Ongoing plans ...

The ECW gaming campaign stalled a bit towards the end of 2012. I've summarised the end part of the '1643' campaign year in the previous post. So 2013 will become the 1644 campaign year. I'm planing to refight Cheriton

Using the above small pamphlet as a reference. Although not in Wiltshire, it is Hopton and Waller facing off again which will follow up on my Roundway refight. Also will try and widen the campaign outside Wiltshire where appropriate.

Will also have few items and couple of units to add.

Campaign year 1643 - end piece

With royalists having taken Tilshead after a battle, and Upavon some time back then Amesbury - since then they have been harrying the Parliamentarian outposts around Sarisbury.

Sir Warwick Hunt with insufficient men is unable to defend and hold the city, starting to run short of supplies he reluctantly decides to withdraw south-eastwards to Southampton and join up with Parliamentarian forces there.

Royalist troops enter Sarisbury

These events meant effectively that most of Wiltshire was in the hands of the royalists - except for Wardour castle in the south.

Battle of Tilshead ...

The royalists have been probing into southern wiltshire. Sir Warwick Hunt , the parliamentarian commander decides to withdraw some of his outlying garrisons around Market Lavington (south of Devizes) along with their supplies south-east to Shrewton.

A Sir Warwick Hunt and small parliamentarian force covered the withdrawal; however the royalists commanded by Sir Wiliam de Willoughby were on the move south from Devizes and the parliamentarians were forced to give battle and fight a delaying action while the rest of the column moved to safety.
 

---oXo---

 

Sir Warwick Hunt drew up his men across the road on the rising ground to a mile or so north of Tilshead, using his dragoons as a folorn hope.

The royalists get organised out of their column of march ...

The royalists commence their advance

The parliamentarian folorn hope exhanges fire with the royalists ...

the folorn hope retires under weight of fire ...

The parliamentarian cuirassier charge across between the opposing foot and attack the royalist dragoons ...

The dragoons are scattered and run for safety, the royalist horse come to their aid...

The cuirassiers take it in the flank and rear ....

No too bothered the cuirassiers are pushed back but continue fighting hard .... 

The royalist foot closes in and musket fire is exchanged ....

the cuirassiers and royalist horse fall back to re-group

Meanwhile the royalist foot has pushed foreward onto the hill; the parliamentarians are withdrawing in good order except for one regiment which loses a melee, surrenders and is surrounded

On the other flank the ponderously slow movement of the royalists has little impact on the final moments of the battle

The parliamentarians withdraw successfully, the royalists regroup and wait for their ordnance and baggage - lead elements push into Tilshead.

---oXo---

 

A tactical success for Parliament -

 

but a victory on the field of battle for Ye Kinge

Dragoons 'Revamped' (2)

The second of my dragoon regiments has now been revamped, adding 6 more effectives and a horse holder stand. New boys were from Sash&Sabre, with officer and standard bearer from Drabant.

New barn for scenics ...

A Scenix barn repainted, with roof altered to thatch, plonked on a base with some spare bits of wattle fnce and a tree made up from Woodland Scenics plastic trunk and foliage clusters.

Dragoons 'Revamped' (1)

First of my dragoons regiment revamps now completed; I added 6 new figures to bring the total unit strength up to 15 and made up a 'horse holder' base.

The new boys:  officer (Jacdaw),  ensign (Drabant) and dragoons (Sash & Sabre)

The whole regiment deployed, with 'horse holder' base at the rear..

The first and the last ...

A couple of items added to my ECW library, picked up while on holiday. First a nice condition copy in hardback of Peter Young book on Edgehill (bought in a second hand bookshop in Haye-on-Wye).

Also a nice booklet on the Battle of Worcester

Now where did I get to with those dragoons ...

Dragoon basing tryout..

Trying out my basing for the new larger dragoon units, just plonked the figs on the new bases without gluing;  I think I'll change the command stand to single bases - otherwise a bit clunky.

Additional dragoon figures ..

To add to each regiment of Drgoons that I have I ordered two packs of Sash & Sabre skirmishing dragoons and some Drabant Swedes; shown below is one pack of S&S dragoons plus a Drabant officer and ensign ...

ECW Unit Compositions

In the process of planning my expanded dragoon units, I whipped up some ECW unit compositions sourced from 'Junior General' . These represent the basic units I use for my ECW gaming.

1. Regiment of Foot: 5 pikes + ensign; 10 musketeers + drummer + officer

2. Regiment of Horse: Officer + Cornet + 7 troopers

3. Dragoons (my new organisation): 

On horseback: Officer + Ensign + 9 mounted Musketeers; the mounted version is representational (purely for cost reasons), as they will mostly be deployed on foot.

On foot: Officer + Ensign + 14 Musketeers + 2 Horseholders (may reduce to total of 15, still thinking about this)

The quest for storage space...

Had a tidy up of my ECW figs storage cupboard under the gaming table; by purchasing some larger boxes I was able to store my infantry and cavalry more effeciently giving me

• one empty box, for new additions
• a box each for dragoon regiment - allowing space to sort out horse holders and get the dismounted dragoon numbers up a bit
• the larger boxes used for the infantry mean I also have room for another regiment of foot (hoorah !)
• I also have some room at the front for single figs and smaller units

using appropriate boxes I think now I have space for most of my projected additions

ECW Cupboard all neat and tidy

Chirton - Sir Warwick Hunt - rescue attempt ....

