Montrose - Turn 9

Turn 9 begins with the Covenanter / English forces in a dire position. They now only control 3 territories and the Covenanter home territory is under attack.  As they are on the defensive we fought the "stronghold" scenario on both tables. Both sides score for kills with the defenders fortified stronghold counting as 4 VPs.

Game 1 - Montrose vs English

In the first game the Royalists went for a "bulls horns" inspired plan with Irish up the middle, Highlanders to their right and Horse to their left. The lowland militia supported the centre. 

English stronghold

    

The Horse and Highlanders made good progress whilst the Irish looked to grind out a win against the stubborn English foot. Irish fighting prowess eventually prevailed pushing the English back and allowing them to take the tower. Royalist Win. 

Irish attack

Game 2 - Montrose vs Covenater

Game 2 was slightly different in setup. Once again the Irish held the centre with Horse to their right supported by Highlanders. The lowland Militia held the left with guns setup to bombard the stronghold.

In the pre-game phase the Covenanters quickly manoeuvred some Horse to attack and rout the Royalist artillery, thus curtailing the expected bombardment. This prompted the Royalist to switch plans and quickly attack with the Irish.    

Although the Covenanters had scored a win with the routing of the enemy guns it did leave them short handed and at a disadvantage in a protracted cavalry combat on their left, which was eventually won by the Royalists to expose their flank. The Covenanters also lost a general mid game which hampered their ability to issue orders.

Irish take the stronghold

In the centre, Irish were able to take the stronghold and turn the flank of the Covenanter foot, with the Lowland Militia putting pressure on the advancing reinforcements. Royalist Win

Covenanters badly fragmented

Campaign Situation

With two more wins we declared that Montrose was victorious having captured all bar the English home territory. Thus the Kings dominance over Scotland is complete and Cromwell has lots to worry about. 

As with the real battles the Irish were often the decisive factor in the battles. They can generally be relied on the beat the first unit they attack and if they are lucky on the casualties perhaps a second one too. The Highlanders are effective in combat but easily spooked by shooting causalities, and  so need careful husbanding. 

With the main campaign complete we'll do a few historical battles while we finish preparations for our next campaign - ACW in 28mm using Osprey's "Rebels and Patriots".