Fear The Highland Charge!

Ourgame is in the books, and a great game it was. It was my opponent's first time playing with these rules, but he got he gist of things quite quickly. He commanded the government forces and, as is his nature, went straight to the attack with Mourdant's brigade on his left. The Duke of Perth's lowlanders lined a hedge that sheltered a field. In the first major encounter of the game, Brett rolled seven dice and didn't score a single hit. The rag tag lowlanders held thier ground!

To the right of this setback, however, two other regiments of Mourdant's brigade charged an annoying French battery and destroyed it. This would prove to be as close to the village as Hawley's men would get.

On the other flank, Lord Murray held his restless clansmen back as Lascelle's redcoats advanced on his position. Lascelle's line was a bit broken by its advance, giving Murray his opportunity. Four of his regiments charged two regiments of government men. The meles were fierce. The thin red lines were no match for the ferocious charge of the gallant Scots. In an instant half of Lascelle's brigade was driven from the field.

Murray withdrew his men back to their starting positiion to await events. In the background of this photo casualty markers outline what had once been Lascelle's battle line.

Back on the other flank, Perth's lowlanders are barely holding on to their line. As Mourdant's men begin to waver, Brett brings up his Dutch brigade to take up the attack. Two of Perth's regiments have suffered over 50% casualties and are at the breaking point.

To turn the tide, Lord Drummond orders three of his clans forward in a charge. Mourdant's men are driven back with loss. The triumphant highlanders continue on beyond the road into a Dutch battalion and force it back as well before the halt to reorganize.

Just when it looks like the government left is on the verge of collapse, the three remaining Dutch battalions pour volleys into the highland columns and then charge forward. Drummond's counterattack has been checked with great loss. The government forces now control the road that borders the field.

As the battle on the government left settles into a stalemate, General Hawley attaches himself to Campbell's militia men. The previous two turns they had refused to move up to fill the void left by Lascelle's destruction (failed initiative rolls). My opponent, ever the aggressor, puts the 64th foot and the Argyl militia into attack collumns to charge the French regulars in the center. Hawley attaches himself to one unit, Campbell to the other. This last desperate charge seems doomed from the start. The 64th doesn't roll well enough to reach the enemey which leaves the Argyl men fighting by themselves. The piecemeal nature of the attack brings about inevitable failure. To make things worse, Campbell is mortally wounded in the assault.