Sunday 31 May 2020

Teufelswasser Bridge (part two)

The cavalry charge and countercharge.

And both sides fall back unable to gain an advantage.


Von Reiten brings the third battalion over the bridge.

His jager fire at the Altstein artillery.
More bluecoats arrive.

The heavies clash in the centre.
The fight is fierce and prolonged but the Eisenburg dragoons see off the Meissen Dragoons.

Von Reiten gets a nice line to defend the bridge.

The Alsteiners are getting into position.
On each flank. 

Von Reiten has guns firing over the river into the Altstein right flank.

His dragoons see off the Blue Hussars.

But another unit of Altstein dragoons arrives down the Hecksheim road.

The Hecksheim regiment attacks the Eisenburg line.

 But the line holds.

Supported by the artillery across the water von Reitens jager are holding off the Heydn Bruckers on the left flank.

But on the far flank the newly arrived Altsteiner dragoons rout the depleted Eisenburgers.

This is a major set back for von Reiten as his right flank is exposed. Time is getting on, surely the engineers must be nearly finished laying their explosives!.

To be continued...

Saturday 30 May 2020

Teufelswasser Bridge (part one)

War came back to the Teiner Valley in 1770, the politics of the matter are tedious so I will not bore the reader too much and get to the action as soon as possible.

The border in 1770. Altstein in the west and Eisenburg- Essling in the east.


A small force from Eisenburg-Essling crossed the border at the Teufelswasser bridge and advanced on Hecksheim. But Colonel von Reiten was soon aware of a much larger force coming toward them. He had orders to retire if faced with superior numbers and so fell back to the bridge.

Von Reiten prepares to blow the bridge but the bluecoats marced through the night and by dawn were breathing down his neck.

He guarded the perimeter with 8 squadrons of dragoons, 2 battalions of line and 2 companies of  jager.

As the engineers toiled on the bridge the enemy appeared out of the morning mist. Blue Hussars.

And  4 squadrons of Meissen dragoons backed up by artillery.

The engineer captain assured von Reiten that the bridge would be ready for demolition in two hours, could von Reiten hold the Altsteiners long enough?.

To be continued...

Monday 25 May 2020

A new map of the Teiner Tal


The old paper map is long gone, it had gone foisty in a old damp cupboard and it was wrongly oriented anyway. I thought it was high time I made a new one, so I went on Inkarnate link and had a go.

Readers may recall that my little armies inhabit a Teutonic 18th century version of the Tyne valley in northern England with more than a bit of wargamers licence.


Altstein stands in the bleak hill country and is now (1770) ruled by Ludwigs heir Graf Karl August von Altstein.

At the other softer end of the Teiner valley lies Eisenburg ruled by Prince Johan

After both armies did their duty and served with some vigour in the vast conflict known as the Seven Years War their lands, titles and peace were restored.
But as we small scale military men know peace never lasts long...