War in the Crimea

Yesterday I arranged a Crimean War game. Having spent all last week on holiday I had given very little thought to the scenario, in fact the whole game was conceived on the morning of the game. 

The Russians were to be in position more or less diagonally across the table with 35 battalions, five large batteries and four cavalry regiments. The Allied were to attack with 13 British battalions (including three battalions of Guards) and five standard batteries, ten small cavalry regiments (the Heavy and Light Brigades), the French with 13 battalions and two standard batteries, and the Turks with four battalions and two standard batteries. While the Russians had greater numbers of infantry battalions, they were slower moving than the Allies and their dense formations made them more vulnerable to fire. The British infantry, the French Chasseurs and Zouaves were armed with rifled muskets and enjoyed a range advantage.

The Allies chose to hit the Russian left with the bulk of their force, hoping that the troops on the Russian right could be kept out of the fight for as long as possible. Keith, who commanded the British infantry, filed a much more detailed report than I can give here.

In the end, after a hard fought battle, the Russians were driven back, although the British and Turkish forces took a heavy bashing.

The Russians advance

"Forward the Light Brigade"...sadly they suffered much the same fate as the original brigade

French troops moving forward

The Scots Greys going forward

The Light Brigade about to be shot to pieces

A Russian battery about to be ridden down by the Royals

The Zouaves press on

The 11th Hussars are broken while charging a Russian square

Here they come!

The developing fight on the Russian left

The infantry form for the fight 

The French have arrived at the front

The confusion on the Russian left...

The French are unstoppable...

...and have broken the Russian left.

The Heavy Brigade advancing