Solo Campaign - ...and his Nephew

Now ready for The Cupboard, the Earl is joined by his ADC.

Captain John Edward Falconer, of Rufford, Lancashire, is the Earl's nephew. 22 years of age, he recently exchanged into the 4th Regt of Foot (The King's Own). He is described as "a flawless horseman, and exceeding polite" by his former regiment, and expresses himself delighted to be appointed to support the Earl's new adventure. The Earl's only concern over the arrangement (allegedly) is that, at 6 feet 4 inches, young Falconer is almost exactly a foot taller than him.

To make sure there is no confusion, the gaffer is on the right, the gopher on the left. I knew that frisky horse for Tarleton was a mistake.

Our family holiday starts in a few days, so it will be a week or two before these gentlemen are seen in action.

Solo Campaign - The Earl of Aigburth

Still on the milk bottle top, and with his varnish still a little too bright, here is the new C-in-C of the Anglo-Portuguese army. May I introduce General Sir Banastre Tarleton, Earl of Aigburth, more or less ready to join his troops in Portugal.

You see him mounted on his favourite horse, Philadelphia, and dressed as Colonel-in-Chief of his beloved 21st (Yorkshire) Light Dragoons. Yes - the hat - had to be.

The 21st, of course, are currently in South Africa, not in the Peninsula at all, and experts might observe that in 1808 the regiment's facings were changed to pink - ah well - according to my trusty Franklin, the new facings were not well received, and the regiment continued to wear its pre-1808 yellow facings until the new (French-style) uniforms were received in 1814, at which point the facings became black.

So there you have it.

He has still to be joined by his ADC - Captain JE Falconer of the 4th Foot, who is, in fact, his nephew (being his sister Bridget's boy - I hope you are taking notes). The family were very keen that Falconer serve in this capacity, though who is going to look after whom is a matter of debate. The Captain is on another bottle top, and will be along shortly.

If anyone cares, the figure of Tarleton is what as a boy I would have called a bitza (bitza this, bitza that). He started life as a Minifigs S-Range figure of Eugene de Beauharnais, but has a new head (from a NapoleoN light dragoon officer) and a horse supplied by Art Miniaturen.

In his baggage for his voyage to Lisbon is a letter for the Quartermaster General which contains the following passage:

It is my intention to leave responsibility for the whereabouts of individual mules and supply wagons in the hands of the QMG's staff. I intend to focus primarily on the disposition of the fighting army. I should not express a view on whether this will be a change of recent practice, but this is my aim.  

Hooptedoodle #58 – The Adventures of Max Spinnejäger

Had an exciting episode last night. What follows contains reference to extreme violence, and even some cruelty - so if you choose to read on, having been warned, please make sure that no children or unusually timid adults are looking over your shoulder. If you choose to read on, you are certifying that you are over 18 years of age and are accepting all Terms & Conditions, published or still to be made up, etc etc. Yawn.

I woke up about 3:30am, and there was a spider on the bedroom ceiling - approx 3 inches across overall (75mm) , which may not be big by your local standards but is close to a Scottish national record, I would think. Our spiders aren't poisonous, but I don't like them at all - especially on the bedroom ceiling, where they tend to drop on the bed. My wife is absolutely terrified of them, so we always get rid of them as soon as possible. I would maintain that I am not actually frightened, but this one was above some threshold size which causes unreasoning panic - something about being able to see their kneecaps. Even Robert the Bruce would have kept well away from this one.

First embedded footnote I'd like to make here is that there is something about spiders - they have a psychic presence. If there is a big spider in the room, somehow you can sense it when you go in (or wake up, as in this case). They may be sitting there, thinking, "right - now wake up and scream". Power of personality. Awesome. Or it might just be that they have a stronger personality than me.

Anyway, I went to find something to catch it with. The battery in the humane catcher was so flat that the spider would have taken the thing off me and broken it over one of its many knees. I considered the vacuum cleaner for a moment, but it would have woken the entire household, and there is also a fair chance that in my haste I might have fallen down the stairs with it, which could have been marginally worse. So I found one of the trusty old fly-swats, and by the time I got back to the bedroom, of course, the bloody spider had disappeared. This is not a good scenario for going back to sleep, so the bed was stripped, I shifted the chests of drawers and the bookcase etc, and found the spider after about 20 minutes (maybe I heard it laughing) - behind my bedside cabinet, so I whopped it and disposed of it, and the bed was re-made and things calmed down again. Adrenaline still pumping. After a few minutes, I started to wonder if that had been the same spider...

