Encounter in the Hinterland - 9th August 1791

Try as he might Georges Biassou could not shake off Louverture and his forces, they were better organised, armed and trained after yesterdays initial Biassou's slave forces had been forced back. But before they could reorganise the lead elements of Louverture were amongst his pickets.

George Biassou called his men out it was an all out attack...

He would be defending the left hand side of the table while the General would come on from the right.

So the scene is set. Biassou knew where the loyalists would be advancing from so rallied his men seeking the best ground he could in the limited time available to him.

He had high ground to his right and a small orchard to his left. The battlefield was littered with slave shacks and small plots of merger crops. Biassou ordered his men forward.

Biassou ordered his men up to the wooded ridge but the going was tough and despite his urging his men struggled to make progress up the steep incline.

On the far right his skirmish troops grabbed cover in a small plot of crops and awaited the advancing enemy. 

Keen to take away  Louverture deployment options he rushes all his troops forward including the mass ranks of poorly armed slaves, armed only with sharpen stakes, swords and axes, they lacked any range weapons but were deadly in hand to hand.

The Haitian skirmishers begin to appear on the table popping up amongst the slave huts and fences.

The slaves charged forward their Voodoo priest convincing the mass of troops that the loyalists musket rounds would not hurt them if they had faith. On they rushed clearing the open ground rapidly and heading straight for the irregular skirmishers.

The trap is sprung. After yesterdays encounter Louverture was not going to be caught out again and with 3 flags launched his ambuscade revealing his assault column who unleashed a deadly volley, killing a number of the attackers and sending the others running for cover with over 14 points of shock.  

Seeing the initial attack fail the remaining slave forces waited for the assault to come.

They did not have to wait long as the column advanced across the open ground. Louverture sent forward his skirmishers who harassed the militia forming on the tree line. Who let loose a crushing blow which slowed the column as it came on to the defenders.

Up until now the loyalist forces had showed great discipline yet after delivering a bloody volley into the mass ranks of slave militia and having seen the column destroy the charging slaves. The irregular skirmishers ignored their commander and broke through the hedge to charge towards the enemy. An opening volley sent them running from the field.
With over 11 flags in the bag a random event was bound to happen.

Meanwhile the Haitian columns marched on.

Whilst the skirmishers rash move had been unplanned, it had brought the Infantry enough time to charge into the left flank of the militia who were struggling with a pall of smoke massing their front. The loss of the melee pushed Biassou's force morale to zero and his troops flee the table.

With a force morale difference of 6 the loyalists broke through into the slave camp, looting 4 sacks of supplies and butchering the wounded from the previous days battle.

Mainforce casualties for both sides had been light, with Biassou only losing 2 killed, where Trousant Louverture had two men wounded from his mainforce.
But more importantly for Louverture, Biassou was beaten in battle again and was slowly being forced back to his capital.