Battle of Newport, Rhode Island, 29th August 1778

We fought this battle at the club last Sunday (apologies for delay in reporting but I have been away on business in Africa again this week)

These were the briefings supplied by Bob ...

Black Powder were the rules

and this the AWI supplement

From where he had chosen this action ...

Layout at the set off, Americans to the left, British on the right (when they arrive)

The Americans are dug in on the hills with gun batteries

ands skirmishers out front taking advantage of any cover

I had the British on the right hand road, facing American troops under Steve Clarke's control

There are two guns behind cover his end of the hill

Ian is going to attack down the other road in the background facing Mike's men (Bob is their Commander issuing calming instructions every now and then !)

Two British Loyalist units are first on in column on the road, with a gun to support

Ian's Hessians form line and advance to capture the woods held by the enemy skirmishers

Steve has these skirmishers popping away at my men from the fields 

and his guns take advantage of my men being in column on the road

The first Loyalist unit is hit with excess casualties in short time and "freeze" so the following units have to find a way around them.

Ian is making steady progress and his units are moving fast

He has forced the American skirmishers out of the woods

Heck !  Look at all these Rebels standing firm on the road facing Ian's Hessians

Allan (British commander) takes control of the hesitant Loyalist unit, gets them back in control and heading off through the fields

A couple of Ian's units are disordered be enemy fire (hence the puffs of smoke)

but they keep going

Whereas, my men are bogged down (bad command throws means they make little progress)

and even when they do get going, the enemy artillery and infantry fire causes chaos and casualties

Ian's men edge ever closer to the enemy troops blocking the road

His Jagers engage in a duel with the enemy skirmishers

Ian has managed to disrupt the two American units with his fire

No such joy on my side of the table !

Now they can see the whites of their eyes

Here we see Brigadier General Lossberg preparing his men for the charge

The Royal Artillery look very relaxed !

Charge !

Back over my side, a Loyalist unit has been destroyed by fire - despite the presence of the C-in-C Major General Pigot by the fence line

Steve's troops pour a steady stream of fire at the British Loyalists

Ian's men are winning the melee - one American unit has disintegrated and gone 

Americans have moved forwards to engage Pigot's Loyalists

Desite fanning out into the fields, my troops are picking up too many casualties - the unit in the foreground is on its limit of three hits (see red mini die) and the unit on the road are likewise.

So absolutely no progress on the right.

Ian's Hessians have pushed the Americans back but with mounting casualties of his own plus several disrupted units, he is unable to press home the attack

At this point Bob declares that the Americans can not be dislodged (which is the British objective) and victory declared for the Rebellious Colonists.

Who knows what the future holds for America ?  (If only they knew what was coming !)