Sagasu : A GNW scenario for Pike and Shotte

This week we return to the Great Northern War using the Prince August figures.  A coalition of forces is besieging a Swedish garrison in the port of Sagasu on the Baltic coast.  The Swedish command has organised a relief force of 3 brigades of infantry and 1 of cavalry to raise the siege.  For their part the Russian, Saxon and Danish besiegers have begun to construct defences against such an attack.

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An overview of the battlefield, Swedes on the left, the Danish defensive work between the woods and the Saxon camp on the right.

The Danish brigade had suffered heavy losses and had been re-organised into 4 under strength battalions.  They had almost completed a redoubt covering the approach to Sagasu from the south, but the northern face was unfinished.  In the camp are a brigade of Saxon infantry and a field gun.  To the west, a brigade of Saxon cavalry.  Once all the Saxon units are activated the coalition commander can start to roll for the arrival of the Russian infantry brigade, which will appear to the east of the camp.

The 'Danish' redoubt

The Swedes arrive one brigade at a time, the order determined by the Swedish commander before the game starts.  Victory conditions are straightforward; for the Swedes, breakthrough and raise the siege, for the allies prevent the Swedes breaking through.

Initiative lay with the Swedes, but their first move was cautious,meaning the Danes had a chance to fire a volley before the inevitable Swedish charge.  However, the Danish fire inflicted little damage, unlike the Swedish response which disordered the Danes facing them.  Encouraged, the Swedish infantry charged home losing a few more casualties to the closing volley.  Against the odds the Danes managed to hold the defences and prolong the melee.  Other Swedish units now began to move to assault the sides of the redoubt whilst the much lauded Swedish cavalry entered the field.

The Swedish attack

Back at the Saxon camp the sound of the musketry roused the Saxon forces.  Not all responded immediately but as they did the infantry marched out to support the redoubt and the cavalry formed up ready to support the infantry.  In fact the cavalry responded quickest and as they moved forward on the right of the redoubt they met the Swedish cavalry.  The Swedes had been  slow to advance and now the Saxons seized the initiative and charged.  Once again the Swedes were slow to react and were caught at the halt.  The first unit was swept away in no time and disordered its supports as it routed.  Sensing victory the Saxons pursued crashing headlong into the immobile Swedish cavalry.  This was a more prolonged affair but eventually the Swedes gave way leaving the Saxon cavalry triumphant but, disordered and well away from their supports.

View from the Saxon camp before the Russian arrival

At the redoubt the struggle continued.  One of the flank attacks had failed but the defenders on the southern face eventually gave way unable to resist the pressure of the Swedish attack.  They fled through the open northern face of the redoubt making for the camp.  A battalion turned to face the Swedish infantry as they swarmed over the defences, but being a raw unit, they became disordered attempting the manoeuvre.  The Swedes had also lost order as they entered the redoubt, but their volley inflicted sufficient casualties to cause the raw unit to rout.  Seeing the redoubt could not now be held, the last remaining defenders fell back in good order.

The Swedes in the redoubt

On the Swedish right a brigade of veteran infantry advanced past the redoubt.  Their fire swept away the last remaining Danish unit and then they moved against the Saxon infantry who were now forming line covering the camp.  A welcome sight for the allied commander was the arrival of a Russian brigade of four battalions to the left of the camp.  This now moved forward towards the veteran Swedish brigade.  In the rear, the final Swedish brigade arrived, but it's commander seemed unable to get them to move forward.  Their slow advance eased the pressure on the Saxon infantry who now just faced the first Swedish brigade which had already been weakened by the attack on the redoubt.

The Swedes attack the Saxon infantry

The cavalry contest continued to favour the Saxons.  Although reduced to only two units the Swedes attacked and managed to drive the Saxons back, but did not break them.  When the Saxons counter attacked the Swedes gave way and were now too weak to influence the battle.  An attempt by the Saxon cavalry to attack the Swedes in the centre came to nothing as the leading unit was wrecked by a Swedish volley.

Saxon cavalry driven off by musketry

In a final throw of the dice the Swedish commander launched his veteran brigade against the Russians.  The Russian front line was unable to hold the Swedish charge, but it fell back without disordering its supports.  This enabled the second Russian line to attack and they pushed back the Swedes with heavy loss.  The eventual arrival of the third brigade was too late to influence the outcome of the battle, merely to cover the withdrawal of the rest of the Swedish force.

