AWI Meeting Engagement

[paulr]

Our regular group had asked for a large AWI game. So, over our last two gaming sessions we played a large meeting engagement set in May 1781 involving:

• British
• Cornwallis' Southern Army
• Phillips' Army in Virginia
• American
• Greene's Southern Army
• Lafayette's Light Infantry
• French
• Volontaires Étrangers de Lauzun
• Bourbonnais Brigade

In all about 2,500 Pendraken 10mm figures. In the end some of the American militia didn't make it onto the table.

We use the late Greg Novak's Wing scale variant of Volley & Bayonet with each stand representing 100-200 men.

Volley & Bayonet uses march markers between troop stands to help represent the size of units in column of march. We spent the first session marching the opposing forces onto the table with some combat around the small settlement in the centre of the table.

The British had Cornwallis' Southern Army arrive via the road on their right. The two British Brigades of Phillips' Army in Virginia entered on the central road while the Loyalists and German Brigade marched up the road on their left.

The American's had Greene's Southern Army, led by the two Legions, arrive via the road on their right. On the central road Lafayette's small but elite Light Infantry Brigade, well supported by artillery, aimed to contest the small settlement. On the left the French, led by Lauzun's Legion Hussars secured two farms.



The initial manoeuvring had set up an interesting situation with both sides' strongest forces on their right but not yet fully deployed.

The battle in earnest began at the beginning of our second session.

On the American left the two infantry battalions of the leading French Volontaires Étrangers de Lauzun were soon under heavy pressure from the British Brigade of Guards supported by Leslie and Webster's Brigades. The first Squadron, Lauzun's Legion Hussars, boldly pressed on threatening the guns supporting the British Light Infantry Brigade in the small central settlement.

Régiment de Bourbonnais deployed on the left in support of the infantry of the Volontaires Étrangers de Lauzun. Régiment de Royal Deux-Ponts initially attempted to push forward on the extreme left pressuring the British Legion.

Cornwallis' British Southern Army continued to pour onto the battlefield on their right-hand road. Webster's Brigade reaching out towards the centre while supporting the Guards.



In the centre Lafayette's Light Infantry Brigade made good use of its artillery support capturing two of the four corners of the small settlement while being narrowly repulsed from a third.

Washington's Legion had occupied a large hill just to the right of the small settlement. Rather than be harassed by accurate rifle and artillery fire from the hill Dunas' Brigade launched a charge with mixed results. The casualties inflicted exhausted Washington's Legion, but half the attacking British were repulsed leaving the remainder exposed.



To the right the Virginia Continental Brigade prepared to receive the Germans of von Voigt's Brigade. And on the extreme right accurate rifle and artillery fire caused devastating casualties to the Loyalists on the British left flank.



The French continued to exchange volleys with the British and casualties were mounting on both sides. The Volontaires Étrangers de Lauzun were exhausted. The Régiment de Bourbonnais under extremely effective fire from elements of three British Brigades; Guards, Leslie and Webster, collapsed. Régiment de Royal Deux-Ponts would have to cover the French withdrawal.



In the centre Lafayette's Light Infantry Brigade exhausted the British Light Infantry Brigade. On the large hill the Maryland Continental Brigade advanced rapidly to support the exhausted Washington's Legion. Their timely intervention decimated Dunas' Brigade. Von Voigt's Brigade decided to cover the withdrawal of the survivors of Phillips' Army in Virginia.



As the session ended, we assessed the situation.

For the British Phillips' Army in Virginia was withdrawing from the field ceding their left and centre to the Americans. Cornwallis' Southern Army had suffered significant casualties to its three best brigades and the British Legion.

For the Americans the French were withdrawing from the field ceding their left to the British. Lafayette's Light Infantry Brigade had suffered some casualties but was holding the centre. In Greene's Southern Army Washington's Legion was exhausted. However, both Continental Brigades and Lee's Partizan Legion were in good shape. None of the Militia had been seriously engaged as yet.

We decided there was not another session remaining in the game and the British withdrew conceding a winning draw to the Americans.

[paulr]

My thanks to mmcv, his notes on Uploading images to the forum using Imgur were useful
https://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,20026.0.html

My free flckr account is now full so I've had to open an Imgur account

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Nice report

[Steve J]

Lovely looking game there Paul .

[fred.]

Great looking game. 

Interesting to read that your group was happy to play the game over two sessions, and therefore the first session could be the manoeuvre of the troops on to the battle field. Did this lead to a situation that would have been unlikely using something like hidden deployment?

[paulr]

Fortunately, we meet at the home of one of the group and he has a dedicated gaming space that lets us leave games set up for as long as required

We regularly play games that run for 2, 3 or sometimes 4 sessions. This lets the games evolve naturally and means we don't need to force games to develop. Our group is therefore use to games taking time to evolve

Our next game will be a Big Battle DBA game which will only take one session

... Did this lead to a situation that would have been unlikely using something like hidden deployment?

There were 3 examples that come to mind from this game:

• The two battalions and one battery of Volontaires Étrangers de Lauzun having to try and delay 2-3 British Brigades, including the Guards
• 1^st Squadron, Lauzun's Legion Hussars slipping through the British lines dodging artillery fire and distracting artillery support badly needed by the British Light Brigade
• The American centre ending up being 3 battalions of light infantry, 6 guns, and another Squadron of French Hussars

Volley & Bayonet is really good at capturing the time and space involved in deploying large forces from road march. We may have been able to get similar results from hidden deployment, but we wouldn't have experienced the story of the unfolding deployment

[fred.]

Cool

With my gaming group if we can even get the same people together 2 weeks in a row it feels rare!

Those examples sound great, and really don't feel like the kind of situations you would get any other way. I assume the plan for the American centre was rather different, but units were pushed to support other areas. 

And the weak flank defence is normally something no-one can be bothered with, but when it is directly protecting the rest of your army it feels worth while. I don't know how many rules model the time taken to overcome an enemy, redress your units, then move forward again. It too often seems a weakly held flank can be very successful as the attackers can't actually redeploy their troops quickly enough to be useful elsewhere.

[Westmarcher]

Good stuff! Naming the units in the photos helped, too.