Plans de SIO AAR

A battle by Proxy for Defiant Principality.

I was to set up a battle between two evenly matched cavalry forces across mostly open ground. The time was October 14, 1715 in Spain.

While I did not have use of my tricornes, either having recently been sold or 'gone missing' I still have plenty of 25mm minis to do this job.

We settled on the "Warfare in the Age of Reason" rule set to play out the game.



The map I was given was thus.



Here is what the interpretation on the game table looked like.



The commanders then laid out their respective commands.



The first turn was one of minor maneuver, in order to get the two lines of cavalry facing one another ...



Full of jitters "La Fe" Dragoons and their untried Colonel Dalmau squared off against battle tested Numancia and wounded Torquemada of Spain.



Once the two lines of horsemen were lined up, the Spanish commander had decided the only way to achieve his orders and drive off the Catalans was to charge.



Command of the Catalan forces was Colonel Dalmau, likewise he had decided that the only way he could keep the ground today was to charge, he attached himself to one half of his force that would have an open flank and bellowed the order to charge just as his opposite the Spanish General Bracomonte did the same.



CHARGE!

Both sides barely made contact as only the flank supported half of Dalmau's Dragoons actually managed to advance.



Caught up in the fleeing horsemen Dalmau was very nearly run down by the 1st Squadron of the La Fe Dragoons as they fled the field.

Similarly General Bracomonte was obliged to fall back and rally the 1st of the Numancia Dragoons. While not swept away by the swirling horsemen, the General was unable to halt them from fleeing the area.



Neither of the remaining forces decided to engage as their respective commanders were gone. While only on very tired horses the 2nd La Fe Dragoons did not want to test the mettle of the battle tested mix of Numancia and wounded Torquemada Dragoons who were only in a bit of a disorganized state and ready to fight with fresh horses.

In only two turns, perhaps 20 minutes of time, with the charge taking only two or three minutes the battle was over, the Catalans had fled the field.

Spain did not hold the field, yet they could report back that the way was clear.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This was a good re-engagement for me in the Age of Reason rules and reminded me of why I wanted 12 man cavalry units along with the design of my units with 2-man cavalry stands.

I may have to re-form some more tricornes to give the rules a good run.