We've Got Too Many Men!

There's a cry you don't often hear from a General, especially not a Tabletop one. The more old toy soldiers I paint, the more I want to but I'm running low on space on table to deploy them!

Now, all the first hand accounts that I've read, as well as the training manuals, lead me to want to see a battle field that looks something like this:

“Battle of Limestone Ridge,” Fort Erie Local History, http://www.fepl.ca/localhistory/items/show/4774.

But, if I could convince myself to use massed ranks of toy soldiers as in the following, better known but less realistic, illustration of Ridgeway, I could field at least double the numbers.

The Sage, Sons & Co. Lithographer - Library and Archives Canada

That was the plan first time around as we see here:

Ft Henry Guard in 1997/98, based for a low level ACW Volley & Bayonet variant.

It would make soooo much sense for a fictional game, twice the soldiers in the same space, massed battalions marching up and down the table......but its just not the right look and feel for this campaign and anyway, I have my 20mm ACW for that.

So, I turned my thoughts to With MacDuff to the Frontier, and to Featherstone and even to Howard Whitehouse's nearly published Gentleman's War but I like my grid and I like painting small units. So, I went back to the Square Brigadier which was originally aimed at the mid-19thC. Once I turned away from the War of 1812 and early 20thC variants I realized that I really only needed a few tweaks. The main one is that there shouldn't be any prolonged close range firefights, charges need to be resolved immediately.

The Square Brigadier: The Defended Frontier.

Once I fill the order of battle for both sides, I'm sure I'll find inspiration to start a new collection. While I was cutting away the kilt on a charging Highlander to make a Zouave, I couldn't help but notice that it looked a lot like I was starting to make a soldier wearing  a dhoti. Now THERE was a dangerous thought!

However, as long as I am willing to indulge in some fanciful proposals it is possible if not plausible to come up with an 1850's/60's scenario where the as yet unresolved "Pig War" over the San Juan Islands explodes as Russia decides that the time is ripe to reassert her claim that Vancouver Island is part of Alaska.

That could at least give Ivan a job and excuse a few Cossacks and sailors.

Ivan. My 1st original sculpt and still
without brothers nearly 20 years later.

To be honest though, I'm starting to remember why I originally 'discovered' the fictional land now called Atlantica for my 54mm British and Fenian armies to inhabit back at the start of the century. It was certainly easier than being at constant risk of being mistaken for some fool with a poor grasp of history or having to wrestle with my conscience about how far to twist the truth and bears some thinking about.

2001 Rebel Island game with Faraway (historical British and Canadians) vs the Fenians backed by Oberhilse (historical USA, CSA and Fenians).
Ft. Henry Guard with regimental colour in centre field.