Gettysburg in 54mm

These posts are getting later and later but what to do? Anyway……..

Last Saturday I was at the club in Durham for a massive refight of day two of Gettysburg in 54mm, organised by Conrad, Mike, Tim and his mate (who wrote the rules we used - 'Funny Little Wars'). It was a pretty large undertaking but whatever magic was woven to make it all come together worked, so come 10:00 a.m. on Saturday the table had been laid out and the troops deployed. I think the table was 24' x 12' with a gap in the 12' side so we could reach the troops. The figures were mainly Conrad's with some help from the other organisers and fellow club members. I think there were more than a dozen of us playing. Being a staunch Federal I took the role of General p Hancock and II Corps (in the photo above lining the ridge). Right up front and in the thick of it for the entire game facing a sea of grey and butternut, zillions of them, crammed together as they surged forward; a real butternut squash! I can't begin to try and explain what was happening elsewhere on the battlefield so what follows are some random pictures to give you an idea of how things developed.

The photo above shows the Federal line along cemetery ridge, with the Round Tops several feet to the right out of shot. The second table beyond has the rest of the Federal line angled back to face the attempted envelopment by the Confederates.

Artillery fire was carried out using old (some very old) matchstick-firing models which was a skill you either mastered quickly or not at all. It was fun and not too many eyes were endangered. For canister fire we used party poppers, which was a real hoot.

Rebs lining up     

General Hancock

The devastating effects of canister fire

Thee Confederate forces destroyed Sickles’ command under Conrad but as Sickles had already been KIA by an errant matchstick he didn’t mind I guess. Hancock held on and the Rebs were unable to drive his men off the ridge. The Reb flanking attack also stalled although losses were horrendously high on both sides. Federal reinforcements were arriving all the time so we were not too fussed, well I wasn’t anyway. By late afternoon we’d treached 9pm game time so we stopped. It imho was a clear Federal victory. Rebel claims that they were victorious were baseless and ignored their staggering losses and the two corps of unengaged Federal reinforcements. Strategic sense would have dictated a withdrawal under cover of night by the Rebs. So say I.

Overall it was a very good game, enjoyable, and much fun, although it was a bit untidy for my taste, and no doubt we shall have another 54mm extravaganza next year. The armies were  tremendous especially Conrad’s artillery gun teams which can be seen racing into action in one of these photos.

Somewhere in the Pyrenees 1814...or is it?

John the Red kindly took me to the Club in Durham again last Thursday. (After a lapse of quite a few years I have  rejoined the club I first became a member of in January 1972). Shaun had been giving Gen d'Armee another run out, again using his gorgeous Peninsular War collection. We were playing the final week of the game (I'd managed each of the three weeks thanks to lifts from John, and Malcolm and Shaun in the middle week). As the British commander its fair to say we were in deep trouble from turn one, and that didn't change at all until the end of turn 14 when we were in less deep trouble. Shaun was the French commander, assisted at various times by John, Richard and Nigel doing a great impersonation of a 'Grognard'. Another John (H) had assisted me in the first two weeks and in the final week Conrad joined me as John H couldn't make it. So, we had continuity of sorts for the entire game and it was actually quite interesting coaching the other players as they came and went.

The game was a disguised scenario, set in the Pyrenees in 1814. The British began the game outnumbered and were tasked with holding the main road and crossroads until turn 14. Reinforcements would be drip fed in as the game progressed. The French started with lots more troops and their reinforcements came on quickly and in vast numbers. Anyway, here's how it panned out.

Shaun taking a photo of his brave lads!

Facing our left wing was a brigade of French cavalry and one of infantry. This was going to be tense.

For some reason I'd deployed our lone cavalry regiment on the crossroads with thoughts of brave charges down the road in my head. Actually, no matter how deluded this idea was, the hussars would have been really up against it if they'd been on our left facing the French cavalry.

After a conspicuous absence and a slow start the French artillery arrived. The infantry in the centre had halted while their skirmishers were pushing through the wood in the background. Our skirmishers were doing a good job at holding their own against the French voltigeurs.

Overview of the battlefield towards the end of week 1.

The proximity of the enemy cavalry forced the British into square.

Reinforcements at last!