Let's assume it was. To those of you who live in countries with poisonous beasties, I offer my deepest respects. I don't think I could handle that.

Second embedded footnote: like a lot of other areas in Northern Europe, we have been having a great deal of rain recently, and yesterday I spent a couple of muddy hours, swinging from ladders like a silly old fool, cleaning out the roof gutters - or what in Scotland are called "rones". This invariably chases a few big friends out of the eaves, to take shelter in the relative calm of the bedrooms. So it's probably my fault anyway, which you may think makes it doubly unfair that the visitor should have been so harshly treated.

I confess I do feel a bit uneasy about killing living things (apart from dandelions), but it was him or me, guv. Look at it this way - if I invade a spider's home I expect him to deal with me as he thinks fit - seems fair all round. If you really are upset by this tale of dreadful arachnicide, let me say that I am probably killing off only the slower specimens, or the ones that are dumb enough to walk across my ceiling, so I am strengthening the species.

As some light relief from all this bloodshed, here's a pithy (and probably fake) piece of Scottish wisdom on the subject of rones to end with:

“Nae wonder yer walls are damp, yer rones are fu' o tatties [potatoes].”

English Civil War - Poles Apart

This is a plea for advice, I think. Please? I’m getting my first ECW units of foot prepared for painting, and I’ve come a bit unstuck over the flags. I’m using 20mm figures, mostly Les Higgins, but since Higgins never did a standard bearer I’m looking at a choice of Hinton Hunt (don’t care for the cast flags, so would have to mod them and equip with wire poles), SHQ (a bit chunky) and Tumbling Dice (also a tad chunky). The immediate problem is not the Chunk Rating, it’s the length of the flag poles. I have a good number of reference books on this stuff now – it is clear that the flags were about 6½ feet square, and the older books show them mounted on big long poles – even some contemporary illustrations from the National Army Museum, reproduced in Philip Haythornthwaite’s lovely The English Civil War 1642-1651 – an illustrated military history, show a pole about twice the height of the flag. More recent works insist that the flags were mounted on a short pole, 7½ to 8 feet in length, they were normally carried in one hand, and that skilled exponents could perform some very flash displays with them.

Fine big pole, but the flags were square, and about 3 times that size

That flag is a bit small, too, but it is mounted on a truncheon,

in the style which is currently regarded as correct

That looks more likely - correct sized flag on a shortish pole

would be a devil to carry

The flags were made of taffeta, or a light silken material, and were painted.

Stop right there. I don’t like it. I have no practical experience of this subject, of course, though I’ve seen what they do with flags at the parades associated with the Palio in Siena, so I’m hoping that some knowledgeable veteran of the Sealed Knot, or anyone with some factual knowledge or experience of re-enactment can cast some light here.

This is my problem: the proposal is that a flag about the size of the cover from a king-size duvet, albeit made of taffeta, can be mounted on a short pole, and the appointed officer can carry this in one hand in a dignified manner appropriate to military decorum, on the march, in a stiff breeze, on the battlefield – nay – he can even do some genteel tricks with it, with or without passing cannonballs.

Well, I’m sorry - I don’t believe it. I think I would have to see this with my own eyes. I would certainly not like to attempt it – not for more than a few minutes, and I would certainly not like to upset anyone who was physically capable of such a feat. If they really did have short, one-handed poles then either they held them with two hands, with the flag partly rolled around the staff, or else the short staff somehow socketed into a longer carrying pole. However it was done, any kind of ceremonial carrying of the taffeta duvet cover would have to be done with two hands, surely?

All help would be most welcome. Haythornthwaite also includes a colour plate of an ensign carrying a flag which is described as having a 9½ foot pole, which is somewhere in the middle, and that seems to correspond to the kind of flagpole carried by the Hinton Hunt figure – I defy anyone to suggest that Marcus Hinton made an error...

Solo Campaign - The Battle of Balsa

The Battle of Balsa, 30^th May 1812

General view of the battlefield, from the North-West - the French are on

the left of the picture, with the afrancesado Spanish in the foreground.

The crescent-shaped ridge is clearly visible

A combined Anglo-Spanish force, under the command of Sir Thomas Graham, had been left as a rearguard in Northern Portugal, to protect Wellington’s main force (engaged in relieving Almeida from the risk of a siege) from Marmont’s army.

