The creation of my Rebel Militia brigade picks up the work I did over the Xmas of 2021 into 2022 using an idea from the Perrys to rapidly create multiple units of militia for an AWI campaign they had decided to run, and using the plastic continental miniatures suitably adapted to give a militia look to the new force.
At the time I was focussed more on producing a large force of Tryon and Albany County Militia that figured large in the Mohawk River valley campaigns of Sir John Johnson and other British and Loyalist forces, raiding that area of the northern frontier with Canada.
With my attention recently turned to creating forces capable of representing larger battles fought during the American War of Independence, the creation of my three new battalion sized units simply required the addition of a few drummers, standard bearers and officers together with some suitable colours from GMB flags, and hey-presto, I present by new three battalion brigade of New England militia or any other militia, Rebel or Tory, simply by changing the colours as required.
My sabot based units also facilitate an easy quick change of colours, plus perhaps a few more uniformed characters, some with bayonets, and these units can quickly take on the appearance of motley Continentals if required.
To give these chaps more of a militia look, I purposefully only have them carrying muskets without bayonets and removed any hints of bayonet scabbards from the the rear left leg of each figure.
On masse the brigade looks quite formidable, until you appreciate their limited abilities as raw civilian soldiers.
The brigade had its initiation to battle in our recent game run at the Devon Wargames Group, where some of my militia posed as Continentals and the irregular forces they actually are modelled for, and also leaving some figures available to be brought over in service of the king, acting as Tory militia scouts.
I have been away from my desk these last two weeks soaking up some glorious Ionian Summer Sun, swimming in warm seas, enjoying grilled octopus, red snapper and sea-bream for dinner, whilst also taking in the odd piece of ancient Greek and Roman archaeology, but am now looking forward to getting back to work.
Carolyn and I dining out during our two weeks in Kefalonia and Ithaca.
The view of the Ionian Sea from the Palace of Odysseus in Ithaca, identified in 2010, and likely looking from Penelope's former window
The exquisite remains of a Roman villa mosaic floor, one of several such villas we visited during our stay.
In 1701, Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegal, raised a regiment in Belfast at his own expense, designated as “Lord Donegall's Regiment of Foot”, also known as “The Belfast Regiment” because of its origins, with Donegal becoming its colonel.
A year later it was serving in the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13), taking part in operations along the Spanish coast and fighting at the Battle of Cadiz (1702), the Siege of Gibraltar (1704-05) and the Siege of Barcelona (1706).
In 1704 Donegal accompanied the regiment to fight in the War of the Spanish Succession in Spain, and was appointed major general of Spanish forces. He was killed in action in 1706 at Fort Montjuich near Barcelona, and was buried in that city.
Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegall (1666-1706) and the founder and first colonel of the 35th Foot.
The regiment lost its Colours at the Battle of Almanza (1707) and was nearly wiped out. After this, it returned to Ireland to recover.
Eleven years later, it was sent to garrison Minorca. Then, from 1725, it spent the next three decades back in Ireland. This period saw the regiment assigned the numeral 35 in the infantry order of precedence.
The official dress of the 35th Foot during the Seven Years War and at the start of the American War of Independence. However fighting experience would lead to changes in dress to better suit the conditions experienced in America, and my 35th Foot reflect the dress code of many infantry units after Lord Howe's reforms in 1776.
In April 1756 the 35th Foot embarked from Ireland to British North America for service in the Seven Years' War. The commanding officer of the regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel George Monro, led the defence of the Fort William Henry in August 1757 but was forced to surrender to the superior forces of General the Marquis de Montcalm.
The British troops were allowed to leave the fort with full honours of war and marched out, only to be attacked by France’s Native American allies, that resulted in over 180 men killed.
Taking part in the siege of Louisbourg in July 1758 when several of the regiment's officers were wounded, the regiment had its revenge on Montcalm the following year when in September 1759 it fought under General James Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.