The Russians arrive

A close run thing, with lady luck definitely favouring the Saxons in the 50/50 situations.

A GNW reprise

A few weeks ago Steve and I played through a GNW scenario using the Ga Pa rules (link).  In my post I remarked how, given the time since the last Ga Pa scenario, we found the game a bit slow.  So, this week we ran the same scenario again, but used the Pike and Shotte rules instead.  Now, the rules do not include factors for the GNW, (those appear in the Black Powder supplement, "The Last Argument of Kings"), but the GNW was about the last war fought using pikes and it is only just outside the time frame of Pike and Shotte, so we thought it was worth a try.

Russians on the right, Swedes on the left

Once again the Russians have the benefit of a defensive position though they have poorer quality troops.  The Swedes must attack, pinning the Russian line before the Swedish flanking force appears.

The Russian attack strikes home

  In this second run through the scenario, the Swedish infantry managed to come to contact much better than in the first game.  I think the greater movement rate, (up to a maximum of 18" rather than 6"), helped reduce casualties; as did the difference in close range artillery fire (6" rather than 12").  However, the increased musket range (18" rather than 6") did offset this.

Even with "Ferocious Charge", (which meant the Swedes could re-roll failed attack dice in the first round of melee), the Swedish infantry failed to drive back the Russian line.  Instead, it was they who had to fall back, regroup and charge again.

A unit of Swedish infantry routes

Meanwhile the Swedish cavalry was making hard work of their attack on the Russian dragoons.  They failed successive command rolls, enabling the Russians to at least get some units out of the defences and deployed to receive the Swedish attack.  When the attack came the "Ferocious Charge" again proved not to be decisive in the first attack.  It was only when the Swedish supports joined in that the Russians cracked and fled the field.

The Swedish cavalry prevail at last

The second Swedish infantry attack was more successful.  On the Russian right one infantry unit was disordered by close range artillery fire before the infantry charged home.  At a disadvantage, the Russians put up only token resistance before routing, enabling the Swedes to gain a foothold within the defensive perimeter.  Reinforced, this slowly gained ground, aided by the Swedish cavalry. 

The Russian defensive line compromised

Although it arrived promptly the Swedish flank attack found that most of the hard work was done.  The infantry marched across the battlefield searching for an opportunity to attack, whilst the cavalry tussled with a brigade of Russian dragoons which had just arrived.  Once again the Swedish cavalry under-performed, with their veteran units being driven back in disorder.

More Swedish infantry arrive

This flank battle could not however save the main Russian force from being driven from the field thus ensuring a  Swedish victory.

The Russian dragoons try and hold back the Swedish attack

Thoughts

The game flowed better due to our familiarity with the rules

In general the 'upgrades' principally"Ferocious Charge" for the Swedes and "Stubborn" for the Russian infantry reflected the strengths of the two forces.  Poor command levels was less of a problem for the Russians in a defensive posture than it could have been if they had been trying to co-ordinate an attack.

The change in movement and weapon ranges made the attack easier, in Ga Pa the attacker suffers at least two rounds of close range artillery fire before coming to contact, enough to seriously erode their chances of success.

One outing is not enough to definitively say that this would be the right option to take.  As we all know (only too well !), dice are fickle.  Units which fail one week can succeed another, even though the circumstances are much tougher.  A few more trials are needed.

Russian success, but peripheral to the main battle

Russia versus Sweden: a GNW scenario

Looking back it is about two years since the Prince August figures last ventured onto the wargames table; so, giving them a quick dust down it was time for them to feature again.  I based the scenario on Holowcyzn (as shown in the "Last Argument of Kings" supplement to the Black Powder rules).

View from behind the Swedish lines

View from the Russian right flank

The Swedish forces attacking the Russian position consist of two brigades of infantry (each of 4 battalions and a light gun) and a brigade of cavalry.  Due to arrive sometime after move 3 is a flanking force of of another cavalry brigade (4 units) and an infantry brigade of 3 elite battalions.  The Russian commander has prepared some defences. These are open on his right flank, so he has positioned a cavalry brigade there.  Facing the initial Swedish attack are two Russian brigades (each of 6 battalions), bolstered by a light gun and a medium gun.  The Russians can expect reinforcements of a small cavalry brigade at some time after move 6.  Objectives are simple, the Russians need to hold their position, the Swedes to capture it.

