Wellington's Ridge Courier Game Day Best Western Haverhill

Our wargaming friends from Maine ventured south over the border in Massachusetts to hold a game day in honor of Dick Bryant, founder of the Courier Magazine which so ably represented our hobby for over 20 years.  They arranged for a conference room at the Best Western in Haverhill last Saturday and Steve Umbrell and I attended, as our wives were both out of town.  In the morning we played a game named Wellington's Ridge.  It appeared to be Quatre Bras order of battle transposed to the Waterloo terrain with Reille's II Corps versus Perponcher et al, attempting to reserve the field for Wellington to contest the French advance on Brussels.

Sequence of Play

Waterloo terrain, note Hougamont and La Haye Sainte toward the top of the screen.

Our cunning plan was to sweep to the right and roll up the ridge.  The game began with each side being able to deploy one stick (see orange and black item) length from their opening positions as seen ablove.

Steve advances in the center to pin the Allies as I swing around and  down the ridge.

The Dutch Belgians react to our move.  I have two batteries and two divisions, Bacheleau and Girard up on the ridge.  The Allies won the race to La Haye Sainte and Hougamont.  Steve assaults La Hay. 

Girard's Division shakes out into line while sending two battalions to continue  their sweep around the Allies flank.

Advance up the ridge

View from the British lines.  Tom Desmond has taken Hougamont and his troops hold the Allied right.  His cavalry hold ours in check in the center (to the right of La Haye Sainte.

Two battery's hammer the Dutch Belgian left and Girard out flanks them with one battalion while the other on the far right of this picture prepares for a new Allied division. 

The British hop out of Hougamont only to be sent fleeing back in after Steve launches a cavalry unit against them.

Steve advance in the center after taking La Haye Sainte, in order to pin the Dutch Belgians while I roll their flank.

A close up of the bloody angle. Note the red -4and rout markers on the Allied units.

Two Allied regiments have surrendered and a third is on the way .  Steve has taken some punishment but remains relatively intact.  The British cavalry are riding to try to rescue the situation as their new division deploys, delayed by my battalion.

Another view of the action in center and toward Hougamont

Final dispositions and a French victory!