The Prussian Retreat: A Closer Look at Leggs Crossing

The Battle Unfolds

The Prussian retreat continues apace, aided by the arrival of the second British battalion of the 31st. The small hamlet of Leggs Crossing stands as the last barrier before the Prussians can reach the coast and the waiting landing craft. With British regulars in hot pursuit and a contingent of volunteers and the Naval Brigade stationed at the crossing, the situation looks dire for the remaining Prussian forces.

The remaining volunteer units and the Naval Brigade took up positions around Leggs Crossing. They constructed makeshift barricades, much to the annoyance of the local populace, in an effort to stall the Prussian retreat until the regulars could arrive from behind.

As the Prussians closed in on Leggs Crossing en masse (and yes, I know that’s not a Prussian phrase!), they hoped to punch a hole through the thinly deployed defenders.

The Prussian cuirassiers charged down the centre towards the remaining Guildford Cricketers, who gallantly held their ground… until they didn’t. Unable to withstand the heavy Prussian cavalry, the Cricketers were soon swept from the field, opening the centre for the Prussian infantry to push forward.

On the British left, Prussian hussars charged down the rail line into the Naval Brigade. They took heavy fire from the British fusillades. The hussars were whittled down alarmingly quickly, but more Prussians were coming up behind them.

Some Prussian jägers took the place of the fallen hussars, leading to a fierce firefight between the Naval Brigade and the 2nd Surrey Royals Volunteer Regiment.

The main Prussian force advanced towards the centre of Leggs Crossing, which was now rather sparse on defenders and open for a push through. The British regulars were in hot pursuit, hoping that the desperate defence of the crossing could hold until they got close enough to engage the retreating Prussians.

Unfortunately, the British Naval Brigade and remaining volunteers were hit too hard by the Prussian onslaught and had to fall back, giving as much as they could in return. The Prussians, seeing gaps appear in the British lines, began to push through in force, even leaving some units behind to keep the surviving British occupied.

With the British regulars and tech now approaching the outskirts of Leggs Crossing, the Prussians forced their way through the remaining volunteers. The Naval Brigade had been reduced to almost nothing, and the Prussians made a long dash for the coast and the waiting craft.

The British stayed in Leggs Crossing to mop up and capture what prisoners they could, hoping some might divulge the Prussian plans for the future.

Reflections on the Battle

This was the last game in this small section of the campaign. It will restart in 2026 with a massive beach landing of Prussian troops somewhere on the south coast. The rules used were Glorious Adventures in the Age of Steam from Wiley Games. The Bigger Battles version was employed in this game, as it allows for units and tech to be handled smoothly. Wiley Games rules always lead to a fun outcome.

Scout neff and the British tank are from the below OSHIRO link, while the Prussian tank is from Ironclad. The figures are all from Perrys BIF for the Brits and Northstar, the old Helion & Co 1866 range for the Prussians.

VSF vehicles

Cheers,

James

OSHIROmodels

info@oshiromodelterrain.co.uk