Round 4 - MM18 Epic Vitoria (21 June 1813) - British Right flank
Mark McG (Allies) - 15 banners, 57 blocks lost
Phil (French) - 13 banners, 54 blocks lost
Allies start off with some dash, making a forced march with Stewart, and moving across the bridge at Tres Puentes. Then a Bombard on the right brought up the Artillery, forming a massive 4 unit grand battery. Quite impressive, but actually hard to find targets.
In the centre, River Crossing 1 started well, with charging British cavalry combined with the Horse artillery eliminating 1 French artillery on a 6d attack, and then a 2nd artillery on a 4d attack. This set the pace for the game. The Allies could score hits on the French Artillery, but not much else. Ultimately this crosing was driven back with almost total loss, Kempt and the RL were the only survivors. The GHC did virtually nothing.
Crossing 2 was over the stream on the Allied right, which did reasonably well turning that flank with a Bayonet charge until Stewart ran out of supplies and marched from next the French board edge to his own baseline to restore his ammunition and snuff. Morillo and his band of fighters was left alone and were destroyed. Thus ended Crossing 2, which had briefly seized Subijana.
Crossing 3 was across the bridge over the Stream, using a rare Allied LGM card. The French seemed to have an endless supply of LGM cards to move their forces around to meet whatever threat the Allies were trudging towards, including playing 2 simultaneously! Alten and his Light infantry, a British line under Cole and a Portuguese Line setup camp just behind the hills. A French forced march in the centre and cavalry charge of their Left swept them away, except for Alten and a sole LT block who made a miraculous escape, made more miraculous by Alten's hopeless efforts to reform. Crossing 3 was a disaster, and the Allies settled down to bombardment on this flank.
A few isolated attempts to cross failed here, notably a lone HC that crossed at Tres Puentes, charged the French cavalry giving 1 hit, only to be totally destroyed trying the retire. Otherwise the Rifle lights made a few crossings and returned.
Crossing 4 was made on the far Allied left, with Picton having diligently trudged forwards over many turns, observed all the French LGM into the centre except for a lone artillery unit, and reinforced with both Rifle lights and an artillery emptying Lermanda. Picton made his flank march, by the bridge at Estarrona. The French counter was the inevitable LGM of infantry reinforcements, but none the less, Picton was undetered and Forced Marched forwards assisted by an Inspired Leadership. The inevitable artillery cannister mostly missed, and Picton finished off the artillery. At this juncture the score was about 10-8 to the French, but of the 8 banners, 5 were French artillery! The French countered with Short Supply on the Rifles, and easily polished off Picton's troops. Capable Tactician then returned Short Supply! Picton had retreated to the next line, which Bayonet charged the french line. Pity they forgot their bayonets, missing entirely with 4d. The French made no mistake, Short Supply on the full strength Portuguese 3rd line (who hadn't fired a shot), and their own Bayonet charge to polish off Picton. Here the score stood at 13-8 to the French, defeat looked likely. The only saving grace of this debacle was the Rifles took out the French cavalry, which opened the centre to Allied cavalry incursion.
Crossing 5. At the same time, Cole & Amarte took command of a foot and horse artillery, and supported by a weakened Portuguese infantry, began crossing the stream at it's outlet to the Zadorra River. Where infantry had failed, artillery would prevail! Once the French cavalry had been destroyed on the Allied left, the Rifles and artillery carefully began the sniping, but in the centre, a Portuguese HC crossed at Tres Puentes to link with Amarte's HA and began a rampage through the depleted infantry of the centre, taking 4 banners, and 3 leaders escaping off map, which the Rifles finally found good form getting 3 INF on 3d for a kill, and yet another leader escaping off map. The Rifles in Lermanda made for the 15th banner as the immediate Temporary Victory banner.
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