Regimental tradition later related that the 35th charged at bayonet point, broke and routed the French Royal Roussillon Regiment, which had been present at Fort William Henry, capturing its colours, whilst also taking white feathers from the enemy's hats as trophies. The regiment lost 6 dead and 35 wounded in the battle and the emblem of the 'Roussillon Plume' was later incorporated into the Royal Sussex Regiment badge.
The Royal Sussex Regiment badge incorporating the 'Roussillon Plume'
It saw action again at the Battle of Sainte-Foy where twelve of its men were killed and the subsequent siege of Quebec in April to May 1760, before taking part in the final and decisive campaign between July and September 1760 that saw the fall of Montreal.
Details of the 35th Foot - British Army Uniforms 1751 to 1783, Carl Franklin
The regiment proceeded to take part in the Invasion of Martinique in January 1762, and departed with the British expedition against Cuba and was part of the besieging force which took Fort Morro in July 1762 and Havana in August 1762; and the following year it proceeded to Florida, which had been ceded by Spain to Britain, before returning to England in 1765.
The 35th Foot returned to America arriving at Boston in April 1775 for service in the American War of Independence, suffering tremendous casualties at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, that saw all officers and non-commissioned officers of the Light Infantry killed or wounded and only five soldiers alive and unscathed of the Grenadier Company.
The regiment suffered the hardships of the siege of Boston in spring of 1776 before sailing to Halifax where General Sir William Howe commanding the Crown forces commenced the training and reorganising of the British army prior to his campaign to capture New York.
The 35th Foot would take part in the Battle of Long Island in July 1776 and the Battle of Harlem Heights in September 1776.
The commanding officer of the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Carr, was killed at the Battle of White Plains in October 1776 and, under fresh command, the regiment fought again at the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776.
During the Philadelphia campaign it was one of the seventeen battalions that proceeded to New York as part of the city garrison under General Sir Henry Clinton, and in July 1778 it sailed for the West Indies, taking part in the capture of St. Lucia in December 1778, before returning to England in September 1785. Four years later, it was given the county designation of Dorset.
Later in the 1870's as part of the Cardwell Reforms, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 35th was linked with the 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 43 at Roussillon Barracks in Chichester, before, on the 1st July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Sussex Regiment.
My interpretation of the 35th Foot uses the plastic offerings from Perry Miniatures, but incorporating the sloped arms from the plastic Perry Continentals, many of which I had left over from previous work and with careful application of painted lace to the cuffs adds yet further variation to the look of my British infantry.
The colours are of course from GMB and the unit is finished off with a set of low-profile sabot basing units from Supreme Littleness Designs.
Additionally I have been working on a title for my AWI project that will carry the blog forward in the next few years and decided on 'The World Turned Upside Down', given that we are fast approaching the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence as the collection comes together.
The title refers to the English ballad first published in the middle of the 1640's on a broadsheet as a protest against the policies of Parliament relating to the celebration of Christmas, and considering modern-day pronouncements from Parliament, plus ça change!
Victory at Yorktown by Don Troiani
Perhaps it was just as famously reported to have been played by the British Army band under Lord Cornwallis when they surrendered after the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, they having been refused the honours of war by General Washington, for which they would have customarily played an American or French tune in tribute to the victors.
I have to admit, that having subscribed to being a maverick most of my life, the title appeals to my rebellious nature and seems a very fitting one for the theme and the times, then and now.
In my previous post looking at the 17th century Battle of Livorno (Leghorn), fought in the Western Mediterranean during the first Anglo Dutch War, and being played through by my pal Steve using his marvellous collection of 1:1200 Anglo-Dutch models, I covered the background to the battle and Steve's first moves in a solo playthrough of the rules General at Sea - link below.
In the next set of pictures, it is now Turn 4, with no change in the weather.
As can be seen below Captain Badiley continued to beat his passage towards the dangerous Meloria Shoal signalling his preparation to tack in the next turn.
