Sharp Practice in the Peninsular War

The Attack by Leith's 5th Division at Salamanca - Bill Younghusband (Osprey)

With 'Clotted Lard' fast approaching in the club calendar and arrangements being finalised on the games available at this year's celebration of all things 'Lardy' a few of the chaps are warming up their planned games with some fun and action at our regular club meetings.

One such game is a Peninsular War 28mm set-to being planned by Bob, wheeling out his serried ranks of redcoats, riflemen and columns of French infantry to provide some Sharp Practice fun, a game I had on my list to play, with me taking a break from being a game organiser this year and instead enjoying the delights of playing in a couple of them instead.

So when I saw Bob's offer to run his Peninsular collection out at club using Sharp Practice, a set of rules I haven't played for too many years now, I jumped at the opportunity to join in the warm up process and refamiliarise myself with the nuances of this unique set of rules.

The premise for our game saw a column of French troops making a nuisance of themselves among the locals in rural Spain and causing particular offence by stealing anything that wasn't nailed down and even then making a serious effort to include that stuff as well, that saw these ruffians trying to make off with their ill-gotten gains that apparently included a lot of gold and bling encrusted with precious stones acquired from a recently liberated church on route and no doubt destined to end up in Marshal Soult's war chest.

However the 'good-guys' were on hand to put an end to this 'making war pay for itself' excuse for modern day rape and pillage created by that jumped-up little General Bonaparte and last carried out with such gay abandon by the Norsemen of old.

Thus close by, looking to administer a bit of a check on Boney's Boys, was a British column of line and light redcoats supported by riflemen operating here on the frontier, and cooperating with the local guerrilla leader by supporting an ambush on the French column as they marched through the last village on their route to more safer territory within their own lines.

As the French debouched from the outskirts of the Spanish hamlet, they became aware of British troops ahead, and eager to get out into the open ground before them, where they could better deploy their numbers, as well as securing a crossing of the nearby stream still carrying some mountain flood waters, immediately deployed their skirmish screen of voltigeurs bolstered by foot dragoons, and sent them ahead to secure the only bridge.

However the British commander, aware of the Spanish guerrilla leader's plan to ambush the column of French troops in the narrow streets and confines of the village was equally keen to contest any French attempts to debouch from the village in numbers and to restrict their advance no further than the stream that flowed between the two forces.

 

The lead elements of the French column were met by riflemen and British light infantry skirmishing from the higher ground beyond, that took a heavy toll of casualties and shock off the French foot dragoons that would see their leader wounded and the eventual dispersal of the unit as a whole as it attempted to control the road over the bridge ahead.

As the French were getting the worst of the skirmish battle ahead, the rear of their column was soon assaulted by a daring attack by a troop of mounted Spanish partisans armed with light lances that crashed into the back of the rearmost French column forcing it to attempt to about-face and deal with this unexpected threat as their comrades ahead prepared to advance out of the village to fight the 'rostbeefs'.

With the battle developing on both sides of the village, the French were torn between forcing a way clear of of its confines by winning the battle with the British to control the road out and a route of march to safety, whilst fending off a serious threat from behind and within the village confines itself, this soon seeing a unit of French hussars about facing from their march to deal with the British skirmishers and instead redirected to deal with the mounted Spanish partisans.

As more units deployed into the battle, the shock and casualties on both sides started to mount, dispersing some, forcing others to break off and retreat to avoid dispersal, intermixed with the wounding or occasional loss of a commander, and the French were fighting back hard bringing some of their line battalions forward to add fire to their skirmish line, that shattered a small group of British riflemen push too far ahead and caught well within French musket range.

These damaging blows create a game of 'death by a thousand cuts' as these often small blows start to accumulate, with never enough actions to adequately deal with them all and the inevitable drop in force morale that will eventually decide which side has had enough and is forced to capitulate.

Our game drew to its close, and both sides found themselves teetering on the edge of disaster with about three points apiece left on the Force Morale table but with the French seemingly teetering a little closer from the losses suffered in units and leaders, only made worse in the final turn as the Spanish had the honour of administering the coup-de-grace, and ending French resistance, roughly handling both the French hussars sent to deal with their mounted troop and a damaging round of fire that broke the rear most French column leaving the wagon of booty and gold ready to be taken back by the church, less of course an appropriate handling and recovery fee.

Needless to say much fun was had by all involved and thank you to Bob for giving us a glorious feast for the eyes as well as a fun scenario.

JJ