Terra Ferra

The 2nd New York Brigade had been advancing all morning. Colonel Heinz was pleased with the distance covered towards the town of Hamilton already. He was however less pleased with his command. The brigade was good New York militia. Weekend soldiers perhaps but well trained solid chaps for all that. No it was the two other formations under his command which worried him.

Firstly the Fenian Brigade. A well trained and equipped bunch but unruly. They were with him mainly to stop the looting they had indulged in in St. Catharines. Still their commander a Colonel O'Malley assured him they could fight. The other group was the cavalry. It was not the troopers but the commander that caused Heinz his concerns. Custer was a brash young man and had got his command leading the 7th Cavalry along the Missouri borders, a bloody campaign by all accounts. Now effecting the fashionable von, the fact that he a regular officer commanding a cavalry brigade was not in over all command spoke volumes, at least to Heinz it did. Custer … sorry von Custer did not see it quite that way and seemed to take orders from a superior officer as suggestions at best.

Heinz drew his mind back to the matter in hand. His force was approaching a defile between a wood,impassable according to his guide, and a large marshy area, probably a lake in wetter weather. The road they had been following all morning ran straight through it. Beyond scouts had reported troop movement, the British had moved quickly to block his advance. Hopefully the hastily gathered defenders would be few in number and disorganized. Heinz drew his plans the 2nd New York would advance up the road and through the defile, while the Fenians would advance alongside them on the right. Custer's cavalry would form the far right looping around the marsh. If Britannic troops were encountered the cavalry would form a skirmish line and hold while the 2nd supported by artillery and the Fenians broke through the centre. Orders were sent and the battle approach begun.

The 2nd drawn up in a loose square formation with regiments an either side of the road and the artillery in the centre advanced towards the narrow stretch of land when the Britannic commander reacted with shocking speed. The defile was occupied by three battalions of regular infantry, two facing Heinz the other facing eastwards to enfilade the advance of Custer's cavalry. Some Britannic cavalry, most probably Canadian Fencibles had also blocked Custer's advance. A long range fire fight started between the front two regiments of the 2nd and the red coated Britannic regulars.

To Heinz it looked as if the redcoats had deployed to far forward leaving them vulnerable to an assault by the Fenians. Heinz ordered the Fenian's to swing in and assault from the right battalion while attempting to put more pressure on the Britannic line with his now stalled brigade. As the 2nd slowly advanced a sudden fusillade of shots rang out from the wood! So much for impassable green uniformed riflemen had appeared disrupting against the 2nd brigade's advance as the Fenians struck the Britannic infantry. The red coated troops fell back behind their supporters.

“Look Sir” a junior officer drew Heinz attention to the cavalry. “Dam Custer” Heinz thought. Rather than dismount and deploy in skirmish The cavalry had charged! The first regiment halted with fire both from the now skirmishing Canadian cavalry and the flank fire from the infantry behind the marsh. The second regiment however met with greater success. Charging home they routed the canadians, who scattered exposing the main Britannic force's flank. The main force quickly began to withdraw before the disorganised US cavalry could stop them. Still a good afternoons work Heinz concluded. Now to reorganise the troops and quickly pursue the retreating defenders. If they established a good possible at the next defile he might not be so lucky. Speaking of lucky, he could see the approaching Custer obviously expecting due praise for 'his' victory.