Graham had the full support of a portion of the Spanish 3^rd Army, under the command of the Conde de Espana, and he selected a strong defensive position not far from Vila Real, on a crescent shaped ridge overlooking a flat river valley in which lies the Castelo de Balsa, the stately home of the Conde de Vilaverde. The Spanish troops available were in good order and condition, but the troops of his own British First Division were somewhat reduced by recent fighting – accordingly he merged the two battalions of Foot Guards into a single strong battalion, and split Major Gardiner’s depleted battery into two units of two guns each, which were placed in two earthworks constructed in the only two gullies which penetrated the main line of the ridge. The Avila Volunteer battery was placed on the hill between these two small redoubts – some concern was expressed over putting non-regular gunners in such a prominent position, but in fact they performed well – their shooting was not wonderful, but they remained solidly in position.

[CCN rules were used – 5 cards each, French move first, 7 Victory Banners required for victory – the French had available two bonus Banners – one if the British were evicted from the Castelo, and one if the French had any infantry over the crest of the ridge.]

Graham deployed his British troops on the left of his curved line, with the 2/24^th positioned in the Castelo and its grounds – their aim being to delay the French as much as possible in this area.

On the Allied right, the Spanish troops took station, with the volunteer infantry in a reserve position behind the front line. The two Castilla light infantry units were placed in woods at the foot of the ridge.

Marmont had a considerable superiority in cavalry and – since the terrain was not well suited for cavalry operations – Maupoint’s 5 cavalry regiments from the Armee du Nord were detached and kept in the rear. The afrancesado Spanish troops were concentrated on the right, opposite the British units, while Foy’s French division, consisting of some fairly weak veteran battalions but with plentiful cavalry support, took station on the left, opposite Espana’s Spanish troops. Marmont’s strategy was to demonstrate against the British troops with his own Spaniards, and to assault the less steady Spanish nationalist army with his French veterans.

The action started with much artillery activity [both Bombard cards were played very early, and at one point the Allies replied to a Bombard with a Counter Attack card, which replicated the preceding Bombard]. The French avoided the Allied centre, which was very strong, and featured much of the artillery. Foy’s attack was preceded by two horse batteries, which advanced in gallant style but failed to hit anything worthwhile for most of the afternoon.

The King’s Guard, under Nicolas Guye, came on splendidly on the French right, captured the Castelo quickly and efficiently, and chased some Spanish light troops out of the woods in front of the left end of the ridge.

Foy’s attack was faced by unexpectedly determined fire from the Spanish army, and gradually ran out of momentum and men – a situation which was not helped by the loss of one of his horse batteries and the (usual) pointless expenditure of the supporting light cavalry, for whom Montbrun spotted a couple of non-existent opportunities to turn the battle.

As Foy ground to a halt, on the other flank the King’s Guard were routed from the woods, and finally broken by the heavy musket fire of the 42^nd Foot and the KGL infantry. As the grenadiers of the Guard broke, Guye, who had performed well beyond expectation throughout the day, was struck down by a ball, and carried from the field. At this point the Victory Banners count was 7-5 in favour of the Allies, and Graham had won.

As the result was a Marginal Victory, and since the French had a large superiority of cavalry, both sides recovered a good portion of their battlefield missing and wounded, and the French retired without further loss.   

OOBs

French Force – Marechal d’Empire Auguste Louis Viesse de Marmont

1^st Divn, Armee de Portugal (Gen de Divn Maximilien Sebastien, Comte Foy)

Bde Chemineau – 6e Leger & 69e Ligne (4 bns)

Bde Desgraviers – 39e & 76e Ligne (5)

3/2e Art a Cheval (Capt. Guerrier)

6/4e Art a Pied (From reserve - Capt. Braty)

Heavy Cavalry (Gen de Divn Cavrois)

Brigade Boyer - 15e & 25e Dragons (4 Sqns)

5/5e Art a Cheval (Capt. Graillat)

Light Cavalry (Gen de Divn Montbrun)

                Brigade Curto – 3e Hussards & 22e Chasseurs (6)

                Brigade Col. Vial – 13e & 26e Chasseurs (6)

1^st Divn, Armee du Centre (Gen de Divn Nicolas Guye)

Brigade Merlin – King Joseph’s Guard (5 Bns)

Brigade Casapalacios – 1e (Castille) Leger, 2e (Toledo) Ligne, Royal-Etranger (4)

Art a Cheval, Garde Royale (Capt. Desert)

Total force engaged approx 15680 men with 26 guns. Loss approx 3950 men and 6 guns; Gen Guye of the King’s Guard received a serious, but non-life-threatening wound.

