Following on from our Sharp Practice Pomerania game last year, Phil dusted off his Swedes to give the French another seeing to - or so he hoped!
This scenario followed on from the previous one with the General Staff having reached the safety of a Swedish manor house but having lost their army apart from a small detachment of elite Dragoons - with the Swedes closing in...
The first spotted being Sergeant Erik Erikkson with two groups of Line Infantry skirmishers.
Hope was on hand for the General Staff though as Capitaine Rene Gateaux and four groups of Line Fusiliers marched down the road toward the manor house - albeit in a rather slovenly fashion.
With Sergent Forgeron and a group of Voltigeurs protecting the flank of the Line troops.
Advancing in open column, the French soon spotted Sergeant Erikkson and his men...
As Lieutenant de Dragons Estienne LeRâteau with two groups of French Dragoons thundered past the column, eager to engage the enemy and make up for their rather pathetic performance in the last battle.
More French troops arrived, Sous Lieutenant Jean Odorant with more Voltigeurs and Lieutenant Pierre Touchard with more Fusiliers. Sergeant Erikksonn was feeling a bit outnumbered as he observed the massed French relief force!
Fortunately for the worried Sergeant, Major Magnus Magnasson arrived with three groups of Swedish Line along with his subordinate Sergeant Lars Larsson.
Additionally more Line Skirmishers arrived on the scene, two groups commanded by Kapten Sven Svennsson and three groups led by Kapten Nils Nillson, the latter moving towards the road to form an obstacle to the French advance with Major Magnasson's Line troops.
Displaying traditional French élan, Capitaine Gateaux formed his Fusiliers into an attack column and advanced on the nearest Swedes. Allez mes braves!
Whilst Sergent Forgeron's Voltigeurs opened fire killing one of Erikksonn's men.
The Swedish sergeant ordered his men to return fire...
But their shots missed the advancing Voltigeurs.
However one of their wayward shots did claim the life of one of the Fusiliers in the nearby column as their musket fire spread.
The Fusiliers fired a volley back killing four of the Swedish skirmishers and inflicting Shock on them.
Lieutenant de Dragons LeRâteau spotting that Magnasson had detached a group of Line Infantry under Sergeant Larsson to support the skirmishers ordered his cavalry to charge the Swedes!
In a fierce bout of fisticuffs Larsson's men killed three of the French Dragoons despite losing three of their own and the brave Swedish sergeant picking up a wound in the melee.
The Swedes then attempted to take the cavalry from the front and flank, but the musket fire from both the Line and Skirmishers was ineffective, with just another couple of points of Shock being inflicted on the Dragoons.
Meanwhile on the other side of the road, Kapten Svennsson ordered his men to fire at the second formation of French Dragoons who were cantering down the road...
Unfortunately for the Swedes most of their musket balls ended up in the conifer branches as the Dragoons only took a couple of points of Shock.
Back on the French left Sergent Forgeron ordered his men into the broken ground and get ready to fire into the rear of the Swedish skirmishers who were trying to engage the Dragoons...
Bravely Major Magnassonn rode up to support his detached Line troops engaged with LeRâteau's Dragoons...
His presence seeing the survivors see off the attacking Dragoons in another drawn combat!
One the right flank Sergente Fuger ordered his Voltigeurs to engage Kapten Svennsson's skirmishers...
One Swede falling to the French skirmisher fire.
Another Voltigeur volley was fired at the Swedes...
And another of Svennsson's men fell dead.
By this point Kapten Nillson had reached a position somewhat behind the fighting near the road, his men covering any potential French advance. One would not presume to question the Swedish officer's honour but he and his three groups of Line skirmishers did stay well out of the fighting!
Unlike the brave Line detachment who were still fighting the French Dragoons who had charged them!
Inspired by their noble sacrifice Major Magnassonn challenged Lieutenant de Dragons LeRâteau to a duel!
Accepting, the first round of sword play saw a lunge by the Frenchman draw first blood!
Magnassonn was then unable to parry LeRâteau's second attack as the Frenchman's silver blade drew Swedish blood again!
However despite being wounded twice Major Magnassonn girded his loins and in the third round of swordplay his sabre cut down the Lieutenant de Dragons! LeRâteau was dead!
This proved too much for the remaining Dragoon who fled the battlefield...
Blood seeping from his wounds, Magnassonn ordered his Line forward to support the survivors of the Dragoon attack.
Despite the setback suffered by the Dragoons, Sous Lieutenant Odorant advanced his Voltigeurs and fired into the rear of the distracted Swedish skirmishers...
Who fell back from the French musket fire...
En Avant! The French Voltigeurs pushed forward...
Sergente Forgeron ordered his men to join in the firing at the retreating Swedes...
And their volley broke one group of the Skirmishers who fled to safety...
With the other, and the wounded Erikksonn, teetering on the brink.
The remaining Dragoons scenting revenge pushed forward but were unable to close with the retreating Swedes...
However another volley from Odorant's Voltiguers...
Inflicted more Shock on the Swedes who fell back...
And were then cut down to a man as the Dragoons charged into their rear!
Back on the right Fuger's men engaged the Swedish skirmishers to their front...
Whilst Lieutenant Touchard's Fusiliers marched forward towards the General staff, though they faced the skirmishers of the reluctant Kapten Nillson and Kapten Svensson before they could rescue the generals.
However the battle was to be decided on the French left as Capitaine Gateaux ordered his attack column in on the Swedish Line with a cry of Vive L'Empereur!
The Swedes were wiped out as the attack column ploughed into them and with that the Swedish Force Morale hit zero. Victory was France's and the General Staff were saved from an enforced diet of meatballs in Swedish captivity...
Another enjoyable game of Sharp Practice with a much improved use of the cavalry this time by Andy! :D Phil was unlucky with some of his dice rolling and also with his deployments, which did not really allow him to concentrate his force and bring their firepower to bear on the French in a concentrated manner. Still it was nice for Andy and myself to gain a measure of revenge on the Swedes.
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