1200

[The French roll for attack stop =no, no random events]

[Kellerman rolls for his acceptance and fails.] Whilst Kellerman and his forces are now in position, Junot wonders at the delay. Sorely pressed on the right in Ventosa he needs the attack on Vimeiro to succeed quickly or face serious trouble.

[Arty fires at and shakes-DG’s  hex 20.17] This further delays proceedings.

Loison closes for combat.

The British arty in Vimeiro fire at Margeron [m-1 no effect] @ 3-4/5 Dragoons.

Skirmishers fire from the Orchards at the French, to no effect.

Ferguson brings Anstruthers Division forward to counter attack. A firefight ensues.

The French [r5 2(1)m-2 ].  The British roll a 1 receive a Bloodlust result and suffer no casualties or stragglers.

Anstruthers line extension also attacks the  32/82nd. His huge Division pounds on the French then retires back into its position.

[Size AB Morale A sh1. They win the combat. (2) result. The French roll as A sized B morale unit losing the combat. And suffer 3(6) -1 (for size) that drops down to 2(6 stragglers)]. This pushes them close to combat ineffective.

Fane now attacks Loison and the 12/15 Lt. His men march forward, deftly stepping off, the 1/50 West Kent on the left and 5/60th Royal American in the center, with 4 companies of from the 2/95th Rifles on the right.

The West Kent knew their business, their designation went all the way back to 1757, they were now known as the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment. Most preferred the moniker of the 50th West Kent or simply the West Kent. This regiment would go on to earn distinction throughout history culiminating in the devastation of the unit in the Korean War….but we digress.

[Both sides check to stand. French roll 6 as do the British. Another Firefight.]

The Officers of West Kent order a halt and prepare to fire. After 3 minutes of close order volleys(3 rounds) from the 3 deep line, the order “Prepare to Charge is given. The enemy is invisible. White smoke  billows all around. The sounds of wounded and dying mean and the crash of increasingly ragged volleys tell the tale of battle on both sides. The Brown Bess and Charleville muskets were new technology. More accurate, and slightly easier and faster to load.

Fanes officers know now is the time. The surge forward.

FR 2(1) M-2 and the BR 2m-1] The French unit is wrecked.

12.30

[Kellerman accepts his orders] The arty and SKs fire @ 86 th Line and 2/4 Light (voltiguers). Around Vimeiro things are not going so well for the British. Nightingale and Crawford are out positioned by the French. Storming up the hill above Vimeiro and thru the orchards there DeLaborde extends attacks!

DeLaborde order the advance upon the hills to the South of Vimeiro.  [both sides pass check to stand ]

[Attacker loses are converted to 1(3) whereas defender is 1(7) routed!  due to size difference]. Crawford and his men are forced off the hill [which are also VP hexes].

The French close in on Vimeiro, the British Cannons fire as the enemy approaches.  [1M-2]

Kellerman closes in on Vimeiro and his men enter into street to street, house to house fighting.

The British Camp:

[Burrard arrives – attack stoppage, all units convert to defend in place!] Wellesley leaves the field.

[All British units fail their rally rolls.]

1300

Kellerman’s attack on Vimeiro is well executed. The Voltiguers attack and inflict a stunning result  [3(7)], for no losses. The British lose their guns and the men are wiped out.

[The British roll for Peace Talks and obtain a +ve result. – Game Over] The VP tally is tiny. Despite the momentum going in Frances favor near the end the capture of 3 of the VP hexes is not enough to counter those currently under English control and the VP’s for the wrecked unit.

A Minor French Victory. This could have been a very different result either way. With either the French driving on through Vimeiro to the Ports or Anstruthers Brigade delivering a death blow to the Ventosa forces and falling on the rear on Junot.

A very interesting scenario.

The system brings out some fine characteristics of Napoleonic warfare. Melee works well, arty works well. Cavalry charges and counter charges are a little involved but not a problem. I am unsure still how to take advantage of and use line extensions and skirmishers effectively. I have played very few other Nappy systems, so take my opinion with a large grain of salt, if not a pinch. I’ll leave the real assessment of that to the Grognards.

With a few more scenarios under my belt I will offer some more detailed thoughts about the game system and the period flavor it evokes. I think perhaps Austerlitz will be next with the V3 rules and original counters.

This game is definitely playable, I can see now however that the evolution of rules from one title to the next was very much like learning a new game each time. That would have been frustrating for early adopters.

Let us turn back to the sulking Wellesley, and read as he writes back to London.

“I wish that I was away from this army. Things will not flourish as we are situated and organized and I am much afraid that my friends in England will consider me responsible for many things over which I have no power.”

Fearing that the ministers in London blamed him for the stipulations of the cease-fire agreement, Wellesley attacked Burrard and Dalrymple for their refusal to listen to him,
[Burrard and Dalrymple] ask my opinion about everything and never act according to it…Sir Harry Burrard by his interference after the battle of Vimerio prevented me from marching in pursuit of the Enemy, by which he saved [the French] from total destruction…Then [Dalrymple] landed and I did everything in my power to prevail him to march, in which I failed entirely.
In addition to attacking Burrard and Dalrymple for not accepting his advice concerning the pursuit of the French, Wellesley openly questioned their competence,