The Battle of Hobkirk Hill - another AWI game using Regimental Fire & Fury Rules

Hot on the heels of our game last Sunday, Raf and Wes agreed to come over to have another go at these adapted rules.

I picked Hobkirk Hill as I had enough figures for this but not some of the larger battles !

The British under Colonel Lord Rawdon attack through the woods

which initially caught the Americans by surprise as they expected an assault from the road 

Rawdon leads the way !

The Americans aligned across Hobkirk Hill

General Green gets word of the British attack

Raf lost the toss and got the British troops in this game

The Americans are ordered forward by Greene

Undeterred, the British keep coming

The New York Dragoons are at the rear of the British with a supply wagon

Greene's right wing begin to wheel as they are too far away from the action

The Delaware Regiment have a brave leader out front

British troops form up to charge

This is where the battle will be decided

The British artillery is unable to deploy in the crowded wooded battlefield

The 1st/3rd Continental Dragoons seek to outflank the British, watched by Read's Militia

Eye ball to eye ball, the opposing sides exchange fire

The British Light Dragoons find their way blocked by large numbers of rebels

Initially the British infantry push back the Americans

Hand to hand combat all along the line

The rebel artillery begin to turn towards the enemy dragoons

The British infantry follow up their success in the centre

as the Volunteers of Ireland fire upon the Continental Dragoons

This British charge is checked by American fire

but the American centre fights back

and American success right of centre sees the green South Carolina Royalists rout

Rawdon throw all his effort against the American left

but they are beaten back off the hill with casualties

with the Americans now threatening to envelope their open flank

Rawdon orders a retreat - Hobkirk Hill stays in American hands !

Wes is the victor today.

Happy Independence Day !

To commemorate the occasion, my version of Washington's army do a march past ...

The guns are ready to fire a salute

Here they come !

The cavalry are off foraging I suspect !

American War of Independence - using Regimental Fire & Fury with amendments

Today, Steve Nutt & Rob Baxter from Colchester came to put on a Guildford Courthouse game at Writtle using 28mm figures & their own adaptation of Regimental Fire & Fury for this earlier period.

Here are the American forces

and here the British

Here's the battlefield being set up - this is the view from the American end

and here's the British end

the ground is mostly dense woodland apart from one or two cleared pieces of land adjacent to settlements, so visibility greatly reduced

The British start point, Hessians on the right

American militia facing them directly

British Legion cavalry are off table to start with and under the direct command of Cornwallis

Americans - loads of 'em !

British and American guns face each other down the road

This is the Continentals in the third line of defence

This is the advanced line of American militia, right of the line facing my Guards and Hessian Jagers

Colonel Washington's cavalry are over here too !

British fire immediately clears a gap in the Militia lines and the American gun limbers up to go !

My command advances, Hessians to the fore

Wes (overall British commander today) brings on the British Legion to take advantage of the gap in the American front line

A very relaxed bunch of gamers !

Here you can see the steady advance of the British troops as the Americans fall back

Effectively, the American first line has crumbled and the second line retreats too

The Continentals wait behind fences, the third and most effective of the American forces

Its painfully slow going through the dense woodland

The Americans retreat in front of my command and have nearly reached the Continentals at the back

This is the view from the British right of line as Hessian infantry support a redcoat advance

Lee's men fall back, both infantry and cavalry

The Militia are no match for the British redcoats and offer no resistance

The Guards march to catch up with their light infantry

Now we have reached the Continentals who stand firm

Wes launches attacks across the fields

These Continentals face my troops

Elements of the rules are being discussed at this point !

Birds eye view of the climax of the battle

Rafael's Scots have charged across a field on the right and defeated Militiamen

But their fellow brigade unit is faced with American cavalry

Trying to launch an attack, Raf's men get disordered and then hit front and back by Lee's Legion

Wes gets a unit over the fencing to attack the Continentals in the centre

Raf's men have been destroyed by Lee's Legion, their cavalry pour towards the Hessian infantry

My men exchange fire with the Continentals and we get the better of that

The Hessians halt Lee's cavalry in their tracks with a controlled volley

But with a big gap and the Scots out on their own, the right doesn't look too good.

Wes's attack has faltered and the men retreat whilst the American Militia in the field put up a better fight than their colleagues

Our strength is waining and with my troops taking too long to overcome the Americans in front of me, Rob (who has been umpiring all this time) declares an American win.

Interesting rules adaptation which seems to capture the feel for the period - must give this another go soon !

Steve, Rob and Colchester friends must have enjoyed the day as they decide to join Essex Warriors on the spot and paid up for a year's membership - a better result than our British army achieved in this battle !