Greenfield: an AWI scenario for Patriots and Loyalists

 This week's game saw a return to the other side of the Atlantic for an AWI game.  The Crown forces are pushing back the rebels, who decide to make a stand to prevent an outflanking manoeuvre.  Two rebel brigades hold a ridge position astride a vital road at Greenfield; it is the task of General Scarlet, commanding a joint force of British and German troops, to break through the opposition and advance to a position blocking the supply and communication route of the main rebel force.

The position facing General Scarlet

Uncertain as to the strength, or exact location of the forces facing him, General Scarlet elected to concentrate his effort on the enemy right.  Experience gained in earlier actions had given him a wariness about close, wooded terrain; it was usually the location of enemy riflemen and they had exacted a high toll on his officers.  The buildings provided obvious strongpoints and the ridge good fields of fire.  However, possession of one ridge would probably encourage the enemy to fall back.  He therefore ordered Brigadier Cornwall to advance with his British brigade over the small hill on the left and then onto the ridge, before swinging right towards the road junction.  

Cornwall decided to lead the attack with his light infantry, who, once across the small hill would move right and try and secure Emmanuel Chapel.  The advance towards the ridge would continue, led  by Fraser's Highlanders supported by the grenadiers.  The two line battalions (28th and 55th)  were to engage any enemy units holding the gap between the chapel and the central wood.  In the centre, Brigadier Danzig would attempt to take the central wood with his jaegers, supported by Von Donop's musketeer battalion.  On the right, the Hessian artillery, von Mirbach's musketeer battalion and the grenadier battalion were to engage the enemy in the vicinity of Greenfield.  They were to exert sufficient pressure to prevent any rebel troops moving to reinforce the flank being attacked by Cornwall's brigade.

Brigadier Bannister places on of his militia regiments in the chapel grounds

Brigadier Able surveys his troops at Greenfield

Cornwall began his advance, but the pace was dreadfully slow, the light infantry were anything but light on their feet.  Catcalls from Fraser's  and a rebuke from Scarlet barely increased the speed of advance and by the time the light infantry crested the hill the militia defending the chapel had had plenty of time to prepare a volley of welcome.  However, the volley was not effective and a reply from the light infantry picked off a few rebel officers perhaps lowered the resolve of the defenders.  Meanwhile, the 28th and 55th had moved into position and began to fire at the militia holding the road by the chapel.  Their volleys took their toll on the militia and feeling they had done enough, they fell back behind the supporting continental infantry.

Cornwall's men move over the hill

In the centre, the wood was, as expected, held by rebel riflemen.  These were engaged by the Hessian jaeger, who continued to advance and once in close range charged.  The riflemen were caught at a disadvantage, not only having no bayonets, but also opposed by two units, as von Donop had also charged, supporting the jaeger.  In a very one-sided melee the riflemen took heavy casualties and ran for their own lines.  Von Danzig had achieved stage one of his orders, but the terrain made exploitation of his success difficult.

The Hessians drive off the riflemen

On the right, von Mirbach and the artillery were exchanging volleys with the rebel line.  In addition the Hessians were coming under fire from riflemen in the woods on the extreme left of the rebel position.  Von Danzig saw that the grenadiers would need to move further to the right to have any field of fire, so he sent orders for them to move to the other side of the road and then attack the woods, driving off the riflemen. He could really have done with von Donop's musketeers to support von Mirbach, who were beginning to suffer from the fire from two rebel units and artillery placed by the road.  However, von Donop had followed the jaeger into the woods and become disordered in the process.  There was success, the grenadiers had advanced quickly, fired a volley and were preparing to charge when they saw that the enemy riflemen had not stood their ground; they were falling back in a hurry towards Greenfield.

Cornwall was still struggling to get some impetus into his attack.  Although the militia had been driven from the chapel grounds by the Light Infantry, his opponent, Brigadier Bannister was leading another unit up to support the militia who still held the building.  The light infantry fired at the new arrivals, causing a wavering in the ranks.  With the militia halted and the regimental officers plus Bannister trying to keep them in place, the light infantry had time to fire again.  Although the militia didn't break, there was a significant casualty; Bannister was felled by one of the shots and taken from the field mortally wounded.  To their credit, his brigade continued to stand their ground, although General Browne did, on reviewing the overall situation, order the militia to fall back to the ridge.

The Continental infantry by the chapel continued their musketry duel with the 28th and 55th, both sides taking casualties.  Weight of numbers eventually told  and the Continentals broke and had to be rallied far to the rear by General Browne.

The Continentals rout under pressure from the 28th and 55th 

The militia which had previously suffered from the musketry of the 28th and 55th were now exposed to it once again.  Although they were covered by the wall of the chapel enclosure their morale was brittle and two telling volleys proved too much.  They fled, only stopping several miles to the rear. 

The militia rout

Browne was growing anxious about his right wing.  He had only 3 units left and they had all taken casualties.

On the rebel left Brigadier Able was also worried.  The riflemen ejected from the woods by the Hessian grenadiers were reluctant to return to the fray and his other rifle unit, which had been bested by the Hessian jaeger was in a parlous state.  The militia holding the road between the central wood and Greenfield was starting to show signs of breaking and his artillery were almost out of ammunition.  His fears about the militia proved all too correct as a volley from the grenadiers routed them, leaving the gun unsupported. 

Another militia unit routs

Able was fairly confident the Continental infantry in the second line would hold their ground, but he needed more pressure to be brought to bear on the Hessian infantry, to prevent them advancing any closer to the vital crossroads.  He therefore ordered the militia holding Greenfield to advance to the fences at the edge of the settlement and fire on the von Mirbach musketeers.  This they did to good effect, supported by the Continental infantry and it proved too much for the Hessians who broke and had to be rallied at the rear by von Danzig.

Brigadier Able was not allowed to bask in the glow of this success for long.  The Hessian grenadiers and artillery turned on the militia and exacted a heavy toll with their fire.  It all proved too much and the militia routed, heading for the ridge in the rear of the rebel position.  Their was a pause while von Danzig led the reformed von Mirbach back to the fight.  They and the artillery then began to concentrate on the Continental infantry who were the last major obstacle to a Hessian advance to occupy Greenfield.  Von Danzig sent orders to the grenadiers to manoeuvre to bring their fire to bear as well, but in doing this they became entangled in the woods and it proved a lengthy process to reorder their lines.

The militia abandon Greenfield

On the Crown left, Cornwall was anticipating success, all it needed was for the Highlanders to see of the wavering militia facing them and the way would be open.  Fraser's advanced, supported by the grenadiers and fired a volley at the militia.  The rebels shrugged this off and fired a volley in reply.  Several officers were struck and the attack stalled.  As uncertainty began to rise in the ranks, a second volley, this time from the chapel, hit the Highlanders in the flank.  Uncertainty turned to panic and the Highlanders ran for the rear.

Fraser's rout

At this point we ran out of time.  The rebels were awarded a narrow victory as they had held the position and denied the Crown forces the opportunity to block the rebel lines of communication and supply.  However, this had been achieved at a high cost, with most of the remaining rebel units in a parlous state.  Not that the Crown forces were unscathed, they would take time to recover.  Once again the close terrain had made manoeuvre difficult and the various 'choke points' had enabled the rebels to gain a superiority in numbers.

A most enjoyable game, many thanks to Steve for hosting it.