Battle at Cook's Mill, opening shots.

British/Canadian forces set up on the board on the North West corner.  The Glengarry Light Infantry (GLI) split into two divisions, one heading towards the mill, the other the farm house.  The Royal Artillery advanced down the road to find a good firing position.  The flank companies advanced through the woods to clear it of riflemen and protect the crown forces right flank.  The Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada (BIMUC) advanced steadily forward.

 The American commander deployed his rifles in divisions in the woods on both flanks. This way they could take advantage of the terrain and harass the advancing red coats.  Although they had superior range they were slower to load and he choose to fire half his men each turn to insure a steady fire.  (due to slower rate of fire rifles fire every other turn) He wanted to buy enough time to bring his line infantry into the table.

 Once in position the Royal Artillery opened fire on the American infantry crossing the bridge.  The Royal Marine Rocket battery continued to fire; and continued to send rockets flying off in all directions except towards the enemy.

 The American 5th Infantry regiment shrugged off the morale check and quickly deployed into line.  They moved forward to engage the enemy and to give room for the remainder of the brigade to deploy.  The Rifle men were driven back by superior numbers with a few casualties were caused on either side.

But the 1st Rifle Regiment and 5th Infantry had bought time.  The American commander now had two line battalions deployed and two more battalions were arriving.  It was time to advance and drive off the enemy.

To be continued.....

situation at end of this phase.

more action to come lads!

Battle of Cook's Mill, part 1 Preliminaries

 The battle of Cook's Mill was a small afair, evan for the War of 1812.  It is a seldom remembered action towards the end of the 1814 Niagara campaign.  As such it would make a perfect action to fight on my table top.  My refighting of the battle would not be a straight simulation but rather based on what happened.  A slight change in the order of battle to make a much more interesting fight and a chance to field some of my favorite regiments on the table top...

What happened historically?  Here is a brief synopsis from our friend Wikipedia:
"Attempting to deprive the British of their chief source of flour, Izard sent a brigade of about 1,200 men, consisting of the 5th, 14th, 15th and 16th U.S. Infantry with some detachments of riflemen and U.S. Dragoons under Brigadier General Daniel Bissell, to take Cooks Mills on Lyon's Creek in Crowland township. In response, Drummond dispatched about 750 men (the 6th Regiment, the Glengarry Light Infantry and the flank companies of the 104th Regiment, with a 6-pounder gun and a Congreve rocket detachment) under Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Myers to reconnoitre the American force."

So, a reinforced American brigade is sent to seize Cook's Mill and destroy the British Army's supply of flour.  It appears the Rifle Regiment was sent ahead with the brigade of infantry following.  The Americans have better training (morale) and numbers.  The British/Canadians are on the table with a chance to defeat the enemy in detail.  It should be a fun game and interesting tactical problem.

American Order of Battle:
1st Rifle Regiment (24)
1st US Regiment (24)
5th US Regiment (24)
25th US Regiment (24)
25th US Regiment (24)

All regiments are rated as regulars.  The Rifle Regiment starts the game deployed by the cross roads West of the bridge.  The remaining regiments enter the game one regiment each move  on the east road. 

British/Canadian Order of Battle:
Battalion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada (24)
Glengarry Light Infantry (24)
Flank companies British Regiment  (12)
Royal Artillery (medium gun)
Royal Marine Artillery (rocket)
This force deploys on the table top at the North West corner.

Where is Laura Secord?

The village of Cook's Mill.  

The Mill is near the center of the table.  The American Rifle Regiment is deployed to the west of the mill near the cross roads.  The American infantry enter in the road to the right side of the picture. One regiment enters each turn.   The British /Canadian forces are deployed in the upper left corner.  The river can only be crossed at the bridge. There may be a ford on the river but it can only be  discovered by troops moving along it.   Woods along the river provide cover for troops inside it.

