Napoleonic Sharp Practice: The Temptation of Fra Angelico

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     It's been an awful long time since I had played a game of Sharp Practice; the game I put on at Deep Fried Lard not withstanding as I ran that game rather than played it, so recently when the opportunity to play some Napoleonic Sharp Practice at the Falkirk and District Wargames Club popped up I grabbed it with both grubby hands. I even convinced FDWCs Laird of Lard, John Ewing, to set the game in the Peninsula as I could supply suitable terrain and bring my Frenchies along to boot. So the scene was set for a 4 player, 2 a side, game of Napoleonic Sharp Practice with the Laird of Lard himself umpiring.

     

     The scenario was a straight forward; Fra Angelico, Franciscan friar and despiser of the French invaders had been rabble rousing against them. And not happy with the efforts to date of the Spanish Army against said Frenchies he was also rabble rousing against them too much to the consternation of the local Spanish commander, Colonel Manuella. And so it came to pass that both the French and the Spaniards had decided to call a halt to Fra Angelico's activities, both for their own reasons but, curiously enough, both almost simultaneously. 

     The Spanish sent a detachment of troops, led by Capitan Don Pedro to bring in the Franciscan friar to "discuss" his views and to see if they could persuade him to see things from the Spanish Army's point of view. Meanwhile Capitan Richard D'Astardly of the 30th Legere had been handed the task of "escorting" Fra Angelico to Brigade Headquarters where their intelligence services under the command of Major D'Fecht wished to have a chat with the friar. 

     Arriving at the small hamlet of  San Atogen, well known for it's fortifying wine, from opposite sides, both the French and Spanirad spied one another and prepared to carry out their mission, the enemy be damned!

     Colonel Le Blanc took a pinch of snuff from a small, ivory case and sniffed deeply. Sneezing, he wiped his nose and offered the case to the infantry captain standing before him "Thank you, mon colonel, but I do not partake of snuff" said Capitan D'Astardly bowing slightly.

    "It is good for the sinuses and stimulating the senses, D'Astardly, you must try it sometime" the colonel said, looking down from his seat astride a large bay that pawed the ground before it. "And you will need your wits about you this afternoon, D'Astardly, the Spanish are approaching the town from across the way; from what Don Montaya" here he indicated a Spanish civilian mounted on a rather shabby looking mare. The Spaniard doffed his top hat to D'Astardly in friendly greeting. "From what Don Montaya tells me, I say, the Spanish are also interested in this damned Fracsican monk. It appears that the good brother has been berating them too; I don't wonder that we don't leave him here to carry on his rabble rousing against them. It might do our cause some good, eh?"

     He took a small telescope from beneath his coat tails and looked towards the distant dust cloud approaching San Atogen and watched it drawing nearer to the town. "You will search the town, D'Astardly, and find this pest and bring him back." he said, as he continued to watch the Spaniards "Do not fail for, pest though he is, it is believed he knows many secrets about the local guerrillas and that makes him valuable to us"

      A horseman approached from the direction of San Atogen at a canter, a cloud of dust trailing him and he reined in by the group around the colonel. "Your report, Lieutenant Dumas-De Winter?" said the colonel. The young dragoon officer saluted "They are only an infantry column, mon colonel; no cavalry or cannon" The colonel nodded. "Very well, D'Astardly you know Lt Dumas-De Winter I believe; his dragoons will join you in this venture as will Don Montaya and his men. We will wait here; D'Astardly, do not fail, headquarters and our intelligence staff want this Fra Angelico badly!" D'Astardly saluted and left, calling his own men lounging by the roadside to form up.

     Capitan Don Pedro puffed on a small cheroot and gazed at his men. He felt his chest fill with pride at the sight of them, finally dressed in smart uniforms and marching in step, mostly. At the head of the column were his pride and joy, his grenadiers. If Don Pedro had had his way they would all be grenadiers however far too many of his men were under nourished and far to short to fit the bill. 

     He and his men had been ready to depart their camp in the mountains for San Anatogen three days previously but Colonel Manuella had insisted that they must be bolstered with more men and had attached a platoon of militia and one of cazadores to his column. The cazadores Don Pedro welcomed, their reputation going before them though their commander, Lt Roberto, was an argumentative fellow, much given to questioning orders. As for the militia; pah!  they were farmers in uniforms. Cattle would have been of as much use; better even as they gave milk whereas the militia gave nothing but worry. Still the colonel was insistent and Don Pedro had had to accept his reinforcements which meant the delay of a day in setting off as the reinforcements were still en route to the camp and the militia needed a rest before the column could set out. However, Don Pedro had not wasted the time, he had set his second-in-command and nephew, Capitan Infanta, to drilling his men and had personally overseen the provisioning of the militia and cazadores as best he could. 

     At last they had set off to find this irritating Franciscan, hoping to change his point of view or to remove him altogether. And now, as they neared San Atogen and news reached him of the approaching French, Don Pedro was glad of his preparations; now his men would get a taste of action...   

