It was my turn to provide a scenario, so I suggested AWI and provided a game "inspired by real events" - in this case, the Battle of Long Island in 1776, summarised thus "The Battle of Long Island, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War after the Declaration of Independence. British forces successfully outflanked and defeated the Continental Army, forcing George Washington to orchestrate a brilliant nighttime retreat across the East River to Manhattan. This decisive British victory secured control of New York City, which they held for the remainder of the war."
I dusted off some rules I "wrote" (just an assemblage of bits I liked from other rule sets, really) some years ago. The main feature of these rules is "action cards" (pinched from the Canadian Wargames Group FIW set) Each player has a pack of these cards and turn over the top card each time it is their turn. The card will have either 1, 2 or 3 actions, plus one card marked 2 actions and reshuffle. The number of each type is determined by the aptitude of the general - an inspiring general will have 6 three action cards, 6 two action cards and 2 one action cards, an average will have four of each type and a poor general will have 6 one action cards, 6 two and only 2 three actions.
In this battle, the British commander was inspired, the Hessian and one of the Americans were average and the second American was poor - I felt this was a fair reflection of what I have read about the officers involved.
Here is how our version went:
Paul was the Inspired British general on the left wing of the attack.
And Julian was the average commander of the Hessians in the centre
Opposite Julian, Rick was a poor American general! (Which leaves Barry and average against Paul)
Most of the field was dominated by the Heights of Guan, an impassable line of high ground. This forced the Crown forces into assaulting down roadways in narrow gaps between the hills.
The Hessians march forwards
The British also deployed to assault the defending Americans
Two assault columns prepare to attack
In the centre, the Americans wait behind improvised barricades of felled trees
The Americans on the right hold the initial British assault
But these militia could do little against two British battalions, particularly in close combat, where they have minus two dice, due to the fact they have no bayonets for their long rilfles!
Barrys Americans are still valiantly resisting the British assault
General Washington receives news of the attack and despatches reinforcements
Julians Hessians closing in on Ricks command
Barry is STILL holding Pauls "inspired" British!
The Hessians suffered horrendous casualties from American musketry and rifle fire
And then, in the east, General Howe arrives with 5000 more British troops!
The Americans in the centre realise they will soon be fighting on two fronts!
In the bottom left, the two battalions sent by Washington arrive - but are they in time to save the day?
The British have finally won the initial melee and destroyed the American unit on the hill
The Hessians, too, have smashed their way past one of the defending American units
After being held for half the day, the British suddenly break the first American line and move up towards the recently arrived reinforcements
The last America battery is overrun by bayonet wielding redcoats1
General Howe continues to advance from Jamaica Pass
The Hessians continue their bitter struggle in the centre
The American continental's thin the Hessian ranks!
But Howes command is almost upon them
Led by the 16th Light Dragoons!
And from the west, MORE British troops converge on the American centre
With the dragoons victorious and their American opponents destroyed, we called the game at this point - a victory for the Crown - but at the cost of an entire brigade of Hessians virtually destroyed - an expensive win for King George!
There were only 5 of us at the game today - which made it easier for me to handle, to be honest. I scaled the British advantage in numbers back a bit - they had 6 btn of Brits against 4 Americans (with 2 guns) and 6 btn of Hessians against 6 Americans (also with 2 guns) - but they did have the advantage of better commanders. Despite this, it was a real struggle for Paul and Julian to overcome the stubborn resistance of the Americans commanded by Rick and Barry.
Here is a quick summary of the actual battle
Fought on 27 August 1776, the Battle of Long Island was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War after the United States declared its independence. British forces under General William Howe successfully outflanked the Continental Army by marching overnight through the unguarded Jamaica Pass. This clever strategic maneuver forced General George Washington's troops to abandon their defensive positions on the Guan Heights after suffering heavy casualties. A heroic rearguard action by the "Maryland 400" bought precious time for the remaining American forces to retreat to their main fortifications. Under the cover of darkness and dense fog, Washington then executed a brilliant night evacuation across the East River, saving his army from total destruction.
The British Army: General William Howe commanded a massive expeditionary force of about 32,000 total troops staged on Staten Island, out of which 20,000 were deployed for the active invasion and flanking maneuver.
The American Army: General George Washington had roughly 19,000 to 23,000 total troops under his command. However, his forces were split between fortifying Manhattan and defending Brooklyn, leaving only about 10,000 men on the front lines to face the British assault.
All the troops used were from my collection, and it was nice to get a lot of the American forces into action for the first time since I painted them 12 -18 months ago!
