Make for Salamanca !

 On Tuesday, Steve and I decided it was time for a big Peninsula Napoleonic game and what had grabbed my attention was the campaign being fought by the Perry Twins and friends in Nottingham and reported on their Facebook page.  It is so inspirational, that I shamelessly decided to nick their game set on the edge of Salamanca - I hope they can forgive this poor imitation of their game but imitation is etc etc !

The outskirts of Salamanca have been fortified by the French brigade based their.  A division of French troops is expected soon as two British forces are known to be heading this way !

Yes, the French division is marching to the city but hot on their heels are the British and a second division across the river too - here is their advance guard, a light cavalry brigade, at the water's edge.

And they are not alone - two brigades of British infantry with field guns now arrive

The Royal Horse artillery immediately go into action and hit a French column

and just behind the marching French division another British infantry brigade with supporting hussars. The British pursuit is fast, too fast for the liking of the French commanders.

Following up on the success of the RHA battery, the light cavalry charge across the river and hit the disordered French column

 

The column breaks and flees the field, giving the Brunswick lancers the opportunity to charge a French battery in the flank - and they break too !

 

The lancers then retire back across the river to rejoin the brigade - all very controlled !

The city, however, is heavily defended

A British infantry brigade has charged the French line defending the left of the line, as other French infantry form square faced by British hussars

French infantry try to stem the British advance from the east

Infantry from the city deploy outside near the river bank

The British left flank is threatened by French light cavalry so the guns have been turned to counter this threat

and the front infantry battalion does the same and fires a volley

disordering the enemy light cavalry

They retire disordered so the guns move towards them to deliver another round

A British brigade is sent forward to the right of the ford

Whilst Hussars and a horse battery move forward on the right now the French infantry have gone

Here's another view of the British right flank showing the threatened charge off the French light cavalry

The Portuguese light cavalry link up with the hussars - there is still no sign of the Portuguese infantry brigade !

The attack across the river continues, watched by the newly arrived heavy cavalry brigade

The guns continue to pummel the French defenders across the water

as the British infantry advance on Salamanca from the East, French dragoons break from the action

The French commander is now penned in !

By this stage, the game was up, the French relief force destroyed and the French commander forced to batten down the hatches within the city with just a brigade of foot left plus the guns in the earthworks.

Interesting game with a different outcome to the Perry one.

All figures from my collection this time.