Part 2: Minden 250th, 2nd. and 3rd. Cavalry Waves and Some Players

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Part of the French right flank Grand Battery is visible in the lower right of this photograph near Maulbeerkamp. Meanwhile, Spörcken's Brigade fought off the first wave of French cavalry. Ranks and files were steadied and closed before advancing farther as you see here. Farther?! The second wave approaches seen from the French right. "Brigade HALT!....Make Ready..... Aim...."



French infantry has come up south of Maulbeerkamp.


"FIRE!"



The French close in with the sword. Now it is up to each man to wield his sword or bayonet to decide the issue. Again the line holds.

When the wreckage clears, the third wave approaches. Maulbeerkamp is in the distance; the French right flank. Note French infantry moving in. These would soon be countered with the Brunswick Korps seen just entering the main table in the upper left where Chuck is sitting.

Closer.

Smoke from musketry rises over the combat. Distance between foes drops to nil.

The left-most British battalion is from Spörcken's second line.

Left to right: John and Der Alte Fritz.

Left to right: l'Comte d'Artois, Brent and Andy.


The soon to be silenced French Grand battery on the French left flank.

And way beyond that almost silenced French left flank Grand Battery, the idle Allied cavalry reserve.


This was what it was all about!
Our simulation of the three waves of French cavalry at Minden and...
The celebrated steadiness of the British and Hanoverian battalions of Spörcken's Brigade.
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Closing Remarks:

• As Der Alte reported on his blog, at this point the simulation ended and....
• We commenced playing a regular game - not a simulation with interference from the stage director.
• The Brunswick Korps (six battalions) marched onto the field near Maulbeerkamp, engaged the French infantry opposite them and were forced back while....
• On the other flank, the French Grand battery was silenced as it was historically, the Allies held Hahlen but French infantry coming forward from reserve took out the weakened Allied battery that had silenced it's French counterpart and....
• L'Chevalier Andy in the center routed a British battalion with the French Royal Regiment of cavalry, pursued it to the Allied back table, took the routers out of the game, rallied and returned to the main table to sweep into the Allied artillery near Hahlen. The Royals will receive a battle honour for these achievements and Andy becomes it's Colonel.
• Had Gen. Sackville rolled a 2D6=12, the Allied right flank would have been stabilized by his voluminous numbers of cavalrymen.
• But, we could not allow that, could we? History would have been discombobulated!
• The game was won by the French winning the wings of the battlefield after thinking all was lost until the two last turns of the game. Victory swung unexpectedly. It is said a game with swings back and forth like this is satisfying. I think so too.
• And fun!

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