Captain Badiley continued to beat his passage towards the dangerous Meloria Shoal.
Meanwhile, having failed his command test to stay put to allow Badiley to come up with the Dutch fleet blockading Livorno, Captain Appleton's squadron makes sail and departs from the harbour.
The Battle of Livorno (Leghorn) (c. 1659 - c. 1699) - Willem van de Velde the Elder (Dutch, 1610-1693)
Steve's historical note records that as Appleton prepared to leave Livorno, the English ambassador to the Grand Duke of Tuscany was seen frantically running down the mole, imploring Appleton to turn back.
Captain Appleton's squadron makes sail and departs from the harbour.
The Dutch in response, weighed anchor, but with Van Galen throwing a 3 for his command roll, only three of his stands managed to heave to, with the other stand, to the extreme left of the picture below, moving off north.
Appleton didn't perform any better with his command, leaving his squadron heading straight towards the Dutch guns. In fact Appleton would end up evading the Dutch rather than risking a poor command die roll and being forced to attempt to push through the Dutch line.
'The Dutch in response, weighed anchor. . . ', with only three elements of the squadron obeying the order to 'heave to'.
Turn 5
The weather changed in turn 5, with the wind increasing to 4 and seeing Badiley tacking successfully to avoid the Meloria Shoal, whilst his comrade Appleton managed to turn his squadron astern of the Dutch, and in the following turn exchanging long range fire with the Dutch rear to no effect.
In response to the English moves, Van Galen got underway and despite his command issues, used the command points he had to turn his squadron downwind towards Badiley moving to interpose himself between the two English squadrons.
. . . with the wind increasing to 4 and seeing Badiley tacking successfully to avoid the Meloria Shoal, whilst his comrade Appleton managed to turn his squadron astern of the Dutch. . . exchanging long range fire with the Dutch rear to no effect. Whilst Van Galen is . . . moving to interpose himself between the two English squadrons.
Turn 8
By turn 8, the Dutch had intercepted Badiley and opened fire at close range, with Badiley passing his control test to successfully avoid becoming disrupted, as his comrade Appleton continued to run before the wind, firing to no effect, and forced to evade, being out of command range from Badiley.
. . . the Dutch had intercepted Badiley and opened fire at close range. . .
Turn 10
By turn 10 the lead elements of Badiley and Van Galen's squadrons were hotly engaged at close range, that left the lead Dutch stand at Level 2 Damage and seeing the English successfully pass two control tests, leaving both English squadrons able to break contact and join forces, and survive intact to fight another day.
. . . Badiley and Van Galen's squadrons were hotly engaged at close range. . .
. . . that left the lead Dutch stand at Level 2 Damage and seeing the English successfully pass two control tests, leaving both English squadrons able to break contact and join forces . . .
Steve sent me his AAR over the course of last weekend, and I enjoyed following along and the opportunity to research a naval action not as familiar to me as others, together whilst flicking through my copy of General at Sea; with his efforts prompting me to share the game here on the blog, and I hope you enjoy the read.
By my next post I will be enjoying some much looked forward to summer sunshine and new vistas, with rather more chillaxing than recent adventures have involved.
Lots to post about though, with the AWI collection continuing to grow apace, plus some fun with friends up in deep and darkest North Devon with a bit of Renaissance action to report on, and anything else that grabs my attention while I'm away from my desk.
This weekend, the new AWI collection was out on the table at club, playing a scenario loosely based on the Battle of Chatterton Hill, which I intend to work the collection up to, to do in the near future.
To add the forces I was able to field, Jack added some of his 28mm collection and Steve M helped with the game management in getting back up to speed using Rise & Fight Again rules.
In addition to the fun of bringing the collection to the table the game gave me an opportunity to visualise the look of the units together and the future games I am aiming to create.
If you want to know more about the game then follow the link above to the club blog.
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