The Russians stand ready to repel the Swedish attack

The Swedish line moved forward, with the cavalry advancing quickly, hoping to bottle up the Russian cavalry within the defences.  However, the Russian cavalry commander did manage to get two of the regiments redeployed to face the threat and as the Swedish charge closed it was hammered by a devastating volley from carbines and pistols.  Undeterred, the Swedes crashed into the Russians and caused heavy casualties.  After a close fight both units had to withdraw to rally, but the Russians fell back through their supports and disordered them.  The Swedes tried to exploit this advantage but their leading unit was stopped by a volley from the Russian infantry which had been redeployed to assist the cavalry.  By the time another unit could charge, order had been restored and this too was repulsed. 

On the Swedish right the first line of battalions was approaching the Russian defences.  Once they entered close range for the Russian artillery they struggled to make further progress.  Large swathes were cut in the Swedish ranks by the canister fire and it proved too much for one unit which broke and ran for the trees,  Although the Swedes were taking a pounding from the Russian guns, their artillery was less effective against the Russian defenders and it was only when the range was close enough for musketry volleys that the defence began to waver.

The Russian artillery does its job

In the centre the Swedes had advanced steadily and they had had some some success in unsettling the defenders, but what was needed was the arrival of the Swedish flank attack.

On the Swedish left the cavalry had at last gained some success.  A further attack routed the leading Russian unit but was stopped by their supports when they tried to exploit the success.  In the resulting melee, the Swedes were forced to retreat.  It was proving a bad day at the office for the vaunted Swedish cavalry. 

The Russians drive back the Swedes

Retribution: the Swedes rout the Russians

The left hand brigade of Swedish infantry had now reached the defences and were exchanging volleys with the defenders.  Some Russian units were forced to fall back to reform but once again the Russian artillery saved the day by their accurate close range fire, driving back the blue-clad ranks.

A further attack on the Russian left

Some success for the Swedes, the Russian defenders are forced to fall back

At last the Swedish flanking force appeared, led by the cavalry.  The leading unit charged, but was shattered by a volley from the Russian cavalry and then cut to pieces in the melee.  This caused some hesitation from the rest of the brigade and the advance was only resumed once they had been joined by the cavalry brigade from the main force. 

The Swedish attack becomes rather disjointed

At only one point had the Swedes managed to cross the defences and here the victorious unit had been driven back by fire from supports brought forward from the second line.  The right hand brigade of Swedish infantry was now down to under 50% strength, with battalions teetering on the brink of disintegration.  This allowed some of the supporting line to begin to move to the Russian right to bolster the defences there.

The Swedish flank attack stopped in its tracks

Swedish infantry heading for the trees

Russian reserves beginning to move to their right

With the lack of success of the Swedish cavalry any infantry assault on the Russian right was vulnerable to the Russian cavalry and the Swedish commander decided that his best course was to withdraw while he could.

The scenario was a difficult one for the Swedes, things needed to go their way in the 50/50 situations and on this occasion they didn't.  A lack of success by the Swedish cavalry against the Russian cavalry, (even though they were of better quality) and the delay in the flanking force's arrival, meant that the 'head on' attack by the two Swedish infantry brigades received the undivided attention of the defenders and was too weakened to hold that attention once the flanking force did arrive.  This is not to say that the Russians had an easy day.  Their troops were inferior in quality and their commanders not as experienced.  Once their linear formation was broken it became really difficult to maintain control.

One problem was our lack of familiarity with the Ga Pa rules.  As I said at the beginning, the Prince August figures had not been used for two years. Consequently, the rules hadn't either.  Play was slowed by us having to look up rules and the sections interpreting the playsheets. 

The Retreat continues: a further Ga Pa scenario

Following on from my previous post, the Russian withdrawal eastwards from Grodno continued. Ogilvy requested reinforcements and Moscow sent a brigade (4 battalions of veteran infantry) to strengthen his force.  Encouraged, Ogilvy sought another delaying position to inflict further losses on his pursuers.  Near Ostrino he found what he was looking for.  Although it lacked a ridge, his chosen position had both flanks secured by woods, ensuring that once again the Swedish army would have to make a frontal attack.  Ogilvy deployed his infantry in the centre.  The brigade of Schlepin in the first line, supported by Rostov's brigade.  On the right was Repnin's brigade of veteran infantry.  The few Russian guns were placed in the centre.  On each flank were brigades of dragoons, Menshikov on the right and Denisov on the left.  Ogilvy held the small regiment of Horse Grenadiers as a reserve in the centre, behind the infantry.

