Dumfries 2016 - Opening Skirmish

Dumfries 2016 saw some major updates to the Beneath the Lily Banners rules set. In order to get all participants into the swing of these the first engagements were a set of small encounters (small for a League of Augsburg weekend that is, still big to me).



A regiment of Highlanders advances

The battle I participated in was set on the Scottish border (appropriately given the hotel location) where a contingent of Scottish Jacobites led by that bonniest of Bonnie Dundees (newly resurrected from Killikrankie) Jim Wallace, aided by French units led by Les Rumble playing the part of the Marquis de St Ruhe, another 'newly raised' member of the aristocracy.

The Jacobites and French prepare to advance

If this hadn't been an historical game I might have accused the Jacobites of employing some dark magicks.

The WIlliamites were led by General MacKay in the form of his alter ego Bill Robertson. Bill was to prove over the course of the weekender to be (to quote Blackadder), "more cunning than a fox who has just been made Professor of Cunning at Oxford University".

More of which in a later post.

I was in the role of the Marquis de Ruvigny who had assumed command of the Huguenot regiments.

Huguenot cavalry ready for the fight - they didn't get one!

The scenario was simple; the Williamite forces held two redoubts and a star fort, the Jacobites had to get past them.

The fort blocking the Jacobite advance

For my Huguenots it would very much prove to be a game of two halves.

The highlanders rapidly advanced on the redoubt on the Williamite right flank held by Belcastel's regiment under the personal command of their Brigadier. Sportingly the umpire allowed two Jacobite units to charge poor Belcastel's regiment. Highlanders against All Musket foot, it got messy very quickly if you were a Huguenot.

The moment before the Highland tsunami smashed into the left redoubt

Naturally, me being me, my first test for a Brigadier casualty of the weekend resulted in another one being entered in the roll of honour. His regiment was subsequently chopped into fine haggis by the claymores' of the clansmen. There were no survivors.

Buoyed by their overwhelming success at the redoubt, Bonnie Dundee's troops swarmed forward but were held by other elements of MacKay's division.

The Williamite right flank was a more salubrious affair mostly due to Les' die rolling for orders; I'd advise against that visit to Vegas anytime soon.

A Williamite cannon patiently waits for a French target to meander by

When the French finally reached the second redoubt it became obvious where the dice luck had gone. Needing 6+ on D10s Du Cambons regiment managed an 80% strike rate on their first volley putting one regiment to flight in a single round.

The Huguenot version of Rorke's Drift

They then proceeded to wipe out some pesky dragons whilst the French musketry and artillery pinged away with little or no effect under the new hard cover rules (aided once more by Les' die rolling).

Lunchtime approached, the smoke cleared and the umpires declared a draw.