The Pearl of the Antillies. - The Haiti Campaign - The Battle for Ferrier 5th August 1791

After almost a week of movement the first encounter has taken place, with the Spanish under the command of Brigadier Joaquín Moreno crossing the border to attack the small town of Ferrier which is under insurgent control led by Princess Amethyst and her Company of Amazons - (Yep she is real....)

Typical you spend weeks painting French and the Spanish attack first.....

The Spanish are the attacker we rolled for the battlefield using Too Fat Lardies - Dawns and Depatures campaign suppliment and generated the scenario to give us a flanking attack.

The Spanish (French.) came on on mass with a number of regular line Infantry with a supporting medium Artillery piece, they also fielded the dreaded war dogs and colonial cavalry more than enough to clear the rebellious slaves from the field.

 

The insurgent forces had the numbers with several musket armed troops, the weapons liberated from the local arsenal their number was bolstered by a large number of escaped slaves armed with only knives and sharpened stakes but they were very keen to take the fight to their former masters.

The Artillery deployed and found targets a plenty inflicting a number of early losses on the the mass ranks of escaped slaves.

 

As the Spanish line advances through the plantation fields the mass of Insurgents are revealed over 50 armed men looking to stop the colonial advance.

Meanwhile on the left flank the freed slaves push towards the farm when they are greated by the colonial cavalry and a unit of snarling dogs who were straining on their leashes these hounds were nasty and used to chasing down escaped slaves.

The dogs are unleashed they race forwards catching the skirmishers as they try to run, ripping many of them to pieces, the leader Victor and one of his men barely make it off the table. The insurgents force morale slips.

Enraged the slave mass charges into the flank of the slave handlers in a fight to the death, finally the dogs and their masters are forced to flee, down to a single hound, but they had achieved their aim, the Princesses force morale had fallen to 5 after units had been broken and leaders wounded.

Meanwhile on the right flank unable to bring her firing line to bear, Princess Amethyst brought her forces forward firing a ragged volley.

The Spanish advanced bringing more regulars into the action and a long range fire fight opened up, but the poor shots of the former slaves failed to find their targets.

Meanwhile having barely drawn breath after defeating the dogs the former slaves were fighting for their survival as the cavalry crashed into them.

To cheers from the slave ranks the cavalry were beaten and forced to flee, with Captain Matias being carried from the field, Spanish morale began to fall, could the Princess pull this off?

Sensing this was their chance and their morale on the brink of collapse the musket armed slaves threw down their firearms pulled out their knives and machetes and charged forwards The Spanish line were unloaded could this be the opportunity the slaves had been waiting for.

After two heated rounds of combat the colonials quality won through and the slaves were forced to fall back, their force morale slipped below zero and the insurgent forces fled leaving the town of Ferrier to the Spanish. 

A great opening battle in the war for Haiti, plenty of learns on both sides.
Quality should win over quantity, war dogs are bloody nasty and cold steel wins over long range musket fire.

Campaign Updates.

As the smoke of battle cleared both sides looked to their casualties, the Spanish with good medical support were able to patch up many of their troops losing only the following.

Two Officers wounded but return to active duty tomorrow. 

1 Dog Killed.
2 Cavalry Dead.
3 Infantry Dead.

They also had 4 wounded that will return to duty on Sunday.


The Slave forces were not so lucky with little or no medical support many of the days casualties would take longer to be ready for combat.


Two Insurgent leaders wounded both return to fight tomorrow.
10 Dead
19 wounded.

Princess Amethyst and her Company of Amazons retreat from the town and need to consider their options in the face of the Spanish victory.