On the 19th Inst. an engagement occurred between a half-company of the 42nd (Highland) Foot, accompanied by Lieut. Kennedy with some men of the 44th Foot, and a mixed force of French and Huron.
Lieut. Kennedy had been informed that the missing daughters of Col. Flower, 60th Foot, had sought refuge in an abandoned cabin some miles north of Fort Tallow. Capt, Murray, commanding the company of highlanders garrisoned there, agreed that immediate action was necessary and led the rescue force in person. Capt. Murray’s force is detailed here, gallant lads all.
Meanwhile Lieutenant Clouzeau and his nefarious Huron ally Hawhendagerha were closing in fast. Clouzeau’s force, reeking of stale garlic and cheap spirits, can be found here.
With Fanny and Euphemia hiding in the chimney, doubtless anticipating a fate worse than death, the stage was set.
Looking south. The French Primary Deployment can just be seen bottom left. The Highlander Primary Deployment Point was almost directly opposite, just behind the rather glaring sun. The French had a Movable Deployment Point and also a Dummy MDP. The river in the middle of the board rather restricted the area of operations and most of the action happened on the west bank. Apologies for the rather nondescript green felt and the odd intruding ‘white edge’ of woodland bases but the terrain is not yet in its finished form.
Clouzeau advanced in textbook fashion with Enseigne Maudit’s skirmishers ahead of the main line. The woods slowed them down terribly but with typical Gallic cunning he had sent his Huron allies ahead via the Movable Deployment Point, which can be seen in the centre of the picture near the river. The Dummy MDP is hidden by the tree to the right.
Hawhendagerha’s Huron fire from the safety of the far bank as the British make a rapid advance.
A neck-or-nothing dash saw Tobacco’s warriors just beat Lieut. Kennedy’s men to the shack.
Tobacco’s men quickly searched the shack and it wasn’t long before the rather dishevelled Fanny and Euphemia were dragged unceremoniously from the chimney.
The dashing Kennedy immediately ordered his brave boys to charge. In the frenetic melee, Tobacco was shot dead but Kennedy was wounded and the attack repulsed.
The Highlanders and French exchanged fire. Captain Murray was wounded, as was Hawhendagerha. But the woods had slowed down Lieut. Mills’ command enough that they could make little impact on the fight.
While Lieutenant Clouzeau’s Compagnie Franches de la Marine hold off superior numbers of highlanders, Hawhendagerha makes off with his captives.
A win for the French! Or is it in fact a win for the Huron?
The Saindoux Campaign, 1757 