Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Pikes, Muskets and Flouncy Shirts => Topic started by: Sparrow on May 26, 2020, 07:17:13 PM
-
One of the strange things about the lockdown is that I’m talking to friends more than ever because we’re all consciously making the effort! As many of us are grump old wargamers over half a century old we’re all wallowing in nostalgia but also talking about how we currently see the state of wargaming. We truly live in a “golden age” when pretty much anything is available but many of us felt that with such an abundance of choice and gaming systems poor old “history” seems to be taking a bit of a back seat on occasions.
All this has coincided with me basing/rebasing my 28mm ECW collection and so it was suggested I pop some pictures but at the same time add some of my thoughts why I’ve used certain figures, had them painted a certain way, chosen certain colours etc. In other words, the “history” bit . Always one to accept the challenge I’ve picked up the batting so, Day One and it’s that classic Royalist Oxford Army regiment, Prince Rupert’s Regiment of Foot! (All the figures are Empress Miniatures, painted by Toby at Artmaster and based (the easy bit) by me.
The photos show Rupert’s Foot in their Bushell issue uniforms with Montero hats. I’ve chosen to depict the regiment as it may have looked towards the end of the First Newbury campaign in 1643. The issue of blue coats, breeches and montero caps had been several months earlier so a more campaign look is assumed to have crept in. In addition there was, it seems, no one consistent shade of colour in the issue with a variety of sources for cloth and dye. As such, I have chosen the viewpoint that a consistent dye colour across the regiment was probably unlikely. This has the added bonus that I think this makes for a more interesting looking unit! I also think it nicely conveys the regiment’s role as a campaigning regiment fighting, at one stage or another, pretty much all over England. (If you want to know more about coat colours, dyes and the challenges of clothing an ECW regiment there are several good books to get you started, such as “Old Robin’s Foot” by Stuart Peachey and Alan Turton and “The Soldier’s Life in the English Civil War” by Stuart Peachey).
The colours carried are a copy of one of those captured at Naseby. It could well be that in the Newbury campaign the regiment may well still have been carrying the green colours from when it was Lundsford’s regiment but the “Rupert’s” colours are so iconic I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to use them (they are very unique and, I think, rather pretty!). If you want to know a bit more about ECW colours there are some decent books out there to get you started such as ECW Flags and Colours by Stuart Peachey and Les Prince (this has quite a lot about coat colours to) , Ensignes of the English Civil Wars by Stephen Ede- Borrett and English Civil War Flags and Colours volume 3 from Partizan Press. Speak to David Ryan at Caliver books!
If wanting to know more about Rupert’s Regiment of Foot, and gain a better understanding of the Regiment and its participation in the First Civil War, a good place to start would be http://wiki.bcw-project.org/royalist/foot-regiments/sir-thomas-lunsford In addition to the notes on this site the Regiment may well have also been at the battle of Montgomery (see the excellent “The Battle of Montgomery, 1644” by Jonathan Worton, part of the Helion Age of the Soldier range).
Whilst mentioning books, if you are a ‘newbie’ to wargaming the ECW and want to know more, the best one volume military history of the war, I think, is “All the King’s Armies” by Stuart Reid but also well worth reading are “Edgehill, The Kineton Fight” by Christopher Scott, Alan Turton and Eric Von Arni, “Edgehill, 1642” by Peter Young and “Naseby, The Decisive Campaign” by Glenn Foard. If you want to better understand the tactics of the time I’d recommend starting with the Osprey Elite series “Pike and Shot Tactics’ by Keith Roberts. His other ECW books in the Osprey Elite series are also really good starters if new to the period.
If you are still wanting to read more, a really good general reading guide can be found here https://www.caliverbooks.com/pageviewer.php?page=ecw_misc/reading&title=Recommended%20Reading%20List&tab=ECW%20Misc plus the excellent Forlorn Hope rules by Peter Berry contain a really useful wargamers guide to the appearance of ECW armies, plus he has some useful notes here
https://www.baccus6mm.com/PaintingGuides/ECW/ . All well worth reading!
Hope this amuses or interests a few people! If it does I’ll add a few more foot regiments.
-
Excellent. Yes please. Do share more :)
-
Very nice indeed. I do like the colour variations.
-
Nicely done mate :)
-
WOW history. Who'd have thought lol lol lol lol
Spectacular. ;)
-
Very nice indeed. :-* :-* Keep them coming.
-
Definitely 'Wrong', but also definitely 'Romantic' (1066 & all that)
-
wonderful paints jobs and basing.
-
Thanks for all the compliments! Appreciated!
Next up, therefore, is Colonel Richard Fielding’s Regiment (later to become Sir Jacob Astley’s following Fielding’s court martial for his surrender of Reading), one of the first raised for the King at the beginning of the war. As ever, a good start when trying to understand this regiment can be found here http://wiki.bcw-project.org/royalist/foot-regiments/richard-fielding.
As before all the miniatures are all by Empress and have been painted by Toby at Artmaster (and based, the easy bit, by me).
As is common with quite a lot of Oxford Army regiments there is some dispute regarding the coat colour for this regiment. The Bushell issue provided plenty of blue and red coats, montero caps and breeches (along with some in yellow and white) Interestingly this one of the very few occasions where breeches are issued (rather than soldiers having to supply their own). It’s not always noted, however, which colour coats were issued to which regiment. Some we have primary sources that confirm a particular colour (eg Rupert’s Foot in blue coats) but with others we’re left guessing and as a player you pays your money and takes your choice (and just hope no one turns up contrary evidence after you’ve painted them!). Here I’ve opted for red as a hunch (and, if I’m honest, red just felt right to me where Sir Jacob Astley is concerned!).
