Eutaw Springs: The Final Battle of the American Revolution's Southern Campaign

Eutaw Springs: The Final Battle of the American Revolution's Southern Campaign
by Robert M. Dunkerly

  This hard fought battle has been over shadowed by the victory at Yorktown.  When written about it had usually been dismissed as a near victory by Nathaniel Greene who lost only when his troops dissolved into a mob after looting the British camp.  The battlefield itself has long thought to be submerged under flooded lake Marion.  But no more. Robert Dunkerly  in this new book has rescued the Battle from obscurity and given us a excellent account of one of the  hardest fought actions of the war.


Fought between American General Nathaniel Greene's Southern Army of Continental and local militia and State forces and British General Alexander Stewart's mix regular and loyalist force on 8 September 1781 outside Charleston South Carolina.  The Americans had an slight advantage in numbers (about 2,000 to 1300) and especially cavalry ((200 to 60).  The battle started with the Americans capturing a unarmed  foraging party of about three hundred men.  Greene used his militia and State regiments to engage the British line first, and  then his continental went in and broke the British.  As the British fell back, the New York Volunteers created a Chew house type defense in a barricaded building, while the flank companies under Major Marjabanks held the flank giving the British a chance to rally.  Greene's exhausted veterans fell back and the Battle was over.  Stewart later said if he had had more cavalry he could have routed the Americans.

   Controversy plagued its history and myth making  distorted the fighting.  Friends and enemies attacked and defended Henry "Light Horse" Lee's actions that day.  Did Greene's army dissolve into a mob while over running the British camp? Or was that an excuse?  And what of the battlefield ?  Was it really submerged under lake Marion?

  The author has researched the battle and located numerous primary accounts.  He reconstructed the Battle based on topography, first person accounts and archeological finds.  There are very good maps and excellent order of battles.  In short a great find for miniature gamers wanting to re fight this battle.  I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

One year anniversary

  On July 24, 2016 I posted my very first blog post.  Although I had toyed with the idea of doing a blog to share my interest in miniature war games and toy soldiers it was not till then that I took the plunge and started my blog.

  Since that time I completed 115 posts and had over 27500 visits from interested people. Best of all there are now 37 kind people who have signed up to follow this blog;  and a great number of others who drop by.    It has turned out so much better then I had ever hoped for.  In addition to sharing my latest painting endeavours, projects and battle reports I have also gotten to meet (through the internet) a very nice group of people who share my interest.  It has been especially fun to share with you my progress on the Niagara 1814 project.  In a little over a year I have put together my War of 1812 armies and now completed multiple games with them.    It has been great fun to see what others are doing and especially to learn from you.

  For the future I plan to publish more campaigns and battle reports.  While one never ever finishes a project in the world of war games I have enough painted regiments in my chosen periods to set up and play games and campaigns.  So now I want to get out and fight more table top battles.  These will be both with the club and with friends both here and away.  Also a few solo games.  Not satisfied with my battle reports I have been studying how many of you have done yours to have a better product and more interesting read.  I have more terrain items I wish to add.  Some are for visuals, like better mounting for woods and adding some hills.  Others are for items like camps and buildings and ducks and geese in a pond!  Civilians wondering about the table or farming their fields?  More items to make the table more interesting.  Lastly I plan on being much more proactive in answering comments and publishing comments on my and other people's blogs.  I tend to be a silent lurker but hope I can change that in the future.

So thank you all so very much for spending some time here.  I am most grateful for each and every visit here, and delight in your comments and encouragement.  I hope in the future to continue to make this blog interesting that you continue coming back.  Thank you!

19th Light Dragoons

  19th Light Dragoons were  raised by Colonel Sir John Burgoyne (a cousin of General John Burgoyne of Saratoga fame) as the 23rd Regiment of Light Dragoons on 24 September 1781 for service in India. The regiment arrived at Fort St. George, Madras in 1782 and became the first British cavalry regiment to serve in India.  In 1786, the regiment was renumbered as the 19th Regiment of Light Dragoons.

   After long and varied service in India the 19th embarked for England on 20 October 1806, and remained in Britain until the outbreak of war with the United States in 1812.  They arrived in Quebec in May1814.  They were involved in the blockade and re-capture of Fort George, and the destruction of Black Rock and Buffalo in New York State. They also participated in Colonel Thomas Pearson's delaying action against Brigadier General Winfield Scott's brigade during the American invasion of 1814.  subsequently they fought at the Battle of Chippawa in July 1814, the Battle of Lundy's Lane later in the month and the Siege of Fort Erie in August 1814. Later they  pursued American raiders who had struck at Battle of Malcolm's Mills in November 1814. For these actions, the regiment earned the battle honour of "Niagara".

