This game, at New Buckenham, was set in the Peninsular around 1810 with the French probing the edges of the Lines of Torres Vedras. The rules were Shako II and I got to provide the Portuguese and British contingent from my collection.
The table featured a large hill at one end overlooking a plain with wooded edges down to a river crossed by a bridge and ford. The hill had a fortified artillery position, with two Spanish batteries deployed, and a Portuguese semaphore station and was the location of the allied CinC (me). On the plain were three encampments with the leftmost closest to the bridge being the Portuguese brigade.
The French duly arrived after a stealthy approach march and the forward pickets were soon faced with ten infantry battalions, three Chasseur regiments and supporting artillery.
The Portuguese defending the bridge held out resolutely throwing back everything the French and their allies threw at them for the whole game, effectively ending the french attack on this flank. Meanwhile the Spanish encampments fell in and moved to turn back the French advance at the ford.
It was at this point that a French flanking attack by a brigade of grenadiers and legere appeared out of the woods to the left of the redoubt containing the Spanish command and Portuguese semaphore, behind the main allied forces.
The semaphore station was soon captured but the signal to alert the British troops encamped to the rear had already been sent. Spanish gunners within the redoubt also managed to turn some of their cannon to face this sudden new threat.
With the attack at the river thwarted and British and Spanish support arriving at the redoubt the French decided enough was enough.
More on this game at my Blog Jabba's Wargaming
goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.