The French were very slow getting going in the centre thanks to a series of turns where they were 'hesitant'.

The hussars had charged down the road and forced a battalion into square. Our cavalry bounced but the French attack was stalled. They were still pushing through the wood and had started to press hard in the centre.

On the left the British were suffering from long range artillery fire from the French reserve  that was pounding  our square relentlessly.  During the course of the game the French launched several infantry and cavalry attacks against the British left and centre. All of them were repulsed but at great cost as several battalions were very close to reaching the magical '12' hits and running away. All our skirmishers in the centre, including the 60th Rifles, had been destroyed by this point.

The final British reinforcements arrived and halted any French attempts to turn our right flank. The enemy were pushed back into the woods.

The last of the French cavalry charges fared no better than all the others and was blown away when attempting to overrun the British artillery. British heavy dragoons were also now in the game, just out of shot to the right.

My hussars make their fourth charge of the game down the road. They again failed to break the enemy but kept them in square and unable to advance any further.

At this point we had reached the end of the 14th turn. Two British infantry brigades were shattered, or 'demoralised' as per the rules. Both had been faltering but had rallied.  One French brigade was also demoralised after its failed assault on the British centre and the French skirmisher screens were close to breaking.

The French had failed to achieve their objective by turn 14 but the British would now be faced with making a fighting withdrawal off the table, as with only three or four relatively fresh battalions supported by three cavalry regiments and a couple of batteries of artillery we would struggle to hold back the enemy indefinitely. But, hanging on at all costs and indefinitely wasn't in our plan. Given the losses suffered by the British Shaun declared the game a draw.

This was a great game. We played it over three evenings and with some different players but the whole thing was thoroughly enjoyable. Not everyone who took part is a fan of the rules, but I think most of us are firmly on board with using General d'Armée for the time being. Certainly I intend to use them in favour of Black Powder at home.

Oh, and the scenario, for anyone who hadn't guessed it, was Quatre Bras.

Peninsular War Game Revisited

John and I made another trip to the Durham Wargames Group last night to finish the Peninsular game we left 'hangin' last week. Cutting right to the chase, here are the photos of how the game concluded.

Conrad's right wing was faltering but managed to rally when it was time to take the faltering test.  It was still worn out as a fighting force but was doggedly hanging on and slowing the French assault that was suffering heavy losses. 

John's brigade in the village was also taking a battering but was still hanging on to the village grimly.  One assault had already been beaten off, 

The 42nd Foot crest the brow of the hill as my left wing advanced very slowly and hesitantly towards the French.

The French skirmishers had been driven off or destroyed. Had I not been hesitant  I might have been able to catch the French in square.  

The King's Dragoon Guards had niftily sidestepped the French squares and valiantly charged the French artillery. Despite heavy casualties the cavalry made it to the guns and overran them. 

After the KDGs had ridden over the first battery I threw 21" for the 'charge on!" so they hit the battery behind  and destroyed that one as well!

The French centre was meanwhile inching slowly towards the slightly unsteady British line.

Another assault on the village by the French went to a second round so the English were able to reinforce the melee, throwing the French back in confusion.

Meanwhile the KDG had completed the remaining 19" of the 'Charge on!" move and hit  a French  column. 

The KDG broke the French thus to all intents and purposed ending the game.

So, it was a British victory, which is always good. We got a few things wrong in the rules, but we're getting better as we gain experience and overall GdA produced a great game played by gentlemen who played with great integrity, eschewing any ideas of 'wargamery' moves even at a cost to their own troops.

Man of the match has to go to the King's Dragoon Guards. They survived a 'faltering' test early in the battle and then saw off an entire brigade of French cavalry without even crossing sabres (see last week's report), rode over and destroyed two batteries of cannon and broke a French infantry battalion, making the brigade in the French centre falter, as was their left brigade attacking the village. It was all made even more fun by using Shaun's wonderful and gorgeous collection of figures.

I really do like GdA especially as we now have a far greater understanding of the mechanics, which are actually dead simple, certainly as simple as BP in my opinion.

Big game here at The Burrow on Saturday. My French Revolutionary Wars Flanders 1793 Campaign is also ready to kick off, of which more in another post.