Having finished off another draft of my home grown Napoleonic skirmish rules, we decided to give them a try out with the next part of our Ionian campaign.
In part 1
the British landed near Viachata, and stormed the village, throwing the French from the village and back along the coastal road to Mousata. In the engagement British casualties were considerably lower than French, with the British losing 5 dead and only a handful wounded, to the French 15 dead and a host more wounded (we came up for a system within the campaign whereby casualties from a battle would be moved into the 'hospital/not fit' section on our army roll call sheets and each 'week' of the campaign we would roll to see whether they recovered, died, were invalided home or remained for another week, these initial deaths are the results of our rolls immediately after the battle.
This defeat had split the French force on the island between Mousata and the fortress of Mount Ainos. Some clever manouvering by the British forced the French back to the village of Peratata and drew the fort's garrison out along the coastal road. At last the British launched an attack on Generl Dubreton and his men in Peratata, while still receiving their supply line from the coast.
At the same time a British boat's crew set about trying to disable the headland battery guarding the approach to the port of Argostolion, the isaland's main town and the French's main supply base, but that will be fought out in a future game.
General Dubreton and his staff set about ordering the defence of Peratata by their well entrenched force.
M's British force consisted of a grenadier company of the 42nd highlanders, the 5th coy of the 28th, the light coy of the 28th and a coy of the 5th/60th rifles, attack from the southern, coastal side.
My French force, under General Dubreton, was composed of the remainder of the 4th company of the 45th, the 1st coy of 2nd Polish and small dismounted detachments of both dragoons and polish light horse within the village, while coming from the east, along the coastal road, a contingent of the 45th's grenadier coy and French horse artillery, supported by four bands of local Albanian/Greek levy.
My objective was to hold the town, M's to take it.
General Dubreton's staff busily work away beneath the statue of a Byzantine Emperor with messages to the other forces on the island and orders to the surrounding officers.
To the West dismounted French cavalrymen guard the approaches to the village.
Emerging along the coastal road to the North East, a Captain grenadiers leads his section and horse artillery crew towards the village, with their flanks guarded by local levies.
Far to the South M's general and his own staff were working out their plan of attack
The 42nd, with their colours flying, prepared for their first action of the campaign
On the right flank, the British light infantry prepared to skirmish forwards on the village's flank.
An ADC reaches the grenadier Captain with news of the British's imminent attack. The horse artillery races forwards along the road.
The first shots are fired! A devastating volley from the highlanders, and a slightly less devastating one from the 28th, cut down the first ranks of defenders behind their barricade.
With the British pressing forward on all sides, scything down the defenders with deadly volleys, the horse artillery arrives to await orders.
Having pushed forwards, taking their toll on the defenders, the British line pushes right up to the barricades, and unleashes their fire at point blank range.
With the 45th suffering ever heavier casualties from the main British assault, the Poles to the east being picked off by riflemen, and the dismounted cavalrymen to the west seemingly far outgunned by the advancing column of British infantry, reinforcements seemed to have come not a moment too soon.
The 45th's sappers had set up another barricade behind the first, within the village, at which the horse artillery had now positioned their gun, and the grenadiers were advancing rapidly into the village.
Having suffered terribly casualties at the hands of the British, the 45th now fell back on the newly constructed barricade, and the horse artillery rolled forward their gun, loaded with canister!
The street filled with smoke as the 45th and horse artillery sprayed the British line with shot, tearing a hole right through its centre.
The grenadiers wait calmly in reserve as the staff officers wait for Dubreton's next orders. A section of Poles are also detached to help the much depleted 45th's section to the East.
In a dramatic turn of events the British column to the west swept the dismounted cavalry before them, charging down the lane to seize the artillery horses and use them as cover.
Meanwhile the British line reforms on the abandoned barricade and fires on the 45th, causing so many casualties to at last cause them to flee, along with the remnants of the 45th to the East. In response to this bold move Dubreton moves his Grenadiers up, while a section of Poles takes back the barricade and artillery piece. Seeing their vulnerable plight, the artillery crew however, withdraw to safety behind the grenadiers.
As the 42nd and 28th penetrate the village to the South and West the defence seems to be holding on by a thread, the grenadiers however spell a new hope.
But with two smart volleys on their front and flank, the Poles are now forced into retreat, fleeing from their gun and the barricade.
The line to the south quickly moves up to occupy this new position.
But then Dubreton order his grenadiers to charge! The ranks of bearskinned men surges forward, led by their colonel and with their eagle flying above them.
Taken by the weight of this charge, the British line shakes and breaks, the section of highlanders to the west fleeing their position, while the 28th to the south also turn tail. Dubreton rides forwards behind his men, up to the now reclaimed gun position.
But with deadly efficiency the remaining British turn the courtyard into a hell hole, filling the place with smoke and shot as all but a handful of grenadiers, who quickly turn tail and flee, are cut down, leaving the lone eagle standing beside their colonel, general and gun, now all in a terribly exposed position.
With the remaining infantry having rallied to the North of the village, a band of Dubreton's ADCs and officers rush forwards to successfully grab the eagle and gun and spirit them away. Dubreton himself rides fast to take shelter behind the newly drawn up lines.
Meanwhile a band of locals moves up to cover the retreating officers.
With the eastern defenders finally cleared the royal American rifles now pour into the village, gunning down several officers and ADCs.
However the local Albanians move forward to secure a successful retreat with unaccustomed bravery for such shaky levies. The gun and eagle now seem well secured.
However a section of the 28th, moving to cut off all escape from the village seem to stand in the way of a swift retreat.
The 42nd having rallied, move the captured French steeds to the rear.
The 28th and 60th rifles advance into the village square to engage the local levies.
Meanwhile the Albanians to the rear race off to engage the approaching light coy of the 28th. Their counterparts in the village are however all gunned down by the British, but another French volley soon strikes back at the rifles
The battle seems to have well and truly turned into a defeat for Dubreton, as his force struggles to retire with their gun and eagle, however it is still a somewhat ordered retreat.
To the East of the retreating French, the levy spearmen engage the 28th lights. In combat they strike down nearly half of the British infantrymen. However the casualties that they do take are enough to put them to flight. Dubreton rides back to the rearguard with the artillerymen, to secure the gun's safe removal.
The French continued their retreat in good order as the local levies made a break for it and the rifles advanced, harrying them.
In a bold decision, as his line withdrew, Dubreton decided to deploy the artillery piece. The crew opened fire, flinging canister into the oncoming rifles and light infantrymen, throwing them back within the village, but with the 42nd advancing towards them on the west, he was then forced to abandon the gun.
Surveying the village of Peratata from behind his thin line of remaining muskets, and with his gun abandoned and several of its crewmen shot as they fled to rejoin their comrades, Dubreton wondered what the rest of this campaign had in store for him and his men. He had lost so many today, and yet another village had fallen to the British, he was now wholly cut off from the other force on the island and would be forced to fall back on the main town of Argostolion soon enough...
A decisive British victory, though with more losses than the last one. British losses had increased to about 10 dead, and 10 wounded, with over 30 still in 'hospital', while the French had lost many more, 28 dead, 31 wounded and over 55 still in 'hospital'.
The next game will see the British attempting a daring landing to take out a shore battery.
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