The Battle of Albuera

Our big Christmas game was Albuera, playing In The Grand Manner rules

Marshal Bereford v Marshal Soult.

Allied forces move up towards Albuera and to its right 

RHA gunners get ahead of the infantry

Godinot's French troops approach the river bridge opposite Albuera

with light cavalry guarding their right flank

French batteries deploy in support of the infantry columns

Portuguese dragoons move up to investigate the right of town

determined French columns get to the bridge

British troops enter Albuera and deploy artillery on the left

Suddenly, masses of French are seen emerging from beyond the woods at the river's edge beyond Albuera

French Hussars & Lancers cross the river first 

Soult with Guyot's division follow on

Spanish infantry opposite find their muskets have failed due to a sudden rain storm

French troops get across the bridge under fire from enemy artillery

but the guns can't stop them 

and the gunners retreat

nursing casualties both from the clash with the French infantry and counter battery fire

Hamilton's Portuguese infantry skirt the town to try and regain the bridge

but the French are across in force and the Portuguese suffer horribly from artillery fire on their flank

British infantry move to counter the French attack

just as an even larger French attack develops over on the Allied right against the Spanish - who retreat

the height of the battle ...

Britisdh troops try to aid the Spanish on the right

but the French attack is relentless

with constant artillery barrages

the Portuguese in front of town begin to falter

heroic cavalry charges are unable to make any impression

The Spanish and Portuguese infantry retreat and rout

every time they try to make a stand the French smash into them again

Pushed back towards Albuera, the Allies are in danger of being cut off from their supply lines

SWith his Allies in tatters and his rear threatened, Beresford decides to withdraw his remaining British units

A cracking game for the holiday period with plenty of troops from several countries represented on the table.

Just to make it more difficult - and as happened in reality - we stopped all musket fire once the downpour started, so just artillery and the bayonet !