Montcalm & Wolfe: French Gain a Major Victory

Battle for Fort Oswego

As set up in the last Montcalm & Wolfe post, Contrecoeur and Drucour converge upon Fort Oswego in an attempt to wrest control of this key outpost from British hands.  To follow the action of this Major Battle, please visit Peter's Grid Based Wargaming.  In the action, Contrecoeur was wounded and carried from the field.  In the end, the French persevered but it was a near run thing.  The French Irregulars were destroyed but the fort fell.  Defeated in battle, Amherst's militia had enough and disbanded.  With the Cayuga eliminated in battle, only Amherst and one regiment of Regulars escape.  With a French Major Victory, the Political Track shifts two spaces to the left in favor of the French.  With winter approaching, all Natives disband and return to their settlements.  

Winter 1 1758
With snow blanketing the ground, campaigning slows to prevent severe deprivations.  Britain rolls on the Command Table receiving one CP.  Amherst and his one regiment of Regulars slips past the French at Fort Oswego and returns to the lightly garrisoned Fort Stanwix.  Overpowering the garrison, Amherst prepares for winter within the safety of the fort.  The French move Drucour and one regiment of Regulars back to Fort Niagara before Braddock can respond.

Winter 2 1758
In the second winter turn, the British roll on the Command Table and the French get to interrupt with one activation.  With that, the militia in Fort Frontenac travels by bateaux to Oswegatchie to join Rigaud.

Rolling on the Command Table a second time, the British receive four activations.  With four activations, one Regular regiment moves from Albany to Fort Stanwix to join Amherst, Johnson moves to Fort William-Henry, one Regular regiment moves from Fort Edward to Fort William-Henry, and finally, the lone regiment of Regulars stationed at Fort Cumberland for most of the war marches to Baltimore.  The French remain inactive. 

Strategic Phase
Winter is mild and neither attritional losses nor militia disbandments are seen.  French receive one militia as a reinforcement and Contrecoeur returns to the field.  Both make their way to Fort Oswego.  The British receive one militia and Abercromby.  Both of these reinforcements march to Fort Carillon.

May 1759
With the end of winter, fresh reinforcement arrive.  One more colonial militia marches to Fort Stanwix to bolster Amherst.  The French receive two regiments of Regulars; one marches to Trois Rivieres to augment Montcalm's garrison while the other arrives at Fort Oswego.  Contrecoeur is amassing a sizable force on the banks of Lake Ontario.

To begin the campaign year, the British choose to roll on the Command Table.  Three CPs are received.  One Regular regiment marches from Fort Duquesne to Fort Le Boeuf; the Regular regiment in Baltimore is shipped to Quebec; and Loudoun and two regiments of Regulars converge upon Oswegatchie to attack Rigaud.  The British strike north in an attempt to isolate Montreal!

The Battle at Oswegatchie
OB:
British: Loudoun (A0D1), 2 x 5-6 Regulars
French: Rigaud (A0D1), 1 x 5-6 Regular, 1 x 3-5 Militia

With a river to his back, Rigaud must defend the settlement of Oswegatchie from Loudoun's bold attack out of the wilderness.  A British victory here could threaten Montreal from a second front.