Rebels vs Redcoats

Thursday night at the club saw Thom and myself dust down our AWI collections for a simple straight up fight. Can't remember the last time the figures were out of the box.

It was a simple scenario with the Rebels trying to block the advance of the Redcoats. I had 2 brigades of Continentals  and a brigade of militia of very dubious quality.  Thom also fielded 3 brigades, 1 of which was made up of some Loyalists. The other 2 were regulars with light infantry and Grenadiers. 

With orders to advance into the cover of the woods, I had an inauspicious start. Only the militia advance with the Continentals looking on. The Loyalist infantry came storming up the road with both brigades of regulars on the flanks.

It was first blood to the Rebels with the militia and artillery hammering the British legion, who quickly disintegrated. Meanwhile the regulars began to probe my flanks.

Eventually both flanks came under heavy attack. On the right my militia began to wilt under pressure and still my Virginian Continentals looked on. Over on the left the first clash routed 1 battalion and force my Marylanders back. This was not good. I threw in some cavalry to check the Redcoats. 

Eventually the Continentals got some motivation to engage. Just in time as the militia broke. The Loyalists had also ran out of steam and retired.

With hard fighting on both flanks, both sides started taking heavy casualties (we both rolled terribly for morale). It all came down to who broke first. Luckily my artillery got in the decisive fire to first disorder then rout some regulars forcing the brigade to break.

A great game and hard fought. Though a victory to the Rebels, it didn't leave much of an army left. Though I broke 2 British brigades to 1, both my remaining brigades were on the verge of collapse. Discretion would force both sides to retreat and recover.