Burning down the Signal Station: Invasion 1805

For the third game in our invasion of Sussex, 1805, the French had now regrouped at the Signal Station.  "Burn it down Tout Suite" we ordered... "No, no it will take a day," we are told.  Before long then the British were upon us... again...

We suspected that this might be the Force that had driven Pommesfrittes out of the village yesterday, following him up, and so it proved to be.  This time however they faced the whole of the French Expeditionary Force under the command of Major Finguin, a portly and devious cheese eating Frenchman.

The French deploy their main body from a forward secondary deployment point.  It is risky and aggressive as a strategy, but if it had worked it would have given us enough time to torch the Signal Station. 

The British deploy, and volley.  Controlled British fire was almost to be our undoing. 

The French column tries to close.  It's still aggressive,  but at this sort of range very risky.  What could go wrong...?

Lt. Pommesfrittes deploys in a mistaken attempt to burn the station during the game itself.  "What do you mean we can't do that?"  Ah well, devious these Frenchmen. 

Les Picnics... Cidre brut du Normandie and pain du raisin.  Turns out that the Cidre was a real brut... 

But what is this?   Cavalry, on my flank no less.  A brown trouser moment for a man who has just had a glass of the Cidre brut du Normandie.  Our Voltiguers suffer as they screen the square from the British line.

But the British cavalry don't like the look of those grognards in square.  They file past and seem to want to charge Pommesfrittes.  

The Voltiguers screen breaks.  

But I leave square and reform the line.  Even so I stagger back under the fire of those British.  Pommesfrittes meanwhile volleys the cavalry until they retreat. Things look tense, and this could very well go either way.  Our aggression may have cost us the campaign in an afternoon here.  Still it was pub o'clock and time to pause...

Finguin puts his whole focus, and repeated flags into reducing shock.  The Formation is still a mess but the British are mercifully inactive and he succeeds.

The British cavalry vanish over the hill, loaded down with shock from the fire of Pommesfrittes Ligne troops.  Once again "Bananas" Farthingdale let those Infantry down.

Pommesfrittes comes into line beside the now ragged French main body.  The jig is very much up for the British, but this was a phyrric victory.  As the redcoats left the table we were left with the casualty rolls, and they were grim.  Still Pommesfrittes found the matches and burned down the damned signal station.

Gallant sportsman that he is, the British Captain treats us to port and cheese.  I do have to report a certain fractious denouement as an over merry Major Finguin "took the nose of the cheese!"  Damned fellow, but what can you expect from a man who served up that Cidre!  A great game!