Chippewa July 5, 1814

   This was the battle which sparked my interest in the War of 1812.  We visited the battlefield in 1985 and I have wanted to recreate this battle on the table top since.  It has simple terrain, balanced equal forces and colorful uniform.  British regulars, gray jackets Americans, volunteers in mixed dress and native Indians.  You would have a difficult time finding a more perfect battle to fight in miniature.


  For this battle I used the maps out of Richard Feltoe's book, Tides of War.  To fit the battlefield on a six foot by eight foot table I divided the field in half to represent the plain and the woods.  Fences outlined the woods and defined the roads.  This way I could place trees in the wooded area but players could move the trees to not interfere with troop movement.   I did not include either river.  Instead both sides had to enter the table on the road in road column.  Light troops for both sides were already deployed in the woods.  Historically I should have had the players in the woods fight for three or more turns before the regulars entered the table.  But I did not  want players just hanging around doing nothing  ( no fun there).  So for the first couple turns players commanding the regulars entered the table and deployed while the light troops fought it out in the woods.

American Command:
9/21st Regiment (24 figures)
11th  regiment. (24 figures)
25th regiment  (24 figures)
Towson's battery (2guns)
Richie's battery  (2 guns)
American dragoon  (6 figures)
Pennsylvania Volunteers (24 figures)
Native Warriors (12 figures)

British/Canadian forces:
19th Light Dragons. (6 figures)
1st Regiment of Foot. (24 figures)
8th Regiment of Foot. (24 figures)
100th Regiment of Foot. (24 figures)
Light companies  (12 figures)
Royal Artillery. (2 guns)
Royal Artillery. (2 guns)
Lincoln Militia. (24 figures)
Native warriors. (12 figures)

The game:
In the woods both sides marched directly at each other.  Militia volunteers fought militia volunteers while native warriors fought each other.

  During this time the regulars of both sides marched up the road and onto the field.  Although both sides advanced with the cavalry leading, the Americans brought their infantry up fast while the British made sure their artillery was to the front.

Once they spotted each other the cavalry could not help themselves and both sides

charged.  A good war gamer cannot do otherwise.  Although the melee was inconclusive, the American morale broke and they

scampered back.  The victorious 19th Light Dragons held the field and covered the royal artillery.

 Meanwhile both sides deployed along parallel rail fences.

In the woods the great melee was coming to a head.  The American Indians forced their British counterparts to fail morale and retire shaken.  But the Lincoln militia forced the Pennsylvania Volunteers back also.  The American Indians raced behind the Lincoln's to attack them from the rear but the British Indians had recovered their morale and attacked them in their rear  and routed them in turn! The Lincoln Militia marched on chasing the Pennsylvania volunteer off the boards!

On the plain, the British commander massed three gun sections and commenced target practice on the U.S. 9/21st Regiment.  The American commander could only reply with two gun sections, the other guns were masked by his cavalry.

  Seeing the 9/21st being shot to pieces the British commander advanced his light companies in skirmish order against him supported by the 19th Light Dragoons.  This must have been the moment the American Artillery commander waited for.  He unmasked his guns and unloaded a devastating round against the dragoons which decimated them.  The American dragoons charged the skirmishes.  Although the skirmishes were shaken, they in turn caused the dragoons to fail their morale which tumbled them back.

The 9/21st failed their morale in the face of the British advance and retired off the board.

By this time the Lincoln Militia and Indians in the woods were positioning themselves on the flank of the American line.

 The British line advanced against the Americans, who now have a major gap in their line and are facing enemies on three sides.

At this point, with the full weight of the British line on them, and the Lincoln's in position to out flank them we called the game.  It was a British victory and future cadets at West point would wear anything but gray!

Conclusion:

All felt it was a fun and balanced game and would enjoy replaying it.  Perhaps I have found my "go to" scenario for War of 1812?

In the future a couple things to improve the game.  I plan on buying more trees to make the woods look better.  Also I am working on better buildings.  I will add rivers and bridges to both ends to make both sides remember their escape (should things go wrong) is a small bridge.

  Thank you Byron, Dave and Warren for commanding the Americans. And thank you Charlie and Ed for commanding the British/Canadians.  I am most glad you played in my game and more importantly had a good time.

Club game night

  Last night was club game night and fun evening it was.  Attendance was great, with over 20 people in attendance.  The three games put on were  Fire and Fury American Civil War game in 15mm, a X Wing Star Wars game and War of 1812 in 25mm.

  The X Wing game put on by Mike  saw a large variety of space ships spread across an very nice space mat.  Ships big and small battled it out.  From across the room it looked like great fun.

  Phil put on a 15mm Civil War game based around the historical battle of the Anna River.  It looked good and again people were having fun.

