Friday Night At Julians - Sharpe Practice Again

John was unable to attend this week, so Julian and I took the British against Chris with the French. The scenario was three groups of French voltigeurs had seized a strategic point to secure the advance of their army. Some reinforcements were coming up to support them, but the British had also arrived to drive them out

We had about 6-8 units per side and only 4 commanders, as Julian wanted to speed things up a bit 

Here is my force - three units of line infantry with a leader, two units of light dragoons with a leader and a C in C leader 

The voltigeurs occupy a rather nice 3d house from Temu that Julian has recently acquired! 

The British cavalry leader 

The Brits advance

The enemy - two units of French dragoons, who proved to be quite troublesome!

The voltigeurs open fire at long range on my light dragoons, scaring them off

The ubiquitous Richard Sharpe was in Julians command this week

Close up of nicely painted British light dragoon (on his own cos he was killed by the voltigeurs initial volley!)

My light dragoons headed off to the flank where Julian was advancing - or are they just hiding behind the woods from the nasty French?

 

The situation after a few turns, my Brits deployed into line as a single unit under the C in C. Chris moved his dragoons up and looked like he would charge my line - this could get bloody!

But he didn't roll quite enough, so wheeled into Julians riflemen at the edge of the wood instead, forcing them to voluntarily fall back

A dangerous situation developed for Julians three units in the woods...the dragoons eventually pursued one unit of light infantrymen right off the table edge!

Meanwhile, the British line, using "Present" to enhance their firing, gradually wiped out the unit of voltigeurs in the open between the house and the trees

With the riflemen unloaded, the French grenadiers attempted to charge them

And Julian rolled this when he decided to fall back again - you add the dice together for the distance you retire - EXCEPT if you are in woods, you deduct one inch for each dice.... sigh

Needless to say, you are at all sorts of disadvantages if caught in the flank or rear, plus unloaded! Julian is pointing out some of them!

5 or 6 to kill I believe - this was what Chris rolled

And Julian reprised his earlier efforts - even Mr Sharpe shuffled off his mortal coil in this one!

I think I stopped taking photos because not an awful lot more changed - mostly we just blazed away at each other. The French dragoons ended up back adjacent to the voltigeurs, their infantry were advancing steadily through the woods, and the British were nowhere near taking the house, so it ended as a French victory.

A nice bit of easy going fun at the end of the week - today I am off to Barrys with a British Napoleonic force of twelve battalions of foot, three heavy and one light cavalry plus three guns - so a report on this scenario by Paul will follow here in a day or two.

Ye Ballade o' Fair Lady Mary Bell

 

Nothing ready from the painting table, so here is something I prepared earlier - on 17 Jan, in fact!

Here is my next Solo Wargame inspired AI comic book adventure. This time, its set in the Borders region between England and Scotland in the late 16th century. Based on this game       Bydand: Ye Ballade o' Fair Lady Mary Bell - Verse I

Panel 1 – The Quiet Valley

Lady Mary Bell’s small party travelling a peaceful Border valley 

Panel 2 – The Hamlet Ahead

A distant hamlet offering rest and hospitality. A few thatched cottages, smoke rising. The escort gestures toward it. Jessie the maid relaxes slightly.

Panel 3 – The First Threat

Jessie screaming as three Reivers emerge from the wooded hill The horsemen appear like wolves from the treeline—steel caps, padded jacks, long Border spears.

Panel 4 – The Second Threat

Another trio of mounted Reivers thundering past startled farmers Dust, hooves, panic. Farmers scatter; a child clutches a sheep.

Panel 5 – First Shots Fired

Calivermen firing as smoke billows across the valley. One Reiver wheels his horse and flees; the others lower their weapons and charge.

Panel 6 – Clash of Leaders

Mounted Heidman duelling the escort leader while a lancer attacks a caliverman. Steel flashes. Horses rear. The Heidman’s face twisted with fury.

Panel 7 – The Heidman Falls Back

Wounded Heidman reeling away, blood on his jack. He clutches his side, horse staggering. The caliverman nearby drops his weapon in terror.

Panel 8 – “Behind the Dyke!”

.
Escort urging the ladies behind a stone wall as Reivers circle. Mary and Jessie duck behind the rough dyke; horses loom overhead, blades slashing down.

Panel 9 – Reivers Dismount

Four Reivers advancing on foot toward the wall. Shadows lengthen. Mud splashes. Their expressions are grim and determined.

Panel 10 – The Fight Splits

Second Heidman and a Reiver attacking the English leader; others engaging a caliverman. Chaotic melee. Spears, daggers, and short swords clash.

Panel 11 – The Leader Falls

Escort leader collapsing, mortally wounded. Mary watches in horror. Jessie covers her mouth. The caliverman shouts for them to flee.

Panel 12 – A Small Victory

A caliverman wounding a Reiver, turning the tide briefly The Reiver staggers back, clutching his arm. Mud and blood mix on the ground.

Panel 13 – Surrender and Return

Mounted Reiver defeating a caliverman; others firing ineffectively. The caliverman raises empty hands. Smoke drifts uselessly from the guns of the remaining footmen.

Panel 14 – Heidman Approaches the Ladies

Victorious Heidman moving along the wall toward Mary and Jessie. Predatory calm. His blade drips. Mary’s expression unreadable.