The Swedes under Rehnskjold had not been idle.  Reinforcements had been gathered from each garrison and force-marched to join the main army.  Rehnskjold's force now consisted of 9 battalions of infantry in two brigades (Horn and Sparre) and two brigades of horse, (Krassow and Hummerhjelm).  Although outnumbered the Swedes were the more experienced force and keen to avenge the check that they had received at Ogilvy's hand.  Reaching the Russian position, Rehnskjold deployed his force with Krassow's horse on the right wing, then Horn's infantry, Sparre's infantry and finally Hummerhjelm's horse.  His plan was to make a general advance, probing for a weak spot then use his horse to break the enemy line.

Above is an overview of the table before the action started.

Menshikov's cavalry

Repnin's brigade of infantry

The Swedish foot prepare to advance

The whole Swedish line advanced and although the Russian artillery worked hard, they were unable to stem the tide.  First into action were Hummerhjelm's horse.  Menshikov's dragoons were slow to deploy and the Sibersk regiment was driven back in disorder by a charge by the Skansa regiment.  To the right of Skansa were the Uplands regiment.  They were also successful, but were disordered by the melee and whilst they regrouped, the Semyonovsky regiment advanced and fired a devastating close range volley.  Such were the losses that the Uplands regiment took no further part in the battle. On the opposite flank, Krassow's horse were also in action.  Densiov had decided that the best tactic was to use his dragoons' firepower to weaken the Swedes and then charge home.  Schlepin had provided extra help by deploying one of his battalions, (1st Tula) to provide flanking fire. Unfortunately for the Russians, the musketry fire proved totally ineffective when their men were faced by the onrushing Swedish horse.  The Moscow dragoons were totally defeated in the melee and fled, disordering their supports, the Vladimir dragoons.  It was only a charge by the Neva Dragoons which stopped the Swedish onslaught.

Krassow's horse drive off the Russian dragoons

In the centre the Swedish infantry continued their steady advance.  Once in musketry range they delivered a volley and then charged.  Against Repnin's veterans they were less successful, their Russian opponents standing their ground and giving as good as they got.  However, against Schlepin's battalions they made some headway, forcing the Russian line back.

On the Russian right, Menshikov's dragoons had regained the initiative.  Recovering from their initial combat with their Swedish opponents, they advanced against the Taube and Skansa regiments.  Once again the Semyonovsky regiment provided supporting fire and this helped the Sibersk Dragoons overcome the Skansa regiment and drive from the field.  An indecisive melee between the Taube and Czarinski regiments resulted in both withdrawing disordered.  A Russian advance against the Swedish left wing seemed a realistic prospect.  Ogilvy decided that he should commit his Horse Grenadiers to help Densov drive off Krassow's horse and thereby relieve the pressure on his left.  His confidence had been boosted when the 1st battalion of the Smolensk regiment had delivered a deadly volley to drive back the Swedish Grenadier battalion in disorder, just as it prepared to charge.    

The infantry prepare to charge

Artillery support can prove decisive

Rehnskjold, although giving grudging admiration for the steadfast defence of the Russians, issued orders to his brigade commanders to "press on!"  Although his command had been severely weakened in its struggles with Menshikov, Hummerhjelm gathered his remaining troopers together and taking position at the head of the Taube regiment, led them forward again.  Perhaps surprised at the speed and ferocity of the Swedish assault, Menshikov's men met the charge at the halt.  First the Sibersk Dragoons were driven back, then the Czarinski.  Menshikov's third unit, an amalgam of the elite troops of each regiment, was disordered by their fleeing comrades and then driven from the field by the exultant Swedes.  In no time at all, all plans for a Russian counterattack against the Swedish left were left in tatters.  Indeed Repnin's brigade, already holding off Sparre's Swedes, now had to deploy battalions to deter a possible flank attack by Hummerhjelm's horse.  Once again the Semyonovsky regiment saved the day, driving off the Swedish horse with a disciplined volley.

On the Russian left, Ogilvy's Horse Grenadiers had, by their presence, caused Krassow to pull back his leading regiments.  Sensing the opportunity for an attack, the Horse Grenadiers moved forward, but in doing so exposed their flank to Ducker's regiment of horse.  They charged forward anticipating an easy victory.  However, against the odds, the Russians held their ground and drove off their opponents.  With Denisov's dragoon regiments still attempting to recover from their earlier drubbing, Schlepin ordered 1st battalion Tula to advance and drive off the Swedish horse with musketry volleys.  Meanwhile Schlepin's remaining battalions were beginning to waver under the unrelenting pressure from the Swedish foot.  Rostov's brigade were ordered forward to support them, but all these battalions were untried new recruits.

