Cropredy Bridge Redux

Action returns to the fields of Cropredy as Steve and Chris face-off in a Monday rematch of the battle two weeks passed (see Battle of Cropredy Bridge BatRep).  That earlier battle resulted in a sound Royalist beating at the hands of Waller and his army.  In a head-to-head match-up, both players reprised their roles in command of the same armies as they held in the first game.  Without co-generals on the field, Steve and Chris would be solely responsible for the results of battle.  Steve stepped into the boots of Wilmot while Chris represented Waller on the field.

Opening positions

After having seen how the rules performed in their first game, I wondered if the approach to battle would remain similar to the previous contest.  Certainly, with Waller coming out the victor, Parliamentarian strategy and tactics may remain similar, but I expected a different approach from the vanquished Royalists.  From the opening maneuvers, it became clear this battle would not yield a repeat of that first engagement on the banks of the River Cherwell.

Waller's Army strung out along the River Cherwell.

Wilmot's Division on the high road.

Dragoons protecting Hays Bridge.

Astley's foote marching north.

Let's see how the battle unfolded.

Unlike the first game in which the combatants went at one another straightaway with repeated charges and counter-charges on both flanks, army positioning is more deliberate as each jockeys for an advantage.  These deliberations did not last long on the south end of the battlefield. 

Northampton's left-most horse regiment charges down the slope with sights set on Waller's right flank.  Seeing Royalist horse coming forward, Waller's horse counter-charges.  In the initial clash, Waller's horse is driven back with heavy casualties.  Northampton pursues.  As Waller's horse loses cohesion, it is caught in the rear by Northampton.  The Parliamentarian regiment scatters and splashes back across Slat Ford in rout.  Northampton's horse pulls up short of the river, exhausted.     

Initial maneuvers lead to cavalry charges
on the southern end of the battle line.

One of Waller's horse regiments breaks
 and flees across the River Cherwell.

Northampton's horse pulls up short of the ford. 

Seeing the destruction of the Parliamentarian horse to its right, Waller's second regiment of horse spins around to catch its companion's pursuers in the rear.  Surprised by this sudden and unexpected contact in its rear, Royalist horse wheels to its left in an attempt to extricate itself from this unfortunate predicament.  As Northampton's horse makes its wheel to head back toward friendly lines, it is caught again by its pursuers.  This Royalist horse can take no more.  It breaks and routs.  In the confusion of battle, Waller is wounded.

The pursuer becomes the pursued!

Royalist horse has seen enough!
It breaks for the rear.

Situation at southern end of battlefield.

In the center, Waller and Vandruske bring their infantry forward.  To counter these moves, Astley deploys his infantry on the heights overlooking the valley below.  Rather than driving on Hays Bridge with his cavalry, Middleton swings his cavalry wing toward the center moving behind the protective screen of the infantry.

Parliamentarian infantry advance toward
Royalist positions on the heights

while Middleton redeploys his entire cavalry wing.

Back on the Royalist left, Northampton leads his second horse regiment down into the valley in an attempt to cover his first regiment's retreat.  Thinking the mounted dragoons are an easy target, he charges headlong toward his enemy.  The dragoons discharge their weapons into the face of the Royalist horse and Northampton's horse is put to flight.

Northampton in flight!

To remove the threat of the dragoons, Wilmot sends one of his cavalry regiments into the dragoons.  This time, Waller's dragoons do not fare well.  The dragoons are sent reeling back toward the river.  In hot pursuit, Wilmot chases the dragoons back to Slat Ford as the dragoons scatter.  As the dragoons splash across the ford, they disorder one of the auxiliary regiments preparing to cross to the east bank.  The confusion is great among Waller's wing.        

Dragoons rout across the river.

Not many troops left on the southern flank.

Mayhem at the ford.

Back in the center of the battlefield, Middleton passes his cavalry wing behind Vandruske's foote as he makes his way to shore up the Parliamentarian right.  As Middleton is in motion, Astley strikes.  Advancing down from the heights, Astley hits Vandruske's infantry.  Shots ring out as the Royalists attack but their attacks go in.  

Middleton redeploys to the right.

Astley attacks!

Astley's yellow coats attack first.  The enemy is driven back in retreat but the yellow coats do not follow up.  With success on the left, Astley's white coats go in against Vandruske's remaining infantry.  Vandruske's foote are badly mauled and the foote break for the river.  In the confusion, half of Middleton's command is caught up in the retreat.  The horse panic and fall back toward the river.     

Chaos reigns
as foote and horse become entangled in the retreat.

Parliamentarian foote stream toward
Cropredy Bridge as Middleton falls back to the river.

Waller's Army is in flight!

With the sudden collapse of the Parliamentarian center, Waller orders his army to seek safety on the west back of the River Cherwell before all is lost.

The battle is over.  

The King's Army is victorious on this day and the historical accounts need not be rewritten.

Thanks to both players for an exciting rematch.  There were times when both players thought they had lost.  Often within the same turn.

Great fun to watch unfold!