Today we did a test run of my Balaclava scenario that I'm going to be putting on at Williamsburg Muster.
There were a few units missing still on both sides, but by the time the con rolls around they will be finished. Fortunately I think the ratio of units missing for each side was about equal.
The Russians started the game about 20 inches away from the Turks in their redoubts while the British were about 8 feet away from them.
The Russians advanced with all of their infantry on the first turn, coming close to the bottom of the hill and staying out of sight of most Turkish fire.
The cavalry split into two. The dragoons all went down the North Valley towards the light Brigade while the other group swept over the ridge and down the South Valley towards the heavy brigade.
The turks fired on the cavalry as it rode past doing slight damage.
The British tried to advance but were not feeling all that froggy and ended up only moving up a little bit.
The Russians then commenced their assault on the Turkish position.
13 Battalions of infantry assaulted 5 battalions and 3 guns.
We were all prepared for the Turks just to be swept away in the green tide.
Not so much. The Turks held everywhere.
In the next turn they even managed to smash up a couple of Russian battalions.
The Russian light cavalry decided to have a little breather while the heavies and the cossacks with them thundered down the North valley stopping to make a line blocking the British advance.
The Russian guns stayed up with the lights, but were a little blown trying to keep up with the heavies.
The British then brought up their lights and charged, moving one gun and their infantry to fire at units that might try to support the Russian counter charge.
The charge was somewhat successful, smashing one Russian Dragoon unit and one British Hussar unit.
The fire caused some serious embarrassment to a sotya of Cossacks.
The Russian infantry kept up a steady pressure on the Turks causing one battalion and a gun to crack.
The Turks quickly reformed their line refusing an easy flank attack for the Russians.
They pounded away in their turn and almost broke one of the Russian brigades.
The light Russian cavalry again decided to take a more remote view of the battle and think about some of the finer things in life.
The Russian heavies and the British lights exchanged cavalry charges until both groups of cavalry were heartily exhausted.
Meanwhile the British heavies were building up some serious momentum. The Greys streaked ahead and up the hill into the flank of one of the Russian units pushing on the turks, smashing it to bits and then continued down into the North valley hoping to catch some of the Russian guns before they unlimbered.
It was a little too slow, but miraculously survived the fusilade that was unleashed by the two guns and one battalion of infantry unharmed.
Possibly the Russians were using the shot of the guns to move them closer to the cavalry without limbered assistance.
The Greys took their chance and slammed into one of the guns, which had got its firing problems sorted in time to give the greys a face full of canister.
The cannon was overrun despite the effective defensive fire but the cavalry were a little stranded.
Turkish resistance was eliminated on top of the ridge despite the assistance of the British cavalry and the Russians flooded into the South Valley around Canrobert's Hill.
There was some uncertainty about whether to attack this mass of defenders of the Orthodox faith or to go after the guns.
The issue was decided by the Russians charging first.
The cavalry rode through the infantry regiments in the valley charging headlong into the dragoons and the guard who countered charged.
They sent the Russians reeling and not letting up for a second pursued.
Down went Russian steed, after Russian steed, men flying into the air as their horses rolled and exploded in the wake of this juggernaut of British men, horseflesh and steel (and perhaps a little brass.)
Or so it seemed.
The juggernaut was a little less than all of that and even though they shattered their way through 4 units of Russian cavalry their momentum was eventually spent and before they could overrun the guns the recall was sounded.
The British withdrew from the field, having surrendered none of their own guns, enabling two battalions of Turks to escape and only losing one unit of their own cavalry in the doing of it.
goes beyond the straight line.
