Bring Home My Bonnie To Me !

 Captain McTavish has been summonsed to the CO's office at the fort.  As he enters there is a sobbing woman just leaving. McTavish hears the tail end of the conversation. "Bring Home My Bonnie To Me" she wails.

The Colonel sighs and says "This is a job for you McTavish. Mrs Stuart says the French Hurons took her daughter, Bonnie, and she believes they have taken her to hand over to the French troops near the river fork. Bring that girl back or we will never hear the end of it"

"Yes Sir. Who can I take ?"

"Apart from your own troops, there are some friendly Indians in the fort at the moment as well as Lieutenant Goram and his Rangers". Take them"

So it began. Steve had the French and I had the British.

The British have two deployment points, one bottom right, the other in the wooded hill near the grey cottage where Bonnie is held captive. The French have one in the woods next to the wooded hill, the other in the marshes and woods in the centre of the table.

Steve has been moved (!) to the short edge with a view down the length of the table for a change.

Bonnie is being held at a cottage near the bend of the river and has already been handed over to the French - an officer and section of regulars are acting as guards.

Some Companie Franche de la Marine troops are hidden in the woods near the cottage

The British allied Indians are first to appear and swim across the first river

The French regulars are being drilled by their officer on the river bank

So an attack from the woods by McTavish and his three groups of infantry was a complete surprise - they had sneaked in their unobserved earlier

A volley fells some French troops

The Indians have crossed the river and are heading towards the sound of the firing

Goram and his Rangers are also in the woods and they are protecting the rear of the British regulars

Suddenly French provincial rangers emerge from the marshes at the bend and open fire on the British troops

Down go some of the British troops

The French commander gathers his Marine infantry to head towards the cottage

Here's a view down the table at this point

Out of the blue, a large force of Hurons ambush the British Indians now they have swum the river

The Huron defeat them and the British Indians are thrown back across the river with a lot of shock as well as casualties

They are not going to be much use to the British cause, I fear

McTavish and his men charge the French who get off a volley

McTavish shouts at Bonnie to get behind his men

The French Indians head towards the sound of firing

As the French Marine Infantry charge Goram's Rangers

They are busy shooting at the enemy militia across the river

so lose the melee and only one group survives and they now get shot to bits when running to the red coats

The French Marine Infantry fire from the edge of the hill adding their fire to that of the militia

Seeing this, the French Indians cross the water to the ploughed fields opposite the grey cottage

McTavish cant stay here so orders his men to rush the French on the hill

They get into contact and a melee ensues

The French Indians now cross the fence into the marshes so as to shoot at the red coats

McTavish has beaten back the French troops from the wooded hill

But the Indians have now gained the river bank and add their fire

McTavish gets his men into the wooded hill, with Bonnie in tow

The Indians decide to cross the water towards the cottage

McTavish exchanges fire with the French militia who have crossed the river too

One group of Indians try to charge the red coats

McTavish and his men carried on firing at the enemy militia, who have now retired back into the water

So, to escape the Indian threat, McTavish orders his men to follow the French militia across the river

The militia continue their retreat but the British keep coming

The Indians now descend from the wooded hill and shoot across the river

McTavish has defeated the French militia but his men are suffering from the continued fire from behind

He decides to take Bonnie with one group to try and reach safety, leaving his Deputy and the Rangers leader to try and hold off the French and Indians

The massed fire across the river kills more and more of the British soldiers

The Indians run along the river bank to try and get a shot off towards McTavish

The French commander now rushes his Marine infantry across the river in pursuit. McTavish can see his Indian allies across the river - almost there, can we make it ?!!

But no ! The French marine infantry have caught up with them !

Even though the French commander is wounded, McTavish and his remaining men see their force morale hit zero so they are beaten within sight of safety. They have to surrender and poor Bonnie is back in enemy hands.

So close, but it was not to be - this was a really exciting game of Sharp Practice. That last high throw of the dice by Steve allowing his men to catch up with McTavish turned the game on its head.

Oh dear - who is going to tell Mrs Stuart ?