28MM BLACK POWDER: GUILFORD COURTHOUSE

Last week I was at the SESWC for the AWI Battle of Guilford Courthouse.  I revised the OB and troop ratings from our last attempt at this action.  Angus Konstam supplied the bulk of the figures.  I only provided 2 militia battalions.  The two of us plus the club provided the terrain.

The British attempted a concentrated attack on the Patriot left wing.  Things did not go well for them from the beginning as their first command rolls were poor whilst the Patriots were able to move their forces including the unreliable militia to concentrate on their left.  After a long struggle in the woods neither side had lost a vital brigade so I declared the battle a draw.

Angus has a detailed account of the game play on his blog at

http://www.edinburghwargames.com/the-battle-of-guilford-courthouse-1781-4/

My camera ran out of power after the first shot so 4 of these photos are courtesy of Campbell Hardie. 

The first 2 Patriot lines

First line militia and artillery

Aerial view showing British breakthrough on the Patriot right

Patriot 2nd line militia hold firm

British initial deployment - my only photo

Here is the OB, game specific rules and troop ratings.   Infantry units of 24 figures are large sized, units of 20 figures are standard sized and 12 figure units are small.

British Forces

C-in-C Lieutenant-General Charles, Lord Cornwallis 9

Major-General Leslie 8

71st Foot (2nd Battalion)                          unit of 20 figures

Von Bose Regiment (Hessians)               unit of 20 figures

North Carolina Loyalists                           unit of 12 figures

Jaegers (Hessians) Lt Infantry                  unit of 12 figures

Lieutenant-Colonel Webster 9

23rd Foot                                                  unit of 20 figures

33rd Foot                                                  unit of 20 figures

Foot Guard detached Light Infantry          unit of 12 figures

Royal Artillery Detachment                       2 guns

Colonel O’Hara 8

1st Battalion, Foot Guards                         unit of 20 figures

2nd Battalion, Foot Guards                        unit of 20 figures

Guard Grenadier detachment                    unit of 12 figures

Reserves - Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton 8

British Legion (Dragoons)                          2 units of 8 figures

American Forces

C-in-C Major-General Nathaniel Greene 8

American First Line

Brigadier-General Butler 7

North Carolina Militia Brigade                   2 units of 20 figures

Lynch’s Virginia Rifles                               unit of 12 figures

Washington’s 1st/3rd Cont Dragoons       unit of 8 figures

1st Continental Artillery Detachment        1 gun

Brigadier-General Eaton 7

North Carolina Militia Brigade                   2 units of 20 figures

Campbell’s Virginia Rifles                         unit of 12 figures

Lee’s Legion Foot & Horse                       Mixed unit of 12 figures

American Second Line

Brigadier-General Lawson 7

Virginia Militia Brigade                                2 units of 20 figures

Brigadier-General Steven’s 7

Virginia Militia Brigade                                2 units of 20 figures

American Third Line

Brigadier-General Huger 8

4th & 5^th Virginia Regiment                         2 units of 24 figures

1st Continental Artillery Detachment          1 gun

Colonel Williams 8

1st & 2^nd Maryland Regiment                     2 units of 24 figures

GCH – Game Rule Modifications

Use 100% movement rates and ranges

Woods

Movement through woods for formed troops is limited to 2 moves.

Skirmishers move at full speed through woods.

Artillery cannot move through woods.

Troops in woods get +1 morale save to shooting except when charging.

Formed troops in woods are a clear target.

Troops lining fences get advantage from +1 Morale save to shooting.

TROOP RATINGS

PATRIOT UNIT	ARMAMENT	H TO H	SHOOTING	MORALE	STAMINA	SPECIAL
Virginia Rifles (small)	Rifle	4	2	4+	2	Skirmish, marauders
Continental Line (Large)	Musket	7	3	4+	4
Militia Virginia	Musket	5	3	5+	3	Unreliable, Levy 4+
Militia Nth Carolina	Musket	5	3	5+	2	Unreliable, Wavering
						Levy 4+
Cavalry (small)	--	4	--	4+	2	Marauder
Lee's Legion (small)	Musket	5	2	4+	2	Legion, Skirmish, Marauders
Artillery	smoothbore	1	3-2-1	4+	2	--
Legion	Treat as small skirmishing infantry units but have an extra hand to hand dice,
	they shoot normally, move as infantry but evade as light cavalry
Levy X	Need to roll of Disorder with X+
Marauders	Ignore distance penalty when given orders
Skirmish	Can adopt skirmish formation
Unreliable	No move on equal command roll
Wavering	Break test for every hit - shooting and htoh
BRITISH UNIT	ARMAMENT	H TO H	SHOOTING	MORALE	STAMINA	SPECIAL
Guard Infantry	Musket	7	3	3+	4	Stoic, Elite 4+
						Ferocious Charge
Guard Grenadiers (small)	Musket	5	2	3+	3	Stoic, Elite 4+
						Ferocious Charge
British Line/Highland Inf	Musket	6	3	4+	4	Stoic
						Ferocious Charge
Hessian Infantry	Musket	6	3	4+	4
NC Loyalists (small)	Musket	4	2	4+	2
Jaegers (small)	Rifle	4	2	4+	2	Skirmish, Marauders
Lt Inf Skirmishers (small)	Musket	4	2	4+	2	Skirmish, Marauders
Legion Cavalry (small)	--	4	--	4+	2	Marauder
Artillery	smoothbore	1	3-2-1	4+	2	--
Elite	Can reorder if disordered on roll of 4+
Ferocious Charge	Reroll HtoH misses when charging
Marauders	Ignore distance penalty when given orders
Skirmish	Can adopt skirmish formation
Stoic	Ren reroll first break test