragoons had to chase after the defeated light cavalry. This spared a British foot battery, at least for the moment.

A second regiment of French dragoons moves into position to continue the assault on the center.

A couple of turns later, the French columns stumble up the ridge into sheets of cannister and musketry.

The German battalions are poised to attack a Portuguese regiment holding the extreme left of the allied line.

On the opposite end of the table, the terrain slows down French efforts to turn that flank.

The French try once again to come to grips with the Portuguese battery, and once again they are halted in their tracks.

About two thirds of the way through the game the leading French brigade is forced to take a brigade morale test. It failed! The 45th de Ligne is taken of the table due to excessive casualties while the three other battalions are forced to pull back, their supporting artillery battery goes low on ammo. This was a stunning reversal.

A couple of turns later the same fate overcomes the dragoon brigade.

The French horse battery targeted a highland battalion. over the course of several turns it inflicted over 50% casualties on the unit.

At game's end, the brigade on the French left had been able to drive back the British units on that flank. However, a full fresh brigade awaited them if they continued the attack.

I broader view of the table at end of the game. In the upper right a third attack on the Portuguese battery can be seen. But it, too, has been halted by the stubborn gunners.

The game really came down to two double sixes rolled by the British players. These resulted in one brigadier being mortally wounded and another lost for a critical turn.  The French players quite capably regrouped and continued to put pressure on the Anglo-Portuguese line.