The Horse Grenadiers charged in flank

Sparre's infantry press on

It was at this point that Krassow, seized the initiative and ordered the Hielm regiment of horse to charge the Tula regiment.  A scattered volley was ineffective and rather than meet the Swedish horse, the Russians ran.  Behind them were their 2nd battalion, who seeing the rout, joined in.  With the Abo and Ducker regiments advancing towards Denisov's dragoons, who seemed on the verge of quitting the field, the Russian left was in a state of collapse.

Hielm strike home

With losses amongst the infantry rising, no effective cavalry and increasing pressure on his centre, Ogilvy had little option than to order a withdrawal.  It was a Swedish victory.

This was a nicely balanced game.  When we broke off for lunch, it seemed as if the Russians, having weathered the initial Swedish attack, had the advantage.  However when we resumed and the Russian lines became more disordered, the command structure began to break down and the Swedes regained the initiative.
The wider frontage (fighting across the table, rather than along its length) meant that artillery did not become too powerful.  Unfortunately this also meant that there was not the same depth available for retreats etc.

Retreat from Grodno 1706: a Ga Pa scenario

The first game of 2017 involved an outing for the 40mm Prinz August figures.  I found a scenario on the Renaissance Discussion board on TMP, which had been devised by the Wyre Forest Group.  It is a fictional scenario in which the Russian garrison of Grodno has marched east towards its supports, just before the Swedes arrived to besiege the city. Closely pursued by a Swedish force, the Russian general, Ogilvy has taken up a strong defensive position to cover the withdrawal of his baggage train and heavy artillery.

Russian infantry on the ridge

The dragoons ready to advance

Ogilvy has taken up position on a low ridge flanked by two area of impassable terrain, forcing the Swedes into a frontal assault.  His force consists of 7 line battalions and 1 elite battalion supported by two light guns.  In reserve are three regiments of dragoons.  Advancing towards him are 4 battalions of Swedish infantry and four regiments of cavalry, supported by two light guns.  All the Swedish units are of better quality than the Russian (with the exception of the single elite Russian infantry battalion), and their commanders are more experienced.  However, the ridge does give an advantage to defenders in melee.

The Swedish infantry advance

The dice decreed that Steve would command the Swedes and as he won the initiative, he deployed and began to advance.  At first the Swedish infantry ignored the long range artillery fire from the ridge, but as the range shortened, losses rose and the leading elite battalion became disordered.  The leading Swedish cavalry unit also became disordered, but a supporting unit continued to advance and once within range charged the Smolensk regiment which was holding the left flank of the Russian line.  A totally ineffective volley failed to stop the horsemen and they crashed into the Russian ranks. After a brief resistance the infantry broke and fled towards the river, the door was open, could the Swedes exploit it?

The Swedish cavalry  take the ridge

Unfortunately for Steve, the Russians had done just enough to disorder the Swedish cavalry and their supporting units had failed to follow them forward.  The Swedish cavalry commander also failed to issue and order for them to reform, so they stayed stationary on the ridge, whilst the Russians struggled to plug the gap.

On the Russian right the front line of infantry were beginning to feel the effects of the Swedish artillery, but fortunately the Swedish infantry were too far away to drive home the advantage.

The Russian dragoons counterattack

As Russian commander, I had ordered the left hand unit of the second infantry line to refuse it's left flank to fire at any Swedish cavalry advancing from the ridge.  Unfortunately, being a 'green' unit attempting this manoeuvre had caused it to fall into disorder and it took the rest of the battle to successfully order it to recover.  However, the dragoons had managed to advance and were now in a position to attempt to drive back the Swedish cavalry.  After some hesitation they did charge and force the Swedes to fall back.  Buoyed by this success they advanced again and were successful a second time.

The high water mark of the Swedish advance

By this time the Swedish infantry had managed to force most of the Russian infantry off the ridge, but had taken heavy casualties from the Russian artillery.  With half his force hors de combat the Swedish  commander decided he had better withdraw and await reinforcements.  The Russians were content to repossess the ridge and bask in an unexpected victory.

