War in the Woods Game 6: Blood in the Pines

 

Sergeant Gordon, the old highlander, leaned on his halberd as the British party got into order. The soldiers tried to remain quiet with the smoke from the French and Huron fires rising less than a mile away, but leather creaked and equipment clanked all the same. The highlanders were as much a culprit as the green militia, festooned with weaponry as the Scotsmen were.

He and Abercrombie, one of his senior corporals, had bickered about whether the regulars should lead or not, and if they should form in line or adopt an open order. In the end, it hadn't mattered. The fancy Dutchman insisted on taking the militia on ahead.

Gordan spat as he watched them form up, wrangled between the Dutch dandy and the so-called mayor of the half-burnt village nearby. At last they got underway, marching off toward the rising smoke where their Mohawk scouts had led them. Christ, he'd seen frothing targe-wielding Jacobites with better-dressed lines.

As the militiaman got out in front, Gordon glanced at Abercrombie, who was picking at his teeth in the reflection captured on the shiny blade of his broadsword.

"Companeh- to tha front- march!" Gordon brogued, voice lowered to try and avoid detection.

Both sides have pulled back to lick their wounds after the latest round of fighting at Little Eden ended in a stalemate. The British, however, are the first back on their feet. A detachment of highland infantry under Sergeant Gordon arrives in the early morning, and by lunchtime the reinforcements are leading an expedition into the woods to locate the French and Huron and drive them from their camps.

A swift and successful blow here could seriously affect the Franco-Huron effort in this region, leaving Grenier's column to fend for itself. But that's not to say the raiders are licked yet — Hardheart and his remaining warriors are no slouches, and although they're still feeling the effects of a lost officer, the French colonial infantry have decent non-commissioned officers and know their way around the frontier battlefield.

The virgin forest outside Little Eden is dense and foreboding, offering a form of natural defenses to the woods-wise raiders. They've laid their camp near Foggy Creek.

The French camp is divided into three segments, each of which serve as both a deployment point for the French and Huron and an objective for the British and their Mohawk allies to seize. The British will deploy from the right table edge, near the pond, as seen in the above full-table photo.

Pelletier's milice are on guard duty, using the jumble of boulders to give themselves cover and a slight vantage point over the camp.

Some light infantry under the recently promoted Sergent Jacques mill around near one of the cookfire. Most of the men in the raiding party are experienced backwoodsmen and know better than to be too far from their musket and powder at any time.

Their caution is wise, as they'll soon detect the sound of stamping feet in the forest as Vanderventer shakes his militiamen out into line. Any attempt at an ambush seems to have been doomed the moment the British decided to lead the assault with their raggedy militia. Still, these men have scores to settle, and may get their chance here.

Huron under War Coat grab their pieces and leave the fire to probe the militia flank. If Venderventer isn't careful, he may find himself the ambushed instead of the ambusher.

Gordon's line of highlanders turn up just in in front of the Huron, making them reconsider their brash advance. No shots are fired yet, but the row of sharp bayonets are threat enough.

War Coat may be intimidated by the approaching highlanders, but Hardheart has no such hang-ups. He and his warriors spring forward, opening fire at close range. The volley is ferocious, but the stern highlanders suffer just one point of shock.

Hardheart's assault proves to be the jolt needed to start the fighting in earnest. Mohawk warriors spring from the woods on the Huron flank, laying a close-range fusillade down. One Huron is slain, and the group takes four points of shock.

All of a sudden, French light infantry under Sergent Marleau emerge and put a volley into the Mohawk's flank. None of the foe are killed, but the French dump eight shock on Dutch Peter and his warriors in seconds, forcing them to retreat back toward the highlanders. The flight of the Mohawks has no effect on British Force Morale, however.

The militia are ordered to advance toward the French camp, undeterred by the firing on their right. Jacques orders his men to surge forward, laying down fire on the numerically superior British force. Their first volley places three shock on the group of line.

They deftly hit and run, withdrawing into the trees at a jog to reload their muskets in safety. It's a prime example of the disparity between the French and Huron's skirmisher-heavy force and the British use of line infantry.

On the other flank, War Coat's warriors rush forward with whoops and cries, firing into the highlanders at point blank range. One of the kilted soldiers is felled, while the rest suffer three shock from the volley.

The British have another trick left, however. On the left flank of the highlanders, green-clad rangers under Captain John Thayer open fire into the onrushing natives. Two Huron meet their end in the fierce fighting, while the rest suffer a point of shock.