Panel 15 – A Farmer’s Brave but Futile Aid

Local farmer rushing in, only to be wounded and driven back His pitchfork snaps. Jessie cries out. Mary remains strangely composed.

Panel 16 – Last Defenders Fall

Caliverman firing and missing; his coverman slain by the Heidman The coverman collapses into the bog. Mary and Jessie shrink behind the dyke.

Panel 17 – The Secret Bargain

Reiver whispering to the ladies as chaos continues nearby. Mary leans in. Jessie looks shocked. The Reiver’s eyes gleam with cunning.

Panel 18 – The Escape and Aftermath

Mary and Jessie mounting the pack mules, following the Reiver over the wall. Other Reivers remount and retreat to the woods. One abandoned captive lies bound on the ground. Mary glances back with a faint, enigmatic smile.

That one did not take as long as the Death Mask of Ramallah and turned out better I think, although sometimes the AI just would not cooperate - it randomly created this image for panel 11 - I actually liked the postures and expressions better - but could I get the bloody thing to change Lady Mary to match all the other images of her.....could I ##%^$!

It also seemed happy to give Jessie the maid varying facial expressions and different poses but insisted on leaving Lady Mary in virtually the same pose throughout the entire course of events! Anyway, I had more fun doing it and I will probably do another one soon, so hopefully readers don't object too much?!

AWI Americans # 5 - The 1st Virginia State Regiment

Thanks to our old friends at Wikipedia this time - seeing as somebody cast aspersions on my AI buddy for the last unit potted history - here is what "we" know about this unit:

The 1st Virginia State Regiment was a regiment of regular state troops from Virginia which fought during the American Revolutionary War.

Formation

The regiment was authorized by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia in December 1776 as a force of regular troops for the Commonwealth's defense.

In the Continental Army

In 1777, Virginia had difficulty meeting its quota for the regular line of the Continental Army. As a result, in July 1777 under the command of Colonel George Gibson, the regiment began a march North to temporarily join the Continental Army in the Philadelphia Campaign. In January 1778, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act directing that the 1st Virginia State Regiment "now in Continental service, be continued in said service instead of the Ninth Virginia Regiment, made prisoners by the enemy in the Battle of Germantown." The regiment camped at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78 and at Middlebrook in the winter of 1778-79 and participated in the Battle of Monmouth. The regiment remained in the service of the Continental Army until late 1779 when redeployed to Virginia.

A rather fetching uniform of red and blue

The eagle eyed may have noticed these boys are a bit thin on the ground, the whole unit only comprising 13 figures rather than the more usual 18.

I thought these were all I had left, but after painting and basing was completed, I found a sprue with another four unassembled infantrymen on it - dammit! Maybe I need to build one more unit......!

Well, that's the last of my AWI "Rebel" units and probably all I need although as Jon alluded to last time - never say never! I only have one gun and no cavalry in this collection, so maybe they are on the cards - I will have a look at the Perry metal range for those probably. 

On the painting desk, I am moments away from completing a 12-figure version of the 7th Chasseurs a Chevel de la Ligne, using Perry plastic figures, so they will likely be my next post in a few days' time.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

Just randomly checked our local version of eBay, called TradeMe, and saw this - at that price, it was obviously meant to be - 

AWI Americans # 4 - 2nd Canadian Regiment (Congress's Own)

 This unit was 100% "inspired" (read copied from) JJ's Wargames blog, where I saw a beautifully painted version of it a couple of weeks back.

Thanks to AI, here is a brief outline:

The 2nd Canadian Regiment, also known as Congress's Own Regiment or Hazen's Regiment, was an "extra" Continental regiment authorized by the Continental Congress on January 20, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War (AWI). Commanded by Colonel Moses Hazen, it was primarily composed of Canadian volunteers and refugees from the Province of Quebec who supported the American rebellion. Key details about the 2nd Canadian Regiment:

Purpose: Congress authorized the regiment to encourage Canadians to join the American cause, aiming to make Canada the "fourteenth colony" in the rebellion.

• Structure: It was one of the few regiments directly responsible to Congress rather than a specific state, leading to its nickname "Congress's Own". It was originally designed as an "oversized" regiment of four battalions (though never reaching full capacity).
• Service: The regiment saw action in various campaigns, including the battles of Staten Island, Brandywine, Germantown, and the Siege of Yorktown.
• Recruitment: Due to low numbers after the retreat from Canada, Congress allowed Hazen to recruit "at large" from any state to fill the ranks.
• Duration: The regiment was formed in January 1776 and disbanded on November 15, 1783, at West Point, New York. 

Another, separate unit known as Livingston's Regiment (1st Canadian Regiment) was also raised, but it was disbanded on January 1, 1781, with its remaining members absorbed into Hazen's 2nd Canadian Regiment. 

Now, here is my version!

The Light Company uniforms are based on an image in the same source as I used for the purple hunting shirts. Other versions look more like the British LI helmets - lets go with the Ridley Scott solution once more 😂

Hope you like the uniform as much as I do - when I saw JJ's version, I knew that was the next unit I was going to paint! Only one more American unit left, and I may be able to claim this collection is complete - well, the infantry portion, anyway!