Cheriton, It's a Wrap!

Last week witnessed the fifth replaying of the 1644 Battle of Cheriton.  Game #5 saw an encore performance by most of Game #1's participants. The first game saw Mark, Chris, and the Two Daves take to the field.  In the last game, Mark, Chris, and Dave B were joined by Tony to complete the foursome.  The three players in the first game all swapped allegiances for the game giving each a view of the battle from both sides of the table.  Army dispositions and player commands are shown on the following game map.

Initial army and player dispositions.

So far in this series, Waller has seen three victories, one draw, and no losses.  The single draw was awarded as time ran out.  By general consensus a draw seemed reasonable.  Could Hopton break this chain of Parliamentarian victories?

Haselrigge's Cavalry Wing forms up.

To review the action from prior games, please see the links below,

Game #1

Game #2

Game #3

Game #4

With four games already chronicled in the Battle Log, a reasonable body of work is available as a baseline for assessing game flow.  All of these previous actions saw the battle develop in a predictable manner.  Well, developing in a predictable manner after we witnessed how Game #1 played out.  By the way, it was Game #1 that saw the single draw.  Still, that first battle developed similarly to all of the following battles.

Whereas Waller begins holding the high ground on the South Spur, in all five games, Waller orders Potley's infantry down from the heights to take the fight to Hopton.  All recognized the importance of making a push toward the hedge-lined lane bisecting the battlefield while commanded shot units begin to contest Cheriton Woods.  

Battle lines as the action begins.

Both armies advance.

Parliamentarian Center enters the "arena".

Royalist foot push toward the hedge as well.

View from behind Royalist Left.

While both infantry centers make a beeline to reach the protective barrier in the center of the battlefield, Waller orders Balfour's Right Cavalry Wing to sweep around behind Roundhead lines in order to support Haselrigge's cavalry on the Left.  Confined by Cheriton Woods on the right, infantry to the left, and an open yet rough heath to the front, all of the Roundhead players chose to bring Balfour over to the Left in support of Haselrigge.  Now, this redeployment takes time but all make the same choice.  

Balfour redeploys...

by bringing his cavalry over to the Left.

As infantry converge upon the hedge in the center, Haslerigge strikes out toward the enemy's Right Wing.  In a series of charges, countercharges, and pursuits, Mark dismantles Lisle's (and Forth's) cavalry.  Royalist cavalry are sent reeling with at least one cavalry unit fleeing the field.  Losses are high for both armies but Haselrigge emerges victorious and controlling that sector of the battlefield.  Seeing the destruction of his right, Hopton sends Stuart's cavalry over to shore up that wing.  

The fight for the center...

as Haselrigge dismantles the Royalist Right.

Help is on the way!  Is it?

The fight over control of the hedge in the center intensifies as firefights and charges are the order of the moment.  Casualties mount as the battle ebbs and flows.  The Royalists make some headway only to be repulsed while the Roundheads see similar results.  The battle in the center is hotly contested and the ground is still up for grabs.

Fighting along Broad Lane.

Fighting in the heath.

Bard moves his infantry up to drive off the dragoons.

Paulet leads a Royalist foot over the hedge...

but the cost is high.

One Royalist foot regiment destroyed
as Paulet scampers to safety. 

As a second Royalist regiment is driven back and the purple coats come across the hedge, Bard's grey coats move up to contest the ground.  Bard successfully drives the enemy back but his advance exposes a flank.  Seizing this opportunity, Haslerigge leads a charge over the hedge and into the unsuspecting Royalists.  Unable to respond, Bard's regiment is cut to pieces.  Now Hopton's Right is gone.  Definitely gone!  Stuart attempts to stem this tide with one of his horse units but it is overwhelmed.  Not only has Hopton's Right been pulverized but the Center also looks lost. 

Bard's grey coats counterattack driving the enemy back...

but are put to the sword by Roundhead cavalry.

Skirmishing continues in Cheriton Woods.

Hopton's Right is gone and Center is in disarray.

Waller controls the field.

With word reaching Hopton that enemy cavalry are seen moving up to exploit these multiple successes, Hopton sees the writing on the wall and orders the remnants of his army to disengage.  For Hopton, this battle is over.

Roundhead cavalry coming up in support.

Hopton orders his army back.

With a score of 9-2 remaining on the Army Breakpoint Clocks in Waller's favor, Chris and David concede the battle.  The battle ends in a major Parliamentarian victory.  Congratulations to Mark and Tony for a battle well fought.  Fine play by all but there is no question as to the victors.  The action on this day was the most decisive of the quintet.  Very fun to watch this battle unfold and the way in which the Roundheads handled their troops.  Impressive guys!     

What have I learned from these five games?  For starters, Cheriton looks a tough ask for the tabletop Hoptons just as it was for their historical counterpart.

After five games, time to put away the ECW armies and contemplate a new challenge.  Next up will see a return to another civil war with a look at an early battle in the American Civil War, Western theater.