With the troublesome Mohawk swept from his flank, Hardheart has his men fire at the highlanders. Their aim is true, and three soldiers crumple to the ground. The highlanders haven't even had the order to fire yet. The remainder take two more points of shock.

Hardheart pulls back, hoping to find better cover and resume firing when the highlanders come into his men's sights.

A touch panicked, the highlanders try to move but find themselves unable to due to shock. One group fires without orders at War Coat's men. One more Huron dies, and War Coat takes a wound in the gunfight at murderously close ranges. His wound reduces French Force Morale by one point, but it's still at 10.

As Hardheart withdraws, Marleau's men cover him by firing again at the Mohawk warriors under Dutch Peter. They suffer three more shock and break, routing off the table with Dutch Peter in tow. The young "half-breed" is already acquiring a reputation for eagerness to fight, but a lack of follow-through once the lead starts flying. His rout, along with all of his uninjured men, drops British Force Morale two points, to seven.

Hardheart thinks better of withdrawing now, returning to the front to fire again at the highlanders, inflicting one point of shock.

He directs War Coat and his remaining men to fall back, an order they are more than happy to carry out.

A bonus activation sees Marleau's men advance swiftly and fire on the highlanders. The stunned Scotsman lose another man and take another point of shock. The French and Huron have clearly deemed the freshly arrived highland regulars as the greatest threat to their camp and are wasting no time bloodying their noses.

Sergeant Gordon struggles to get his command under control. He pulls three shock and has one group turn to try to keep the French and Huron from getting on their flank. This has the disadvantage of breaking up his formation.

As Gordon does this, Thayer's rangers advance and try to keep up a steady fire, but their second volley is less effective than their first. They may, however, pose enough of a threat to the Huron flank to draw their attention off the embattled highlanders.

Jacque's men reach the French campfires and turn, ready to give the militia another volley if they advance. Gordon manages to get his men into a line again, turning to face the French and Huron threat head-on.

Thayer's rangers open fire on Hardheart and his fighters at eye-wateringly close range, but somehow no one is harmed in the smoke and confusion of the wooded battlefield. Hardheart turns his men to face the green-clad skirmishers, but only manages to put one shock on them with a volley at equally close range.

Editor's note — this probably would have been a great time for either side to turn to tomahawks, knives, and clubbed muskets to get the job done, but both myself and my opponent were still very wary of the high losses in fisticuffs.

The whirling fight between the rangers and Huron gives Gordon a moment to reorganize his line and get his demoralized men to reload their muskets. The highlanders aren't out of this fight yet, the sergeant thinks.

The French light infantry advance ever so slightly to keep the highlanders under threat. I don't recall why they didn't just keep shooting here.

The wounded War Coat rallies his remaining strength and whirls around to face the rangers, giving them a volley that kills one and puts two more shock on the group. War Coat had been reduced to a Level 0 leader by his wound, making him effectively useless until a Command Card was used to increase his leader level again, as was done here.

Vanderventer thinks better of advancing toward the French camp and fighting a concealed enemy, ordering his men into a ragged column and marching off toward the horrific sounds of fighting and dying on the British right flank.

Marleau and his men attempt to keep up the pressure on the highlanders, getting up close and personal and firing directly into the wavering line. Two more highlanders die and the formation takes another point of shock, but the French light infantry is slow to retreat, leaving their rear vulnerable if the highlanders can get their act together.

Vanderventer arrives and starts yelling orders at the highlanders, who regard him with derision. As a point of pride, the regulars have no intention of following orders from a colonial dandy.

The rangers, on the other hand, are willing to listen to Vanderventer's commands. They are coming closer and closer to being surrounded by the remaining Huron, and so they fire one more ineffectual volley before withdrawing to safety.

Despite the growing cracks in the Anglo-American force, the Hurons have been drained by the hard fighting as well. Hardheart and War Coat choose this moment to fall back to the camp, leaving Marleau in the lurch.

The light infantry under Jacques pursues Vanderventer's force as they reposition, hoping to find a position on the British flank.

Gordon dresses his ranks and has his highlanders fire a ragged volley at the fleeing Frenchmen. It's enough to kill one of Marleau's men. Then, Vanderventer orders them to charge.

