AWI: Lexington and Concord 19th April 1775 (6mm). Turns 17 - Conclusion

TURN 17

The lone Concord company gamely fights on exchanging volleys from the Grenadiers. They are again shaken and disordered but hold their ground.

More light infantry emerge from Concord having completed collecting their haul of American stores. Pierce has a command failure leaving the Sudbury and Framingham company stranded on the road. His Acton and Beford Minutemen continue to fire volleys towards the British with limited success.

Continued -

Green moves his men forward to bring maximum pressure on the British around Concord.

Percy's Brigade now fully deployed and ready to move forward.

TURN 18

Smith struggles to pull his Grenadiers back. Barrett has again brought his brittle small Lincoln company forward and the combined firepower disorders the Grenadiers.

A fierce firefight ensues leaving Pierce's companies both disordered but the light infantry also take casualties.

Percy's brigade advances towards the woods intending to flush out any occupants.

TURN 19

Barrett's struggle continues with his Concord company now shaken and disordered from accurate Grenadier fire. Smith needs to get his troops out of there though!

American fire pours into the Light Infantry hampering their withdrawal.

At the bottom of the photo, as the 47th Foot approach the wood it is eerily quiet. Likewise for the 4th Foot (upper right of photo).

TURN 20

Smith extricates his Grenadiers from the North Bridge and moves across the fields to break the impasse at Concord. So far without success with both Light Infantry units disordered and his lead Grenadier unit shaken.

Action at Merriam's corner suddenly begins when the musketry erupts from both woods at close range. Casualties were inflicted on the 4th Foot but none on the 47th (bottom right) who reply with a hail of musket balls fired into the woods. The militia company is shaken and disordered but holds its ground.

In the middle of the photo, the marines suffer from a command blunder and drift to the left.

Percy takes a risk and sends the 23rd Foot along the road in march column hoping to connect with the struggling Grenadiers and Lights.

TURN 21

The withdrawal of the Grenadiers gives Barrett the green light to get his troops across North Bridge and bring pressure to bear on the British. Their column comes under fire from Grenadiers lining a stone wall but escape injury.

Green pulls back behind a fence line followed by a Light Infantry unit. The British are still shaken badly affecting their shooting which fails to register any hits.

Pierce does not rate his chances against the Grenadiers in hand-to-hand combat and pulls back to the relevant safety of the woods where they exchange fire at long range.

The 23rd Foot that had been advancing along the road in column quickly took up position to fire on a small militia unit commanded by Pierce hidden in the nearby woods. An exchange of fire inflicted one casualty on each leaving the militia disordered.

The 47th (nearest the camera) and the 4th Foot blaze away at militia positioned in the woods gradually whittling away at the Americans. The marines have been ordered to join the 23rd along the road to assist keeping the line of retreat open for Smith.

TURN 22

Pitcairn on the right, successfully extricates one of his Light Infantry units from the walled field to assist in suppressing the militia positioned in the woods.

To the left, Smith pulls back one of his Grenadier units in preparation of making the escape run to Lexington. Failed command rolls left his other unit lining the wall and he failed to rally his shaken unit.

Off camera to the left, Barrett had failed his command roll leaving his troops stranded on the road.

Green was in no rush to retire from his position believing he had the better of the Light Infantry. Another exchange of musketry left the Light Infantry disordered as well as shaken with no loss for the Americans.

The 23rd Foot suffers casualties but the militia sustain more leaving them shaken and disordered.

To the right the firefight continues between the 4th Foot and the militia.

More dramatic events occur at the top of the photo. Arnold had joined Green's small militia unit in the woods and successfully rallied them from shaken. A hail of musket balls from the marines and 47th Foot mowed down many of the Americans despite benefitting from cover in the woods. This lead to their destruction including Arnold himself.

TURN 23

Excellent command rolls allowed Barrett to deploy his 2 units to deal with the struggling Grenadiers. The combined firepower inflicted significant casualties on the Grenadiers forcing them to conduct a break test which they passe. In the British turn the Grenadiers suffered a command blunder. Instead of retiring it veered to the right.

Pitcairn withdrew his Light Infantry unit across the stream disordering Green's militia with musketry.

British musket balls pour into the woods inflicting losses among the militia who were unable to provide an effective response.

The marines turn into line and add their fire into the woods making life very difficult for the militia occupants!

TURN 24

Seeing an opportunity for destroying a shaken Grenadier unit, Barrett launches a charge with both his units, one of which will fall on the Grenadier's flank. This could be a moment of glory for the militia. But disaster strikes! Despite being shaken, the Grenadiers fire highly effective closing shots at the onrushing Concord company lead by Barrett himself. Heavy casualties were inflicted initiating a break test. The Concord company broke taking Barrett with them.

The Lincoln company won the melee but the Grenadiers had no difficulty holding ground. This is the situation at the end of the British turn. Smith has joined the Grenadiers adding to the combat value and the tables were turned. The Grenadiers won but the Lincoln company were not going to give up quickly. Another round of combat will be fought.

A British Light Infantry unit was driven back in disorder with heavy casualties but the militia elation was short-lived. On the right the 23rd Foot poured a shattering volley into the woods shredding the Sudbury and Framingham Minutemen who broke under the storm. 

Green's company of Middlesex Militiamen holding the wood faired no better. The combined firepower of the 4th Foot and the Marines similarly destroyed them and the survivors fled the field.

The scene here includes the Grenadier unit in march column and the 2 Light Infantry units successfully extricated by Pitcairn. The woods ahead were now clear and the only American forces still in the area being Pierce with 1 unit of militiamen in the woods in the far left. 

The battle was now effectively over with the stores safely on its way to Lexington. 

There is though one combat ongoing which was worthy of resolving. So what is now turn 25 the final combat roll was made. In the final drama the Grenadiers inflicted 6 hits to the militia's none. In order to avoid breaking they need an 11 or 12 on a dice roll. They rolled '11'! They fell back in disorder but survived. 

Smith declined to follow up respecting their courage, and after a brief salute his exhausted Grenadiers began their march to Lexington.

This was probably not the ideal choice to try out Black Powder for the first time but was interesting to see how it played through nonetheless. I modified the stats for the militia halfway through to give them a higher shooting rate and also determined the British would not charge them when occupying woods. The arrival of Percy though made their task close to impossible.

An option would be to only allow Percy to enter the table when Smith is approaching Lexington on his return journey. It would give the militia a realistic chance of defeating the Lights and Grenadiers making for a tighter game.

The next game with Black Powder will be on a much larger scale. A return to the Napoleonic campaign now has no less than 3 battles lined up involving over 2,000 to 4,000 figures each. A thorough testing in a Napoleonic mass battle setting beckons.