First outing for the Ottomans

By no means a big battle, more a small scale action to try and settle on the relative factors between the different armies/troop types.  Although there was an element of getting a few troops on the table to kick start the painting needed to get a balanced force together.

After an incursion into Ottoman controlled territory a  portion of the Cossack force has been forced back against a river.  Hastily forming a defensive line with their wagons the Cossacks have turned to face their pursuers.

The wagons are 'garrisoned' by two small units of registered Cossacks supported by two light guns.  One of the wagons has a very light gun.  This is based on the cart shown in film 'with fire and sword' which uses light, short-range guns to drive off a Polish cavalry attack.  Behind this line of wagons are the two reserve units, one of moloisty and one of registered cossacks.

The Ottoman force has two units of levy infantry (my apologies for fielding them with unfinished bases) and four small units of janissaries, backed up with two medium guns.  Steve brought along a couple of units of cavalry to round out the force.

The Janissaries

One of the levy units

The Ottoman commander sent forward the levy to soften up the defence before the janissaries finished off the job.  At least that was the theory.  The levy did attack, but not in any co-ordinated way, and the janissaries were at first reluctant to advance.  By the time they got forward the levy were attacking the wagons and although not pushing the Cossacks back, they were wearing them down.

The struggle for the wagons

The Ottoman light cavalry were trying to help, but the terrain prevented any flanking manoeuvre.  Eventually the inevitable happened and the levy infantry routed, leaving the way open for the Janissaries.  However, they fared no better, their attacks foundering against the wooden walls of the Cossack line.

The Ottoman light cavalry

The scenario had a couple of Cossack cavalry units arriving after a number of moves.  Perhaps surprised, the spahi unit did not attack immediately, allowing one of the cavalry units to  destroy a fleeing levy unit..  It then followed on to threaten the rear of one of the janissary units.

Success for the Cossack cavalry

At the wagons all the janissary units were on the brink of collapse, indeed one routed.  With this the Ottoman commander conceded victory, there was little hope of breaking through the line of wagons. So Steve and I had lunch and mulled over how things had panned out.

The janissary unit has had enough and routs

Refreshed, we reset the scenario, swapped commands and ran the game again.  This time the Ottomans had a bit more success.  One of their levy units did rout after several rounds of melee, but the other managed to break through with the janissaries in close attendance.  However, the disorder caused by making its way through the wagons left it vulnerable to counter-attack and it was duly routed by the moloisty unit.  An injudicious attack on a jannisary unit which had occupied the wagon line resulted in the moloisty unit routing, leaving an inviting gap in the Cossack line.

Even the arrival of the Cossack cavalry did not affect affairs.  The Ottoman commander calmly ordered the spahi unit to charge nearest unit.  This it did and routed them without suffering any loss itself.  Following up it dispatched the other unit with similar disdain.  This time it was the Cossack commander who had to concede defeat.

This was an interesting little action in which we tried out some new troop types and rule tweaks.  The factors for the Ottomans were an amalgam of those in Pike and Shotte and also the "Last argument of Kings" supplement.  We also used the 'bloodthirsty' rule, but limited it to the first round of the first melee.   The Cossack wagons gave cover from musketry and a +1 modifier to the melee result.