The Battle South of Hartford 1815

Rules: Regimental Fire and Fury
Scale 15mm Infantry is based on a 3/4" frontage and the bases are 1" deep
Host Jim Carpenter Figures: He thinks they are Old Glory but he forgot
Federalist Players: Jack Pope and Jim Ferich
Union Players: Eric Boyle and Joe Schulze(me).
This is a continuation of campaign we started in about 2007. I know it's a long time between games but we have been caught up in Black Powder, Hail Caesar and other things, also Jim is a slow painter. This is the second game in the campaign, so the third game should be played sometime in 2016 or 2017. Hey, some of might even live to see the 4th game. Just kiddin'.

Set up: This game is based on actual events but the federalist movement never took up arms. The federalists presence was strong in New England at the start of the 19th century. The year is 1815 and the argument between the size and scope of government was raging in the new country (hmmm...sounds familiar). Alexander Hamilton and friends involved in the Federalist movement in New England thought it would be better to break away and form their own country. President Madison disagrees and sends his army led by Winfield Scott to "negotiate". In this fictional account the Federalists are blocking the advance of Unionists forces led by General Winfield Scott. The Unionists are advancing to Hartford Connecticut to eliminate the uprising. (The actual attempt to break away died in a political convention infiltrated by pro union delegates but you cannot wargame that, and who would want to). The Federalist troops are raw as they never have seen combat. They missed all the fighting during the War of 1812 so they were rated as raw with average leadership. To balance the game they are more plentiful than the better quality Unionists advancing upon the.

The Federalists take up defensive positions to block the advance.




The Federalist troops ready themselves for the coming storm. They feel confident in their position and think they can hold. The units are large but they wear down quickly.




Let's get ready to rumble! The Unionists arrive on the table and they don't want to talk it over anymore. Their troops did some fighting in the War of 1812 and plan to dish out some heavy handed learning to the Yankee dissenters. The plan was to put a few units in the center to absorb punishment tie down the center. Neither of us wanted to attack fortified positions in the center supported by artillery. We decided to use the balance of the troops to attack the flanks. We thought this would stretch the defenses to the breaking point. I took the left flank and planned to advance as far as I could past the town to get a position behind the defenses. Eric took the right flank to attack the hill. We would share responsibility for the center.





As Eric advances he take fire. His lead elements are in extended line and become disordered making further advancement more difficult but not impossible. Extended line move faster and are a little more difficult to hit. In these rules you roll on a maneuver chart. If you roll well you can rally to remove the disorder and move full. If you roll poorly you get stuck in place, it depends on dice, leadership, and troop quality.






On the Unionist left flank the brigade advances at a steady pace. I am able to move normally but I was hoping for a double quick move. Damn dice. In a surprise move the Federalist form column in an attempt to get into the town. A very risky move with the opposition close by but what the hell, we are risk takers.





Meanwhile on the far right flank Jack (Federalist) is trying to hold the hill. Eric fires his opening volley which kills the brigade commander. He is shot from the saddle. Most of the Federalist forces are in disorder. The Unionist cavalry moves up to try and clear through some of the wreckage. Casualties build up quickly on both sides. The fight for the hill is in question.





A top view of the Unionist center and right flank.




A top view of the Unionist center and left flank. Note how the Federalist cavalry has moved up in support. The cavalry tried to check the advance of Unionist infantry on the extreme flank. A good move as Federalist forces in the town started to give fire and disorder the enemy, making then vulnerable to a cavalry attack. Then the Unionist center advanced to gain an enfilade shot on the Federlists in field column. We did not intend to advance the center but the target presented itself. It also helped that I rolled a double quick move which advanced the infantry 12 inches. The column was well within close range for musketry.






The result in the center was that the Unionist militia devastated the column of Federalist infantry. The raw troops just melted away.

The assault on the hill turned into a frenzied melee. The Unionist cavalry was repulsed as infantry squares formed. Federalist infantry fought bravely but were slowly pushed back a few inches. Several units were disordered on both sides as cold steel meets bone and sinew. Supporting units tried to change the balance during this slugfest.

The Unionist infantry shake off the disorder, rally with elan, and wheel right. The cavalry moving up so quickly really worried me. I thought I would have to soon form square which would pin me in place the rest of the game. What I did not know was that the Federalists were hiding 2 units of Indians and a unit of Canadian infantry in the woods on the flank of the Unionist infantry (damn sneaky of them!).

