The Battle of the Boinne (2/2)

When the battle resumed, I decided it was time for the Maritime army to press the attack.

A bridgehead has been established.

With the bridgehead finally secured, Maritime reinforcements poured into it.....until they ran out of room. The Rosmark forces had fallen back, brought up reserves and established a line on the heights.

The attention shifted again to the flank.

The flanking forces on both sides reform.

With both river crossings appearing secure and several defending units routed, I was tempted to call the game but the victory conditions require the defending army to be destroyed or driven off. A draw in this game would be a Rosmark victory and a quick review of troops and situation  soon showed me that the battle was not yet won for the Maritime Alliance.

A slow advance of reserves and several firefights followed as the Redcoats prepared for the final assault. At last the battle lines formed and advanced, one on the Bluecoats on the hill, one against the rallied frontiersmen in the marsh.

With 2:1 odds the red infantry marched up to point blank range then prepared to fire but the Bluecoats were ready... black court card BOOM  a handful of 4's, 5's and 6's, the Redcoats wavered, black Ace! (Yikes) BOOM  (they can't do that  ag...what?! A 2nd Ace BOOM! In seconds, two fresh battalions had been demolished with only a handful of stragglers running for the ford!

Only one unit escaped the storm of fire, the tardy Nordmark battalion was finally across the river, just in time to plug the gap. 

Again I was about ready to call the game after that unexpected blood bath but the toy soldiers had stouter morale and insisted that the fight was not over. The infantry assault in the bridgehead stopped to be replaced by a long range firefight between the Normark battalion, the garrison of the village and the long range artillery firing hilltop to hilltop on one side and the remains of the Rosmark infantry on the other. The Maritimers picked away at the enemy but the Rosmark troops seemed to have shot their bolt. As man after man fell they began to waver, their Brigadier rode forward but was immediately shot down and the remnant gave way.

On the flank, the Grenadiers cleared out the remaining frontiersmen while the Naval Battalion overran the gun.  When the Rosmark cavalry wheeled around for a 3rd charge, the Red infantry fell back into the marsh and began peppering them with musket balls while their artillery enfiladed the cavalry at long range from across the river. There was no choice but for the cavalry to fall back and dare the enemy infantry to advance in the open.

In the bridgehead, the Maritime cavalry finally moved to the fore. The 1st squadron charged the Carabiniers and was duly routed but not without doing some damage. Before the Carabiniers could rally, the Council Guards were on them with sword and pistol and scattered them to the winds.

The battle was over. There was only one option left to Rosmark. Fall back to the mountain passes. The Maritime army was too battered to pursue close on their heels. The question now is whether Rosmark can maintain a foothold east of the mountains.