Saturday 4 December 2021

The 'Nateville' War of 1812 campaign #1

 

A new wargaming pen-pal suggested the following to be a idea of a scenario:

“For you, Doug H,  I'm thinking some War of 1812 action to blog about.  A solo campaign that i can feed a bit.

The Americans are preparing an offensive and are gathering supplies and mustering troops in a town.  The Brits have caught wind and have decided to launch a spoiling attack before their own reinforcements arrive.

Scenario #1.  River crossing raid.  A smaller British force with Iroquois allies launches the spoiling attack versus the inferior quality but superior numbers American force.  A bridge (defended) and/or boats can be used to cross the river.  The river is only partially defended, then the heights to cross (also partially defended) before the town can be reached.  The majority of the American troops are in/near the town.  The British objective is to destroy the ammo dump and retreat without catastrophic casualties.  Terrain is wooded with a few farms and the major road to and from the town, bridge, and table edges.

-American activation.  Units are unaware of the raid and can not activate unless they make a successful roll.  Roll modifiers include LOS to British units, or being x distance from a firing unit”.  

------

I therefore came up with the following table set-up for my upcoming “Nateville Campaign”:

the War of 1812 theatre of operations around the fictional border town of Nateville, Vermont in the year 1813.

The American volunteers guard the bridge while the Regular Pioneers (stand on the left) do repairs on the bridge strengthening the timbers to allow the artillery to cross supporting the upcoming invasion of Canada. The artillery is in guard position on the hill in the background before the town.  Little that they know the Canadians have other ideas than to accept the invasion with little activity of their own....

The object of the Canadian raid: the important American ammunition supply. A unit of American regulars form up in front of their tents. Of note: the horse teams are Perry British but I replaced with Old Glory early war American heads.  The wagon is a Warbases MDF version of a Napoleonic baggage wagon painted in the light blue color of the American equipment during this time.  These Warbases wagons are quite good and easy to put together.

More American regulars camped on the far side of "Nateville, Vermont".  Of interest are my wooden tents. Yes, indeed they are made from wood found abandoned at a construction site in a nice triangular shape ready to be cut into tent sized portions and carefully sanded edges to give that 'canvas-draped-over-a-pole' look. The rest is just paint.

Further to the east of the bridge, the Abenaki natives (left), the Canadian Fencibles (Regulars near the creek), and French-Canadian militia (at right in the red caps) are ready to surprise the American 'Combined Lights'' Battalion (near the cabin).  The bridge is at the upper right ready to be assaulted, and  Nateville is in the distance. Most of the buildings are scratch-built by me.

I think I will use the Osprey Publishing rules "Rebels and Patriots" for the games.  Hopefully soon, but currently I find I am drifting from one 'project' to another in rapid fashion worse than a Ritalin-deprived butterfly.