Once a command is reduced to less the 50% that side must withdraw off the field. Victory belongs to the side who holds the mill (and the important flour supply) at the end of the game.

I do hope they do not make a mess of things!

A small pond

  Now that we all have extra time little projects that got put aside or forgotten are getting done.  I picked up this pond at Cold Wars a while ago. I think it is from a  Flames of War terrain pack but the individual selling it did not know (or care to tell me).  Painted and static grass around the edges to pretty it up.  A nice little piece to add to my box of terrain and make my table top look better.

Old School Hill Project: part 1

   I have always liked the old school style hills.  The flat top, wedding cake style of hills. Perhaps I have read and looked through my copy of Charles Grant's "The War Game" too much. Perhaps they remind me of the maps on the old Avalon Hill games or topo maps. They are not what is standard on most game tables today.  But then I have never been part of the "in" crowd.  My tabletop style is more of a retro Old School.  I want simple and functional rather then decorative.

  For too long I have wrestled with what type of hill I wanted on my table. What I was looking for was a old school style hill, but with more flexibility.  I have limited space so I cannot have too many hills.  I also wanted long ridges;  perhaps a entire table edges worth.  Or a corner of a table. And large hills, not the tiny things that pass for them. And finally the look had to be something out of the book "The War Game."

   I recently found an interesting suggestion on a blog called Matakishi's Tea House.  The author made a modular series of hills that could be fitted together to create long or short ridges and more.  He used cork panels to make these.  Search as I did I could not find that material.  What I did find at Home Depot were 24" x 24" pink insulation boards about an inch thick.  Here was something I could work with!  I bought six boards and set off to create my module hills.

   First I needed a base for a long ridge or hill.  I took three boards and cut them in half.  I used two of the 12" x 2 4" boards to make end caps ( the ends of the ridge).  With the other four boards I could make one ridge or hill that was 48" long by 2 4" wide.  Or break them into hills 12" x 2 4" .  Or any combination.  The key here is flexibility.

I cut two boards in half.  These will be the basic hills.

I cut two extra boards to make the end caps.

Here are the end caps. I made a set for both the two boards and single boards.

  I used another board to make smaller versions of the same.  I cut the board into three sections;  one was 12" wide and two were 6" wide.  Again this gave me a lot of flexibility.  The remaining board was used for making end caps and a special corner piece.  What was important was keeping a straight edge for each piece.  This way they could lineup well.

Here are the smaller hills on top of the larger hill.  A nice two story hill.

By separating the two sides I can create more variations. Here are two sides of the hill creating a valley between them.

A corner piece.

Add a base for the big hill to a corner piece and I can create a L shaped ridge.

  In a little over an hour and a half I had the basic pieces cut out.

Next up painting and flocking the boards in part 2.

The Boston Massacre: A Family History by Serena Zabin

The Boston Massacre is familiar to most of us.  Our views of it are filtered, known  through Paul Revere's engraving. That is how most of us still picture it.  A snowy night, blood thirsty soldiers slaughtering innocent civilians.  Or we know it from John Adams' defense of the soldiers.  But there is another side of the story one not know to most people.  That he Massacre arose from conflicts that were as personal as they were political. People on both sides knew and lived side by side.  

  

Professor Serena Zabin draws on original sources to follow British troops as they are sent from Ireland to Halifax and then to Boston in 1768.  She reveals a forgotten world.  That many regimental wives and children accompanied these armies. We see these families competing with Bostonians for living space and for work.  Conflicts came not only from enforcement of Colonial policy and laws but over living space and work.  Soldiers competed for low paying work.  They also shared experience, such as baptisms and births and deaths.  There were romantic attachments and not so romantic experiences.  Sickness such as small pox did not take sides but we're a equal opportunity employer.  When soldiers fired on citizens in the street, it was a final straw in a much longer simmering confrontation.  In many ways it was surprising it had not happened before.

Highly recommended not just for the new information and take on a old topic,  but because it is a very good read.