Anglo-Portuguese Force – Lt.Gen Sir Thomas Graham

First Divn (Maj.Gen Henry Campbell - acting)

H Campbell’s Bde – combined Foot Guards Bn

Blantyre’s Bde – 2/24^th, 1/42^nd, 2/58^th & 1/79^th Ft

Von Loew’s Bde – 1^st, 2^nd & 5^th Line Bns KGL

9^th Coy, 8^th Bn Royal Artillery (Maj. Gardiner)

Spanish Force – Genl. Carlos, Conde De Espana

               

De Espana’s Divn, Spanish 3^rd Army

                Godia’s Bde – 2. Princesa & Tir de Castilla

                Truxillo’s Bde – 1. Sevilla, 2. Jaen & Caz de Castilla

                Foot Battery (Capt Herrera)

Provincial Bde (Col. Julian Sanchez)

                Zamora & Avila Vol Bns

                Foot Battery (?)

                1. & 2. Lanceros de Castilla (6 Sqns)

Total force engaged, approx 13420 men with 14 guns. Loss approx 2320 men, and 5 of the Spanish guns were disabled by enemy fire.

Detail losses:

French – 2/69, 2/39 (-3 blocks each), 2/76, 3/2e Art a Cheval (-2 each), 5/53 Art a Cheval (-1), 3 Huss, 1/Gd Grenadiers (-3 each), 1/Gd Fusiliers (-4), 2/Gd Fusiliers (-2), 2^nd Spanish Line, Gd Horse Battery (-1 each)

Anglo-Portuguese – 2/24^th, 2^nd Line Bn KGL (-2 each)

Spanish – 2. Princesa (-1), 1. Sevilla (-2), Caz de Castilla (-1), Herrera’s Foot Battery (-2), 1. Lanceros de Castilla (-3), 2. Lanceros de Castilla (-1)

The Pictures (Nick wasn't present for this one, so the standard of photography has dipped a bit)

The 2/24th Foot at the Castelo

Spanish troops on the Allied right

Graham set up his units carefully, with the reserve line held back to

allow the front line room to manoeuvre (or run away)

Old School Bellona earthworks - how cool is that?

Put that man on a charge - one whiff of a Cavalry Charge command card

and Montbrun is off like a madman...

This is where it comes to grief - Montbrun's flashy attack, with

Leadership bonus, is stimied by a First Strike card played by the

Allies, and his hussars are in serious trouble...

Command Cards again - the 42nd Highlanders and a KGL battalion,

with bonus shooting dice because of a Leadership card and the presence

of Generals Loew and Blantyre, put paid to the King's Guard grenadiers

and Nicolas Guye, and that's 7 Banners - thank you and goodnight...

The high water mark - this is as far as Foy's attack got - he

was running out of men

The Position at 31st May 1812

A Footnote on CCN Command Cards

A couple of comments on recent posts have suggested that the Command Cards in Command & Colors, Battle Cry, Memoir 44 and kindred games are a weakness, and I’ve had a couple of emails to the same effect – i.e. it’s difficult to get any decent movement of your army when the cards limit you to moving in dribbles – two here, one there and so on. I am happy to accept that people have to get what they want out of their games, but I’m pretty certain that I disagree with this particular point.

This week I have fought two battles which were pretty large by most standards – a couple of divisions a side, and were certainly large for CCN. The cards kept the movement restricted to small groups of units, admittedly, but the turns rotate at an unprecedented speed, and the gamer has the advantage that he can focus on the army in detail – something like the old proverb about the wisdom of eating an elephant one mouthful at a time.

No swimming of the head, no need to go check your email while your opponent thinks about his move, and then ask him to explain what happened – the game goes tika taka, to borrow a current buzz phrase. It moves in small steps, but very quickly – you can see it develop.

Hooptedoodle #57a - Plan 9 from Outer Space

Following my reference to The Forbidden Planet in a recent post, I had an interesting exchange of emails with Prof De Vries, who reminded me of some of his other favourite sci-fi memories. In particular, he sent me a link to a clip of what he describes as "the worst bits from the lumpiest film ever made" - Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Sounds irresistible, I know. For all devoted fans of Ed Wood's wonderful "movie disaster", here it is. Enjoy.

Prof De Vries assures me they don't make them like this any more. I hope he's right.

Solo Campaign - The Battle of Almeida

The Battle of Almeida, 28^th May 1812

Part of the fortress of Almeida - stocked for a siege?

