The High Tide of Daharra -Battle for Brucke 18 Part 2

 

 We lucked out in having a 70 degree and 60 degree day to set up and fight  the game.  It immediately dropped to 40 degrees the day after the day of decision.

 The Daharrans came on with one brigade on each side of the road, a third brigade following on their left. 

Both forward brigades were a mix of line and militia units. The militia included a unit of heroes from the last encounter. It turned out, they were to play another heroic part in this battle. 

 

 Daharran side of the river.

The movement up and deployment of the Second Brigade (Daharran right of road)  allowed the First Foot battery several damaging  shots at close range as they awaited the physical crossing of the river. Daharra flooded the bank with line and conscript units to an uneven but deadly exchange with the Empire units. 

Empire side of the river.

 Grenze battalion passing through artillery battery to defend bank of the river near bridge.

 The 12 pounder battery located on the hill did yeoman's work shooting at the units of Daharra's left flank brigade.

The Second Brigade, under General Grunwald, held steady despite the Grenze units being rated as militia. The 1/1,1/2,1/3 Grenze all traded volleys with Daharan line and militia units with a slight advantage to the Empire. (Musketry is an opposed die roll, the target unit always rolling a D6, the firing unit an adjusted, usually better die--the Grenze were rolling medium to high in their range, the Daharran's plagued by a lot of rolls in the low end, receiving casualties.)

 

Empire cavalry  skirmishing on left flank distracted an artillery battery's fire.

During the previous battle, the 3rd regiment of Militia had performed heroically.  As luck would have it during the battle set up, a stratagem card that allowed one unit to skip  checking morale, i.e. fight to the last man was pulled for Daharra. 

After the cavalry attempts to rush the bridge were turned back, the Daharran commander turned to the Third Militia and said, "Colonel, take your men across the bridge and capture those guns." Drums rolling, cheers from their throats echoing as they crossed the bridge the bravos advanced into the canister of the Second Foot Battery...and died almost to the man. This time, bravery was no match for iron and lead.  The disappearance of the group was  so telling on the morale of the Daharran Army that it seemed no more  could be done. 

  

The 3rd Militia, minutes before the fateful charge.

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Picture deleted due to horror of the slaughter on the bridge depicted.

Over the next few hours the three brigades of Daharra slowly fixed their lines out of musket and short range artillery fire.   Taking stock of his losses and the strength of the enemy position, the Daharran commander called upon his remaining cavalry unit, the Uhlans, to cover the Column's retreat. 

The tension in General Prince Hesse's face dissipated as the situation developed. He had two fresh cavalry units to pursue and light casualties in two brigades of infantry.  He turned to his staff and ordered a pursuit, a cautious one.  After all, his mission was to hold this bridge and blunt the Daharran column's advance; the bridge had been held and  the invader's effort was receding. The Ruling Council would be satisfied, the monarchs of Prussia pleased. 

The battle came down to morale chips remaining. Having sent three units to annihilation attempting to take the bridge and playing attrition with the units in the Empire's second brigade, the bank of morale chips on Daharra's side was deemed too small to continue battle, the river line could not be forced.