Now published.....

 The battle report on the Gathering of Hosts is now up:

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The pass through the mountains is not a speedy route for an army, and the raven's message gave just enough time for the local nobles to gather their levies, horse and foot. 

By chance, the Queen was visiting the various provinces and when the word was received, she immediately sent her Horse Guards to face the enemy while she called on all of her subjects to be alert along their borders,  and to send their pledged contingent to a Royal army.

Battle is nigh!

Meet Me At The Crossroads

Well......., its been more than a week since I laid out the table for a quick game with some of the refurbished Oberhilse (not USA) and Faraway (not Dominion of C.). Well, life's chores and obligations sometimes interfere with hobbies, as does working on reversions of incomplete rules. None the less, the game went on.

(PS: If you click on the pictures, they will expand to a larger size. Depending on your computer, you can either expand and shrink the pictures using 2 fingers, or on older machines, there will be a "+" marker, click that and then the picture will expand to full size, bigger than most screens BUT you can slide around the big picture and have a good close look. When you've had enough, click the back pointer on the header panel where the left, right, arrows etc).  

 a '+' on the Click on pictures for larger size. Depending on your machine, you can use your figures to enlarge or shrink the picture, or there may bepicture which will expand again and allow you to slide the large picture to see all of it. Click on the header arrow pointing left to go back to the regular screen.

What follows is a quick illustrated report on the opening encounter in the war of 1837. Once again, there was a dispute over just where the border ran. The particular target was the Stone Jug Inn and Tavern.

At dawn, both armies rose and hit the roads. Once the enemies spotted each other, the advanced guards moved as quickly as possible with the republic's cavalry and sharpshooters moving fastest with the infantry doing their best to catch up.

The Oberhilse forces moved up quickly, cavalry across the fields, infantry up the road and soon had troops in the village. The Redcoats marched forward in good spirits, but it was soon clear that the enemy was already occupying the town. General Turner had to come up with a new plan.

For awhile, while the armies deployed, the battle was a skirmish between the light troops, taking what cover they could find while the infantry on both sides moved forward as fast as possible and the Generals made battle plans.

A prolonged firefight followed.

Before long the casualties were increasing without any advantage apart from the side in the cover of the town.

At last, the Redcoats were ordered to "Fix Bayonets" then "Charge!!!"

The Dominion's infantry on their right managed to push back the enemy infantry but they weren't broken or even forced out of the cover of their houses, and reinforcements were at hand.

It was time for General Turner to fallback, fortify the two sections of the town that they held, barricade the roads, call for reinforcements and make a clever plan to evict the enemy.

ps: About 2/3 of these figures were home cast, with or without conversions, but about 1/2 of those are from my original sculpts, the rest being from commercial moulds.

Let Us Pass Over (Now with apologies)

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It has come to my attention that some or many of the photos are not showing to all viewers even though they all show on my screens and on some of my viewers' screens. A little exploration suggests that some of the pictures are too large and are getting blocked. 

My previous surprise was that many of my devices were no longer able to take an image on my GDrive and modify it (inc making a pic smaller in size of file in addition to trimming, adjusting lighting etc etc as desired).  The new ones I did have access to, allowed me to adjust colour, trim bits, etc etc BUT would not reduce the size of the file.

I'm now investigating the result of adjusting the size on my phone before down/uploading, as well as looking for other apps as an option if they are not too expensive for something I only use a few minutes a week.

The missing pics should be starting to appear soon!  -Ross

hmm. or not. So far every free or cheap app I've looked at has removed an option to reduce the size/(density of pixels) of the photo. Now all they do is have an option to crop. 

In the meantime, I'll have to back off and then crop the pictures It'll take a bit to get it right unless I can find an affordable app. 

Now back to the post as it was, though I may crop a few of them, reducing the width of the battle being seen, into a small part or several portions.

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Winter has turned to summer and the armies of Oberhilse and Faraway march again. 

Having failed their New Years assault (see the main action here) the Oberhilse command has formed a new plan to make a surprise attack to seize the stone bridge over the Little Blue River. If they moved fast and keep the expedition a secret they should be able to launch a major invasion.

