The Battle of Fort Dan - A FIW AAR

For my first (yes first!) face to face game of 2026 in Postie's shed, Stuart put on  French Indian War fictional battle using his skirmish rules.

Fort Dan

Colin, Ray and I played the French who were attacking the British settlement and fort.

Dan, Lee and Surjit commanded the British defenders.

British troops bar the road whilst anxious civilians flee in the direction of the fort.

French troops arrive.

French woodsmen working their way through the woods on the left.

Actually, this is not really a battle report but more look a quick skip through a couple of moments in the game.

The British used a tactic, wisely, of shooting and retiring to keep distance and to draw close to friendly troops nearer the fort.  This frustrated the French who also repeatedly failed to win the initiative to move and shoot first.

British open up with volley fire and immediately go into open order.

British reserves make their way into a field to deploy in support of the front line.

Civilians hastily wend their way down the road.

Both sides had blinds in the woods on the French right.  They had to reveal each other once within 12 inches.  The French had two units of Indians against one unit of British allied natives and a unit of Rangers.

As was the case in this game, the British winning the initiative meant that they got a jump on the French with the shooting and charges.

Honours were pretty much even after the first melee.

The French allies then counter-charged.

Both sides inflicted horrendous casualties on each other but their morale held.

And the British hurled themselves into the fray again.

No one left!
Such was the ferocity that those that did survive (not many) ran off off into the darkness of the woods.

However, more French allied natives arrived in their canoes.

The canoes cause the British troops that had just come out of the fort to start scurrying back towards it along with the panicking civilians.

Meanwhile, the British defenders are doing a very good job of holding up the advance of the French troops.

The troops and civilians start their entry into the fort.

With French losses mounting without any meaningful result other than the capture of a cow, the French command decided that the raid was becoming too costly and retired.

A British win!

This was a very convivial occasion with lots of chat, mickey-taking and laughter amongst friends.  Well done to Postie for his superbly rendered table.  He always manages to produce a visual feast.