Charging into the past - the battle of Sittingbad

Last week while visiting Bertrand, we seized the opportunity to clear the floor and get some toys out.  We opted for an 18th Century engagement based on the Battle of Sittingbad - which you may recognise as the second scenario in the classic wargames book 'Charge!  Or how to play wargames'.

The peaceful town of Sittingbad.  Behind the town a bridge crosses a river.  You'll have to imagine that.

Imperial forces gather to defend the crossing from the Elector and his band of heretics.  Assembled from various bits of old Elastolin castles, the town included the remains of the medieval walls.

I provided the Imperial troops - Bertrand the enemy.  Here my heavy cavalry deploy forward while the CO watches from a tall tower.  The cavalry are mostly Armies in Plastic while the general is a metal casting found at a show by John A.

An overview (photo by Bertrand)

My chaps garrison a reboubt while cavalry and light infantry form a skirmishing screen.

Most of these chaps are from the collection I bought from Portland Little Wars.  The infantry are mostly BMC figures.

The Elector's chaplain.  It is revealing of his deviant practices that he is ignoring the comely milkmaid while casting amorous glances at the dog.... (photo by Bertrand)

For maximum efficiency I set up my artillery battery in the local graveyard.  Not so far to carry the casualties that way...

The enemy gathers!

The Electoral army arrived in overwhelming numbers - typically unsporting behaviour!  My heavy cavalry (top right) charged an enemy battery but the appearance of loads of infantry saw them off.  But all good wargames should include a futile charge.

While all this excitement was underway, my engineers were carrying several barrels of gunpowder to the bridge...

I put the walls to good use - which at least gave this battalion a good view of...

...the brigade level assault on my redoubt.

My light troops skulked in a marsh to harass the enemy flank.

The assault was very messy.  It carried the redoubt but all of the Elector's battalions had suffered. (photo by Bertrand)

Flag waving from atop a mound of plastic corpses. (photo by Bertrand)

The Elector watches the carnage from a typically safe distance. (photo by Bertrand)

We played for about two and a half hours, after which we agreed that by the time the Elector invested the town the garrison would have been largely evacuated and the bridge blown.