Apparently, either Faraway had a spy who sent word, or they just assumed that Oberhilse  would attack when the spring hay was cut and stacked, and summer arrived.

(Note: please click on the blank picture to see the full view....at least until I figure out how to fix it.)
A quick clash of cavalry was indecisive but the infantry on both sides took their place and the Musket fire was loud and heavy, To the North, the land did not look like cavalry terrain, so both generals ordered their cavalry to move South to find a ford.  

A passing hot air balloon with a newspaper reporter, with a camera, managed to pass overhead.
(Note: please click on the blank picture to see the full view....at least until I figure out how to fix it.)

There were fewer fords on the river than expected (#@#dice), especially in the convenient crossing places. There were a few spots where pointblank shots could be exchanged but in several spots, it was the less deadly long range musket fire.

The Faraway regulars were taking heavy casualties so the Fencibles were ordered to pass through and hold the bridge. 

The day was getting late and casualties were heavy on both sides. After a quick consultation, the order came out to Brigadier Wavey for his cavalry to cross the river and drive back the enemy cavalry.
(Note: please click on the blank picture to see the full view....at least until I figure out how to fix it.)    

As the sun began to set, the Queen's cavalry crossed the ford to encourage the enemy cavalry
to back off while heavy casualties from  musket and canister fire was
begining to weaken the morale of the Oberhilse infantry. 
(Note: please click on the blank picture to see the full view....at least until I figure out how to fix it.)

Hot Pursuit! 
(but the bugler was soon ordered to blow the Recall.

As the day turned to dusk, the order was given to the Oberhilse troops to fall back in good order,
and the battered Faraway infantry were happy to let them go.

It's been a busy day.....

 But I got a few turns in.

Sunday should see the middle and the end fought out.

The First Encounter

Well..... its been "one of those"  weeks, well, two weeks to be honest. (it's June! Spring is easing into summer and there's planting and mowing and well,...."WINTER IS COMING!"...so there's firewood to be cut down, split etc). That's why the 12 turns I played took me 2 weeks despite each turn taking 5-10 minutes! 

Anyway, my late 18thC Mamluks have had experience of combat with infidel soldiers and they are keen to do it again, but in the mid-16thC now. They just need to rearm the cavalry with bows instead of firearms,  recruit some more troops and.....and....and, well, you know. 

However, both the Sultan and the Holy Roman Emperor are now determined to continue the fight. (What can I do to stop them?) I suspect some recruiting will end up being done by both sides.

Now, here is the brief illustrated news about this first clash (previous pictures not repeated...I think...).

________________

Rumors had started to appear about Turkish raids over the Emperor's lands and so a force was recruited and marched to the border. They managed to arrive in the nick of time as the Turks arrived at the little Blutaip river where there was a very small border guard at the main ford. (see previous posts for the early moves)

The Imperial forces arrive just in time to dispute the crossing.

The Imperial reinforcements pushed on while the Turkish light troops searched for fords and probed the strength of the defenders along the line. 

There were just enough Imperial troops to dispute the handful of river crossings but the Turks also had just enough troops. They sent their cavalry and skirmishers to probe for fords while the bulk of the Turkish infantry and artillery marched forward and began to deploy.

The Turkish light cavalry managed to cross the river on each flank, but not with enough strength to clear the Imperial cavalry and flank the Imperial infantry. Meanwhile, the infantry at the main ford fought a long bloody fight across the river, muskets, pikes, sword and shield and whatever was at hand.

At last, in the center, the Turks got their powder wet or they ran out of it, we'll never know for sure but the Imperial arquebusiers fired a deadly volley as the pikemen and halberdiers  pressed forward and some of the Turkish infantry broke.

With the sun sinking low, the Turkish commander recalled his cavalry. Time for a Truce.

 

Road Blocks Can Be A Problem

There is an old army saying "Fastest with the most-est" but  having studied military history, planning, and keeping a reserve, can also help a General to win.

For those who have just dropped in, the Northern and Southern armies were racing to seize a crossing over the Bloostream River, while preventing the enemy to do the same.  Each army had 4 brigades of infantry support by cavalry and artillery and both were hurrying along parallel roads heading south.    