The French choose to evade rather than fight, and narrowly escape the highlanders' bayonets. Being attacked in the rear with unloaded muskets would probably have spelled the end for Marleau and his party.

I'm not sure if we had already forgotten that, under the campaign rules, Vanderventer, a colonial militia officer, cannot give orders to regular British troops, or if we just decided to allow it here. Either way, it's nearly cost the French dearly.

Vanderventer steps in to back the highlanders. Maybe, if they keep the momentum, the battered highlanders and the militia can still root the French and Huron out of their camps.

Hardheart, shrewd after years of raiding warfare, displays his status among the Huron by ordering both his men and War Coat's to turn and fire. If the highlanders think they can run their enemies down without a fight now, they've got another thing coming. The firing puts four more shock on the formation, but the highlanders are spared from any further casualties.

On the periphery of the main fight, Jacques and his men creep around onto the militia's flank, waiting to get close.

Gordon rallies some of the mounting shock from his men, but between the casualties and the shock his next volley at Marleau's men is completely ineffective. It's not the way the highlanders need to be performing to make it out of here with their scalps.

Sure enough, the French whirl and give fire at the regulars, killing one. It's maybe a small wonder that more of the combatants aren't killed at such close ranges, but after this many volleys, choking grey smoke hangs in the humid air between the big pines and maples. The cry of untended wounded and dying fills the hellish battlefield.

The Huron volley again, and Hardheart's men manage to thin the highland line once more. War Coat's men, less eager and running short of powder, don't have any effect, despite Hardheart's bellicose urging.

Gordon's highlanders finally give. They've taken too many casualties, and while the sergeant is able to prevent a rout by combining the two groups into one, he orders his survivors to fall back.

It's at this moment that Jacques and his light infantry throw their weight into the fight again on the unguarded British left flank. The well-trained French colonial troops put two rapid volleys into the flank of the militia using a bonus activation. One militiaman is killed, but the effect of eight shock in rapid succession is what does it, causing the group to waver and break formation. The setback, though minor in the grand scheme of things, drops British Force Morale by one point to six as the situation begins to unravel.

Before Vanderventer can give his next command, Marleau's light infantry bound forward. The temperamental non-commissioned officer has his blood up, and their volley kills one militiamen and puts two more shock on.

The British have had enough, and Vanderventer gives the panicked order to withdraw. The broken formation flees the field, although the militia are no so organized that they don't stop when they hit their staging area.

Thayer's rangers (yes, they're still here) lay down a little bit of covering fire, picking off one of Jacques' men and persuading the French and Huron that they'd better not push their luck by pursuing.

And just like that, the clash in the woods outside Little Eden is over. The British have failed to drive the French from their camps.

At the end of things, the butcher's bill is pretty heavy on both sides, although greatly skewed in favor of the Franco-Huron defenders.

Ten of the highland regulars were killed or put out of action in this close-range skirmish. That's a fourth of the entire demi-company of highlanders available in the valley, and losses the British can hardly afford. On top of that, three militiamen and one ranger were killed or badly wounded. No characters were killed or wounded, the slimmest of silver linings.

Four Huron were killed, mostly from War Coat's party. He was wounded but he'll work through the pain rather than attract Hardheart's ire by malingering. Two French light infantry were killed in the clash. It's never good to lose such experienced troops, but in this case they gave better than they got.

The Canadiens never got stuck in. That's probably a major error on my part, especially as Sergent Pelletier had been upgraded and given a sharpshooter in his unit using support points. Honestly, I expected to have to fall back further, and he was meant to be my reserve, or to serve as a fire brigade where needed.

In hindsight, I think the decision to move Venderventer's militia to the other flank and not push on into the camp probably sealed the fate of the British mission to capture the camps. But, maybe it saved the highlanders from being completely overwhlemed.

As I noted during the battle, it's amazing to me that neither side tried to get stuck into fisticuffs or at least force the other side to evade and withdraw. For my part, I was worried about the highlanders' prowess in melee, and didn't want to risk my few skilled skirmish troops in a brawl. Especially with that militia line still lurking around. However, I can see a few points where I probably could have decided the battle, and maybe this whole flank of the campaign, by rallying my skirmishers into a group charge and wiping the highlanders out.

The next installment of the campaign will see the French with the initiative again, but it's not yet clear where they'll attack. We're past the halfway point of the campaign now, and both sides are starting to show their losses. Stay tuned to see who can get the most done with their remaining force.