Battle Of Anthill Ridge

I was going to write up a backstory for this battle but really, when did the Dominion and the Rebels need a reason to fight? So, this is just what it looks like, a chance encounter in a pass which both want to control.

The Dominion forces managed to reach the crest first with a battery and a squadron of the Mounted Rifles and one of the Bodyguard.

A brief lull followed as both sides deployed their infantry and the opposing batteries duelled.

The Rebel battery won the artillery duel and Rebel cavalry came close to dispersing the Dominion cavalry but the Highlanders deployed in time and their rapid and accurate fire drove the enemy horsemen back. It was down to the opposing infantry lines to decide the day. 

The cavalry on both sides dismounted and an ineffective long range firefight ensued. In the centre, the opposing infantry exchanged a hot fire but the decision came on the eastern wing. There, the Voltigeurs and Rifles had the advantage of cover and as the sun started to sink, the remnants of Grey's gave way.

A minor victory for the Dominion but not the end of this campaign!

The Sun Was High

Too high as it turned out. Not only was my skin starting to sizzle despite a coat of sunblock, but my phone's camera just wasn't up to the bright light mottled with shadows.

The armies approached each other as the sun rose high in the sky.

Fortunately, the opposing generals agreed to a temporary ceasefire until the sun sank a little lower in the sky and shadows crept over the pass. The men downed packs, reached for their canteens and then had a little snooze in the summer heat.  At last, the adjutants met, bugles sounded and the cannons began to roar.

As always, click on the pictures to enlarge.

To be continued...

Summer Is Here!

Let the games begin!

"Whose turn is it to attack Lannigan? I seem to recall that we attacked last Fall." 
"Oh no! You're not pulling that one on us Douglas! We attacked through that damned icy swamp last December, even if it was indoors, and two summers ago, we stormed Nor'East Hill, just over there behind you and darned hot work that was too!"
"Excuse me Sir, but now that we've cleared this field, perhaps an encounter battle would be a welcome change."
"Eh? Well, Sergeant Major, that sounds like a Capital idea. Whaddiya say Lannigan?"
"Sounds fine. Let's roll for sides. Even's you attack from the Plum Tree on your left, odds we do." 

Battle of Plum Run Hill (Conclusion)

Continued from the previous post.

<Note: Click on the pictures to see the larger version of them.>

Without further ado, the Dominion forces deployed and advanced as the Rebels opened fire.

The attack gets underway.

The 1st Brigade, composed of the two companies of veteran Highlanders and one of the Rifles, steadily advanced straight up the hill under an accurate fire from rifles and artillery. On the left, the Mounted Rifles moved forward towards the redoubt, dismounted, and began trading fire with it's garrison, while 'A' Battery came forward, unlimbered and added to the din with an effective fire on the redoubt. Col. Ross's Brigade deployed in support of the Highlanders and began to follow them up the hill.

The terrain breaks up the attack but it continues.

From the top of the hill, General Grey surveyed the enemy's attack and ordered his cavalry to the far right to support that redoubt, sent the Zouaves in to make sure of the wooded hill top and pulled the supporting infantry out of the artillery redoubt into a reserve position where they could quickly return to the redoubt or reinforce the hill top. 

 

The first attack was easily repulsed and General Grey relaxed and lit a cigar, thinking: "This is gonna to be easy".

MacDuff was not that easily scared though, he'd known this was going to be a tough fight.  'A' Battery was now in action on his right, the first line was rallying in the rear and his second line was at hand. He ordered them to renew the assault. Colonel Ross drew his sword, set himself at the head of the Pioneer company and led the way. He was swiftly shot off his horse but his men roared out for vengeance and, led by their Sergeant, swinging his axe like a hero of old, they drove the Greycoats off the top of the hill.

The battle now ranged across the entire front.

The hilltop was taken but behind it, the woods were held by the veteran Zouaves. Both redoubts were still in Rebel hands, and the sun was sinking fast. It was time for the center to hunker down and keep the Zouaves in place while the flanks mustered what strength they could. Gray wasn't willing to wait though, pulling the Zouaves back, he hoped to reinforce the roadblock before the Redcoats could charge. 

