Last evening the Corlears Hook Fencibles played another game of the 1899 Battle of Colenso, using the Bloody Big Battles rules. Heresy alert: we used 10mm Great War British in sun Helmets for Imperial troops, Australians and some Turks for Boers.
Rick commanded the Boers, aided by Steve after a few turns. I commanded the British right wing and Ken the left. Last week this game ended up in a British walkover. TMP link I made some errors then with the artillery rules that favored us and so gave Rick another shot at the game. We also used hidden deployment for the Boers using matt board counters, some being dummies.
Here's a shot of the table after the British deployment. The Boers are still using counters. Many would be revealed when they opened fire.
The plan was the same as last week. I would advance on Colenso and Punt Drift seeking to pin the Boers while Ken would storm Robinson's and Bridle Drift, rolling up the Boer right flank. It worked like a charm last week.
I'll take this sector by sector.
On our left, the Light Brigade advanced on Robinson's Drift and traded fire with the Middlesburg Commando.
When the Brigade managed to rally from the intense Boer fire, it charged with bayonets.
Some of the troops took French leave. In time the Boers came out of their rifle pits and came down the road to finish the Light Brigade. The Brigade rallied and turned about, shooting it out with the Boers.
So much for the attack across the Bridle Drift. On to the attack on Colenso, our right center.
Boer rifle and artillery fire was intense and dropped troops immediately.
The cavalry intervened with their rifle on my left, helping out with the fight at Bridle Drift.
Once that was over I shifted them to Colenso, as the Boer fire was melting my infantry away. Note the guns on Hlangwane being destroyed. This will figure on the next sector.
British fire managed to rout the Boer Commando just west of Colenso.
The cavalry was getting the worst of the firefight around Colenso, aided by the remnants of some 5th Brigade troops who had fought their way across the drift north of Colenso.
The Mounted infantry charged up the hill.
Soon after this the surviving cavalry and Mounted Infantry fled the field. I made an error with the rules here. Artillery with no infantry or cavalry support must limber up if they try to move. If I had remembered this rule the guns could have been winkled out of their gun pits with less bloodshed. Next time…
On my right the Dublin Fusiliers decided to take Hlangwane.
After a bit of shooting and artillery fire, the guns were knocked out. The nearby Boer Commando moved up into the gun pits. The Dublin Fusiliers rallied and came on with bayonets. The Boers took to their horse and fell back. Hlangwane was ours. Now if it had only been an objective…
In time the Fusiliers came down off the hill and routed the Boers with close range rifle fire. There was no way to get across the Tugela before nigh fell.
And now for the events in the left center, where and objective changed hands. This was the British left center, involving mostly Ken's troops but also some of mine.
The Boers were greeted with artillery fire, as is customary.
Ken's troops soon arrived and pressed forward, aided by flanking fire from the cavalry (incorrectly labeled in the picture, actually Murdoch's).
In time one of the Boer Commandos broke. Some of Ken's infantry crossed the drift and were savaged by Boer fire.
They rallied and charged on. The Boers facing them, low on ammunition, took to their horses and evaded back. The other Boer commando in the area was scattered by heavy British fire.
The Boers who had evaded filled their pockets with cartridges and came back, blocking Ken's infantry from advancing. Both of his units were spent and not moving so quickly. A good number of mine were spent too. My comparatively fresh West Yorkshires crossed the Punt Drift, although their fire into the Colenso area was blocked by the Mounted Infantry to their right.
On the last turn of the game the West Yorkshires managed to seize the westernmost exit road objective and flank the last Boer commando in the area. 6th Brigade and 2nd Brigade combined to shatter that commando with rifle fire.
To end their turn, the Middelsburg commando hit one more stand from the badly cut up Light Brigade. With one objective in our hands, the game was a tie, and dearly bought. We had taken way longer than usual to play this, nearly 6 hours, not counting a leisurely dinner break. Steve hadn't seen these rules before and had numerous questions about them and about the scenario. I think the 2 hour commute will keep him from attending many of our games. That's too bad, since he's a grognard and a source of good jokes.
And now for the butcher's bill: The Boers lost 2,000 riflemen and 3 guns (of 5,000 and 12). Another 2,000 fled the field during the fighting, leaving only the Middelsburg Commando around Robinson's Drift. But this was nothing compared to British losses: 6,000 infantry, 2,330 cavalry and 3 guns (of 12,300, 2,660 and 30). I would not want to be the officer who took that dispatch back to London.
Even if we had managed to get another objective for a victory, I'd have to say it was a Pyrrhic one. We'd be crying for the Boers to come back and help us bury the dead. Carnage aside, it was a fun game. I rather like the hidden deployment and may use it again.
If I get energetic next week will see a scenario of Champion's Hill, 1863. We'll see.
looks at a fast-assembly naval kit for the Age of Sail.
