Command Stands

For 'big' battles will be using specific command stands for each side, one for each flank of horse and a central foot command. Using existing figures these are now done, requiring suitable flags to be added to the foot command.

Currently on the workbench are main personality figures for each side - each will comprise: King, Captain-General and Kings Standard bearer.

Somewhere in Europe just after the Thirty Years War

Waldemar IV the Elector of Baumberg,  had managed to keep his country intact during the thirty years war that raged across Europe.

Waldemar IV

On his death late in 1648,  the country was split into two, between his sons Leopold and Klemens, as stated in his will.  The Elector's chair was inherited by the eldest son Leopold. To avoid a damaging civil war a meeting of the Landsraad was called to ratify the will and create a treaty to define the new kingdoms. 

The country was split along the line of the river Oudear which ran through the province of Belgravia.  Each Kingdom was given control of an even number of cities which controlled the crossings of the river. The new Kingdoms were:

• Wittenberg -- in the east ruled by Leopold I
• Monrovia -- in the west ruled by Klemens I

After a couple of years the new kingdoms had settled down and established themselves. However both kingdoms asserted claims to the whole region of Belgravia, each stating that it belonged to their kingdom; control of the trade route of the river Oudear was behind these claims.  Even after the depredations of the thirty years war these two small Kingdoms were prepared to go to war to settle the matter. Both sides commenced organizing their armies, although neither side wanted at the moment to make the first agressive move .....

[ for my post-TYW Imagin-Nations I've wound back the history of Wittenberg to the partition of the original Electorship - quite handy as I can re-use all the maps and place names from  18C blog]

An End ... and a Beginning

An End

The fictional Wiltshire/Hampshire ECW campaign now comes to a close. The battle of Tufton in effect was a deciding engagement.

After 8 years of this blog focusing on the ECW I've decided it is time for a change. I've found the campaign to be most enjoyable and have re-fought two historical battles and associated actions,

• 1643 - Roundway
• 1644 - Cheriton

plus all the local back and forwards between to the two sides. The final phase of the fictional campaign events dovetail into the historical timeline for October 1644 rather nicely - historical events in italics:

October 14th: Battle of Tufton
October 15th: The Kings Army arrive at Salisbury (aka Sarisbury), returning from the campaign in the west country.
October 16th: Sir Warwick Hunt having withdrawn to Stockbridge to reform after Tufton, hears of the approach of the Kings Army - he sends his brother Herrick Hunt with a regiment of horse to join Waller's army and takes what is left of his command south-west to Romsey.
October 17th: Hurstbourne Manor capitulates to the royalists after the gatehouse is mostly destroyed by artillerie fire. The manor house is slighted - the curtain walls being blown up.
October 18th: The King's Army reaches Andover,  where a skirmish occurs with Waller's rearguard.
October 19th: The King's Army reaches Whitchurch
October 20th: Sir William de Willoughby and his troops join the Kings Army
October 21st: The King's Army reaches Kingsclere
October 27th: The Battle of Newbury

So goodbye to the ECW for now .....

A Beginning

The Battle of the White Mountain - 1620

The blog will continue with Pike & Shotte but in a different setting.  The ECW collection will be re-used and re-purposed for a contest between two Imagi-Nations set somewhere in central Europe just after the thirty years war - sometime about 1650.

An opportunity for some swashbuckling - somewhat like the four musketeers. Maybe something a little different as well - a Polish army with winged hussars ?

So I'll be tinkering with the blog layout/look slightly and will post a starter for the post-TYW in due course.

The Battle of Tufton ....

continued from the previous post...

Both armies started their advance,

(move the 1st) 
the royalist cavalry impetuous as ever charged and caught the parliamentarian right flank horse at the halt ...

the foot in the centre closed to musket range

while on the other flank both side's horse started forward ....

(move the 2nd) 
On the parliamentarian right flank the other royalist horse regiment hits home

after the initial vollies, the royalist blue foot and parliamentarian green foot fall back ...

the horse on the other flank are now engaged ...

(move the 3rd)
On the parliamentarian right one of their horse regiments breaks and routs

the blue royalist foot advance back into musket range and the grey royalist foot move forward, fire a stiff volley at the centre parliamentarian foot who break and rout ...

the horse melee on the other flank continues with parliament having the edge...

(move the 4th)
the royalist horse and parliamentarian horse break off to rally and reform,

the other royalist horse regiment didn't follow their routing opponents and turned on the flank of the parliamentarian foot, the red parliamentarian regiment looses their nerve and rout ....

the horse melee on the parliamentarian left flank is a draw, both sides get set to pursue their routed opponents ....

with the parliamentarian foot in total disarray and running from the field the battle is over

A VICTORY FOR YE KINGE

Tufton - the armies deployed

By the late morning both armies had disposed themselves ready for battle,

 the right flank

 the centre

the left flank

The royalist commander Sir William de Willoughby makes one last check of his dispositions...

The parliamentarian commander Sir Warwick Hunt issues the order for the artillerie to open fire ...

Tufton - the Royalist army deploys

After spending a rough night encamped around Tufton the Royalist army starts to deploy in front of a low ridge...

Just in time as the vanguard of the Parliamentarian army has arrived......