About Bonaparte: Some Rules Modifications for the British

     In my last post, I described some modifications that I use for American forces in my About Bonaparte games. At that time, I also promised the next being on modifications for the Anglo-Canadian side. I'm going to format it slightly differently than my previous two posts (for some reason the paragraphs had little separation. Hopefully, I've corrected it this time).

    Some of the changes aren't really changes at all, but rather modifications and/or clarifications. Part of the reason is because Canada was considered a "backwater" as far as War Office was concerned. Officers relieved or otherwise removed from the Peninsula (where the "real" action was) were good enough for Canada. Americans? Ah, just a bunch of republican upstarts and amateurs. 

 

British light 6-pounder

    Under the existing About Bonaparte rules, British infantry always deploy into line formation, never attack columns. Road columns for movement only may be used. British regulars are always considered Veterans after 1809.  All British infantry will have an Officer attached. In AB, the attachment of an officer definitely has positive morale effects. For Spain, maybe that's perfectly true, although I have my doubts.

British line with skirmishers out front

    My modifications here are minor. The British forces in Canada were basically garrison forces. What actions they had prior to 1812 were primarily border control and policing. The local tribes were relatively peaceful, and the military presence of the U.S. south of the border was minimal. So, here's what I've done:

    1. Only British reinforcements in late 1813/1814 will be considered Veterans. Troops in Canada prior to the war will be considered Trained.

    2.  All units must have an attached Officer. Attached Officers will be diced for prior to the start of the game. 1-4, they will not affect morale when a flag is thrown. On a 5/6 they will operate normally, allowing the unit to ignore one morale hit.

    3. RN sailors act as (Trained) skirmishers on land, never Veteran. RN artillery crews on land will be considered Veteran.

    4. Canadian Sedentary Militia will always be considered Green. Select Embodied Militia and Canadian Artillery will always be considered Trained. All Anglo-Canadian artillery will be light.

    5. Each Brigade (3-4 units) requires a General Officer. Two or more Brigades acting together will require an additional General Officer and 2 Aides (Officers).

    6. Anglo-Canadian cavalry were primarily used as scouts or recon. I only know of one cavalry charge, and that was a single troop of light dragoons charging an American company (who were able to get to cover in time).

    7. Native allies will always be considered Irregulars. They will follow the rules outlined in the American War of Independence/French and Indian War sections of the basic rules.

    Well, that's it for now. I have come to like these rules. They are by no means perfect, what rules are? But they play fairly well (and of course are subject to local modification). For those who are interested, they are available from Caliver Books: Partizan Press and authored by Dirk Donvil. Check them out at www.caliverbooks.com . Until next time...

About Bonaparte: Some Rule Modifications for the War of 1812

As many of you are aware if you've followed my thoughts and musings over the last few years, the Anglo-American War of 1812 is my favorite Napoleonic Era conflict, and this goes back well-over fifty years. Recreating the war in 54mm however is something I've only done in the last seven of so years. Part of the issue, and this is applicable to other eras, is the need for a set of rules that are relatively simple but at the same time convey the essence of what is trying to be recreated. Before discovering Dirk Donvil's laudable About Bonaparte rules, I had tried several others including the almost venerable Charge! rules of Charles Grant. It was a long, albeit enjoyable trek. I have now played Dirk's rules several times including solo, club, and convention venues. They work. They are fun and they capture the spirit of Napoleonic battle. But, as always, and most of us have done this a some point in our pursuit of the hobby, we feel the need to tweak the basic rules to satisfy our particular interpretation of an issue or event. Within the basic rule set, Dirk has provided a number of properties unique to each of the major powers during the Napoleonic Wars. But while Great Britiain has a full set of these, the fledgling United States, that upstart on the other side of the Atlantic was totally ignored (along with the Royal troops in Canada). I'll discuss my American Army distinctions today and will follow up with the British next time. I've tweaked those also. American regular infantry can only deploy in line. Since the flank companies of these regiments were usually light infantry, each regiment may deploy two (2) skirmishers . American Rifle regiments, both militia and regulars, always deploy as skirmishers, unless behind works or fortifications. U.S. Regiments 1-7 are considered to be trained, and may progress to veteran status as the war enters its second year. All other U.S. Regiments will initially be considered green. Those under the command of Scott, Ripley, or Brown may be upgraded as the game designer sees fit. U.S. Regular Artillery may be either trained or veteran . Militia line is mostly green. Miltia Rifles and/or uniformed volunteer units (very much like military clubs) drilled with more frequency and may be considered trained. Johnson's and Coffey's Regiments of Kentucky Militia are considered to be mounted rifles and veterans. Finally, U.S, forces are organized into Brigades of 3-4 regiments. Two or more Brigades will form a Division. Artillery was generally controlled at the Division level. That's the basics. I'll go into more details later or for that matter modify these as I play more games. Until next time...

What if the U.S. Army's Legion Model had been in place in 1812?

