Maximilian : Attack on the Pueblo

Solo game today - an excuse to get the Maximilian & Mexican troops out on the table !

The Mexican Republicans are camped in a small pueblo out in the countryside

Unaware that an Imperialist force has managed to surround them - French Foreign Legion & Austrians approach from this side

Contras

Belgians

and Imperialist cavalry from the other.

The Mexican Republicans are scattered around the pueblo, a mixture of regulars and militia.

Regulars in summer whites

as well as others in the blue more used in the winter

The French are first to fire

Quickly followed by the Austrian gun

Their allies on the other side of town wait for their moment

The Republican general shouts at his men to take their positions

Can they hold off this enemy attack ?

Not a good start for them - two infantrymen have been hit by the Foreign Legion

Some State militia are sent forward to get into firing range of the enemy cavalry

That creates some shock amongst the mounted men

The Republicans fire their field gun

and hit some of the Foreign Legion

Not before time, as the Austrians have picked off the Republican infantry in the walled garden

This has encouraged the Austrians to advance

The Republican general orders his cavalry forward to counter this

With all this going on, the Belgians use cover to edge towards the pueblo 

The Mexican cavalry crash into the Austrian infantry

Both sides take casualties but the cavalry cause more - but their leader has been hurt in the process.

The Austrians are thrown back for now but the cavalry are leaderless as their officer has lost status with his injury

The Belgians continue to advance hoping these militia will not notice

The Austrian gun fires at the Mexican cavalry casing more damage

Blue coated Mexican regulars are redeployed in the pueblo to counter the Belgian advance

Their fire together with more militiamen cause casualties to the Belgians caught out in the open

This does not seem such a good idea now !

To take the pressure off of them, the Contras advance too

By now the Mexican cavalry have had enough and retired back to the pueblo to lick their wounds

The white coated infantrymen see their leader hit by fire from the Foreign Legion - thats two officers down already but they survive the morale throws.

The Mexican gun keeps pounding the Foreign Legion

and their numbers begin to dwindle as shock increases

The combined fire of the gun and the white coated infantry proves quite lethal

Over on the other side, the Belgians are feeling the heat too - they now have excess shock and will have to retire. This does affect their morale.

So the pueblo holds off the enemy piece meal attacks for now

The Imperialist Contras now charge the enemy militiamen

expecting an easy win, they are given a nasty shock

and are beaten off with heavy casualties

With the Foreign Legion taking heavy casualties and the Belgians and the Contras, Imperialist morale has tumbled. The Maximilian general orders a retreat.

Even solo games of Sharp Practice are fun and unpredictable. A good afternoon all in all.