The Dominion was slowly achieving the unlikely but the sun was sinking low. Did they have time to finish the job?

While the regulars poured in fire, the Mounted Rifles remounted and charged with wild cries, jumping their horses over the hasty work and scattering the remaining rebels. Not stopping there, they pursued into the Rebel cavalry which was moving up in support, and drove them back as well. On the far right, it was obvious that 'A' Battery, despite having hurt the enemy battery, would not silence it before nightfall. It would be down to the remnants of the Highland company which already suffered terribly from enemy fire, supported by the remnants of 'A' company of the regulars.
 

Putting himself at their head, Macduff ordered them forward. Leaping his horse over the logwall as his men rushed with cold steel into the expected hail of cannister.

Daunted, by this spectacle with the setting sun glinting on the cold steel, the gunners broke and ran.

Reduced to one combat ready infantry company and a few horsemen, there was no hope of victory now for General Grey. Reluctantly he gave orders for a retreat as the sun set. 

Overview of the battlefield as the Grey army broke 1/2 way through turn 15, the final turn.

So ends the Garden Wargaming season for 2022, and a great way to end the season. The game ended in the first have of Turn 15/15. If the initiative deck had produced a Black card, the odds were that the battery could have broken the highlanders while the veteran Zouaves might have either flanked the already shaken regulars or just occupied the redoubt and held it. Still, despite the dice and cards, it was the Commander's decisions that drove the conclusion.

If all goes well, we'll be back in the great outdoors by June if not May of 2023. In the meantime, indoor gaming will continue!

Battle of Plum Run Hill. Pt1

The long Summer is drawing to a close and the first Hurricane of the season is drawing nigh. I decided that there was time for one last 'Garden Game' before Fall settled in to be followed by Winter. Casting my eyes about, I realized that it was 40's that had done all the outside fighting so far this year. It seemed only right to give the 54's an outing. I had left things with great uncertainty about rules and organization but ended up using an off grid version of the Square Brigadier.

I got the trimmer out, cleared the battlefield and starting thinking about scenarios. My first decision was to not use the knoll that had been central in the two 1790's games played earlier this year.  Sighhh.  Oh well.

"Enemy in sight Sir! Looks like they've blocked the roads and may have some troops in those woods on the hill."

I ended up deciding that Red was tasked with moving up the South-East road, leaving the hillock on their left. They had 1 troop of Mounted Rifles,  1 section of artillery and 6 companies of infantry, two of which were rated as elite shock troops. (The Highlanders of course!)  

Blue's orders were to stop the Dominion forces from moving down the road into Plum Run.  They had 1 troop of Mounted Rifles, 1 section of guns and 4 companies of infantry, one of which was rated as shock troops. (The Zouaves)

Brigadier MacDuff: "Hmm.Yes I see them. Looks like a hard nut." 

Having weighed the possibilities, I decided to entrench the gun and a company of infantry in a reboubt across the road. I then posted a company on top of the steep wooded hill, assuming that Red wouldn't be crazy enough to assault up that rugged terrain against an enemy in cover, while being subject to a flanking fire from the gun. I then posted 1 company on a trail that goes up the hill to the south of the knoll and winds up the back of the hill to a farm on the crest. That left me with 1 company of infantry, the Zouaves, and 1 of mounted rifles in reserve around the farm. 

An overhead view of the rebel positions.

As Brigadier MacDuff, I looked at the options and came up with three options. The first option was "Hey didle diddle" right up the road to storm the battery while screening the enemy on the hill, a potentially bloody option. The second was to threaten the battery, screen the hill, and focus on taking the small redoubt on the back road, sweeping over the hill, through the farm and taking the battery in reverse. Since it was a solo game, I assigned odds and rolled to see what plan to go with. I decided that the backroad seemed like the best route so assigned 4,5,6 to that option. The straight up the road approach had risks but was direct and left many of his troops out of the action unless their general reacted early,so I assigned 2,3 to that option. Lastly, to assault up that steep hill vs an enemy in cover against the center of his line where reserves could easily reach him. That seemed to risk disaster,  even if some units were assigned to keep the flanking forces busy but, if successful, it might more or less destroy the defending force and lead to a decisive result in campaign terms, so I assigned that option to "1".  Then I threw the die.

