Battle of Englishtown

This was a smallish battle played out as part of the Germantown game we played a few weeks previous. With the British narrowly defeated at Germantown the Americans were on offensive trying to pin the remains of Howes army as it evacuated Philadelphia. The next engagement occured at Englishtown with the Americans in hot pursuit. As at Monmouth Howe turned retreat into a re-offensive luring the advance guard of the Americans to commit against his apparently numerically inferior rearguard. The Americans discovered the ruse too late. The militia Brigade sent to pin the British rearguard whilst the continentals manoevered into position for the killing blow, was utterly defeated by a strong force of British regulars. The elite companies of the lights and Grenadiers then bursts from the trees to the north to assail the two brigades of continentals who luckily managed to hold a strong position on the edge of English town behind some snake rail fencing. However this time the British proved nigh on invincible, fired by the need for revenge after Germantown. The Grenadiers and light infantry followed by other British regulars charged the strong American position. Despite some disruption to their lines the British surged forward and smashed into their counterparts routing the Maryland battalions causing crippling losses. What actually happened here was some amazing rolling by the British players rolling two lots of double six for the close combats! This effective broke all resistance and the Brigades disintegrated leading to an exceptionally heavy American defeat. In campaign terms the Americans withdrew back to Philadelphia as the British Cavalry caused havoc during the pursuit. The ascendancy after Germantown for the Americans had been lost.