French and Indian War Game

Sunday’s regular game this week was a French and Indian War battle set in the Ohio basin. Two opposing forward posts were separated by a river and each side’s objective was to take the opposing post. The table was divided roughly in half lengthways with woods on one side and open ground on the other.

We British decided to push our Indians and Rogers Rangers into the woods to hold up the French irregular forces, that were more numerous than ours, while our regulars would try to force a crossing and take the French regulars on in the open. 

Sadly our plan didn’t work and we found it impossible to hold a position across the river and the fight spluttered out with a stand off on the banks of the river. The irregular troops and the British light units had a sustained skirmish with each other in the woods, but their action too was indecisive.

The game organiser was most disappointed that the British did not progress further because unknown to us the French had constructed a fort obeying our line of sight that was going to be exposed had we advanced to a certain point…but the structure never made it to the table!

Not in any particular order, here are a few shots of the game

The fight along the river bank.

Initial French deployment

The Connecticut Provincials advancing boldly

The first British battle line

The initial British deployment 

The French second line near their post

A French canoe moving up stream 

The main French battle line

The canoe coming downstream 

The French battle line near the river

The French Indians

The British gunners - who will be on fatigues for the next six months after their abysmal firing.

French and Indian War Game

Today's regular Sunday game was set in the French and Indian War. The scenario had a fort at one end of the table and a settlement at the other. There were clearings around the fort and the settlement, while the rest of the table was ruled to be in forest. 

The British were in possession of the fort with a garrison of eight battalions and four guns (that could not be removed from the fort) supported by two bands of indians. The British players had to hold the fort and protect the settlement. Knowing that a French attack was immanent, they sent five battalions along the road to the settlement.

The French force comprised ten battalions, supported by three light mortars and a force of  three indian bands supported by two small units of European irregulars. They chose to  attack the settlement with the irregulars and indians, the relief column with five battalions and the fort with the other five battalions and the mortars.

The indians struck first moving against the settlement. The two British indian units tried to intercept, but were driven off by the European irregulars and decided that this fight was not theirs and faded back into the woods. The French indians then ran rampant through the settlement, slaughtering most of the settlers, except for two groups that holed themselves up in one of the houses. 

The houses that the indians captured were put to flames.

Meanwhile the mortars deployed in the open opposite the fort, immediately drawing fire from the guns in the fort, but no other French troops showed themselves.

After the attack on the settlement was under way the French infantry attacked the British relief column. Despite the advantage of surprise things did not go well for the French. The British column formed up and opened fire. The French infantry were cut to pieces in a short time. When the British fixed bayonets and came forward the French gave way and filtered back into the woods.

At the fort the British guns were beginning to damage the French mortars, but the British infantry, uncomfortable being constrained in the fort under mortar fire, marched out and tried to form up. At the same time the French infantry advanced to try to draw fire from the mortars. One of the French battalions saw an opportunity and charged a British that was forming, routing it and the French then broke onto another battalion, driving that back, but failing to rout it.

The turn before the thought of capturing the fort seemed a hopeless task, but when two of the British units decided that they had had enough and took to the woods, the remaining battalion went back into the fort. The five French battalions turned their attention to the fort and delivered a devastating musketry volley that shattered the defenders. The next turn the fort surrendered.

The French celebrated the capture of the fort with a parade then drank the the British stock of Madeira.

With the fort in French hands most of the settlement in flames the British conceded defeat.

 

Update on the RJW Project and A French and Indian War Game

Life in the real world has been busy of late so I haven't had time to post much. This is not to say that I haven't been busy on my RJW project. Since the last post I have completed two Russian and four Japanese machine guns and two field guns a side. I have also received, and painted, two regiments of Russian infantry. Finally I have placed orders for the last of the Japanese infantry and the last of the artillery for my initial armies. The armies will get their first test in action when we play our first game in early May.

Today we fought a French and Indian War game. The scenario had a French force charged with attacking a fort while a secondary force held off a relieving force.

We French launched a quick assault on the fort and were lucky enough to carry it at the first attempt. But the British were able to quickly rally and when the relieving force came up we were soon forced to burn the for and retreat, but not before we had done significant damage to the British.