The Defended Border

There I was, a rainy Canada Day holiday, what was there to do but play a patriotically themed wargame and what's more patriotic than defending your border against your neighbours?

So, Eighteen Sixty-Something, somewhere in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

The 5th Royal Highlanders arrive to support the Princess Louise Hussars.

<<Disclaimer>> OK, for those new to my blog, we are playing fast and loose with history, the Canadian Black Watch were still Light Infantry in shakos and there was no invasion by US army units etc, etc. Its a game with toy soldiers.

The table, minus buildings and troops was still up from last game so I decided to just tweak it and play a straight encounter with the armies  entering on one or both of two roads based on die rolls.

My Chromebook is in the shop and anyway I haven't finished the revision of Hearts of Tin so I just winged the rules based on instinct and memory.

A wider view of the table as the armies march on.

The US was able to muster 10 stands of infantry which I divided into 5 "units", 2 stands of cavalry, a gun and a stand of sharpshooters along with 3 Commanders so I matched it with Canadians and got to it. The infantry could take 4 hits per stand, the rest 3. A "Brigade" losing 1/2 of its stands would have to test each turn that it took hits: 4,5,6 carry on, 1,2,3 fallback. An army losing 1/2 stands must retreat.

The side controlling the crossroad at the end of 15 turns would win.

Initial honours are fairly even. 

An early charge on the Hussars by US cavalry supported by artillery fire inflicted the first stand lost but since both sides had to rally back the Canadian infantry filled the gap and started to shoot up the unsupported battery. As more units arrived the fighting spread and developed into a prolonged firefight with neither side seeing an opening for a decisive assault.

Midgame, just before the US commander realizes that one of his units has not appeared yet. (Oops)

By turn 8 the Canadians were having the worst of it and our correspondent was starting to wonder on the tone for a report on a Canada Day defeat. The day was not over yet though.

The Canadians focused their fire on the American gun and drove it back. ( or drove it back, it depends on whether or not a version of the Give Ground rule from the Square Brigadier  is adopted. ) They then pulled back from a salient in the center and focussed on the American right. Fortuna smiled on their dice and frowned on the invaders to keep the averages level. Stand after stand of Boys in Blue fell and  the American commander was unwilling to pull back from a firefight which should have been equal and unable to think of any daring manouver to retrieve the situation elsewhere. Finally on turn 13 the Yankee line collapsed and they were forced to retreat. The final tally had been 7 stands lost vs 5 so a near run thing.

Work on the rules will continue whem my Chromebook comes home or I buy a bigger tablet. I'm not sure which to hope for.