The Problem with "Splendid Little Wars", Part 1

 For those of you who have been indulgent enough to follow this blog over the last few years know that my primary interests are the Anglo-American War of 1812 and the American War of Independence. Now both were "Splendid Little Wars" to paraphrase John Hay, the Secretary of State during the short (4 months) war with Spain in 1898 but big battles, like one saw in Napoleonic Europe, were few and far between. Both however had numerous small actions and skirmishes (although I am sure my Canadian friends might consider them in a different light). So, what to do??

Some years ago I purchased a facsimile edition of Benson J. Lossing's  The Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812, written a few years before the American Civil War and published in 1868. The original was a folio sized book (think coffee table book), with the typical small print and meticulous detailed chapter headings. The modern reprint in my collection is about the size of a normal book. Lossing was both an artist and writer and his work is copiously illustrated as he saw them at the time. He was also to interview a number of surviving veterans of that war who were by then in their late seventies and eighties. Some of their stories are fascinating! The book is best read in small doses. Published in 1976, its ISBN is 0-912274-31-X.   

 

A more recent publication that I added to my library is one by Adrian Mandzy, Ph.D. published last year and titled Bad Roads and Poor Rations (Fifty-nine Wargame Scenarios for the North American War of 1812), ISBN 978-1-950423-30-9. It was his work that triggered this edition.

I asked myself how could I play these numerous small actions without either investing in more figures or coming up with a new set of rules? In the end I compromised. You have read my various missives regarding Dirk Donvil's About Bonaparte (AB) rules. Could I adapt them? 

I will go into more detail next time but for now, I will just mention the organization for these splendid little armies! AB units, although not specific, use 8-figure groups of three 2-figure , and two 1-figure stands to represent the battalion or regiment (or 8 individual stands for regular skirmishers) . The four individual figures of the cavalry represent a squadron or regiment. Why not just call them a company (with two 4-figure platoons) or a cavalry troop? Maybe add an officer/NCO or two and that became my starting point.

Next time I will describe the rules modifications, national characteristics, and  basic mechanics. To illustrate, I'll recount a small skirmish between some militia and the seaborne raiders from Great Britain. Stay tuned!

And Now for Something Completely Different...

In a post from a session or two before my most recent, I mentioned in passing how I was going to begin including some World War II battles fought on the tabletop. At the time I mentioned that my father had served in the Southwest Pacific for some 44 months, beginning with Guadalcanal (as the Marines were withdrawn, Army troops replaced them, finishing up the campaign). He was assigned as a gun director in a 40mm Bofors Anti-Aircraft battery. He once told me that they assigned him that job because the battery (originally a Georgian Coast Artillery) had so many men with deep Southern accents in it that no one could understand them. So having a fairly neutral New England accent, he got the job. Whether that story is true or not, I have no idea. 

But I must confess that I had a similar experience when I was a young lieutenant stationed at Fort Benning (also in Georgia). The fellow whose BOQ was next to mine was from Americus, Georgia. For the first 4 or 5 days we knew each other, we were mutually unintelligible. We eventually became good friends (once we got over the "language barrier").

A Marine M3 GMC (a 75mm mounted on a half-track)

Anyway, back to gaming! Back in the early Fall of 2022, I started a Chain of Command "Pint-sized Campaign" written by a group calling itself Table Top CP based on the first few days of the American invasion of Saipan in June, 1944. I don't have the URL, but a search for "Table Top CP" should put you in the right place. There are six scenarios in the campaign ladder, and so far we've gotten to the first three. In a big part I might add due to the stubborn IJA resistance that required the replay (actually allowed for in the campaign book) of the first two: Red Beach and Securing the Beach Head.

The third, Radio Saipan, was completed in the most recent game. At this point, it is definitely a near run thing. Both sides have taken heavy losses. Both sides started with two platoons. Now, with casualties, each side is down to a single platoon with a handful of replacements (survivors of the first platoons) to make up losses. 

The Japanese move to attack

The Marines position themselves for the final push!

"Radio Saipan" actually saw two battles: the original, which forced the IJA troops back, and a follow-up counter attack (a campaign option available to the Japanese). The photos here were taken from the counter attack. It failed to accomplish its mission, so next month, we move on to the fourth scenario, "Sugar Rush".

Reinforcements to Iberia

As the French assault on Spain continued, the British Government  dispatched a small expeditionary force under the command Major General Harry Paget, Lord MacDuff, to aid in the defense of that important realm. The first engagement was chronicled in the last episode of these random musings and ended with a British victory (barely), but a victory nonetheless. Yet, the task was not complete and Lord Harry sent his personal Aide, a young knight to bring news of the victory (and plead for more troops).

So today and next time, we'll take a look at some of the newly arrived forces and some of the talk about some of the trials and tribulations they endured on their journey to sunny Iberia! 

MacDuff's Highlanders will be our first unit. Organized for the About Bonaparte rules by Dirk Donvil, it also contains an officer. Under the rules, all British units are required to be veteran and all must have an attached officer. Since all of this costs points (as explained in the rules), this actually reinforces the British practice of small, highly trained expeditions. This might not have been the author's intention, but it works out quite well. These are old Airfix 54mm British Highlanders. A year of two before the Pandemic, my friend Ross (of MacDuff to the Frontier fame) gave me a bunch of these unpainted from his collection. They have sat around my hobby room (my adult son's former bedroom) since then. Frankly, the thought of even attempting a kilt on a figure was just too intimidating. But they're going to Huzzah!2023 in a few weeks for an About Bonaparte game I will be putting on Saturday morning. 

The XCII, almost The Gordons is the next regiment in line. They are about half-painted and will be finished by the weekend. Here's a shot of the unit master figure I completed the other day:

BTW, I also hate painting "diced hose"! Why couldn't they just wear regular socks?

Until next time!