Niagara 1814

Back in 1985 as part of our honeymoon Janine and I traveled around the Niagara Falls area.  Our visiting the battlefields of Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, Forts George and Niagara was the start of a life long fascination with not only the War of 1812 but especially with the Niagara campaign of 1814.

It was also the start of my interest in wargaming this campaign on the table top and collecting its armies.

For the miniature war gamer this is an ideal conflict to game.  The armies and leadership were equal.  No difference in weaponry and tactics.  And the armies were sized for the table;  a very economical endeavor.  Figures are provided for by a great number of companies.  All are wonderful and provide for almost everything you would need.  So, this long deserved project is finally under way. For those who are also interested in gaming this conflict here are some suggestions I have discovered.

 I picked the outstanding miniatures from Kuckleduster for my collection. They are little works of art with great animation.  Most importantly Forrest Harris (the owner) has provided a complete line of figures. There are few gaps in the line and these are rapidly being filled.  He is also a joy to buy from with outstanding customer service.  His web site provides excellent down loads and suggestions for the novice gamer on campaigns, figures and unusual regimental details.  There is a guide to which figures to buy to correctly portray a regiment for each year of the war. Please visit both his website and blog.  You will be glad you did and rewarded by the experience.

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A challenge for any gamer creating an army is getting the details correct. For the War of 1812 the details of uniforms are few and often contradictory. American uniform details changed almost yearly.  British uniforms also had major changes.  The Canadian militia system and uniforms are almost a study in themselves.  So good research materials are desperately needed.  Fortunately they are out there.  Mandatory for any uniform study are "A Most Warlike Appearance: Uniforms, Flags and Equipment of the United States in the War of 1812" and "The Scarlet Coat" both by the authoritative Rene Chartrand.  These are must have and should be in your library. Within each volume are most of tiny details of uniforms you will need.   They are expensive but also available through inter library loan.  Your local library is your friend and there to help you.

 For battles and campaigns you cannot go wrong with Donald E. Graves' books.  His books on Chippewa and Lundy's Lane are must reads and incredibly details studies of this battles.  His biography of Thomas Pearson made me want to paint up his light brigade and game with it!   Another author Richard Feltoe has provided details campaign histories of the various Canadian campaigns.  His battle studies are wonderful, and the plentiful maps and detailed orders of battle a treasure trove of information.  I highly recommend his regimental history "Redcoated Ploughboys: The Volunteer battalion of incorporated Militia of upper Canada 1813 - 1815."

Again made this a must have regiment on my table top and finally led me to understand the various Canadian militia type units.  Plus it's a fun read.

  For websites you can do no better then http://history-uniforms.over-blog.com  It is an outstanding reference and beautiful art work.  Great details for uniforms.  All you need at your finger tips. I would recommend the following warga me blogs that have inspired me and thought me a lot about the period, http://warof1812war-gaming.blogspot.com and
 http://warof1812wargaming.blogspot.com

 Lastly for regimental flags I suggest the ones by Flags of War.  Great details and wonderful colors. They provide correct flags for almost every British and American Regiment.

 They are works of art.  If you are looking for tassels and tops for your flag poles try the ones from Front Rank miniatures.   The only gap in flags is American militia and Volunteers colors.  The Flag Dude has done these but I have been unable to contact him recently.

So there you have it.  My list of helpful hints to get you started in this field.  In my next posts I will be sharing my table top army that came about from this study.  As mentioned before it is a work in progress.

What's next?

Work and life have been cutting into hobby time.  Enjoyed greatly our trip to Ireland, but change in work schedule has thrown me for getting things done.  So to stay in the game I am posting a little humor (always important to have a laugh), and a preview of what I am working on for the next two month's postings.

 Finishing up my War of 1812 Americans.   A battery, and the New York Volunteers regiment are now painted.  Uncoordinated's new artillery are outstanding.  Still working out flags for my volunteers.  Have the information but his to make them.  Will be posting a review of each American brigade along with some historical research on Uniforms and each unit. The War of 1812 is interesting as there is so little information out there compared to better gamed historical periods.

 Mabey not the correct way to play toy soldiers but a brief description of my new ideal table top set up and terrain.  Mixing a old school look with a new era terrain.  Ground cloth, stepped hills and such.  Less model railroad type set up more old school  look.


For rules I have put together a illustrated review of "Charge of the Light Brigade" rules.  A short, simple game with pictures showing how the rules work.  Or at least how I play them.  Also a review of the American Rev War rules I use "Loose Files and American Scramble."

So please stay tuned.....

Work in Progress: War of 1812

I have been working on a War of 1812 project centered on the Niagara campaign of 1814.   This has always been a fascination of mine since I first visited the battlefields of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane and  Fort George back in 1985.  The new professionalism of the American Army stands in sharp contrast to the slap dashed half hearted efforts up to then.  In addition I just really like the look of this period!

The figures are from the outstanding Knuckleduster miniatures war of 1812 line.  The figures are great, customer service is excellent.  Presently I have started painting figures for Brown's American Army.  This will include Scotts brigade (9th, 11th, 22nd and 25th US infantry regiment), Ripleys brigade (1st, 21st and 23rd US Infantry regiments) and Porters brigade (Pennsylvania and New York Volunteers) with attached artillery and cavalry.

Not sure at this time on how I will base the figures.  I used thick bases for my other two projects.  But I kinda like the look of the thin ones.  Rules might be a version of Charge of the Light Brigade.  Will see how that works out after a couple play tests.


Here are few pictures of the start of my collection.

If WWI was a bar fight

If WWI was a bar fight

Germany, Austria and Italy are standing together in the middle of a pub when Serbia bumps into Austria and spills Austria's pint. Austria demands Serbia buy it a complete new suit because there are splashes on its trouser leg. Germany expresses its support for Austria's point of view. Britain recommends that everyone calm down a bit.

