JR14 Preston - 12 November 1715

Historical Background

Since the start of the uprising in October 1715, Forster, in command of the Jacobite forces, had kept his small army on the move hoping to recruit more soldiers. By early November, he was in Preston. Unknown to Forster, Wills, having marched out of Manchester was hot on his heels. On the morning of 12 November 1715 his troops were just one mile from the town. Wills dismounted his dragoons and planned to launch an attack on the east and north sides of the town, while his cavalry was held in reserve. The first assault, on the east, took place around 2pm. Government troops attempted to overrun the baricade across the main road into the town, but were repelled, suffering heavy losses. Although the original plan had been for combined assaults, but poor coordination meant the attacks weren't synchronised. The attack from the north was made around sunset, approximately 5pm. Under Colonel Mackintosh the Jacobite fiercely defended their position, once again and repulsed the Government troops.
The Government army was reinforced during the night and surrounded the town, which prompted Forster to send Henry Oxburgh to negotiate a truce and despite awful terms, Forster surrendered.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. The rest is history?

Battle Notes

Jacobite Army
Commander: Forster
5 Command Cards & 3 Combat Cards

Government Army
Commander: Wills
5 Command Cards & 4 Combat Cards
Move First

Victory

6 Victory Banners

Special Rules:

* The 6 building hexes and church of Preston form a start turn Temporary Majority Victory Banner Objective worth 2 banners to the side that has units in the  absolute majority of these hexes. The Jacobite player starts with 2 banners. Absolute majority means occupy more hexes in the group than the opponent.