The game had been closer than the end result suggested.  A crucial bout of poor dice for Steve robbed him of the chance of exploiting his early success.  Also he was not helped by the brittleness of the Swedish cavalry, which although powerful in attack was vulnerable as it had only one strength point. Also the restricted battlefield meant that there was little scope for the Swedes to avoid the artillery fire, which proved deadly at close range.  A few points to ponder before our next GNW game

A Second advance on Riga. Another fictional scenario from the Great Northern War using Ga Pa

Family commitments ruled out a game last week, but this week offered Steve and I the opportunity to try out a second Ga Pa scenario.  This is set a few years after "the Encounter at Rauna" post and the quality of the Russian force has improved, whilst that of the Swedes has declined due to the demands of the King's campaigns against Saxony.

The terrain is very simple to set up, basically is is open, with a couple of woods on the flanks, no ambushes this week!

Russians on the left, Swedes the right.

The Russian forces comprise 12 battalions of infantry, of which 9 are rated as trained.  Of the six regiments of cavalry 5 are trained and one, the Horse Grenadiers are elite.  To complete the Russian force they have two batteries of artillery which are of heavier calibre than those fielded by the Swedes.  For their part the Swedes have 8 battalions of infantry, 4 veteran and 4 trained and 6 units of cavalry of which three are veteran and 3 trained.  They also have two very light battalion type guns.  The Swedes have two other advantages, their commanders are better and all the cavalry are 'gallopers' rather 'trotters'.  However, their cavalry units only have 1 step whereas the Russians have 2.   The Russians objective is to break through the Swedish position and march on Riga, whereas the Swedes must stop the Russian advance.

First blood to the Russian cavalry

A roll of the dice decreed that, once again, Steve would command the Swedes.  We then rolled for the rating of our commanders, I ended up with two rated as 6 and three as 7, Steve had 8s and 9s.

The Swedes won the initiative and decided to attack, which suited me as my lower rated commanders would have difficulty managing a co-ordinated advance.  I therefore relied on Hold orders for the infantry although the cavalry did venture forward on the flanks.  The Russian artillery proved its worth from the start, out-ranging the Swedish guns they were able to disorder the advancing battalions before the Swedes could reply.  Indeed, when my cavalry repulsed the first Swedish cavalry attacks I allowed myself a brief glimmer of optimism.

The Swedish infantry stand firm

Big mistake!  When the Swedish battalion guns were advanced in front of the battalions on the Swedish left I ordered the front line on that flank to advance; hoping that their volleys would drive off the crews.    The first line did advance, but their support lines did not, and to compound the error, I had miscalculated and Steve still had orders available for the infantry on his left and two battalions quickly marched forward to support their guns.  The musketry exchanges resulted in me being disordered and failed command rolls in subsequent turns meant that I couldn't recover.

The front lines prepare to cross bayonets

On the wings fortune still favoured the Russians.  My left wing cavalry drove two Swedish units from the field, but became disordered in the process and once again struggled to recover.  Meanwhile the elite Horse Grenadiers decided to advance, hoping to threaten the flank of the Swedish infantry. Steve countered this by moving his converged grenadiers to face the threat.  Their volleys eventually drove off the Horse Grenadiers, who had attempted two charges, but had been repulsed on both occasions.  On the opposite flank the same sort of thing happened.  The Russian cavalry drove one unit of Swedish cavalry from the field and then caused two more to rout.  However, all the Russian cavalry was now disordered and could not exploit their advantage.  As my commandeers struggled to regain order, the Swedish commanders quickly rallied their men and then sent them back into the fray.

The Horse Grenadiers are driven off

In the centre the advance of part of my front line had masked the fire of my guns.  This encouraged the Swedes to press on with their attack and they quickly moved forward.  Soon  both front lines were exchanging volleys, with casualties on both sides.  However, the quality of the Swedish infantry enabled them to withstand the pressure  whereas the Russians began to fall back.  This tended to disorder their supporting lines and the Russian commanders struggled to restore order.

Trying to rally the troops

Now the advantage on the wings began to swing in favour of the Swedes.  Their reordered cavalry were able to charge their disordered opponents and quickly drove them back.  Progress on their right was particularly good.  Driving all the Russians from the field the Swedes redeployed to threaten the flank of the Russian infantry.  Assailed to front and flank the Russian infantry were in dire peril  At this point I ceded victory to Steve.

The end is nigh!

The two amendments we had implemented,

1  Attached commanders aiding recovery from rout/disorder

2  Units interpenetrated by units of an equal or better quality had to check for disorder

seem to have worked well and will be written into the rules.