Down in Key West

Photo by Janine Nichipor

Niagara Campaign 1814 Project in Review

Just a few pictures of the Niagara Campaign project that I have been working on since March 2016.  Thank you all for following my progress.  It is exciting to finally see the collection transformed into two table top armies.   I am extremely pleased with how this project has turned out.  

  

   Janine and I are off on vacation.  So my next post may not be for a while.  This one is being composed and posted at over 35000 feet while flying  down to Fort Lauderdale and then driving to Key West.  Gotta love the free fly fi on JetBlue.  We will be back in time for the Super bowl; Go Patriots!  After that I hope to have my first battle with these fine fellows.

Royal Artillery

   Just finished up my Royal Artillery bases.  Borrowed the British guns from my Crimean war stands.  I got the bases from litko and they are a little larger then what I used for my Americans but I like the look.  Should I add additional gunners to stands?  We will see......

   Once I finnish painting my two British mounted command figures I should have enough regiments to have a game.  As I go on vacation soon it will be after I get back from Key West (and after the superbowl) but before Cold War in March.

100th Regiment of Foot

  

 If the 1st and 8th Regiments of Foot were long service regiments with traditions and honours, the next regiment is the opposite.  The 100th Regiment of Foot (Prince Regent's County of Dublin Regiment) was raised in Ireland in 1804 for service in the Napoleonic Wars.

    The 100th were sent to Nova Scotia in 1805.   Colonel Isaac Brock, then serving on the staff in North America, reported favourably on the regiment while they were serving as garrison for Quebec City,  "The men were principally raised in the north of Ireland, and are nearly all Protestants; they are robust, active, and good looking."

    During the War of 1812 the regiment served along the  Canadian frontier. The whole regiment took part in the Capture of Fort Niagara, and the raids on Buffalo and Black Rock New York in late December 1813.

    In July 1814, they saw action at the Battle of Chippawa where the regiment took heavy losses.  They were reduced to "one Captain & 3 subalterns doing duty, with 250 effective men". They then served at the Siege of Fort Erie in the closing months of the year. For their services in the defence of Canada, the 100th were awarded the battle honour "Niagara."

    Figures from Knuckleduster miniatures and flags from Flag of War.  The regiment had yellow facing and the officers silver lace.  I painted them in the Belgian shako since they were keeping up with the times.  I also liked the bright yellow facings which contrast nicely on the table top against the blue of their fellow regulars.

Battle of North Point 1814

    My first game of the year was, of course a War of 1812 game.  A refight of the Battle of North Point in 1814 in fact.  Yet I have not bloodied my new troops as this was a away game.  When I went to the game day at Fort Devens I met a lot of local war gamers I had not known of.  This Sunday I was invited to one of their homes.  Peter, who ran the game day is putting on a Battle of North Point at Cold Wars this year.

    For the game it was yours truly commanding the Americans and Greg the British.  Rules used were Carnage and Glory a computer generated rule set.  This was the first time I had played a game where everything is run through a computer.  It took a while to get used to not reaching for a first full of dice. But once you let that go things run very smoothly.

American militia holding the line.

    As to the Battle my militia line stood and drove off the British lights skirmishes stands.  But bad morale caused them to be frozen in place and finally they lost their nerve and fell back.  Greg used his  skirmishes to protected his mainforce which allowed them to get close to my line.  In the end morale and better quality forced my troops to head home after causing a lot of British casualties.

The great run away commences.

    It was a fun game and a enjoyable day.  I look forward to returning the flavor and having Peter and Greg ever my house for a game.

   Thanks guys!

8th Regiment of Foot

    At the time tensions between the United States and Britain resulted in America declaring war the 8th Regiment of Foot was based in Quebec and Nova Scotia.  During the course of the war the 8th Regiment of Foot would find itself at the forefront of the defense of Canada.

    The Regiment took part in a daring raid on Ogdensburg New York in February 1813.  To reach their destination, the Regiment and Canadian militia had to cross the frozen St. Lawrence River and march through dense snow. After gaining control of the fort the British destroyed the main barracks and three anchored vessels,and departed with provisions and prisoners.

    In April 1813, elements of the 8th, Canadian militia, and Native American allies attempted to defend  York (present-day Toronto) from and American attack.  As the Americans landed on the shoreline, the grenadier company of the 8th engaged them in a bayonet charge but we're repulsed.   The Americans  overwhelmed them and forced the entire command to retreat. Although they captured York the Americans suffered over 250 casualties, including their commander  General Zebulon Pike, when retreating British regulars detonated Fort York's Grand Magazine.

    While garrisoning Fort George, at Newark (present day Niagara-on-the-Lake), in May 1813  the 8th Foot ( with companies of the Glengarries and Runchey's Company of Coloured Men) attempted to disrupt an amphibious landing by the Americans. Although outnumbered British delayed the invasion force which allowed the defenders to retreated. Interestingly this was the first time the 8th would fight against the American officer Windfield Scott who led the landing parties.  In June 1813, the 8th and 49th regiments attacked the American encampment at Stoney Creek in a daring night time action.  Although the British captured two American brigadiers  and inflicted heavy losses, Colonel John Harvey who commanded the British worried (panicked?) his heavily outnumbered command would be captured ordered a withdrawal.  Later that year the regiment took part in the capture of Fort Niagara, and the raids on Buffalo and Black Rock New York.

    In July 1814 the regiment fought in the Battle of Chippawa against their old foe Winfield Scott.  Later in the month, the regiment fought in the Battle of Lundy's Lane. The following month, the regiment took part in the action at Snake Hill during the siege of Fort Erie.  The 8th Regiment received the battle honour 'Niagara' for its contribution during the War.

    To recreate this regiment I again used the incredible miniatures from Knuckleduster.  To illustrate the long service of the regiment I put the rank and file in the older stove pipe shako, while the officers wear the newer Belgic shako.  My thoughts are the officers would have purchased the new version of the caps before the men were issued theirs. Conjecture on my part but possible. But it does set it apart from the similarly dressed 1st Regiment on the table top.   As many have noticed it is important to me that I know something about the regiments I push on the table top.  Flags are again from Flags of War.  And beautiful works of art they are too!  Flag finals from Front Rank miniatures.

1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots)

The 1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots) arrived in Canada in August 1812.   During the war it fought at the battles of Sackett's Harbor, the raid on Buffalo & Black Rock New York, as well as the capture of Fort Niagara in 1813;  the battles of Chippawa and Lundy's Lane, and the Siege of Fort Erie in 1814. The regiment had blue facing's and the officer has gold lace.

   Interestingly the 1st Regiment of Foot was the oldest regiment in the British army.  One of its nick names came as a result of a dispute with the French Picardy regiment who claimed they guarded Christ's tomb.  The Royal Scots replied that if that were true then they were Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard.

    For the miniature regiment I once again used the Knuckleduster miniatures line of War of 1812.  All figures wear the more modern belgic shako.  Colors are from Flags of War.