Serbia points out that it can't afford a whole suit, but offers to pay for the cleaning of Austria's trousers. Russia and Serbia look at Austria. Austria asks Serbia who it's looking at. Russia suggests that Austria should leave its little brother alone. Austria inquires as to whose army will assist Russia in compelling it to do so. Germany appeals to Britain that France has been looking at it, and that this is sufficiently out of order that Britain should not intervene. Britain replies that France can look at who it wants to, that Britain is looking at Germany too, and what is Germany going to do about it?

Germany tells Russia to stop looking at Austria, or Germany will render Russia incapable of such action. Britain and France ask Germany whether it's looking at Belgium. Turkey and Germany go off into a corner and whisper.

When they come back, Turkey makes a show of not looking at anyone. Germany rolls up its sleeves, looks at France, and punches Belgium. France and Britain punch Germany. Austria punches Russia. Germany punches Britain and France with one hand and Russia with the other. Russia throws a punch at Germany, but misses and nearly falls over. Japan calls over from the other side of the room that it's on Britain's side, but stays there. Italy surprises everyone by punching Austria.

 Australia punches Turkey, and gets punched back. There are no hard feelings because Britain made
 Australia do it. France gets thrown through a plate glass window, but gets back up and carries on fighting. Russia gets thrown through another one, gets knocked out, suffers brain damage, and wakes up with a complete personality change. Italy throws a punch at Austria and misses, but Austria falls over anyway.

Italy raises both fists in the air and runs round the room chanting. America waits till Germany is about to fall over from sustained punching from Britain and France, then walks over and smashes it with a barstool, then pretends it won the fight all by itself. By now all the chairs are broken and the big mirror over the bar is shattered. Britain, France and America agree that Germany threw the first punch, so the whole thing is Germany's fault. While Germany is still unconscious, they go through its pockets, steal its wallet, and buy drinks for all their friends
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Crimean battlefields today

In looking at the photos of battlefields taken in 1900 I was curious how they look today.  A quick scroll through the internet I found two sites that answered my questions.

The first was called "Another Crimea" by Francesco Zizola.  He scouted out the locations of many of the 1900 photos to duplicate the angle and view.

http://anothercrimea.com/authors/francesco-zizola/

Another site, by Jan Smith focused on the Battle of Balaclava.  Here photos are helped by drawing troop movements on them.  I enjoy this as they provide a visual of the tactics used and movements over the landscape.

http://smithjan.com/blog/2012/09/13/battle-of-balaclava-poems-pictures-and-immortality/

If you are interested in this and wish to investigate further I suggest the publications of Dr. David Jones of the Crimean War Research Society.  He has publish a number of publications through Lulu (self publishing house) which show the Crimean battlefields and important locations today.  His book on the Charge of the Heavy Brigade is outstanding.  You can find his publications, and many more by the Crimean War Research Society at this link;

https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=David+Jones%27+and+%27Crimean+War%27&type=

Battlefields of the Crimean War

  In the early 1900s, Vladislav Klembovsky, then a colonel in the Russian Imperial Army, took a series of photographs of the Crimean battlefields plus other locations, monuments and graves around Sevastopol. In 1904, an album was published by the Museum of the Defence of Sevastopol containing one hundred and nineteen of these images. This work, which came together with maps showing where and in which direction the pictures were taken, was a remarkable achievement for its time and still stands as a valuable record of the landscape of the fields of conflict of the war of 1854-56 before significant changes occurred. The link at the bottom of the page will take you to a collection of his photographs.

The Valley of Death
view down the valley towards the Russian battery

Where the 93rd Highlanders stood.
The Thin Red Line.

http://www.allworldwars.com/Battlefields-of-the-Crimean-Campaign-1854-55.html

Guards Hatt Caps

 I have gotten a number of questions off line concerning the Guards flank company hart caps.  Here is some additional research.

   It is not certain when the Grenadier and Light Infantry companies received the hat caps. An order of 11 March required that the detachment's 1776 new clothing be packed up and delivered to the regimental Quarter Masters with the exception of "the Hatt caps of the Grenadier & Light Infantry Companys which are to be delivered Separately."  The delivery was probably prior to 26 March, since the Middlesex Journal announced that at that time part of the detachment had marched out: "The men had felt caps with black feathers delivered to them before they set off, to wear instead of hats."  Since there is no record of any hats or caps with feathers being worn by the battalion companies of the detachment while in England, this possibly refers to the hat caps of the Grenadiers and Light Infantry companies.

Light infantry hat cap based on Andre's 1777 drawing.

In addition to the newspaper reports a rather intriguing hint was left behind by Major John Andre on his map of a skirmish which was part of the Battle of Whitemarsh on 6 December 1777.  On one side of the title he drew a cap, and on the other side he drew a light infantry horn and bayonet. The cap has no brim other than a small visor in front. There is a turban around the base of the crown with a bow at the back. Feathers arch over the top. A frontlet with a white edge and the letters "L.I." on it complete the cap. The engagement depicted is one which involved only the Queen's Rangers, the e Light Infantry of the Guards, and a company of Jaegers. The cap is not associated with the Jaegers or Rangers, nor is it the standard light infantry cap of the period. Did Andre drew the hat cap worn by the Guards Light Infantry Company in 1776-1777?  The Grenadiers' hat caps were based on the same pattern; but they would not have carried the "L.I." on the frontlet, perhaps a grenade.

   The hat caps were almost certainly felt rather than leather, as indicated by the inclusion of the word "hatt" in the name. The report in the Middlesex Journal reinforces that conclusion, since it mentions that the caps with feathers were made of felt.