  Finally I put on a battle based around Chippewa  on July 5, 1814.  This time it was a British victory and cadets at West Point will wear anything but grey coats in the future.  This is one of my favorite battles of the war, one I have long wanted to firefight.  So there will be a longer post, and more pictures in a separate posting.  But let me say it was a fun game which may become my go to War of 1812 game scenario.

Lee's Legion 1781

  The 2nd Partisan Corp or as it's better known as Lee's Legion was formed in April 1778 when it was detached from the 1st Continental Light Dragoons.  Through its commander, "Light Horse" Harry Lee and his memoir the Legion's service is one of the better known regiments during the American Revolution.  As to if it was an elite unit, that is up to the reader to decide. But what is not debatable is it could be, at times as ruthless as the British Legion with whom it fought. It was a very active part of Greene's army so I had to include it in my collection.

   Incidentally, Lee's  memoir was written partly to adress the controversy over Lee's action at Eutaw Springs.  His son, Robert E. Lee would continue the defense of his father in later editions of the book.

There are numerous interpretations of how the Legion looked.  This could be because the uniform was changed during the War and also supply problems.  In addition different infantry elements were assigned to the Legion during its history.  I have of course focused on it activities in 1781.

  I understand that suggesting Lee's Legion were not dressed in green might go against current excepted knowledge this is usually suggested that Lee ambushed Pyle's loyalists because they were dressed similar to Targets 's British Legion.  When I painted them up I used the painting of Lee himself in a tan/brown faced green coat. In addition I also used the following quote from private Shaw of the 33rd regiment of foot. He was captured just prior to guilford courthouse and wrote later:
"Scarcely had we gone half way up the lane, when seven of Lee's light horse made their appearance: my companion swore there was Tarleton's light horse coming, and, says he, ‘we shall be taken up on suspicion of plundering, and get 500 lashes a piece.' ‘No;' said I, upon observing their brown coats, and white cockades, ‘no, friend, you are deceived; these must be the rebels.' Having therefore discovered his mistake, he began to cry;--but for my part, I thought it very good fortune.—As they were advancing towards us, we concluded to go and meet them; which we accordingly did, and falling on our knees begged for quarter; which they granted ….

While the evidence, and most authorities agree on the inform of the Legion cavalry the Infantry are much more of an mystery.  I think the evidence suggests the Legion infantry had a different uniform from the mounted element. There was an issue of enough cloth to three officers to make coats of blue faced red and lined white (see p40 Katcher Uniforms of the Continental Army). This was by the clothier general of Maryland in 1782. Coincidentally it was at the same time the portrait of Harry Lee

painted by Charles Wilson Peale. There is also a portrait of an officer of the Legion Infantry,  Laurence Manning who was
shown in a blue coat faced red.

  So I feel confident the Infantry element of the legion in 1781 at least we're in standard blue faced red coats.  There is no evidence helmets were issued so I outfitted my infantry in standard infantry uniform.

  For my table top Legion I have once again used the most excellent figures from Fife and Drum miniatures.  While they do not make a figures for the Legion figures in their existing range work well.  The cavalry comes from the 16th light dragoons. Minor filing was all the work they needed.  For the Infantry I am using existing painted figures. Half of the Light battalion are used as Kirkwood's Delaware company, so the other half of the battalion are now the Infantry of the legion.  Thus I get double duty out of that group.  No flag for the unit.  Although some sources suggest one I am unsure of the documentation.  If better information comes available later to convince me I will add it then.  And now I look forward to Lee tangling with Tarleton in the battle of the legions on my table top!

49th Regiment of Foot 1812

  At the time war broke out, the 49th Regiment of foot was one of the only regiments of regulars in Canada.  Having arrived in Canada in 1803 the regiment was stopped returning to Great Britian by the declaration of war.

  Divided up into smaller commands the 49th was stationed around the Niagara area.  The Grenadier and Light infantry companies were at Queenston Hieghts in October 1812 and played a prominent part in the battle.   The regiment's  commanding officer, Lietentant Colonel Isaac Brock (and commander of all British Forces in Canada) was killed at the head of the Grenadier and Light companies leading a charge against the Americans.

In November 11, 1813 at the Battle of Crysler's Farm the 49th and 89th regiments of foot fought and defeated a much larger American Army under General Boyd.  It was a text book example of better trained and disciplined troops against poor quality but more numerous troops.

  I have painted the regiment in its early war dress.  Officers are still wearing bicorns with white breeches and the men stove pipe shakos. I really like the NCO's, keeping men on their toes and dressing the line.  The gallant officer appears to be channeling General Brock inspiring his men.  It is a nice break from the usual and gives the unit a dashing appearance.

  Figures are from Knuckleduster miniatures.  They continue to provide great figures and great value.  The flags from Flags of War.  These are a great item also and I wish they got more press and were better known as they are wonderful.