The orders have been issued and the first attack goes in, up the hill......

Up Next: The Battle for Plum Run Hill.

Battle of Wild Cherry Pass

 It was mid afternoon on the 27th of July when the French finally appeared.

General Michel de St. Lambert stared up at the English, ensconced on top of a steep slope, then calmly began to issue orders.

General Ross took one more look at his dispositions. gun supported by infantry and some of his German riflemen entrenched overlooking the road, more riflemen in an orchard on his left flank, support by some marines, more infantry entrenched across the road as it curved around the hill, and hussars and highlanders in reserve. He nodded his head with a slight smile and thought: "We'll slaughter these Frogs if they dare attack my position".

 "Did they think I would send my soldiers scrambling up that escarpement to their death?" thought General Michel St. Lambert as he surveyed the British position from below. Well, they can't do me too much damage here, especially with that deadground at the foot of the slope. Still, it might be best to amuse them. He issued orders for a company of skirmishers to work around the enemy's left and draw their attention. Everyone else was ordered to advance quickly down the road and attack any enemy positions. His orders were to drive off the British and secure this road leading down towards Newport Landing, and he intended to carry them out! 

The French skirmishers climbed swiftly up the gentler slope to the east of the cliff. A small party of riflemen opened fire on them. Rushing forward, pausing only briefly to fire they pressed in but those rifles were deadly! Hardly a shot missed while the enemy was hard to see in those woods. The fight at close range was desperate, but at last the surviving attackers were compelled to giveway and fall back out of range.

The sound of the battery on the hill opening fire and the crackle of small arms fire on the far side of the ridge was warning enough for the 1st company of the DeBrouiller Regiment. They manned their redoubt beside the gate and braced themselves for the comming storm.

Soon, the French skirmishere swarmed around the corner of the bluff and began to work around the defenders flank. As soon as their front was open, the first column pushed forward, stopped for one volley and then charged. The defenders fled! General Ross had seen the movement though and ordered up his reserves, stripping the hilltop of troops. Already the Highlanders and Marines were formed across the enemy's path. In reserve, the troop of York Hussars waited for a chance to charge. 

As the British line solidified, a prolonged firefight broke out. The French columns had no room to deploy and the smaller number of British met them musket to musket. They had no reserve though and their line was growing thin while the French seemed inexhaustable. To make matters worse, the French skirmishers were working their way around the flank of the marines, keeping to the rough ground with an eye to the Hussars in reserve. Lastly, the French artillery finally made it to the frontline, deployed, and added their fire.

Finally, the French cheered and came forward with the bayonet. They were held briefly by the emigres, but General Ross was wounded in the fight and after a bloody close range fight, the remnants broke. A charge by the Hussars stalled one column, but not without loss. The Highlanders stubbornly held their ground, and a party of Riflemen who had crept around the French flank managed to hit General St. Lambert.

For a moment the battle seemed to be stalled but it was an illusion. The remnant of the Highlanders were the only British infantry left on the field. Even supported by the remnants of the Hussars, a gun and a few riflemen, it was not going to be enough to stop three French battalions. The retreat began.

_______________

This game was played outside (in case that wasn't obvious) with various 40mm homecast figures, (mostly converted 7 Years War ones.). It lasted about 2 hours, ignoring breaks for refreshment etc. (With Humidex, it was about 35C.)  The rules were a stripped down version of my "With MacDuff To the Frontier" rules adapted to the French Revolution and crossed with some my underdevelopment "A Whiff of Dice" rules. Once I get my page of free rules fixed up, I'll post them there, probably under the Whiff of Dice title. 

Patrol Returning SIr!

After that fiasco 2 weeks ago, the British had had to fallback and regroup. The French victory, backed by promises from the Directory that all former slaves would be legally freed if they came in, swore an oath to the Republic, and took up arms, had set back the British cause.  

 Looks like they're in a hurry Sir!