The Earl of Wellington, with the Third and Seventh Divns of the Anglo-Portuguese army, arrived at the approach to the fortress of Almeida at around 10am on 28^th May, on an overcast morning. He also had an improvised brigade of cavalry, assembled from the remains of the two regiments of KGL heavy dragoons (now commanded by Col. de Jonquieres) and of Otway’s Portuguese cavalry brigade. Karl von Alten, with the Allied Light Divn and his brother’s brigade of light cavalry, was on the march to join him from the South West, and was expected any time after midday.

He was confronted by Clauzel’s Divn of the Armee de Portugal, with a small force of attached dragoons and a useful proportion of the army’s reserve artillery. Clauzel also was expecting reinforcements, since Maucune, with his division and a mixed force of cavalry under Treillard, was marching from Ciudad Rodrigo, and was also expected sometime after noon.

Clauzel had been detailed to mask the fortress of Almeida, in preparation for the arrival of Marshal Jourdan with a full besieging army, and he was now driven in near to the walls, which could bring two half-batteries of Portuguese Artillery to bear on his force if they came too close. Clauzel was careful to deploy out of range of the bastions where these garrison guns were placed.

[The reinforcements of Maucune and  Von Alten started off-table – after Turn 5, a dice roll of 6 (for each army) would announce the arrival of the extra troops – Von Alten on Wellington’s right, Maucune behind Clausel’s right-centre. Units could be called on to the table as Command Cards allowed, and Leaders would arrive attached to units. The Allies had first move throughout, 5 cards each, and 9 Victory Banners to decide things.]

The area surrounding the fortress is fairly barren, and has been systematically cleared of timber over the years. There were some small ridges approximately a mile from the walls, and a cluster of buildings at the deserted seminary of Las Natillas, which was the scene of bitter fighting during the early part of the day.

Aware of the need to press on, Wellington attacked Clauzel’s left and front with Picton’s Third Divn, who became badly bogged down in attempting to dislodge the formidable 3/25e Leger from the seminary. The French troops maintained a remarkable rate and accuracy of fire, and Picton’s men suffered badly for a while.

On the left, Wellington sent Cotton with some of the cavalry and the Seventh Divn, to advance close in to the walls of the fortress, under cover of the guns, in an attempt to turn Clauzel’s right.

The action was intense throughout this period – both sides suffering heavy losses, and with no obvious superiority emerging. The French refused to commit their usual mistake of being drawn from their defensive position, and for a while they had  a 2-0 lead in Victory Banners, but thereafter there was never a difference greater than 1 between the sides, until the very end.

The Light Divn duly arrived at 12:30, and promptly cleared the defenders out of the seminary, and the attack on the main French position proceeded in rather confused fashion, troops being thrown in as they arrived – Wellington suffered somewhat from getting most of his horse artillery (with which he was well supplied, and which should have been invaluable in the assault) stuck behind the infantry.

On the Allied left, Cotton’s outflanking move went fairly well and his cavalry had some early success, which was subsequently wasted as the squadrons (inevitably) pushed too far and were lost. Clauzel spent an anxious couple of hours waiting for Maucune’s troops to arrive, and they eventually showed up around 2pm [taking excellent advantage of a Forced March card to get all the infantry on to the field very quickly], pushing back Cotton’s men.

Still the result was very much in the balance, and the Victory Banners score reached 7-7. Around this time (about 4pm), Treillard’s cavalry, who had arrived with Maucune, caused some panic among the Seventh Divn, but were bravely resisted by the 1^st Light Bn of the KGL, who formed square and held their ground, despite heavy musketry which the French brought to bear on them. The Earl of Dalhousie, arrived in the Peninsula within the last few weeks to take command of the Seventh Divn, was mortally wounded in this square. [8-all at this point...]

By this stage, Treillard’s men had become rather casual about the guns on the walls of Almeida, which had failed to hit anything all day, and approached too closely as they came in to finish off the KGL square. The Allies played a Bombard card, which gives bonus dice to any artillery in action, and the Almeida gunners finally produced a show-closing couple of volleys, which wrecked the 4e Dragons and wounded Treillard himself before the cavalry could contact the square. One Victory Banner each for the loss of the cavalry unit and the Leader – the Allies had won by 10-8! An unexpected way to end, but the French had had enough – since the victory was marginal, they retired in good order towards Ciudad Rodrigo, using their fresh cavalry (in particular the Lanciers de la Vistule and the 14e Chasseurs a Cheval) to cover the retreat. There would be no siege at Almeida for the time being.

Though he did not know it at the time, this was to be Wellington’s last victory in the Peninsula, since he had [wait for it...] been given the boot by the British parliament.