Sir Warwick Hunt the parliamentarian commander in Wiltshire, having been cpatured, is currently under detention at Chirton manor house; his brother Herrick is about to make a rescue attempt ...

 ---oXo---

Early in the morning at Chirton, some of the manor house garrison is up and about and the front gate has been opened; an officer is checking out for activity in the camp behind the tavern - some of the men there are up getting horses ready...

Herrick Hunt leads his small force of volunteers (dragoons, horse and some commanded shot) into the fields near Chirton ..

The dragoons have dismounted and are coming up into the village, while the horse with Herrick Hunt taking lead try to rush the gate house ..

Having failed to get into the gatehouse the horse move to ride round the side of the manor house ...

At the same time the dragoons catch the encamped horse by surprise and cause heavy casualties, the remaining horse without their mounts take refuge in the village - a sharp exchange of pistols and musket fire  follows ...

Herrick hunt leads his mounted men round the side of the manor house, as the garrison move to defend the perimiter ..

Horse discharge pistols at the garrison over the wall who respond with musket fire ..

Meanwhile the dragoons, who having failed to get into the houses fall back, some taking cover - the exchange of fire with those in the tavern and other buildings continues ...

The commanded shot try and gain the gatehouse wall, while a party of dismounted horse move up from behind the manor house; some dragoons have worked their way round and exchange fire with the garrision..

The commanded shot are across the wall and have pushed back the garrison, the dismounted horse are trying to get over the wall ...

The garrison take casualties and fall back to the servants quarters at the far side of the courtyard, they still hold the gatehouse. Some dismounted horse and commanded shot break into the manor house and after a brisk fight in the hall make their way upstairs and release Sir Warwick Hunt. Sir Warwick and his rescuers get ready to mount up and make their getaway..

The rescuers have succeeded and Sir Warwick is safe, however his brother Herrick was badly wounded in the rescue attempt.

A success for Parliamente

---oXo---

A lively and enjoyable little game; I had no specific ECW skirmish rules so we used my 18C skirmish rules which worked ok with appropriate categorisation of 'unit types' to match, so perhaps a small addendum may have to be added for ECW use.

Sir Warwick Hunt detained ...

The commander of Parliamentarian forces in Wiltshire, Sir Warwick Hunt (in blue coat), having been captured while trying to retrieve a gun near Upavon, is now under escort...

The escort of horse is tasked with taking Sir Warwick to Devizes and then further north to Wallingborough. It is late in the day and the escort stops at Chirton for the night ...

Sir Warwick will be held under the watch of the local garrison in the manor house, while the escort of horse will camp out behind the tavern.

---oXo---

Sir Warwick's borther Herrick has assembled a small force of volunteers and intends to make a rescue attempt .....

Buildings get a facelift ...

I recently got some extra Conflix buildings, these have had repaint as I didn't like the grey/brown half timbering, they've been redone in lighter colours...

and the two I already had, redone as well

These now fit in with my existing building stock much better than before.

Save the gun ...

The commander of Parliamentarian forces Sir Warwick Hunt had been moving his siege ordnance northwards to assist Waller in the siege of Devizes; when the news of the battle of Roundway reached him they turned about. After passing through Upavon their largest gun became stuck in a marshy area; with its limber damaged and unable to extract it they left a guard of dragoons, foot and horse - while they went to get more horses and repair the limber.

Meanwhile to take advantage of the royalist victory at Roundway Sir William de Walloughby led his wiltshire royalists to try and take Upavon (south-west of Devizes) and then if possible move on Amesbury; as they marched they came upon the gun and its guard ....

---oxo---

The gun stuck in the boggy ground, dragoons stand to as some royalist foot is spotted ...

The rest of the troops guarding the gun form up (a regiment of foot and one of horse), while the royalist foot start their advance. In the distance royalist horse and dragoons are moving up, also the head of the parliamentarian force with a team of horses to extract the gun and more troops can be seen arriving

The royalist infantry advance and parliamentarian horse wheel to move to cover the flank ......

The parliamentarian dragoons and royalist infantry exchange fire; the dragoons flinch and fall back; Sir Warwick Hunt has arrived and manages to rally them

The dragoons continue their exchange of fire with the royalist foot, Sir William de Walloughby has arrived and is encouraging the royalist foot forward ...

Firing erupts along the battle lines, the royalist foot and dragoons are pressing forward; the team of horses is being hitched up to the gun; Sir Warwick Hunt looks anxiously to his rear and watches parliamentarian horse engaged with a royalist horse regiment that had worked its way around the flank

The royalist horse have beaten their opposition and have wheeled round and charged into the back of the nearest parliamentarian foot regiment; Sir Warwick Hunt and his escort are caught in the melee ....

The parliamentarian dragoons have routed and the rest have fallen back under fire; their withdrawal turns into a general 'rout' - all a regiment of parliamentarian horse that has just arrived can do is to cover the flight of their comrades; the grey coated parliamentarian foot regiment beset by both horse and foot surrenders- Sir Warwick Hunt is captured

The royalist foot have captured the gun, Sir William de Walloughby moves forward to examine his prize ..

A victory for ye Kinge

what will happen to Sir Warwick Hunt ? the royalists will take him north to be imprisoned ...

---oxo---

A great game, the use of the shuffled unit cards for order of movement and dicing for response to 'command' to move add unpredictability to the game. Parliament seemed to be doing well until they lost the horse melee on their flank and a run of  bad rolls on the selected 'lucky' red dice  for morale checks led to all unravelling

The not so lucky red dice !!