War of the Grand Alliance in Ireland

Denied our Nine Years War / War of the League of Augsburg fix this year, due to the Waterloo epic refight, we decided to get the lads out for a game in October. I rustled up a scenario of a Jacobite army catching an isolated Williamite force. The Jacobites (did I say "goodies"?) had a chance to crush the Dutch and Danes before a brigade of Guards could rush to their rescue.

The Jacobites formed up with 3 brigades of foot and a brigade of cavalry on each flank, deployed like a proper Christian army...

The Williamites massed all their cavalry on their left in the naïve belief that a few broken down walls would protect their right from the Jacobite horse...

The Jacobites massed their best infantry as a battering ram to crush the Williamite line.

 

The Williamite right where the main Jacobite attack would concentrate.

 

The massed Dutch and Danish cavalry clashed early with the superior but outnumbered Jacobite horse. A long and confused melee occurred with the Jacobite horse eventually quitting the field but having reduced the enemy cavalry to an ineffective remnant.

Warfare Miniatures cavalry painted up as a Dutch regiment.

We had a right old mix of figures on the table,  Warfare and Ebor miniatures from newish ranges, and Reiver, Foundry and Essex figures from their older but still very serviceable ranges for the late 17th Century.

The Jacobite foot eventually got into musket range and at the same time their unopposed left wing cavalry brigade swung into action. The exposed Williamite infantry regiment on their extreme right had turned to face the oncoming cavalry in time but its fire was all but ineffective and the Jacobite troopers charged home and caused mayhem in their ranks. The destruction of their comrades caused the neighbouring regiment to retire in disorder and everything was looking a bit dicey for the defenders.

Lady luck did not stay with the Jacobite cause however. The reinforcements for their opponents had turned up early! (Immaculate dice rolling skills.) so the collapsing line of foot was able to be stiffened. Also the inexperienced Jacobite foot brigade in the centre was starting to get shaky from the artillery pounding it had sustained. With the likelihood vanishing of being able to exploit their cavalry success, the Jacobite commanders decided to retire from the field having given the Williamites a scare but not a decisive defeat.