An observer in a balloon made this illustration of the armies deploying.

Both armies grabbed their end of the 1st bridge while rushing cavalry and infantry to seize the bridge in the town to the South. General Porter, the Union commander, ordered his 2nd brigade to rush by the road to reinforce the town. The 3rd brigade was ordered to move by road to block the ford in the middle in case it was attacked and the last was to move to a central reserve position.

It was soon obvious that the Union cavalry had out ridden their Confederate enemies, crossed over the far bridge and seized the town. General Kinch, quickly ordered his 2nd brigade to cut directly across the fields to seize the ford, while the cavalry and the 3rd brigade were to try to beat the Yankees to the town or to throw them out if needed, His 4th brigade was ordered to follow the road and be ready to move towards the ford or the town as the situation dictated. 

The 2nd Rebel brigade marched hard, crossed the ford, and prepared to hold it.

The fighting was heavy along the line but the Yankee cavalry had reached the town first (by the turn of a card).  In the center, the 2nd Reb brigade had to halt their march to the town to face the Rebs coming over the ford. As the 3rd brigade moved up, there was a traffic jam. Porter decided that the quickest answer was to have the 2nd Brigade withdraw and resume their march while the 3rd Brigade deployed to push back the Rebs crossing the ford. 

A fierce firefight around the ford soon broke out and lasted much of the day.

The 4th Yankee brigade found themselves in a traffic jam, with the road blocked by artillery and the 3rd Brigade and 1st Brigades, all involved in a fire fight with the enemy. There was little for them to do but act as a reserve and prepare to advance over the bridge or ford as the situation developed. 

On the far end of the battle field, the fight was bloody on both sides even though much of the fighting was at long range.

The 4th Southern brigade had been marched up the road as a reserve. As they approached the fighting, they were in a good position from which they could move speedily to any of the three crossings.

It appears that the balloon corespondent was still hanging around.

At last the General made his decision. There was no room at the first bridge or the ford but the town was lightly held and it was wide open to a fresh brigade, The order was sent: "Storm the town and carry the Southern bridge."

The 4th Reb brigade veers off towards the south and marches .

No time was lost.  

The 4th Brigade stepped out, deployed with two regiments in the front and one in reserve, and then advanced on the town despite artillery fire and musket balls. The 2nd Brigade and cavalry, despite heavy losses, continued to press the rest of the Yankee Brigade and the dismounted cavalry. 

In moments, it was over.

All across the field, Union brigades, having taken heavy losses in the firefights, collapsed and ran. Only the reserve brigade was there to cover the retreat,

Now, this was supposed to have been a 16thC game, but an urge came over me....so.....that MIGHT be the next game. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE (maybe...for some...) Over the last decade I have had at least 4 gracious gifts of various plastic 20mm ACW figures, many painted in various styles, some still paint-less. I've been very appreciative of these donations and they have swelled my armies and broadened my options, BUT my table has shrunk from 6'x8' to 5'x6' to 4'x5'. As a consequence, I don't have much room for many more 1/72nd ACW figures. SO, if anyone wants SOME OR ALL of the reserves, drop me an email (rmacfa@gmail.com) with your address and I'll pass them on to be enlisted elsewhere. 

Another Bridge Too Far? (Conclusion)

Now the fighting became serious.

The fighting was noisy and bloody!

At last the Scots marched on, and were sent to clear the left flank. The Emigres were ordered to support the riflemen in the town by the far bridge.
(No dice here, the ...ummh, British player... forgot to move them on to the table for 2 turns! (head slap!)

Order/Counter Order! The Emigres were ordered to halt and wait for new orders as the French had concentrated their forces and stormed the 1st bridge while at the ford, the French infantry deployed and opened fire, daring the British to try crossing!

The British General spotted a fault in the French plan and seizing the initiative, (ie a red card came up giving the British the first move this turn.) ordered the Highlanders to advance towards the bridge, and the Dragoons to charge the flank of the French line! The French broke and ran back through the column just crossing the bridge. The Dragoons pursued, and the battle was over.
(The French had had so many 1st move cards that...'their general' hadn't expected that!)

