Club Game Night

Friday was another club game night!  One if the great advantages of being in a club is you can try out different periods and games you normally don't play.  Here was the round up.

 

Byron Chaplin - Wandiwash 1760

Rules: Volley & Bayonet, 15mm, 4 Players

Until January 22, 1760, the Compagnie des Indies of France and the British Honourable East India Company were evenly matched in India. But after the pivotal Battle of Wandiwash the British lion was ascendant on the subcontinent, while the sun of the House of Bourbon was in decline.   

This positional battle almost has it all: Royal infantry, company troops and sepoys on both sides, French Marines, British grenadiers, European cavalry and native horse. The French, under the Compte Lally de Tollendal are not foreordained to lose. The British, led by Col. Eyre Coote, have to use their resources well and break the siege of Wandiwash. Do you have the stuff to make or lose an empire?

Mike Coppinger - Battle of Heraclea

Rules: Hannibal at the Gates, 28mm, 6 Players

The Battle of Heraclea takes place in 280 B.C. between the Romans under Consul Publius Valerius Laevinus and the combined forces of Magna Graecia (Southern Italy) and Epirus. Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, will be commanding the combined Greek forces of Magna Graecia and Epirus.

 

AJ Wright - Counter Attack at Röyttä

Rules: Iron Cross Action, 28mm, 6 Players

Germans counter attack at Röyttä to regain control of the crossing of the Torino river. This crossing is essential to the German withdrawal from Northern Finland.

Continental line Flags

 

  These are all images of flags I found on the internet.  They give a wide variety of historical flags that can be used for your miniature regiments.  You just need a good printer and paper with some patience.  They also give you a variety of historical flags not always used.  That's too bad as they look great and add a lot.

Here are a few images of folded flags.  I have never had goid luck doing these but others I know have.

Basic Flag Information from the American Rev War

  I got a couple emails concerning flags used during the American Revolution.  These centered on American Continental Regimental colors.  In addition I got a few questions about Germanic colors.  

 Here are some recommendations for books and especially articles.  There is not much out there but here are a number of sources I gave found especially useful.  In a follow up I will post a few good images of flags you can copy and print later.

To start I would read my post on the Gostelowe flags which gives us the basics of the American Continental line.

https://bravefusiliers.blogspot.com/2020/08/what-were-gostelowe-flags.html

Books:

 Richardson,  Edward W.   Standards and Colors of the American Revolution 

Best single book out there.  Price can be pricey if you can find a copy.  remember inter library loan us your friend and can often find  you a copy to borrow.

 

Gerhardi Davis    Regimental colors in the War of the Revolution

The first book published in the subject and still very useful. The book is a alike online on the internet!

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6989778M/Regimental_colors_in_the_war_of_the_revolution

Articles:

Here are a number of articles I found very useful.  Most are from the Company of Military Historians.  Others are privately published.  If you want drop me a email and I will send a copy to you.  This is one of the best parts of our hobby in sharing information.

Donald Host, Liberty or Death on military colors

Donald Host, Regimental Colors Of the Continental Army

Military Collector and Historian

Steven Hill, Hessian Flags of the American Revolution 1775-1783

Zlatich, Marko. " Regimental Standards of William Heath's Brigade of Continental Foot, 1776"

Military Collector and Historian, 33 (Winter 1981), pp. 174-175.

Spartan Militia Regiment Flag

 

Here is some exciting news.  Thank you for Bill on the Fire & Drum miniature board for bringing this to my attention.  The Museum of the American Revolution has on display a Militia flag from the Spartan SC regiment.  There are so few colors still in existence that any new one adds to our knowledge.  And this one is amazing!  Pictures on this post are all from the Museum of the American Revolution.

Here is the blurb from the museum about it:

"after being hidden away for more than two centuries, this flag is on public display at the Museum for the first time since it flew over the regiment during the Revolutionary War. The newly discovered flag is one of fewer than half a dozen surviving Revolutionary War flags from the South. The regimental flag of the 2nd Spartan Regiment marked its position on the battlefield. The flag shows a “spartan dog” as well as a rattlesnake. The dog symbolizes a bloodthirsty man, from a reference in Shakespeare’s Othello. The snake appears in many Middle and Southern colonial images as an American symbol of defense. Revolutionaries often used the rattlesnake to symbolize American resistance, but questions remain about the meaning of the snake and the dog. Does the snake represent American resistance and unity or the British threat? Does the Spartan dog represent scrappy South Carolinians or bloodthirsty redcoats and loyalists?"

