Historical Background
Dieskau ordered his Canadians and Indians to follow up their success of the “bloody morning scout” with an attack on Johnson’s camp. His Indians, however, were sullen and unmanageable, and the Canadians also showed signs of wavering due to the loss of their veteran commander Legardeur de Saint-Pierre. At great length, the Indians were persuaded to move again, and Dieskau formed his 222 French grenadiers into a column, six abreast, and led them in person along the lake road.
The Canadians & Indians moved helter-skelter through the woods while the grenadiers marched toward the clearing where Johnson’s camp was, around which Johnson had hurriedly constructed defensive barricades of “wagons, overturned boats and hewn-down trees”. The line extended from the southern slopes of the hill on the left across to the marshes on the right. Once the grenadiers were out in the open ground, the British gunners crewing Johnson’s cannons loaded them with grapeshot and cut “lanes, streets and alleys” through the French ranks.
Johnson received a flesh-wound in the thigh and was forced to retire to his tent for treatment, and General Phineas Lyman took over command. Dieskau, exposing himself within short range of the English line, was hit in the leg, knee, thigh & bladder. Refusing to be moved he seated himself behind a tree while Johnson’s men dashed forward falling upon the enemy with hatchets & the butts of their guns, forcing the French and their allies to flee.
After the French withdrawal, the British found about 20 severely wounded Frenchmen who were lying too close to the British artillery’s field of fire for their comrades to retrieve them. They included Baron Dieskau, who had paid the price of leading from the front. Taken prisoner and treated for his wounds, Dieskau was sent to England in 1757.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. The rest is history?
Battle Notes
French Army
• Commander: Dieskau
• 4 Command cards & 3 Combat cards
• Move First
British Army
• Commander: Johnson
• 5 Command cards & 3 Combat cards
Victory
7 Victory Banners
Special Rules
- Opening cannonade is in effect, but only French grenadiers may be targeted.
- Indian “War Cry” is in effect for French and British Allied Indians, but only against non-Indian units.
- French militia:
- may move one hex and battle or two hexes and not battle
- retreat two hexes per flag
- a Forest hex does not stop movement - A lone non-Indian leader may never end it’s movement with an Indian unit.
- The three hills outlined in red represent a temporary victory banner for the French as long as they hold the majority (one more than the British) at the start of their turn.
- The three British camps are worth one permanant victory banner each for the French when held at the start of their turn. Camp hex should be removed when the victory banner is claimed.
- Indians cannot ignore flags from artillery for any reason other than ‘Retire and Rally’.