The regiment got off to a bad start with Fielding commanding a Brigade (including his own regiment) in the Royalist front line at Edgehill. It clearly too quite a mauling: -
Richard Fielding's regiment (Fielding taken prisoner)
Sir Thomas Lunsford's regiment (Lunsford taken prisoner)
Richard Bolle's regiment
Sir Edward Fitton's regiment
Sir Edward Stradling's regiment (Stradling taken prisoner)
Not the most auspicious of beginnings? It then saw out winter quarter only to come under siege at the start of the 1643 campaigning season with Fielding being forced to surrender the town and then (as noted above) face the ignominy of a court martial.
I’ve chosen to depict the Regiment as I think it may have looked later in 1643 during the First Newbury campaign . As if Fielding’s “disgrace” was not enough the Regiment also had to endure the storming of Bristol, a particularly costly operation for the Royalist forces, campaign through the futile and rather muddy siege of Gloucester and then march across the bottom of the Cotswolds to try and interrupt Essex’s Army’s return to London. Morale may, therefore, not have been too high and the men would probably have been rather tired? I’ve therefore opted for matching figures and used the variation the separate arms on the Empress marching figures to vary the angle of the pikes to convey their fatigue. The musketeers are carrying match in their left hand and some are, wisely, trying to hold this at a safe distance from their powder (again, the benefits of separate arms in the figures).
For those interested in the First Newbury campaign a good starting place would be John Barrett’s “The First Battle of Newbury”, Chris Scott’s “The Battles of Newbury”, Keith Robert’s Osprey Campaign book on the subject and the recent Helion offering by Christopher Scott and Alan Turton, “Hey for Old Robin”.
The regiment seemingly improved with Astley as it’s titular Colonel and went on to fight effectively at Cropredy, Loswithiel and Second Newbury in 1644 , and the storming of Leicester and Naseby in 1645. Elements were still with Astley at Stow on the Wold in 1646 as the part of the last Royalist Army of the First Civil War. It therefore has the distinction of being there at the beginning (Edgehill) and the end (Stow). Quite a record, so the Regiment certainty seems to have found its feet! (If you’re interested in the Stow campaign try looking at “The Last Army” by John Barrett in the Helion “Century of the Soldier” series).
Sir Jacob Astley, himself, is an incredible character, both dependable and capable, and I regard him as being one of the better commanders of the Civil War (in many ways I see him as being very similar to one of my great heroes from the war, Sir Philip Skippon who was Sergeant Major General of Foot in Essex’s Army and later the “New Model Army”.– both were very capable leaders of Foot inspiring great loyalty in their men). If you like your generals to have enjoyed a full and active life take some time to read up on Sir Jacob. If you want somewhere to start have a peak at Cavalier Generals by John Barrett.
I can only hope these pics (all taken on my phone) are of much interest as yesterday’s pics of Rupert’s Foot!
-
Still waiting to see you approach the Northern Association
-
One day! (It’s on the “to do” list).
In the meantime, have some Gerard’s!
-
True blue :-*
You do like your monteros, don’t you? I’m sure they were quite ubiquitous, probably cheap to provide for regimental quartermasters, and very useful in bad weather, but I must confess I don’t greatly love the look. But each to their own :)
-
All these regiments are part of the Oxford Army - it’s what they were equipped with so it’s less what I like but more what they actually wore - the history thing.
-
and with the current restrictions you could fold down the front of the montero as a face covering....
(although not a popular look at work)
-
Laughed out loud!
-
Great stuff. :o
-
Very nicely done.
I do like your point about the variable shades of blue in a blew-coated regiment and may try something similar.
Not that these pretty threads are encouraging me to pick up any ECW figures.
-
You’re both very kind, thank you!
-
Nice additions to the force.
-
Ta!
-
Superb looking units and a great set of paint jobs!
-
Cheers
-
Like the look of these, not only is the painting good, but the unit sizes have the right look and feel, bravo.
-
Thanks! Appreciated !
I must admit I am a bit “old school” and, therefore, tend towards chunkier units. I also like my units to try and have at least a passing resemblance to the actual formations of the time, where practical! (the “history” thing!).
The brushwork I can’t take any credit for, it’s Toby at Artmaster!
-
I must admit I am a bit “old school” and, therefore, tend towards chunkier units. I also like my units to try and have at least a passing resemblance to the actual formations of the time, where practical! (the “history” thing!).
Hear, hear !
48 figure pike and shot units have my preference too : the four ranks provide a proper sense of depth and you don't get these odd formations where the pike block is twice as deep as its shot sleeves. Not to mention the fact that large units look good and that at 1:20, they give you a very historical battalia of around 1,000 men, which was pretty much the standard infantry tactical unit between 1620 and 1645, both in England and on the Continent.
I also like the separate NCO's and officers gravitating around the rank and file main body : unless you game at 1:1, a wargame unit is by necessity a stylised version of the real thing but command figures sprinkled around the battalia give your body of men a more lifelike appearance and make t less toy soldier-y, if that makes any sense.
-
Cheers Arthur, very much appreciated (particularly as I know how much you share my passion for mid C17th warfare!)
-
Col John Pickering’s Regiment of Foot, Eastern Association, 1644 (Marston Moor)