While I am perhaps odd in the wargaming field to have no qualms about spending hours painting figures of militia who will stand little chance of glory on the tabletop, I understand it would be little fun to most wargamers who are, well, gamers, and want some chance of success and most rules allow for. Me? Well, I think it realistic for units to up and run away with only a few shots their way. Happened all the time in historic battles. I enjoy writing up the history of a fictional battle and noting all the events. Which leads me back to the topic at hand.
While the set up is a scenario for an American Civil War battle (great for War of 1812 by the way, the small affairs as mostly regimental in size, with very little cavalry for the most part) the actions of the units are up to "the chart" and the dice with some interesting results
The photo shows the early events of the engagement
To the upper left of the photo, the British 8th Foot Regt. awaits the American flanking movement whose regiments are seen on the top of the photo. The American guns were way back in the advance and are still moving into position (center right).
Finally the Kentucky militia are seen at the lower right of the photo, charging in mass, across the stream toward the British battery represented by one gun. (*note that artillery was sparse in the War of 1812 and in the largest of campaigns, Niagara 1814, both sides only used half-batteries of 2 or 3 guns as tactical elements)
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| Kentucky volunteers led by its civilian dressed colonel. Knuckleduster "Frontier Militia, advancing" with the colonel a heavily converted Old Glory "Pres. Madison". Painted and converted by me |
The Kentucky boys must have been encouraged by much Bourbon whiskey {I rolled lots of 6's for their maneuver!} as they chanced a direct charge {I again rolled double 6's and according to the rules, militia MUST move the entire distance} to the guns. The first regiment was shot to heck and the others fell back quickly. "I's saw the boys in front get felled down like corn stalks and I sobered up real quick like", said one survivor.
While this disaster was afflicting the American left, and the regiments of the right were not yet in position to advance upon the defended ford, the Colonel of the yet unsupported 44th Regt., perhaps to prove the martial spirit of his unit {yes, you guessed again, yet another 6 rolled...I have never thrown so many in my life I can assure you!} ...and with the pluses of being regulars with no disorder or hits, the large maneuver number and indeed the necessity of getting to the other side of the stream, made up the Colonel's mind. It proved folly as "the most beautifully conducted fire I had witnessed" completely destroyed the unit in minutes. Again I rolled a 6 --- for hits which produce DPs; get enough and casualties happen --- every second dice! With the British veteran 1st Foot and the Upper Canadian militia assisting well, the ground was covered in the bodies of the 44th and it's colonel wounded.
The British line held and the initial American attacks were handedly destroyed. Will the American commander attempt more attacks, await his reinforcements all the while the day grows shorter, or call off the bloodshed? Stay tuned.
I conclude with another picture of the Perry British limber team. Very nice model.
and the British 100th Regiment of Foot in reserve. The pant color in the photo appears bluish but they are painted mid-gray I can assure you. They are led by a mounted Victrix colonel. Slightly proportionally smaller than the Old Glory rank and file he leads and no doubt well matched to the latest Perry work , it is a very nice model and I think one of the finer sculpted horses on the market.