Now....hmm....what should I play next? 

Let Us Go Over The River (Pt 1)

 It was early in the morning in Flanders in 1794 when General McDowell, with an escort of Dragoons, rode ahead of his column of infantry to see what the situation was. It was soon evident that the French rebels had arrived there first, and were already crossing. He sent an Adjutant to hurry his column of infantry.

As one of those American Rebels would say in the future: "Get there fastest with the mostest!" 

Soon the redcoats were flowing onto the battlefield. A squadron of Light Dragoons were pressing on with speed to stop the enemy cavalry from crossing over.

The French Black Hussars threw back the Light Dragoon but did not destroy them, and Heavy Dragoons were at hand with riflemen moving quickly to take post in the town houses. Before long, the Black Hussars, were ordered back across the bridge with Dragoons to support them.

The terrain was too broken up for long lines but both armies had learned a lot about flexibility in the America's during the Rebellion.

To Be Continued

....To be continued

Now The Hurly-Burly Is Done.....

 But I don't have time to make a full post this evening.

I do have time to post a mid-game sketch by some artistic junior officer after the battle. (unhuh)
 (Double click on the picture to get the full screen version)

Tomorrow then!

More Rumours of the Battle in Progress

OK, OK, between chores, looking after a pack of hounds while their 'Mom' is off to a dogshow weekend, and trying to figure out which of several versions of the rules I want to choose for going forward, I haven't gotten too far but I think I'm set and the game is about to resume should finish by noon (knock knock) and the report be posted later.

In the meantime:

(Click on the photo for the full size version)

Please stand by!

Ahhh, Spring!

The time when my soldiers go into Spring quarters while I spend too much time on cleaning up Winter's debris and preparing for Summer.   In the meantime, here's a link to a game from last April:

Somewhere in Flanders, 1793 (click)  from last April

or...looking back a decade to 2016: 

1/72 ACW from April 24, 2016

"Regular service will resume soon."

The Bloody Toll Bridge Battle

The frontier had been quiet for the last 8 months, since that little incident (click), but the border patrols remained alert. It was in a balmy day in late March when General Douglas received reports of Origawn troops being on the march. A quick study of the reports strongly suggested that they were headed for the bridge near Stone House junction. 

The hidden sharpshooters in the wood caused serious casualties amongst the Origawn infantry while they were searching, fruitlessly, for a ford. The bridge itself was open to the Origawn cavalry.

Word was passed to the local native border scouts and the closest detachments of Faraway troops were called out and started down the road.  The Mounted Rifles and the Governor General's Bodyguard were the first on the scene. The Rifles dismounted and did their best to turn the Hostel into a temporary fort, while the GGBG drew swords and charged into the Origawn mounted rifles, driving them back over the bridge.

After the brief clash of sabres, the cavalry on both sides dismounted with carbines in hand and
 waited for their infantry to arrive.

For a short while, the popping of the skirmishers and dismounted cavalry were almost outdone by the drums, bugles and the marching feet of the infantry, stepping out to get into the action.

Normally the stream was fordable in various places but apparently the heavy snows over the winter had made the fords impassable. It had to be the bridge, or nothing and that was down to the infantry!
(Note: I normally make blind markers for unknown fords etc, but I just rolled when a unit probed a 6" length of water, needing 5 or 6. It turned out, NONE of them were passable. Ooops! Heavy rain I guess!)

And now the bloody fighting began!

Four Origawn units managed to cross and deploy, one after another, under a murderous fire from the Highlanders, artillery and dismounted cavalry. The fight was prolonged and bloody. Late in the day, another Blue unit, the veteran black hats, arrived, having lingered in camp (ie shelf...oops..). 

As the Origawn army started to waver, theBlack Hats rushed across the bridge but were cut to pieces by cannister and bullets. Old Veterans of this action talked for years about "never seen so many 5's and 6's in one fire phase!"

There was nothing for General Lannigan to do but cuss a little, deploy his cavalry as a rearguard and try to get his soldiers into good order for the retreat.