Reinforcements, Part 1

Reinforcements (Part 1)

In my last post, I described ongoing and imaginary campaign in post-1783 North America. Over the next couple of entries, the armies involved will make their appearance, along with some solo as well as multiple player games.
In a series of earlier posts, I looked at several manufacturers. One I omitted was the figures provided by HaT Industries, mainly because at that time, they were hard to come by. Well, apparently their production has resumed and they are much more widely available. Of particular note are the Prussian Seven Years War sets (9400, 9401, and 9402). The heads for musketeers, fusiliers, and grenadiers are included with each set. They make great Hessians/Brunswickers for the AWI.

HaT Hessian Grenadiers

 The photo above shows  most of the Grenadier Regiment von Rall (or at least my interpretation of it). A couple of grenadier figures, and the Drummer are still on the painting table almost, but not quite, done. The one below shows another from the same set, but with a fusilier cap.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Well, as the new year begins, so too does the new campaign season! In earlier posts, I described two battles, both of which ended in a victory for the United Provinces against the Royalist Forces. Like any good campaign, there has to be some background as to the whys and wherefores of the whole exercise.

The whys, of course, are less important than the wherefores, as the whole thing is an exercise in imagination. But context is important so let me briefly explain how this war between two powers and their allies came to be. With that in mind, we begin with the historical Treaty of Paris in 1783 ending the American War of Independence (AWI), recognizing the United States as an independent nation,  and setting the boundaries between the new American nation and the remains of Britain's North American empire.

But what if...

In my alternate history, things are considerably different. Britain, France, Spain, and the American provinces were both financially ruined and in a state of exhaustion. Bankruptcy loomed, so everything previously agreed upon regarding North America (going back to 1740) was up for negotiation. Another "Great Game" was afoot!

The following terms were ultimately negotiated: the original thirteen colonies, along with the Republic of Vermont, were split into a northern federation which included New England and Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.The southern colonies of Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia became a united confederation.

The lands to the west became unincorporated territory, belonging to the indigenous peoples living there.

Spain was confirmed as sovereign over Florida and Louisiana, along with some previously owned Caribbean islands.

France received Quebec, a portion of the former Arcadia, and one or two Atlantic islands.

Britain retained its other Canadian provinces, including Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and Labrador.

Nova Scotia remained a British territory and became a homeland for displaced Loyalists, albeit with some local autonomy.

The German Princes of Hesse, Anhalt, and Brunswick, having placed the King's treasury in serious debt, received as payment the territory northeast of the St. Croix River. This led almost immediately to a crisis as each prince felt it should be named for his lands. Some rolls of the dice (2 out of 3), the turn of a card, and it officially was named: Neu Braunschwieg.

Now, how could this possibly lead to more conflict?