Most interesting!  Recently I had considered not giving militia units colors.  I will have to reconsider this.

For comparison here is a modern reconstruction of the colors of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment of the Continental line.  Some similarities.

Next Project: Anthony Wayne's Pennsylvania Division 1777.

 

  Inspired by my recent outing to Historicon and reading Keith's blog Bydand I am setting off on a mission.  Not that I need any more regiments in my American Rev War army but plan on adding another Continental line division, Anthony Wayne's Pennsylvania Division in 1777.  This will consist of two brigades of four battalions each.  Uniforms are a mixture of Brown and Blue regimental coats with area hunting shirts mixed in.  This unit took part in the 1777 fighting at Brandywine, Paoli and Germantown.  With a number of additions but mostly subtraction to stayed mostly together till the end of the war and had a admirable service record.  

  One thing about this project is I plan on seriously cutting down on my unused lead pile.  Going through unpainted figures I discovered I have a number of unfinished regiments, left over figures and bunches of not yet painted figures.  I should be able to get almost the entire division out of these.  

Order of battle I am working from with approximately number of figures per battalion.  This includes the battalion commander, number of figures based around a 10:1 ratio and possible uniform.  I say possible because with all the conflicting information these are what I picked.  

Wayne's  Pennsylvania Division 1777

 Colonel Thomas Hartley Brigade (850 men) 

1st Pennsylvania Regiment (Colonel James Chambers) (24) brown faced green

2nd Pennsylvania Regiment, ( Major William Williams) (20) brown faced white

7th Pennsylvania Regiment, ( Lieutenant Colonel David Grier) (24) blue faced white

10th Pennsylvania Regiment, ( Lieutenant Colonel Adam Hubley) (20) brown faced red, red vest.

Colonel Richard Humpton Brigade (900 men). 

4th Pennsylvania Regiment, ( Lieutenant Colonel William Butler) (24) brown faced blue

5th Pennsylvania Regiment,( Colonel Francis Johnston) (24) blue faced white, blue waistcoat

8th Pennsylvania Regiment, (Colonel Daniel Brodhead)(24) Brown faced red

11th Pennsylvania Regiment, ( Major Francis Mentges) (20) blue faced red

Now, one item I have wrestled with is the number of figures per battalion.  I have taken the numbers for the 1777 campaign and worked out a 10:1 ration.  This involved rounding up or down and combining two under strength units.  Usually in my other armies I have used a standard number of figures per battalion.  Numbers for the Crown Forces historically was much higher per battalion.  In my armies I have used 32 figures per battalion for them.  I am a little concerned about small 20 figure American battalions when matched up against larger Crown ones. Will they be over run quickly or will more American battalions per game even things out?   Out of curiosity what would you my readers suggest?  Mixed battalions of 20 and 24 figures or a standard American battalion of 24 figures each.  Please let me know!

Historicon wrap up

 

  I am back home from Historicon and it was outstanding.  But, guess my age is showing as it took me a day to recover from all the excitement.  Here are a few additional highlights from the three days.

Venture miniatures.  A fantastic miniature company.  The figures are very much like the old Suren Willie figures.  Jude Becker has gotten the figures and molds that David Wilson dud a few years ago.  David studied figure making from Edward Suren himself and his figures are a perfect match for them.  They are full of charm and character.  The range is mid 18th century and has British and French troops.  In addition there are great civilians figures.  More figures are being added.

There web page is at https://www.ventureminiatures.com

Jude Becker and Alexander Burns

At the Venture both I had the pleasure to meet and talk with Alexander Burns.  A great historian he hosts the Kabinettskriege blog site which is a treasure drive of magnificent writing on 18th century military topics.  If you have not visited it I highly recommend you do.  Alex is a great personally and meeting him was a highlight of my week. 

https://kabinettskriege.blogspot.com

 

 Jim's Pickett's Charge game gas been described in a previous post.  What i did not mention were the great little mini diorama scattered throughout the battlefield.   Here are a few.

  Another amazing looking game.  "Tora! Tora! Tora!". The attack on Pearl Harbour.  The table was a incredible map of the harbour itself with all major ships represented.  All players are on the Japanese side and command attack aircraft.  I confess I was both fascinated by it and also bothered.  But the game did look incredible and the game master put an incredible amount if work into it.  

The Battle of Bennington during the American Revolution

The Moby Dick game again!

Remember The Alamo!

And finally, in the midst of various games and battle this individual could find a quiet place to read