    

OOBs

French Force – Gen de Divn Bertrand, Baron Clauzel

Clauzel’s (2^nd) Divn, Armee de Portugal

Bde Berlier – 25e Leger & 27e Ligne (4 bns)

Bde Pinoteau – 50e & 59e Ligne (5)

15/3e Art a Pied (Capt. Pajot)

10/3e & 19/3e Art a Pied (From reserve - Capts. Dyvincourt & Gariel)

Attached cavalry (Col. Picquet) – 6e & 11e Dragons (4 Sqns)

Arrived 2pm:

5^th Divn, Armee de Portugal (Gen de Divn Antoine-Louis Popon, Baron Maucune)

Bde Arnauld – 15e & 66e Ligne (4 Bns)

Bde Montfort – 82e & 86e Ligne (4)

11/8e Art a Pied (Capt. Genta)

Brigade Treillard – 4e Dragons, 14e Chasseurs, 7e Chev-Lanc (Vistule), Dragoni Napoleone (12 Sqns)

Total force engaged approx 15000 men with 32 guns. Loss approx 3765 men – Gen Treillard slightly wounded, Col Picquet unhorsed but only shaken.

Allied Force – Lt.Gen Sir Arthur, Earl Wellington

Third Divn (Maj.Gen Sir Thomas Picton)

Col. Wallace’s Bde – 1/45^th, 74^th & 1/88^th Ft + 3 coys 5/60^th

Col. J Campbell’s Bde – 2/5^th, 2/83^rd & 94^th Ft

Palmeirim’s Bde – 9^th & 21^st Ptgse + 11^th Cacadores (5 Bns total)

10/9^th Bn Royal Artillery (Maj. Douglas)

Seventh Divn (Maj.Gen Earl of Dalhousie)

Col. Halkett’s Bde – 1^st & 2^nd Lt Bns KGL

Von Bernewitz’ Bde – combined Lt Bn (51^st & 68^th Ft) + Chasseurs Britanniques

Troop E, RHA (Capt. MacDonald)

Attached cavalry (Lt.Gen Sir Stapleton Cotton) – provisional units of KGL & Ptgse dragoons

Troop A, RHA (Maj. Bull)

Arrived approx 12:30pm:

Light Divn (Maj.Gen Karl, Baron Von Alten)

Col. Beckwith’s Bde – 1/43^rd & 1/95^th + 1^st Cacadores

Vandeleur’s Bde – 1/52^nd & 2/95^th + 3^rd Cacadores

Troop I, RHA (Maj. Ross)

attached: Thomar Militia Bn

Viktor Von Alten’s Bde – 1^st Hussars KGL, Brunswick-Oels Hussars

Total force engaged, approx 17200 men with 20 guns, plus two half-batteries of the 4^th Portuguese Artillery Regt, who provided supporting fire from the walls of Almeida. Total loss approx 3300 men; Maj.Gen The Earl of Dalhousie received a mortal wound from a musket ball and died during the night.

Detail losses:

French – 1/25L, 2/25L (-2 blocks each), 3/25L (-4), 2/27, Berlier’s Tirailleur Bn, 1/50 (-1 each), 6e Dragons (-1), 11e Dragons (-2), 5/82 (-1), 2/86 (-2), 4e Dragons (-2)

Anglo-Portuguese – 1/45^th, 5/60^th, 2/5^th (-1 each), 94^th (-2), 1^st Lt Bn KGL (-1), 51^st (-2), 68^th, 1^st KGL Dgns, 2^nd KGL Dgns, 1^st Ptgse Cav, 11^th Ptgse Cav (-1 each), 1^st Cacadores (-2), 1/52^nd (-1), 2/95^th (-2).

The Pictures (as ever, my thanks to my son Nick for his photography)

The Earl's final appearance

Clauzel deploys his troops well away from the fortress guns

The 3rd battalion of the 25e Leger - determined defence

The joy of Command Cards - Cotton (in the silly red uniform)

finds that his provisional Portuguese cavalry are short of something,

and have to go back - not sure what it was, but it was all very embarrassing...

Clauzel showing some impatience when the dice which is supposed to cue the

arrival of his reinforcements refuses to produce a 6

Portuguese artillery and militia on the San Pedro bastion

Maucune - brave but not beautiful

MacDonald's Troop, RHA - one of the few artillery units

which performed well

French reinforcements stream onto the field in the background

The square of the 1st Lt Bn KGL - in reality, of course, Dalhousie

should have been inside the thing, but it didn't help him anyway