The eastern bridgehead

Captain d'Arson and First Lieutenant Criceto of the Civita Maria militia were tasked with removing the defenses of the bridge between the city and Forte Prada. The enemy had a light infantry and a provincial battalion, supported by two heavy cannon. The rebel leaders commanded two battalions of foot, 240 men altogether, and two wings of cavalry, both 80 strong, the battle-hardened Calvacasa's Own Cavalry and the freshly raised and equipped Calvacasa Outriders.

The rebels began a slow advance across the swampland to the bridge. Fortunately the Outriders managed to gain a foothold east of the bridge, swimming through the low riverbed. The Varangian mercenary company then formed march column and moved right across the bridge, however, they were quickly repelled by concentrated enemy fire. Hammered by artillery during their retreat, they were soon unfit to carry on, losing almost half their strength. 

It was now up to the militia and the cavalry to win the day. The blue-coat household cavalry found another crossing at a low bank, and as soon as they were past the waves they charged the provincials ahead. The enemy failed to react in time and they were swept aside. The rebel cavalry streamed past them. The provincials rallied, then fired a volley to too long a distance, causing minimal casualties and failing to prevent the capture of their guns.

The militia battalion fought their way to the other side of the bridge, and fired an unsuccessful volley at the loyalist light infantry. Hand-to-hand combat commenced and continued well onto the following two turns.

The Calvacasa Outriders formed march column and rode past the Cacciatori's flank. The two cavalry squadrons formed two lines and charged the irregulars. The loyalist troops lost cohesion and ran right into the militia, laying down their arms in surrender. Stripped off support, the remaining and heavily battered provincial infantry left the field in a hurry.

Notes: played out with 'Easy Tricorne', this game was fast, simple and full of interesting action. Crossing a bridge with enemy on the other side is a nightmare as attested by the heavy losses of the rebels. 

The color of my gaming mat has caused me a lot of trouble lately. While it looks quite decent as a battle scene, it absorbs the flash of the camera, resulting in a too high contrast on the figures themselves. Like with my studio photos of painted figures, I attempted to cease using flash, but the results were even worse as everything became blurred under the insufficient lighting of the room. The above photos were the only salvageable ones.