Cowpens-Guilford Courthouse Campaign Refought: Cowen's Ford Action

Setting the stage:
Marching hard after Greene's army Cornwallis found his army frustrated by numerous river crossings. These were usually defended by local militia. One such crossing was at Beattie's and Cowen's Ford. North Carolina Militia General Davidson was defending both fords  with his brigade.

 Under cover of darkness Cornwallis divided his army. Webster would hold the attention of most of Davidson's men and Morgan's light division while Cornwallis crossed at the lower Cowen's Ford. The heavy morning fog prevented the men guarding the Ford from seeing the British untill  the advanced guard was crossing the river.  They quickly called for reinforcements and set up firing positions.

Game rules;
To cross the Ford takes three turns. First move up to Ford and stop.  Next turn move into river then stop. Third move move into bank and stop. No firing while crossing.
American reinforcements wants can be called by a roll of a D6.  A 1-4 and Davidson arrives with the remainder of his brigade.  A second die roll and a 1-3 Morgan's division arrives.  At this battle Davison arrived but Morgan did not.

Battle:
While the British Guard's Grenadier and Light Infantry companies crossed the ford the North Carolina riflemen continued to snipe at them.  Although the Guard's suffered some casualties their morale held and they established themselves on the shore.

 Charging forward the Grenadiers caught the  riflemen and routed them off the board. But by this time they had held up the British long enough for the North Carolina brigade to deploy into line. Three battalions faced the Guard's battalions. Cornwallis had brought the 23rd and Bose regiment into the field and they faced for a lower Ford. As the 23rd started to cross additional riflemen commenced sniping at them.

At this point things happened fast and furious.  The 1/Guard's charged the two militia battalions to their front. The North Carolina militia horse charged the 2/Guard's and caught them in column.  The 23rd crossed the Ford and moved to engage the rifles.
Although the militia horse had caught the Guard's in column, they were too few in numbers to defeat them.  The 2/Guard's saw them off with little fuss.  So too did the 1/Guard's who routed the two battalions to their front.

 With his front collapsing Davidson called for a general retreat to save what was left of his forces.  The only one disappointed by this result was Tarleton who was just crossing the Ford with his dragoons.  Mabey next time.

The game had been a lopsided British victory. The superiors morale of the Guard's battalions had enabled them to clear the militia with little difficulty.