ECW The Battle of Glastonbury - Part 3: Turns 9 - 16

Turns 9 - 12

It is the start of turn 9 when the Parliamentarian foot regiments must retire from the field. Circumstances though are beyond their control and not yet in a position to retire.

Starting with the Royalist left flank, Hungerford's dragoons continue to hold the hedgerows although Hopton's dragoons gradually get the upper hand against the company of Parliamentarians opposite them. Having moved to close range their superior numbers begin to tell. 

Vaughan infuriatingly again fails to motivate his raw troopers into charging the Parliamentarians. 

Continued -

Popham's bluecoats are determined to hold the hedgerow and although disordered and oblivious of their orders to now retire, they again hold off Godolphin's regiments.  

Travannion's bluecoats, having rashly pursued routing Roundheads, find themselves squarely in the face of Code's regiment of cavalry. The latter wastes no time and orders the charge. The bluecoats are unformed and do not have time to form a pike stand. They have to rely on their musketeers to down enough troopers to dissuade them from making contact. This was not to be, and with only one casualty the raw Parliamentarian cavalry ploughed into the unformed foot regiment. The melee was short and decisive with the bluecoats routing from the field and having no prospect of rally. 

The sight of the routing veteran bluecoats was too much for the raw redcoats of Buck's regiment who joined in the rout.

Carnarvon's royalist cavalry pour through the gap in an effort to make headway towards the Roundhead baggage train.  

On the Parliamentarian left flank Popham's dragoons rally.

Vaughan's repeated failures to charge leaves him at the mercy of the dragoons who pick him off one trooper at a time. Hopton's dragoons on the right fire a devastating volley at Hungerford's dragoons. Even being behind hard cover did not save him as 5 figures were knocked down generating a morale test. Despite losing over 40% casualties, Hungerford's dragoons hold on.

Both sides disengage on the Royalist left due to fatigue having fought 3 rounds of melee in succession. Popham's bluecoats are ordered to retire which suited Godolphin who orders his two regiments to do likewise clearing away for the Royalist cavalry to take up the fight.

Bottom left, Trevannion's routing bluecoats are pursued by Code's cavalry. Code needed a '6' on a D6 to rally his raw pursuers such was their elation at carving into the routing Royalists. And a '6' was rolled! Code begins the process of rallying his regiment.

In the middle right of the photo the first cavalry action of the battle commences. A squadron of Carnarvon's veteran greencoats charge Fiennes trained regiment who counter-charge. Both regiments are disorganised due to the drainage ditch interfering with their charge. Fiennes narrowly wins the melee (killing 1 Royalist for no loss!). They will however continue the melee into another turn.

Top right, Popham has joined the leaderless yellowcoats of Strode to ensure they retire as ordered.

Pyne's greycoats successfully rally and form a march column as they prepare to retire in the direction of their baggage train.

To the right of the photo the cavalry melee swings in the Royalists favour. As they intermingle in a second round of melee the Royalist veterans rout Fiennes regiment with heavy loss.

As they stream towards their rear, Fiennes' regiment is pursued by Carnarvon's greencoats who maintain contact inflicting much butchery!

                            Popham's bluecoats form a march column and begin to retire.

Prince Maurice joins Vaughan's regiment to save them more embarrassment! They prepare to make way for Godolphin's bluecoats to deal with the rather irritating Roundhead dragoons.

Pyne's regiments makes steady progress as it retires towards Wells. 

Col Edward Popham leads the combined regiment of Code, Strode and his own troopers in a charge towards the unformed Royalist regiment of Bennet. The Royalists delivered a ragged counter-charge but the Roundheads fail to capitalise on their advantage and are pushed back.

An overview of the battlefield centre as the Royalists bring more cavalry to the fore.

Turns 13 - 16

Having suffered more heavy casualties, Hungerford's dragoons now retreat from the advancing Royalists.

The slaughter continues as Bennet leads a squadron of Carnarvon's regiment in its pursuit of the routing hapless troopers of Fiennes' regiment. Col Richard Code attempts to extricate himself from the routing cavalry but fails and receives a serious wound for his troubles.

All is not well with Edward Popham's cavalry as they are pushed back again by Bennet's Royalists. The second pushback is of sufficient distance to cause the raw troopers to rout with heavy loss.

Popham's dragoons holding the Parliamentarian left flank now mounted up following its order to retire.

An overview at the end of turn 13. What began as a resoundingly successful defence by the Parliamentarian foot regiments now looked to be unwinding as more Royalist cavalry made their presence felt. It was now a race against time to protect the baggage train.

Bennet and his squadron of Carnarvon's regiment finally ride down the last of Fiennes regiment and kill Code in the process. They now have a clear run towards Wells and will be the first Royalist cavalry unit to leave the table in pursuit of the baggage train.

Bennet's regiment pursues Codes Parliamentarians maintaining contact and cutting more down. Col Edward Popham receives a light wound as he tries and fails to rally his troopers.

Popham's Dragoons make their way through the orchard having received orders to retire.

The tail end of the column receives unwelcome attention from Hopton's dragoons who pour fire into them killing one of their number.

On the opposite flank, the survivors of Hungerford's dragoons continue to fall back in the face of overwhelming numbers.

What must be the final showdown begins to develop in the centre of the battlefield as the two remaining Parliamentarian cavalry regiments (on the right of the photo) prepare to make a last desperate attempt to delay the Royalist horse from reaching the baggage train.

Meawhile, to the rear, the Parliamentarian foot regiments retire towards Wells.

Bennet's regiment destroys the last of Code's regiment killing Col Edward Popham.

Hungerford's dragoons mount up to ride clear of the advancing Royalists.

The final charge begins! Gould's redcoats on the left with Hungerford's Horse to their right charge towards the Royalists. In the middle of the photo the large regiment of Maurice's Horse counter-charges with his lifeguard on their right flank lead by Hopton himself. In the foreground, Carnarvon wastes no time in ordering his squadron to charge the flank of the Roundhead cavalry despite being disorganised.

The Horse clash! Despite being hit in the flank Gould's Horse perform well but are nevertheless pushed back.

Bennet's Horse now have a clear run aiming to be the second Royalist cavalry unit to leave the table heading for the baggage train.

Popham's dragoons emerge from the orchard but there appears to be little they can do now to change to course of the battle.

Maurice now leads Vaughan's Raw troopers into the melee reinforcing Maurice's Horse (bottom right).

Hungerford's Horse on the right continue to hold the line and succesfully push back Vaughan's Horse. The combination of Carnarvon's Horse piling into his flank with continuing pressure from Maurice's Lifeguard and Horse following up their pushback proves too much for Gould's Horse who rout with heavy losses.

Three closeups of the cavalry melee.

NEXT: The final moves together with my thoughts on the 'Forlorn Hope' rules.