Steve Turner: British 1810. Objective: prevent enemy breakthrough. Kenn Hart: French 1810. Objective: break through to enemy baseline. The Anglo Portuguese army was strongly posted behind a steep ridge, crossed by a number of passes. However, unbeknown to the French, the British troops were not evenly distributed, their left wing being the more heavily defended. As it happened, it was this wing that the French, temporarily commanded by General de Boeufbelliache, decided to make the target of their strongest attack. General Loison, commanding the French 3rd Division, spearheaded the attack on their right. The 1/32rd Legere skirmished up the eastern road, supported by the three battalions of 66th Ligne. Their way was blocked by a strong brigade led by Brigadier Craufurd. The 66th attacked spiritedly in column, only to be defeated by the steady musketry of the redcoats. To their right, the 2/32rd Legere and 82nd Ligne received the same treatment from Stewart's brigade posted on the reverse slope of the hill. Loison hurriedly withdrew the remnants of his shattered division. In the centre, the French 2nd Division, under Mermet, attacked in support of their comrades. Three battalions of 59th Ligne advanced straight into the jaws of Stopford's British Guards brigade and were routed for their pains. To their left, however, the British 2/24th Foot was isolated and harrassed by the fire of the 2/25 Legere. The 50th Ligne, also three battalions, hastened up in support and charged the 2/24th in column. The battered redcoat battalion routed. Unfortunately for the 50th Ligne, more British waited in reserve; they advanced upon the now disordered French and bundled them back over the hill. Mermet's left attack consisting 1/25th Legere and three battalions 27th Ligne, was brilliantly successful. They encountered a single British battalion, the 1/45th Foot, harassed it with voltigeurs, then charged. The 1/45th broke. Their supports, Champlimand's Portuguese brigade, failed to receive their orders and stood confused idly by as the French troops moved down the road and reached their objective. The French 1st Division, General Marchand's, threw a spirited attack at the westernmost hill. The 39th Ligne encountered Fonseca's Portuguese brigade and were beaten off, but their supports, 76th Ligne, caught Portuguese wrong-footed and routed them. Fortunately for the British, the neighbouring brigade of General Hamilton's Portuguese, under Brigadier Campbell, was close at hand and was able to plug the gap in the nick of time and hold the line. On the French extreme left, the 69th Ligne was faced with a steady line of King's German Legion infantry and declined to attack them, while two battalions of 6th Legere merely indulged in long range musketry with General Crauford's Light Division. In conclusion, though few of the French had actually succeeded in breaking through, they should be commended for having had any measure of success at all on such favourable terrain for their opponents. Points British French Colours taken 0 0 Guns taken 0 0 Casualties 24 8 Objectives 15 5 After adjustment 39 52 Game 3 Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior #130 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Solo Wargamers Association. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com