While awaiting reinforcements, and trying to convince London that the failure was largely due to the failure of the Royal Navy to provide adequate support, General Ross (well, looking back, it seems I hadn't yet named him so....) decided to fortify Plum Run Bluff, over looking the road to Newport.

"Well, Gentlemen, best turn out your men."

to be continued........

Its A Jungle Out There

Saturday being a glorious day with no obligations, I couldn't resist giving some of the lads an outing in the sun. By sheer intention I had mowed the bit of side yard slope that I used for two games last Spring the day before so it was just a matter of picking the lucky lads who would get out. So far I've stuck to 54's outside but the 40's aren't that much smaller and I had just the right bunch ready to go.

Belmont Island, West Indies, (don't bother checking your maps) sometime in the 1790's. Hired Jaegers scouting ahead of a British column, spy on a supposedly secret French base. 

Over the winter I've had time to think about where my French Rev. forces are headed and decided that I had slid into the rut of "battles" without noticing it, whereas the original plan had been more of a skirmish/semiskirmish (depending on one's definition of skirmish) game. So. it's been "Heigh-ho and back we go". The standard unit is once again an 8 man company but I don't have the patience for card activation by unit or any fussy stuff, so the original "With MacDuff to the Frontier" was out but there was no need to invent anything new so I just scribbled down some quick basic rules and started thinking about a quick and easy outdoor scenario.  Having taken a closer look at the mown battle area, and thought about the available troops, I decided on a British column sent to capture a French base that has been built in the jungle to support a new army of freed slaves.

As the column approached the French base, the troops begin to deploy off the 'road',  into the undergrowth, and creep closer. 

The French sentries were alert and opened fire before the deployment was complete but the attack pressed forward while French troops were soon spilling out of their barracks and forming up. The battle was on!  

An assault by the De Brouille Regiment was thrown back but the Black Watch was at hand. 

The Riflemen had proved most useful in weakening the French fire line despite their breastwork while the assaults by the emigre's had resulted in heavy casualties on either side. The first assault by the Highlanders had been held, just, but  the second go went over the wall and the French morale collapsed. The York Hussars were set loose to round up or disperse the remaining French.

For the curious, here's the "Back of a Postcard" rules I scribbled down. All measurements were done with one of my sticks with coloured bands. I think the one I grabbed had 60mm bands but they might have been 2" or 3", doesn't really matter. 

Ross's new Back of a Postcard version of A Whiff of Dice

Initiative & Game length: Draw 15 cards, turn 1 over at the start of each turn when the last card is played the game is over. Red: British go 1st, Black: French go 1st, Joker=The turn is over, draw next card. 

Sequence: 1st player units move or shoot, both sides resolve melee then 2nd player does the same. If one side loses its general, the player with a general decides who goes first each turn regardless of colour.

Move: Deployed Infantry: 2 lengths, Skirmishers or Infantry in Column: 3 lengths, Cavalry: 4 lengths. 

Terrain: Infantry lose 1 length to move through jungle or cross an obstacle. Cavalry and artillery may not move through jungle, cost 2 lengths to cross obstacle. Road negates terrain for column. 

Shooting: Muskets: Range 2 lengths 1d@2 figures, 5,6 hits.  Artillery: Canister: Range 3 3d@gun. 5,6 hits. Shot: Range 6 2d@gun  4,5,6 hits.  +1 if Rifles or Canister, -1 if difficult target (enemy in cover, skirmishers, or cavalry)

Melee: Infantry: 1d@2, Rifles 1d@3, Cavalry 1d each; 4,5,6 hits,  -1 vs cover. Side taking most hits retreats full move.

Commander: Once per turn may join unit which takes a hit and roll 1d. 5,6=hit cancelled or if in melee 1 may be inflicted on enemy, 2,3,4 no effect, 1 Commander is wounded and removed. (See initiative)

Morale: Unit losing over 1/2 figures retreats. (pick 'em up) 'Army' losing over 1/2 units concedes game unless overruled by scenario. 

We Interupt This Battle For A Battle

This morning was damp and grey so I decided on a scenario, selected the troops and set the table. But by then, it was warm and sunny and yard and garden duties called.