 

In the center the Unionist infantry advance into the fortifications. The infantry was forced to stop after they negitiated the linear obstacle. The remaining Federalists were in disorder, Alexander Hamilton will really be upset to hear the center collapsed. The militia unit closes on the remainder of the infantry that took heavy casualties.

 

During the same turn the Unionists gain the hill but are outnumbered. Holding the position would be difficult. They could get support as the troops in the center could be sent to assist.

 

At this point we called the game. We played about 3 hours as felt the Federalists were at a disadvantage. They would likely pull back to keep the army together. The Federalist dream of New England independence is on hold at the moment. We now leave it to Jim Carpenter to tell us how future events unfold based on the results of the battle.

News Flash!!!!!

Campaign Recap from Jim Carpenter : I think we're done with the First American Civil War.  With two defeats, the Federalists have nothing to stop the Unionist advance on Hartford.  The Americans and the British had signed a peace treaty in 1814, so they would be withdrawing their troops back to Canada, along with their Indian allies.  Since Andrew Jackson commands the southern wing of the Unionist advance, we can safely assume that any Federalist leaders who didn't escape to Canada were caught and hung.  The rebellion is over.

Macedonians and Persians and Welcome Burt

Rules : Fire and Fury (Ancients Variant)
Hosted by Jim Carpenter
Played January 30, 2009
Figures: Essex and Old Glory 15mm
Based : As per DBA

The game consisted of a sizable Macedonian force facing off against a large Persian army contingent.
Greek Phalanx, Persians , Macedonian and Thessalian cavalry faced off against one another.

The Persians placed their heavy infantry (Greeks) in the center rear. The light and medium troops were placed forward center and to the right flank. A token Persian light cavalry unit was placed forward right and scythed chariots were placed in a hidden position on the far right. The Persian left consisted of medium and heavy cavalry.














The Macedonians placed most of their cavalry on their left flank. The phalanxes were center an to the right. Light and medium troops filled out the center. We realized quickly that the phalanxes moved at a very slow pace, 6 inches at the most. Medium and light infantry moved at 9 and 12 inched respectively. The phalanxes were quickly outpaced on both sides.Heavy cavalry on the Persian left clash against Macedonian and Greek formations. Heavy cavalry proved quite valuable in this set of rules for both commanders.

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About one hour into the game the heavy fighting began. We learned a long time ago to set up opposing forces close enough to get into the fighting quickly, we only have a 4 hour window. The Macedonians are as good as an armored column in modern combat. Light and medium troops struggled through the game.














A broad shot of the battlefield shows the scope and size of the battle. Many of the group were familiar with Fire and Fury which helped the game move along.











There were many units on the field but maneuvering was not a problem. This is the sign of a great game.
The Persian left struggled but their right flank made progress. About 2/3 through the game some Macedonian units took severe casualties. Like most games t helps when you roll well.









Macedonians and Thessalian cavalry progressed quickly across the field. The white markers denote disordered troops. Disordered troops can slow movement and have negative combat modifiers.

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Persian troops advance as they steadily gain ground but were ground down as they faced fresh Macedonian reserves

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Light Persian cavalry face off against heavy Macedonian infantry....the result wasn't pretty.

In the end the Persians did fare better than the Macedonians. A very close game. Our newest member, Burt, played his first ancients game. He seemed to really enjoy the game and hopefully he will be a regular player.

1815 - New England Rebellion

RULES: Fire and Fury
Scale: 15mm
Figures: Old Glory
Hosted by Jim Carpenter
The game was played on Friday 2/8/08 and we had 9 people show up for the game. The battle was a fictitious battle in a fictitious war. We played the first Civil War in 1815 in which New England decided to break away from the United States. They were supported by British and Canadian forces. The rebels set up defenses outside of Hartford Connecticut and decided to hold off approaching Federal troops led by Ole' Hickory himself, Andrew Jackson. The Federal troops approached from two roads from the south and consisted of troops from Kentucky, Tennessee as well as the regular army.

