Battle of Hook's Crossroads

Reveling in his victory at Apostrophe Hill, the Marquis des Aix-En-Pains sat in his pavilion sipping on the finest local vintage. With the drubbing he gave the Duke of Bad Schmaltzberg, he did not expect their war to continue. However, he was surprised when a messenger entered.

"Excellency! Bad Schmaltzberg is advancing!"

"What? Where?!" exclaimed the startled Marquis.

"He is trying to march around our right flank!"

Quickly the Marquis acted. He called his commanders and ordered them to prepare to move out. They would cut off the Duke's march and again punish him for his temerity.
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The Duke's forces (bottom) approach the crossroad but the Marquis has blocked the road.

The Marquis sets up a defensive position on the hill (left) while the Duke advances.
There is a cavalry clash on the right; the Marquis's troopers are forced back.

Firefights erupt across the line.

The Duke's infantry takes the worst of it.

One of the Ducal infantry battalions flees. However, the Marquis's horse is overrun (right)

The Ducal cavalry tries to turn the flank while volleys thunder across the valley.

Time and again, the Ducal cavalry charges, only to be driven off.

Another Ducal battalion flees.

And another. As the Duke's assault on the hill grinds to a halt, the Marquis rushes to take the crossroads. The Ducal cavalry retreats. One regiment is felled by musketry.

 The Marquis's men reach the crossroads as the final Ducal cavalry are slaughtered.

The Duke's infantry drives the enemy from the crossroads but cannot seize it themselves.

With more enemy troops closing in, the remaining Ducal battalion decides to retreat from the field. Another victory for the Marquis!

Game Notes

• According to the scenario rules, this is technically a draw because neither side controlled the crossroads at the end. I am calling it a narrow victory for Aix-En-Pains because they have a decided advantage.
• An odd situation cropped up at the end of the game. Per the Simplicity in Hexes rules, victorious attackers do not take vacated ground. This happened in turn 14; the Duke's infantry wiped out the enemy battalion holding the crossroads. The Duke's men could not follow up. In the next turn, the Marquis positioned infantry adjacent to the crossroads. The Duke could not seize the crossroads; his men would advance adjacent to but not facing an enemy unit. It seemed like an illegal move! I may have to look into Kaptain Kobold's suggestions for SiH.