By the time I knocked off, it was hot and everyone else was outside so......

Yup  I broke out one of my small, gridded cloths, and my 1/72nd fantasy figures, then headed out.

I decided to just go with my Gathering of Hosts rules, no special magical or fantasy bits, and no scenario, just 6 units aside on random terrain. 

The Sea People had their King with his armoured bodyguard, 4 other warbands and a unit of archers while the Woodsfolk had 1 Chieftain in a chariot with runners, 2 light infantry, 2 cavalry and 1 archer. They didn't have a hope.

Luckily they didn't need hope. After a short but brutal fight, they outflanked the Sea People and managed to break them just before they reached their own breakpoint.

If there is rain tomorrow,  then this one will get its turn.

Yes it is. A timeless classic.

Ambush at White's Farm

I had hoped that the Newport News would cover this action but their usual correspondent was not present and it seems that none of the officers present were able and willing to write an account while the photographic record was totally inadequate to work from. However, I will do my best to give some account.

(Please click on the pictures to get a larger version which allows you to see the figures, especially when screened by grass!)

As the Northwest Mounted Rifles approached the farm they were met by a hail of bullets.

Quickly they dismounted in the open and returned fire as best they could while the column behind deployed and moved to support them. 

Unseen by the Dominion troops, more Kree warriors were working their way around the flank.

One group of Kree managed to silence the gun momentarily but the Director-General's Bodyguards came quickly to the rescue and a hail of shell and bullets forced the warriors to retreat back up the gully.

Eventually, heavy casualties caused the Mounted Rifles and Victoria's to pull back but the regulars from the garrison at Fort Henry took their place supported by the DGBG while the artillery rained shells down on the farm. The artillery fire in particular was instrumental in forcing rebel units to pullback.

Eventually Colonel Ross led the Pioneer company forward with cold steel and the the Rebels broke. 

This impromptu scenario saw a column of  4 infantry companies plus a field gun and 1 unit of mounted rifles tasked with establishing a post at an farm on a wagon road.  They were opposed by 5 units of irregular mounted rifles, some in hard cover, the rest concealed in the bush. The infantry were 6 strong, the rest 4 strong.

The rules were also impromptu. They were simple and filled just over 1/2 of one side of a piece of paper and had the sort of feel I wanted with units being composed of individuals and being pinned by fire but there was too much dice rolling and the fire was too deadly so that I had to halve the number of dice almost immediately. They need some work before I'll be ready to share.

Into the Valley

Warily, B company drove into the valley, keeping a close eye out for a Rebel ambush.

Suddenly the side of the hill erupted with fire. The tank and Recoilless Rifle returned fire while the infantry debussed.

#4 Platoon spread out, took what cover they could find on the edge of the road, and began a lengthy firefight with the Redcap trench. 

The Rebels were dug in and well camouflaged. (There are bits of 6 visible in this pic).

Seeing how ineffective #4 Platoon's fire was, #6 Platoon, straight out of training and eager to show their fighting spirit, didn't bother stopping to shoot but stormed up the hill with bayonets and grenades, into a deadly hail of bullets at pointblank range.  

With the 4th and 6th platoons and the HQ squad decimated, Major Hastee ordered a retreat and began composing a report in his head about how they had been ambushed by larger numbers of well equipped and entrenched Rebels. 

__________________________

Forces: 

Rebel Ambush party: HQ + Mortar+ 2 platoons @ 6 soldiers inc 1 w bazooka. All entrenched in the jungle on the hill.

Gov't Patrol: HQ + SP Recoiless Rifle, M3 76mm Tanks, APC w lmg, 3 platoons of infantry.

Simple One Page Rules written up the evening before with fixed move, roll to hit then roll to pin or kill/wound. They were OK with a reasonable feel, but a bit boring at times with too much die rolling for a small quick game, sometimes being very deadly  but usually indecisive as each side fired and ducked by turns, requiring too many turns with too much die rolling for such a simple encounter between small forces. Needs some thought. 

The disputed territory just beyond the ambush site.