The Pearl of the Antilles - Haitian Revolution AAR #4 Ambush

It's been 6 months since the last outing, but slowly I have been reinforcing the numbers within the Haiti project to the point where I could field forces for at least two factions.

This scenario takes us back to the very begining of the conflict and a fictious campaign featuring a Maroon leader - Bosou Delaroo and his arch rival Major Gabriel Chevrolet, one of the first Blacks to be promoted to the rank of Major.

After weeks of rising thefts and the occasional raid of plantation stores, Major Chevrolet has been tasked with taking a column of troops into the foot hills to clear out and round up the escaped slaves and criminals, Delaroo knew there was only one track into the hills and set about stopping him.

The Maroons had to hold the barricade and turn back the column. The column for there part could not leave the road until enemy forces had been sighted.

 

The column trudges up towards their objective, the terrain contaned patches of dense jungle with boggy ground making it impossible to avoid the barricade blocking the way to the passage into the foot hills.

Luck was with  Chevrolet his skirmishers rushed ahead forcing Bosou Delaroo to show his hand rather quicker than he would have liked and deploy further away from the barricade.

The folks working the patches of cleared jungle to grow their own crops start to pack up and head off table knowing that it was about to get hot in the hinterland.

Fearing the barricade would fall before his forces could be massed Bosou Delaroo orders a number of musket men to rush to the aid of his ragtag command at the barricade. Whilst they were numerous their inexperience led to very few casualties on the Freeman and the colonial militia with them.

The colonial militia leave the road under the command of Daniel Dupont and step out to intercept the ever growing slaves massing on the columns flank. Dupont hated being under the control of Major Chevrolet and hoped he would fail but he was not a fool and could see that things were starting to get very busy, with slaves appearing from every rock and palm tree.

Meanwhile at the barricade the skirmishers had taken cover behind the makeshift cover and were exchanging shots with Bosou Delaroo and his chosen men.

Colonel Gabriel Chevrolet urges his men forward looking to clear the barricade of the Maroons and drive Delaroo back into the jungle.

Casualties mount on both sides but Bosou Delaroo holds firm as a Level 3 leader he works hard to sheppard his men keeping the shock down and directing fire as musket balls fly towards him.

Colonel Gabriel Chevrolet forms his infantry into line, his vision blurred by his own skirmishers who had been driven off the barricade, he knew that a column attack would be costly and opted for a full blooded volley looking to kill Delaroo and clear the way forward, meanwhile on his flank the rest of the maroon force contined to make their prescence felt with long range fire.

Just as things were looking to be dire for Delaroo he had a change of fortune, from the nearby plantations and coffee fields the slaves had risen up grabbing knives and sharpened stakes they rushed to his aid targeting the white colonial militia of Daniel Dupont, he had been a hated slave master at one of the local plantations and they were up for blood.

Dupont urged his men on who drove back the first mass of charging slaves but could not stop the next band who closed with his relunctant militia, who were more suited to their own houses than the jungle and marshland of the foot hills.

Dupont fell backwards exposing the columns flanks and rear, Major Chevrolet looked over his shoulder to see the Whitemen stumbling backwards, only to be charged again by the field hands.

It was all over Dupont was hauled to ground, blooded and captured, his troops put to the sword and the attackers force morale shattered, Major Chevrolet led his beaten soldiers into the jungle leaving the field of battle to Bosou Delaroo who had won an important victory for their future freedom.

A great game nice to get the figures on the table - Sharp Practice is perfect for the Haiti project and with Dupont in the hand of the Maroons, the next scenario is already set up, lets hope it's not six months before the next outing.