28MM AWI BLACK POWDER: CHATTERTON'S HILL 1776

On Tuesday Colin Jack, Hugh Wilson and Dave Paterson visited to play the second scenario in the Black Powder Rebellion Supplement – the action at Chatterton’s Hill 1776.

Patriot main line at start of battle

 We played the game on a 10ft by 6ft table.  We used 66% scale movement and ranges.  We used the troop ratings and rules suggested in the scenario except that I increased the weight of guns to compensate for the 66% scale and only gave troops behind fences a +1 morale save but did not make them unclear targets.  In addition I changed the rules for crossing the river.  It took 1 move for a unit to cross the ford or bridge and 2 complete moves to cross the river elsewhere.  If a unit did not get 2 moves in a turn it could not cross the river.  For this game my standard sized units had 20 figures, large units 28 figures and small units 10 to 12 figures.  As with all our recent BP games we used the alternate turn sequence.  As per the scenario the Hessians could only ever have 2 moves in a turn.

British grand battery - after turn1 it did not prove a battle winning concept

Dave commanded the British, I commanded the Hessians while Colin and Hugh commanded the Patriots.  The Patriots deployed their rifle unit in the wood on the south bank of the Bronx River and this disrupted the deployment of Maitland’s brigade.   It took Maitland’s brigade 3 turns to wipe out the riflemen and after that they repeatedly failed in their attempts to cross the river. 

With their expected precision British approach the Patriot line

The massed British artillery broke one of the large militia units with their first round of firing but that was their only real success of the day.  Leslie’s brigade rapidly crossed the river and forming up in a single line engaged the Patriots on the hill.  This began a long drawn out firefight with the Patriots having the advantage of holding a fence line while the British were supported by the fire of their grand battery. 

Hessians engage the New York militia

On the British left Rall’s Hessians took some time to struggle thru the woods and then cross the river.  They were met by the New York militia which held up the right flank unit for 3 turns before they broke and fled.  The Hessian brigade then wheeled to attack the right of the Patriot line.  On turn 8 Von Donop’s brigade arrived and moving rapidly reinforced Leslie’s faltering attack on the hill.  One unit of Hessians heroically charged the fenceline and drove back the Delaware Regiment.  One move later the game ended.

With unexpected alacrity Von Donop arrives to reinforce the British attack.

At the end of the 12 moves allowed in the scenario despite the success of the Hessians the Patriots were still strongly holding the hill – they had lost 3 units and British 1 unit.  It was a Patriot victory.

One of the problems with the scenario is that it mentions numerous walled fields but these important obstacles/ defence lines are not shown on the deployment map.  I replaced them with quite extensive fence lines.  The Patriots also get 2 of the best 3 units in the game -the Delaware and Maryland regiments whilst the British have 1 battalion of elites.  Standing behind a fence they have a morale value of 2+.  The British found they were very hard to beat.  The 4 British line units are vanilla troops like the 3 standard Continental units.  I think in 1776 the British line were superior to most Continental units.  I may leave the game setup and replay it with some revision to the troop types.

All the photos with descriptions
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bill26048/sets/72157648728115138/

Here is the OB for the game

REBEL FORCES

MG JOSEPH SPENCER 8

BG MACDOUGALL 8

Maryland Regt
1st New York Continentals
3rd New York Continentals
19th Continentals
1st Continental Rifle Regt
6pdr Field gun

COLONEL DOUGLAS 8

Delaware Regt

1st Connecticut State Levies
2nd Connecticut State Levies
Brook’s Massachusetts Militia
Mosley’s Massachusetts Militia
Graham’s New York militia
 

CROWN FORCES

LG VON HEISTER C-in-C 8

MAJOR MAITLAND 8

3rd Light Infantry (used Grenadiers)
1st Hesse-Cassel Jaegers
2nd Hesse-Cassel Jaegers
17th Light Dragoons
3 6pdr Field guns
3 12pdr Field guns

BG LESLIE 8

5th Foot
28th Foot
35th Foot
49th Foot

COL RALL 8

Leib Regt
Gren Regt Rall
Fus Regt Knyphausen

COL VON DONOP 8

Gren Btn Von Bock
Gren Btn Von Minnigerode
Gren Btn Von Linsingen

This brigade arrives on turn 8.

TROOP RATINGS

PATRIOT UNITS	ARMAMENT	H TO H	SHOOTING	MORALE	STAMINA	SPECIAL
Maryland Regt	Musket	8	4	3+	4	Large unit
Delaware Regt	Musket	6	3	3+	3
Continentals	Musket	6	3	4+	3
Levies	Musket	4	3	4+	3
Militia Regt	Musket	6	4	5+	4	Large Unit, Wavering
NY Militia	Musket	2	2	5+	2	Small Unit
Rifles	Rifles	3	2	4+	2	Marauders, Small Unit
Artillery	smoothbore	1	3-2-1	4+	2
Marauders	Ignore command distance
Wavering	Break test whenever they suffer 1 or more casualties
BRITISH UNITS	ARMAMENT	H TO H	SHOOTING	MORALE	STAMINA	SPECIAL
Elite infantry	Musket	6	3	3+	3	Marauders
Regular Infantry	Musket	6	3	4+	3
Hessians	Musket	8	4	4+	4	Large Unit
Jagers	Rifle	3	2	3+	2	Marauders, Small Unit
British Cavalry	Sabre	6	--	3+	3	Marauders
Hvy Artillery	smoothbore	1	3-2-1	4+	2	--
Artillery	smoothbore	1	3-2-1	4+	2	--
Marauders	Ignore command distance