Historical Background
At the first light of dawn on, the Indians began shouting and yelling all around Bouquet’s force at a distance of about five hundred yards.
They then attacked under excellent fire and made several attempts to break into the camp. Bouquet’s men repulsed every effort but were becoming extremely fatigued due to their long march, the action of the previous day, and a lack of water. Whenever the weary British counterattacked, the Indians gave way and, when the pursuit halted and the troops returned to their positions, renewed their attacks.
Bouquet realized that the situation could not be allowed to continue and decided that he had to force the enemy to close upon his troops or force them to stand their ground so that his men might close upon the Indians. The means by which he sought to bring about one or the other of these two situations in effect brought about both.
Bouquet ordered two companies of light infantry to withdraw from their positions in the defensive line and fall back inside the circle.
He then ordered the troops to the right and left of this vacated space to open their files and cover the open area in his line. He intended that the withdrawal maneuver by the two light infantry companies would appear as the beginning of a retreat. The covering troops took their positions nearer to the center of the defensive circle, thus giving the impression that a portion of Bouquet’s line was caving in or contracting in order to screen a retreat. Orders were also sent to a third light infantry company and the grenadier company of the 42nd Regiment to support the proposed action of the two light infantry companies that had been pulled out of the line. Indians in the vicinity of the area where the above troop movements had taken place rushed forward into the space covered by the screening troops and delivered some very heavy fire upon the few British regulars posted there. At that moment the two light infantry companies that had been withdrawn appeared on the right flank of the attacking Indians.
These two companies had sallied forth from a part of the hill to which they had marched, an area that was not readily observable to the attacking Indians. The flanking troops opened fire on the enemy, who immediately halted their attack on the screening troops and resolutely returned the fire of the two light infantry companies. The British attackers rushed forward with fixed bayonets and drawn claymores into the midst of the Indians. A wild melee ensued and many Indians were killed. Then the surviving Indians who had been taken in flank broke and fled the field. Their path of flight took them across the front of the two supporting companies which promptly delivered a volley of fire into the retreating Indians’ flank. The four companies then pursued the routed enemy some two miles, thoroughly dispersing them.
The Indians on the other side of the circle witnessed the defeat of their comrades, made no move to assist them, and subsequently followed their example and quit the field. The four companies that had been chasing the retreating Indians returned and took possession of a hill to Bouquet’s front west of the circle. Here Bouquet established another camp and buried his dead. Some Indians fired on this new camp after it was set up, but they were dispersed by light infantry units that acted on their own without having been ordered to do so by Bouquet.
The march to Fort Pitt took almost three days due to the wounded having to be carried and cared for.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. The rest is history?
Battle Notes
Shawnee Army
• Commander:
• 4 Command cards & 2 Combat cards
• Move First
British Army
• Commander: Bouquet
• 5 Command cards & 2 Combat cards
Victory
6 Victory Banners
Special Rules
- Indian War Cry is in effect.
- Indian Deception is in effect.
- Supply Wagons (2 blocks each) represent the British supplies and wounded. Indians gain a permanent victory banner when both Supply wagon units are eliminated.
- Edge Hill is represented by the 10 hexes with fieldworks. The fieldworks and encircled four road hexes are considered on hills.
- The Indian player gains a temporary victory banner at the start of their turn for each of their units or lone leaders on Edge Hill.
- No bonus road movement on Edge Hill.
- British gain one temporary Victory banner on the start of their turn for each section of the battlefield not occupied by an Indian unit or lone leader.
- Indian Warriors
- Indian War Cry
- Indian Deception
- Supply Wagons