More 7th Cavalry action

Saturday saw a day's gaming session at Beacon Gaming Club.  Si had laid on a game using his Britannia Miniatures Cavalry and Indians figures, so I joined Will and Gary in the game, as Colonel Sheridan officer commanding Fort Laramie.

Sheridan was expecting a supply column from the northeast, when word reached the fort from a nearby trading post to the east that a party of settlers was in trouble along with their troop of escorts.  At the same time, pressure was on from HQ to support the local Cheyenne chief, who was still following a peaceable existence while younger hot heads were on the warpath.

Hastily writing orders, I sent a young officer off with two troops of dismounted cavalry to try and rendezvous with the supply column at a nearby water hole.  I sent another 2 troops of cavalry to the east to rescue the settlers and guide them back to the fort.  Leaving my third officer in the fort with the infantry, I rode with three troops towards the old chief's camp to provide some protection.

Sheridan leads the first troop out of the fort.

Infantry defending the fort.

The settlers with their defence troop, harried by hostiles.

Guided by smoke and gunfire, the two troop flying column shows up just as the hostiles melt away.  The escort troop and one of the relief troops head back to the fort, while one of the troops heads towards the trading post to swing around to the south to strengthen Sheridan at the village.

Meanwhile, the two dismounted cavalry troops trying to rendezvous with the supply column are bounced by a massed horde of mounted savages.

The two parties of dismounted troopers prepare to sell their lives dearly.

9

The first undisciplined rush strikes home.

And bounces off, but more rush in.

The forward troop began to give ground, falling back to join the other troop, while repulsing multiple charges.

Broken units heading for home.

No sooner had that action ended, when Sheridans command of three troops met twice as many hostile war bands at the old chiefs camp.

Sheridan ordered two troops to mount and charge the hostiles, while the third stood form by the water hole.

The melee heats up at the camp.

The cavalry charge and charge again.

The boys from the trading post arrive and pitch in to the hostiles from behind.

Sadly, the dismounted troopers couldn't withstand the onslaught from front and both flanks, the survivors fleeing.

Sheridan's men had done enough though, saving some of the settlers, resupplying the fort and rescuing the peaceful native factions, thus buying some time before the next wave of unrest.

Apart from my strategic movement choices, I had little to do to influence the individual combats.  The hostiles won almost all initiative roles and chose to charge, so the combat results were driven by a single d6 roll.  We were amazed at Will's ability to roll 1s (not good), with almost nothing greater than a natural 3, resulting in repulse after repulse.

This was a fun game to play and the mechanics would lend itself to other colonial periods, such as the Foreign Legion in N Africa or Mexico, Colonial Africa, Russian Civil War, etc.

Thanks to Si for setting it up and providing the troops and terrain, Gary and Will for playing alongside, especially Will for rolling dice all day despite some horrendous modifiers.  Thanks to you for looking.