Hello readers!
Recently we asked you to send us submissions for our website, and we’re pleased to say you didn’t disappoint, we’ve been sent our first article!
Thank you to Adam Higgins for his Black Power Battle Report!
The battle takes place around 1811 and sees the forces of Marshall Ney taking on the British commanded by Sir Miles Nightingall, anyway enough from me, I’ll hand you over to Adam to tell us what happens…
Black Powder Battle Report, by Adam Higgins
In this battle the French battalion is holding a hill, this hill gives a vantage point overlooking a village in french territory. Marshal Nay is here to inspect the troops when all of a sudden the drums of war are beating, the British have sent a battalion to siege the hill.
Nay is a rating 10 while his officer is only ratting 7, the French force consists of 3x Battalions de Linge and 1x Chasseurs a Cheval.
The British Commander in Chief is Sir Miles Nightingall with a rating also of 10, while he has 2 officers both at rating 7. Their battalion consists of 1x Hanoverian field line and 2x British line infantry with a 6pdr cannon.
The French deployed in a defensive line with the Chasseurs in hiding behind the hill. The English however, decided to march on via their left flank in a heavy block. Unlike the French who wanted a wide battle the British were hoping to punch through on the left and circle round and take the hill.
The battle started with the advance called on the British lines and they marched with haste at 13:05, Nay tried to redirect his left flank around to trap the British, but his men struggled to get over the hedge while his officer was still panicking from the surprise swiftness of the enemy’s advance gave no orders. In a matter of moments Nightingall orders the left flank to form lines and opens fire, first blood is split at 13:12. The heavy volley fire disorders both the french right and center lines.
Nay screams orders at his left flank as he noticed the Hanoverian line halted and the mass of gunpowder smoke fogging his right with the screams of dying men. The left flank sprint into a range of the Hanoverian troops and open fire causing them to become disordered. The Chasseurs move into a position ready to charge and the right Battalion de Linge reform into a line formation and return fire. The British officer seeing the trouble his men are in sends the cannon in support but in its haste to move, it misses. Again the British firing line causes heavy casualties on the french on their right but failed to advance any closer.
The French Chasseurs await the order to charge but the officers message never reaches them, instead the French line stays still and return fire disordering the whole British line, a cheer arose from the French lines sensing things may have turned, however the return fire of the British causes massive amount of damage to the right flanks causing them to become shaken along with the centerline.
Nay hears the cheer and sees a opening to the cannon and orders the Chasseurs to charge through the enemy’s left flank. With a roar of blood lust they do so, however, the line infantry quickly form a disordered square unawares that they are not the target of the attack, this allowed a opening for the Chasseurs. The Hanoverian formation is slaughtered under a relentless barrage of fire to their flank at 13:30.
Nightingall hears the news of his flanks defeat and knows the high ground is vital to victory here and moves a line infantry to take the hill but they are halted at the base. The Chasseurs see their prize and charge, bounding over the hedges and attack the cannon slaughtering them at 13:35 but at a heavy price. The heavy fire from the French see the last of the British disordered. The British return fire forces the French center line to retire off the hill and into cover however Nay sees this and orders the left flank to out maneuver those British troops at the base of the hill and attack them from the side.
The officer in the square formation manages to take control of his men and gets them back into a line and staring down the French line and gives a heavy volley, almost breaking the French line, but they hold due to determination and sheer grit. The French center line moves again atop the hill and forces the British line to retire away while those outflanking them follow. Soon the British are trapped and the center line folds at 13:48 causing Nightingall to flee and the last formation breaks leaving the battle with a French victory.
Vive la France!
Thank you Adam for his article! As we’ve already said we plan to bring you more in the future!
If you want to re-fight this scenario yourself all the models can be found in the Black Power Waterloo Starter Box, available via the Langden Games webstore.
Remember if you’d like to send in an article simply email to me at daphne@langdengames.co.uk