Between 1794 and 1796 the fledgling U.S. Army embarked on a new plan of organization: The Legion. Since the Founding Fathers had for the most part a classical education which emphasized Ancient Greek and Roman Law and history, it is not surprising that the new American Experiment, a Federal Republic, should look to Rome for inspiration. With a government newly created with the adoption of the Constitution after the failure of the Articles of Confederation, combined with rising tension with England, Revolutionary France, and the tribes of the newly acquired Northwest showed the need, however distasteful, for a regular army. Reliance on small regular forces and large state militias, had led to some disaterous outcomes, specifically Governor Harmar's defeat at the Battle of the Maumee (1790), and the following year when MG St. Clair's force was almost completely annihilated at the Battle of the Wabash (1791). Now, following President Washington's recomendation,and Congress' approval, a new regular army was formed, The Legion. Major General "Mad" Anthony Wayne despite some misgivings on Washington's part, assumed command. Such a model was not really new to American forces. Several, albeit smaller "Legions" had appeared at various times during the War for Independence. A bold, even reckless commander, he was a strong proponent of Von Steuben's method of discipline to the point of having the famous Blue Book reprinted for the new force. It's organization was remarkably modern in its use of combined arms. The Legion consisted of four Sub-Legions, each with their own uniform distinctions Similar to a brigade, each had two line infantry battalions, a rifle battalion, artillery battery (usually light howitzers), and a squadron of light dragoons. More importantly however was the rigorous training and discipline Wayne imposed, mixing both line and skirmisher tactics, artillery support, and rapid exploitation. In short, an army more like that of the American Civil War, rather than the European models that were quickly showing their limitations to Revolutionary France. It was this training and discipline that would lead to the American victory at the Battle of Fallen timbers in 1794. While many of the other tactics Wayne employed would be looked on today as brutal, even genocidal, it broke the Northwestern Confederacy and lead to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. The opening of Ohio to American settlement soon followed as the first stirrings of Manifest Destiny made their appearance. Now, as it was so often in American military history, with the war "won", it was time to disband. Wayne, having died in 1796 (some say assasinated by BG Wilkinson, perhaps the greatest scoundrel in American military history after Benedict Arnold) was unable to ensure its legacy. Had he lived, perhaps this model would have continued. For me, it will continue with my 1812 forces in both 28mm and 54mm. Here are a few photos of the 1st Sub-Legion. Soon, we'll test it against a British-Canadian Brigade. Until next time...

Back From Huzzah! 2023

Well, it has been a few days now since I returned from the Maine Historical Wargames Association annual convention Huzzah! This was the first time since 2019 that I have attended, what with the pandemic and its associated restrictions/issues. Like meeting up with an old friend after a long time, we just picked up where we left off, albeit with some inevitable changes. Some of the vendors who usually had been there were absent, perhaps unable to recover from the aftermath of COVID's numerous disruptions. Even some old friends were unable to attend for whatever reason. Still, many were there and it was good to see them once again and like any convention,new friends and acquaintences were met. I had signed up to put on an "About Bonaparte" game based on my current Viva Iberia campaign. Though planned for six, I only had two players. Ross and Bill were both god sports about it, and surprisingly I had a couple of people who had played in my earlier 54mm games tell me they wished they had known about it. I understand that there had been some scheduling problems with the convention, so perhaps that was a contributing factor. Based on the 1806 Battle of Maida in Italy, I had transformed it to somewhere in Iberia near the village of San Pedro de Maida. Sadly, I only took a few photos showing the Anglo-Spanish line commanded by Bill.

The French forces,commanded by Ross, marched on from their side. The French Grand Battery seriously crippled the Spanish battery as the French lines inexorably marched on. A spirited firefight between the British Light Brigade and the French cavalry ended with the destruction of the French, but not before the British lights were forced back. On another note, readers of this blog will recall a couple of posts ago that I wascomplaing about painting the "diced hose" on Highland Regiments. A reader was kind enough to write in and explain that they weren't really socks, but rather called "moggins". Checking it out, I found that the word had two meanings: one unpublishable from the urban dictionary, and a second that confirmed that they were indeed the diced hose I complained about. Recently during my trip to Scotland, I was able to take a picture of said moggins (or moggans) at one of the museums we visited. Here they are:

I also had the opportunity to play in Ross' "Meet Me at the Oasis". Basically, an Anglo-Turkish force had to hold a strategtic oasis having the only source of fresh water in the area. The rules were typical Ross, that is simple and fun. I commanded the Brtish detachment of sailors, Marines, and some assorted Turks in the village. We beat back numerous assaults but were eventually overwhelmed by French numbers. It was a great way to spend a Saturday evening with good friends, a good game, and adequate refreshments of the adult variety.

Back from Scotland! On to Huzzah!

 Travel, they say is good for the soul. I have no doubt of the truth to that statement, but at my age it can be exhausting. I have just returned from a twelve day adventure in Scotland with two of my oldest friends (and with the gracious tolerance of our respective spouses). Starting in Edinburgh, we traveled to Aberdeen, Inverness, Oban, and finally Glasgow. Side trips included several museums, castles, the Culloden battlefield, Loch Ness, more castles, two national parks, historic churches, saints' tombs, a distillery, and finally, oddly enough, still more castles. 

Urquhart Castle

The scenery was spectacular and everyone we met was both friendly and helpful. It was an exhausting trip, but one I will always treasure.

A week from today, I will be in South Portland Maine at the Huzzah! 2023 Convention. This will be the first time since the pandemic that I will have attended. While games and gaming with friends both old and new is a joy, I believe the best part of any con is renewing old friendships and enjoying the talk and company that comes it.

Not his tomb, but one containing a relic of The Bruce

I am putting one game Saturday morning using the About Bonaparte rules. Perhaps  I may see some of you there! Until next time!

Culloden Battlefield

 

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".