AWI - help!

[traveller]

I have been drooling over the Front Rank and Triguard 40mm miniatures for a long time and finally decided to run a skirmish game in an American War of Independence setting. I have limited knowledge of the different battles and potential skirmish actions. I would like to include the following troop types in the game with a historical setting, maybe being a small part of a bigger battle:

Must have
American militia
American regulars
British regulars
Hessian Jägers
Indians

If possible
Loyalist Queens rangers
Highlanders

Grateful for any advice!

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Hi,  You could get most of those troop types into the Saratoga campaign, and the fighting/raiding from Canada into upper/western NY state during most of the war. Get a book on the Saratoga campaign, or one of the books on the Northern raids by Gavin Watt and start from there; they should give you plenty of detail on numbers and units.  For example, all of your "must haves" were present at Bennington (I'm assuming you are using "Hessian" in its generic sense, rather than specifically for troops from Hesse Cassel or Hesse Hanau), or at Klock's Field.

If you can do without Indians, you could get the rest of the "must haves" and both of the "if possibles" into a number of the actions in the Southern campaigns.  For this, a good starting point would be Simcoe's book on the Queen's Rangers, which includes some excellent battle maps that can give you a good insight into the terrain, as well as the troops present.

Another good set of books is the scenario volumes (four in all, so far) that support the British Grenadier rules; you don't have to use those rules (although they are very good), as the scenarios will work for almost any set.

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to stick them up here.

[fusilierdan]

here's a link to Kingsbridge.
http://gnadenhutten.tripod.com/patriotsblood/id4.html?fbclid=IwAR1kUyT5YrG953K656lamvl1BNuXheXs9QDWB6jfCwcG6cr5hDxxFfPgjQY

Try this book

https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Forage-1778-Battleground-Revolution/dp/1594162506


this looked good
http://gnadenhutten.tripod.com/patriotsblood/id4.html?fbclid=IwAR1kUyT5YrG953K656lamvl1BNuXheXs9QDWB6jfCwcG6cr5hDxxFfPgjQY

What rules are you using?

[FifteensAway]

Good advice so far.  Personally, I'd start with determining actions that included the Queen's Highlanders.  Then find orders of battle for those actions.  Then see if any of them include your full list.  Won't be very many actions that I can think of, though.  You do have the readily available option of hypothetical actions.  Especially if your goal is skirmish level actions.  Good luck and let us know what you find.

[traveller]

Thanks all for your help!

I have fine-tuned the list to better fit the feasibility of the historic battles. The Indians (more or less) had to go! The site:

https://www.britishbattles.com/war-of-the-revolution-1775-to-1783/

was a great help. I found that the battles of:

Germantown, 1777
Ticonderoga, 1777
Charleston, 1780
Yorktown, 1781

all had both the Queens(Simcoes) Rangers and German/Hessian troops. My final list of 40mm miniatures will be:

British   
Command   1
Reg inf fusiliers 11
Reg inf grenadiers 7
Queens rangers Light inf 9
Queens rangers Highland inf 5
Butlers rangers 4
Hessian Jägers 6
Indians 3
Total 46
   
Americans   
Command   1
Regulars 19
Militia 21
Artillery 4
Total 45

I also realize that I have another challenge in finding a facing colour for the British regulars that belong to a regiment that was present in all 4 battles. It seems that blue would work. This site was a great help:

http://www.fifedrum.org/crfd/BD_1R.htm

Regarding rules I am considering the new Muskets&Tomahawks or some homecooked rules 
I will start a new thread with an update on the progress of this little project.

Thanks again for your help and interest!

[FifteensAway]

Well, just getting the jaegers is cheating a bit for the Germans - they were in almost every battle of the war, maybe all actual 'battles' post 75!   

[traveller]

 

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

You won't find any regiments present at all four, as the Ticonderoga battle was fought by a separate army from the other three (it was also captured, which prevented any further cross-fertilization).  The 23rd Foot was present at Germantown, Charleston and Yorktown; they were also the subject of a very good book called Fusiliers by Mark Urban (in fact, the only British regimental history of the AWI yet written).  The equivalent regiment at Ticonderoga would have been the 21st Foot, also fusiliers.

Interesting anecdote about the 21st - I assume you have seen the painting "The charge of the Scots Greys at Waterloo" by Lady Butler?  The officer in the centre is their CO on the day, Lt Col James Hamilton; however, he was born James Anderson, the son of the sergeant-major (modern equivalent - RSM) of the 21st, whose CO, Lt Col James Inglis Hamilton, adopted him whilst a prisoner with the Convention Army - I suspect after his parents had both died.  Anderson/Hamilton was born outside Fort Ticonderoga on 4th July, 1777, and was brought up by Hamilton senior at Murdostoun, the family seat in Scotland.  On having a cornetship purchased for him by his adoptive father in 1792, he changed his name; he served exclusively in the RSG until being killed leading their famous charge (in reality a fast walk/trot because of the wet ground) at Waterloo.

[traveller]

Thanks Baron,

I found a OOB for Germantown but it did not include the 23rd. Was it mentioned in the Fusiliers book in which part of the line they fought? I must read that book at some point. I enjoyed his book on the Rifles a lot.

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

In the 1st Brigade (Maj Gen Grant) for the Philadelphia campaign, with the 4th, 28th and 49th Foot; flank companies also present (1st Grenadiers and 1st Light infantry).

[traveller]

In the 1st Brigade (Maj Gen Grant) for the Philadelphia campaign, with the 4th, 28th and 49th Foot; flank companies also present (1st Grenadiers and 1st Light infantry).

Excellent! Thanks!

[Pan Marek]

For skirmish ideas using the troops you have, try these books:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bloody+mohawk&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_1  (fighting in upstate NY); and

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-American-Revolutionary-War-Jersey/dp/1934934046/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=desmarais%2C+american+revolution&qid=1577981218&s=books&sr=1-1  (an amazing source-  this is for NJ, so
not much Indian involvement); and

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-American-Revoutionary-War-York/dp/193493402X/ref=pd_sbs_14_10?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=193493402X&pd_rd_r=89192970-d1ca-4ca5-9d2a-da56b17991b0&pd_rd_w=gu9FN&p (same author as above, but actions in NY, so Indians get involved)

As for facings and exact regiments, here's advice from that "other site" that is perhaps the best anyone can give for starting out in AWI:  http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=253118

Good luck!  I love the AWI!

[traveller]

Pan Marek,

These looks very interesting! Many thanks!