Slender Crussian Victory in The Battle of the Two Hills'.

The moment of General Pence's death. He was attacked by the same cossack regiment which hd seen off so many infantry but their on numbers were diminished and the general was an expert pistoleer and swordsman so he greatly punished the cossacks.

                                  The crack zouave regiment which was decimated by enemy infantry fire.

The second battle between Ameriga and Crussia occurred today.  The Battle of the Two Hills saw a predictable massed Crussian cavalry charge of cossack valour. This time the cossack charge was partly shielded by a hill and the Amerigans misjedged the range. The cossacks quickly neared the Amerigan infantry lines and charged the Amerigan right flnk. Two infantry regiments, the Second Kansas Coloured  infantry regiment and the Third Montanna infantry regiment were driven from the filed. The Amerigan right flank was crumbling as the artillery battery was also charged. The cossacks were too diminished in numbers to finish the job and the gunners re-took their gun.

But horror of horrors, General pence was charged by a small unit of cossacks and sliced from the chops to the shoulder. He badly mauled the cossacks before this occurred. Colonel Custer immediately took over command and ordered all units to fall back on the right flank to consolidate forces and to save the guns.

The cossacks, despite their early victory were exhausted and refused to engage in further charges. On the left flank the Amerigans disengaged from an infantry on infantry duel and marched to the right flank/ The Amerigan cavalry, previously in reserve on the left flank, raced to the right flank. Characteristically of the Amerigans, they stopped and fired their carbines and pistols at the cossacks andalso infantry on the crest of the hill. A number of Crussian saddles were emptied. The cavalry then charged the Crussian rifle regiment, decimating it and forcing it back. The situation on the amerigan left flank was thus reversed and the remaining crussians about to be driven off or killed.

On the Amerigans left flank, however, Crussian infantry marched to occupy territory recently vacated. The Crussian artiller did not fire one shot, due to the refusal of the Amerigans to present them any targets and the careful use of intervening hill and forest.

Conclusion. General Custer had saved the day on the right flank and had managed concentrate forces to reverse the previous major setback.

 The victory points were one point for each enemy unit destroyed or driven from the filed and five points for each table quarter held and uncontested. My Amerigan force had caused destruction of m a couple more enemy units than my Amerins had suffered (a miracle given the initial disaster) but by concentrating forces at the end I neglected to leave a force to contest a quarter, which would have won a victory for me.

We went for our customary 12 moves with four cavalry units a side, seven infantry regiments and two 12 pounders. One more game is to be played in this campaign. After that we will be having some battles in 1900 instead of the 1870s. unfortunately I was unable to take any decent pictures due to the camera's battery being dead!

The battery charger has been found so I am taking pics of the remainder forces and restaging some elements of the battle.

The pics do not appear in order of the battle.
                                       
The Crussian artillery and this infantry unit did not see battle during the game as their fire was blocked by forest and a hill.

                                               Crussian elite 'officer's Regiment'

                                     Crussian troops opposit the Ameigan left flank m pour fire into Amerigan zouaves. The Crussians focussed two regiments fire into the zouaves until they broke.

     Towards the end of the battle a gun limber with surviving crew make it to the top of the hill but take no further part in the battle.

                             Amerigan infantry on the right flank reinforce the position.

           Towards the end of the battle the Crussian infantry move into the field vacated by the zouaves.

      By move three the cossacks had crashed into the Amerigan infantry nd drove them from the field. This was Mat's finest hour.

                                 After the death of general Pence Colonel Custer gets promoted to general and saves the Amerigan right flank. here he is in one of his flamboyant shirts waving his men forward.

                                    The remainder of a Crussian regiment flees on the Amerigan right flank. They had received crushing fire from an enfilading Amerigan ifantry regiment, Amerigan cavalry firing carbines from horseback and a 12 puinder which was able to target them on the hill.