The French and their Spanish allies deploy along the western
side of San Atogen. As Don Montaya's men begin searching
the first of the houses for Fra Angelico, Lt Dumas-De Winter
leads his dragoons around the outskirt of the town 

Lt Duma-De Winter cuts a dash on his grey stallion, Concorde,
leading his dragoons

Across the main road the Spanish Militia deploy and start
peppering the French with musket fire, much to the chagrin
of the locals

Behind the militia men, the Spanish cazadores skirmishers
under Lt Roberto await developments

As the dragoons continue to sweep around the flank of San
Atogen and prepare to dismount, Lt Camembert leads his
voltiguers into the Hermitage in their search for the hot
headed holy man

Capitan D'Astardly's men trade musket fire with the Spanish
militia along the length of the main street as Don Montaya
and his men draw a blank in their search, not even a decent
Merlot or spicy sausage

     Leaping the low wall surrounding the small casa the voltiguers dashed towards the door at the rear of the hermitage Reaching it they threw themselves at it trying to beat it down. "Back, you imbeciles!" cried Lt Camembert. The men fell back from the door and Lt Camembert stepped forward and reaching for the handle, opened the door. "Idiots!!" he said "Now, with me" and, pistol in hand he stepped into the dark interior of the small room, his men piling in behind him. In the gloom he saw the interior door closing swiftly. In a few quick strides he was at the door. Fumbling in the dark for the handle, he found it and wrenched the door open.....

    

Don Pedro's men march in martial splendour towards the
sound of battle

       The French soldiers forced the door of the large building and poured into the low ceilinged room, rummaging through cupboards and wardrobes in their search for the Franciscan, occasionally giving vent to small cries of triumph; their dented and battered shakos almost touching the ceiling. Behind them came their young lieutenant pushed past one of their men who was guarding the door. Sous Lieutenant "Cherubino" De Notte, look angrily at them "I told you to wait, did I not?" he said to the soldiers. "Pardon mon lieutenant, we thought we saw the priest through the window" said a tall corporal jamming a bottle of wine into a poachers pocket in his jacket. "No you didn't, you rascals, I know you are plundering! Enough now; time for that later. Let us find this damned priest and be gone. Citroen, Renault search upstairs. Corporal Peugeot, bring the others, we will search the ground floor.." 

Sous Lt De Notte's men search the villa and its grounds

While Capitan D'Astardly continues to keep the Spanish forces
occupied and suffering in the process

     Lt Duma-De Winter ordered his men to dismount. He had led them around the side of the village behind a copse and planned to add to the discomfort of the Spaniards and draw them away from their searching. Capitan D'Astardly had looked askance at Duma-De Winter's suggestion. The dragons were valuable troops and he could not afford to squander them in the role of infantry while they still had horses to carry them. However as time was pressing and in lieu of a better plan, D'Astardly had agreed. 
     Dismounting, Dumas-De Winter motioned Sgt Boyer to wait with his men still in the saddle; who knows, an opportunity to unleash a charge on the foe might present itself. Duma-De Winter and his men formed a line and entered the copse. As they approached the far side of it, he saw some scarlet breeched soldiers dashing towards the copse from the village. "Dragoons! Halt!" he cried to his men. The men stopped obediently "enemy to our front! Fire!!" The dragoons shouldered their carbines and let loose a ragged volley. Dumas-De Winter saw at least one of the Spaniards fall. "Reload!" he cried automatically though there was no need, his dragoons were already in the process of reloading. The Spaniards officer cried out to his men and they started running towards the copse, bayonets flashing wickedly in the sun. Dumas-De Winter realised the Spaniards would be on his men before they could fire again "At them lads!!" he cried as the Spaniards leapt the wall. The Dragoons responded swiftly but they were outnumbered and the combat was swift, bloody and brutal. Striking down two Spaniards, Dumas-De Winter turned to face a third when a musket butt struck his head and he slumped to the ground...

Dumas-De Winter is captured

     Lt Camembert grabbed the monk's hood as Fra Angelico headed for the hermitages front door "Pardon monsieur, you must come with us" said Camembert. The monk swung at Camembert's head with a heavy bible and said something in Spanish that didn't sound very religious. "Hold him" cried the corporal behind Camembert. The voltiguers grappled with monk, pinning his arms behind him and, making use of the cord around his waist the quickly tied his hands. 

     Camembert moved to the front door and put his eye to a crack in the woodwork. Outside he could see the Spaniards firing, reloading and firing again as their officer shouted at them, presumably attempting to get their attention. What a target they presented thought Camembert. A volley from the flank and this lot would run. A movement beyond the militiamen caught his eye. Looking beyond them he could see an column of Spaniards marching in step down the street towards the junction These looked a very different manner of soldier; their bearing and their uniforms made a marked contrast to the militia men outside the hermitage. 

     "The back door, quick, back the way we came" he said, urging his men back. They hustled the reluctant monk out of the back door, Camembert, glancing to his right shouted "quick men, back across the road before these Spanish asses spot us!!"  

Camembert and his men "escort" Fra Angelico back towards
the French lines

     And there the game finished, on a cliff hanger. The French had got their man but the Spaniards had captured the Dragoons commander. This gave us two narrative threads to pursue; escorting Fra Angelico all the way back to the French brigade headquarters and their intelligence section and the rescue of Lt Duma-De Winter.

    This evening will see the first of those two narratives take place as the French, reinforced to some degree with more infantry and the questionable Major D'Fecht of the Intelligence Section, make their way back to brigade headquarters. Will Capitan Don Pedro and his men accept this state of affairs and head back to Colonel Manuella empty handed? I think not. Tune in next time for the next part in this (mildly) thrilling story wherein I will have many more photos of the action and more tales of courage and derring do to impart.

     Thanks to John for concocting the scenario, and also to Peter, Robert and Alan for joining in the fray with spirit and dash etc etc.

pip pip,

Jimbob