    

     There was a mix of veteran and militia armed with muskets and rifles. There was support in the form of 6lb guns and cavalry. The rebels were mostly green troops of militia quality supported by British and Canadian regulars. They also had artillery support and were entrenched waiting for the approaching government troops. Federal troops steadily advanced to the defenses and began to fire to soften up the defenses. The Federals had a distinct advantage as they had rifles instead of smooth bore muskets. Casualties were light on both sides as the exchanges went on for a few turns.The defenders remained static for as long as they could, waiting for reinforcements. The defenders enjoyed modifiers making it difficult to to hit them and giving them a favorable ground advantage for the upcoming hand to hand combat. Here the rebels troops can be seen exchanging fire with the federal troops in open field. Their veteran status of the federal troops gave them a slight advantage. In a wider shot of the battle you can see the rebel set up, reinforcements are staged in a town behind the battle. Canadian and rebel troops advance to the center in an attempt to halt the advancing enemy. British cavalry an be seen moving along the tree line trying to get to the flank in support. The red markers show disordered units that have already been engaged. As you can see the rebels had good coverage and a well organized reserve to act as a relief force if needed. Since this is an ongoing campaign it is important not to lose units completely, they will be needed for the next engagement.

    
Now he battle gets fully involved. Red markers are marking the disordered troops all over the field. The rebel militia (New Englanders) are taking the brunt of the attack. To the right you see British flags marking the the better quality troops, they were held in reserve. The blue and white chips mark low ammunition and silenced cannons. Andrew Jackson can be seen on the left on his command stand. Casualties began to pile up on both sides. On the rebel left flank you can see the rebel forces holding up inside the town and in their defensive position. Columns of federal militia stream to meet an approaching rebel unit. In Fire and Fury it is a huge advantage to have one unit supporting another. Riflemen in green uniform advance down the road with more militia to their right. Six pound cannons are coming up in support to deal with the rebel defenses. The federals stop the advance to stay out of musket range but remain in rifle range. The rebels use cannon fire to shake things up instead.
The rebel forces start to become disordered and have supply problems. A second line of defense starts to develop in an effort to stem the tide. Rallying green troops is very difficult. The disorder causes your troops to fire at half strength. The low ammo causes a half strength as well, so the unit with multiple color chips is very ineffective in its current state. At the bottom of the picture troops meet in hand to hand combat. It was a hard fought game indeed.
Federal troops poor over the top in an attempt to catch the disordered unit in a vulnerable state. The federal troops have broken through and are pushing the rebels back with the bayonet. In this game melee causes much more casualties than firing. At the bottom of the picture you can see another engagement. Canadian and British troops are waiting in the rear.


The federals have punched through the rebel defenses. The troops will need to reorganize before the next advance. With the flanks secured the rebels will need to establish another line of defense. Andrew Jackson is really pouring it on, but will the momentum carry on?
15mm is a great scale to see the detail of the figures and for gaming large battles. The rules are a club favorite and the night went very fast.

    
    At table level the figures make an impressive sight. Here is the militia from Kentucky and Tennessee mixing it up with the boys from New England. The artillery is moving up in support and is having difficulty keeping up. They only move 8 inches compared to the 12 inches that infantry moves. When the infantry receives a 1.5 move rate (18 inches) they can leave the artillery in the dust. Militia and regulars hit the rebel line simultaneously. The federals are moving in support of each other and there just isn't enough rebel units to counter. In the rules you count all stands making contact and in support, this gave the federals a 3-1 advantage. The situation is critical for the rebels and they are being pressed. The defenders make a valiant stand but just can't hold the line any more. The federal fired and caused a disorder result to gain additional advantage before pressing the attack. If British and Canadian troops had been present, perhaps there would have been a different outcome.
    The center of the rebel line is compromised. The federal militia scored high on the maneuver roll and were able to move at 1.5 time the normal rate. They hit the left flank of a rebel unit creating a delaying action. This unit was outnumbered 4-1 and took heavy casualties.
Rolling to maneuver adds uncertainty to the game. A low roll could just have easily been made causing the unit to halt for a turn. It was a bad day to be a rebel as the momentum stayed with the Federals. Here is an overview of the battle, federals are on the left of the picture. As you can see there is not a lot of clutter in the game. Maneuvering troops makes for a better game than just plowing straight ahead and hoping to roll well. The game started to wind down when Federal troops started to enter the town. The rebels had trouble holding on as the Canadian and British forces just looked on. Andrew Jackson had the rebel towns put to the torch as there was no room in this country for traitors. We played an entire game in about 3 hours and had a blast. The rebel troops were a outmatched by the quality and concentration of federal troops.
The rules are fun, but the trouble (and strength) with a club our size is that we never play the same rule s frequently enough to get really good at them. I may not ever master a set of rules but I am never bored and we always have a great time....barring politics.
I hope to have another post in 2 weeks.

ACW Fire and Fury - Petersburg

Figures: 15mm from several manufacturers.

Rules: Fire and Fury

These rules are a club favorite, they enable you to fight large battles in a short time . They are no longer in print, a real shame as they are really fun to play.
Basing: Four figures are on 1"x1" square bases, 6 to 10 bases make up a brigade. Two to three brigades make up a division. I only wish I had a copy of these rules. They can be used for any horse and musket period.
To move each brigade the player must roll a D10 to see if the brigade moves and the distance it can cover. Units wheel up to 45 degrees with a maximum move rate of 12" for infantry. 18" for cavalry and 8" for artillery. Leaders are rated from poor to excellent and can effect movement and melee rolls. If a unit is in disorder it has a different movement chart, but can rally as part of its movement.
Fire combat is based on the number of stands and the distance involved. Artillery has a devastating canister shot of 10 points, when combined with infantry it is very lethal.

Game Report5 Union players against 3 Confederate players

The Confederates were to hold the Union forces off and prevent them from reaching the town. To start off with the Confederates had 2 infantry brigades with 1 artillery piece in a redoubt and 2 Cavalry brigades with 1 horse artillery piece deploying freely. The Union was to randomly enter on 3 roads from the opposite roads. As you can see there was a lot of ground for the defenders to cover .



The defenders get a defensive bonus, fire combat rolls at a -2 against the redoubt, in melee the defenders get a "favorable ground" modifier. It seemed a logical choice to place the infantry as the Confederates would be out numbered. If they could weather the Union storm there would be hope.



Here come the "Blue bellies"marching in column on a road toward the prepared defensive positions. It would take a couple of turns to reach small arms fire so the Union troops would be in column as long as possible.


More and more Union troops in the advance. The confederates were hoping the Union troops would bottle neck by entering more troops on a single road but it did not happen. The Confederate horse artillery would fire off a few long range shots in hopes of slowing down the enemy. They cause some disorder but it was little effect.
Finally the Confederate reinforcements arrive. AP Hill starts to enter, hopefully he is not too late. The rebels need to reinforce their left flank and establish defensive positions in their center and right flank. The Confederate units are smaller but are better quality.


Union cavalry are excellent troops when dismounted, they are advancing on the rebels taking a few casualties along the way. As they got closer they were greatly reduced in strength.
The rebels get help on the left flank, the red marker is used to show low ammo. The Union troops are preparing for an advance followed by an assault. The white marker is used to show disordered units. Eventually these troops would make a desperate attempt to attack the Union troops by coming out of the defenses.


Here is a close up of the Union troops massing in the center for an assault. I wanted to show the detail of these excellent figures painted by Alan and Jim C. It looks like hand to hand combat will be the preferred offensive strategy.
Confederate forces arrive to match the Yanks in the center.
Here is a birds eye, the Union is on the left, Confederates on the right.
Her is the Union advance from their view of things. You can see the Division Commander is controlling his 2 brigades and artillery. The guns must be deployed to soften the defenses. The unit on the left is in line, the one on the right is in column. The column formation gives you a +1 to your movement roll.
More columns of troops advance on the Union left, there is no shortage of troops for the North. Those Yanks breed like cockroaches, or they could be newly arrived from foreign lands. Welcome to America, here is your rifle , now head south.
A mistake made be the Confederates is that we did not deploy a brigade in support of another. The Union moves in force. Fire combat and melee in the center. The Confederate player (my son) rolled poorly, the Union decimated the center of the line in the opening stages of the battle.Confederate cavalry moves to attack the center with the aid of infantry. The Union troops were repulsed , but with out loss.... a common theme. The South just couldn't roll well at the critical moment in the center of the line.The Confederates pull a risky maneuver by assaulting artillery on their right flank, as you can see the south is in a pickle. The North's guns were causing havoc, so they had to be dealt with. The first battery fell, a break through charge took out a second battery. After that the infantry was left unsupported against overwhelming odds.Wave after wave of Union troops assault the center. The South could not hold on much longer. Confederates are disordered, the Union advance moves steadily forward . AP Hill is giving orders to hold, the Union die rolls really did the south in. If you roll poorly you can't pull off a win no matter what quality you troops are. The Union juggernaut rolls forward, the Confederate right flank ceases to exist and the game was called.

Recap: The game lasted just over 3 hours. A Union victory was the final result. A blessing and a curse our club has is that we play different rules every game, so I constantly make rookie mistakes when playing.... but we have an endless variety of periods and battles so no complaints from me.