247th anniversary Battle of Brooklyn prep & AAR - updated Sept. 6

[Mad Guru]

I post semi-regularly on this site, but usually over on the Colonials board, since that covers the vast majority of my hobby activity.  But I've always had an interest in the AWI and I grew up in Brooklyn, in a neighborhood built on the same ground where many of the most notable actions from the Battle of Long Island AKA: Battle of Brooklyn, took place, so I've always wanted to refight it as a tabletop game.

Yesterday, on its 247th Anniversary, the informal group of Southern California miniature wargamers I belong to, known as the St. Crispin's Irregulars, refought the August 27th 1776 Battle of Brooklyn, AKA: the Battle of Long Island, at the Knights of Columbus hall in Anaheim, California.

I'm happy to report it was a great game, hard-fought by both sides and a bit of a seesaw struggle with advantage and expectation of victory switching back-&-forth several times.  I hope to be back with a detailed AAR in the near future but for now, here's a link to a recent post on my blog, mostly re: terrain preparation for some water features, cattails and a modest wood bridge I made for the game.  If you take the time to visit and scroll through all the pics over there, I thank you in advance for your time...

http://maiwandday.blogspot.com/2023/08/prepping-for-todays-247th-anniversary.html

...but if you don't, here's a taste of the visuals I hope you will enjoy:

One of many maps of the battle we used for reference:



WIP Gowanus Bay, salt marsh bases, cattails, and Gowanus Creek:



WIP bridge for Gowanus Creek:



Looking west towards the East River and Manhattan Island, with several key spots from the battle visible from left to right: The Red Lion Inn... Gowanus Bay & surrounding marsh... the Old Stone House aka: the Vechte House (aka: the Cortelyou House, but Cortelyou didn't buy it until after the war had ended)... Gouwer's Mill (aka: Freeke's Mill, but again, Freeke did not own it until after the war)... Gowanus Creek & the Porte Road leading to the bridge over same creek, which in this pic happens to be burning (in reality there were at least 2 such bridges but we reduced their number for the game)... the Southern end of the American fortifications in front of Brooklyn Heights (offscreen in this pic)... and finally, mounted on foam core atop a narrow table in the background, the New York City skyline c.1776:



Something of a reverse view looking towards the Porte Road (through modern-day Prospect Park) and Flatbush Pass, with the East River & Gowanus Bay in the foreground and the American defensive works to the left:



The Vechte house, AKA: the Old Stone House, a modern reproduction of which still stands in roughly the same spot (NOTE: I grew up around the corner from this historic building and went to Junior High across the street from it):



Looking North from the British landing sites around Gravesend, with The Narrows at the lower left corner and the East River running North from there along the Western coast of Brooklyn/Long Island, all the way up to the Brooklyn Ferry dock at the foot of Brooklyn Heights, with the American fortifications on their inland side:



View from the South-East, with the recently-established British camps in the foreground, the small village of Gravesend, the body of water known as "The Narrows" separating Brooklyn/Long Island and Staten Island (which would be located offscreen to the left) and King's Highway running North by North-East along the long table edge on the right:

TO BE CONTINUED......

[fred]

Impressive looking table!

I like the B&W photo of old New York too

[Tom Dulski]

very cool, I was just at the old stone house the other day.

[CapnJim]

Looks great so far.  Well done!

[Durban Gamer]

I'm really looking forward to the game!

[Anderson Collection]

Great looking set up 

[Mad Guru]

Thanks very much for all the positive waves, LAFers (as Oddball might say).

Fred, glad to hear you like the B&W photo!  We originally intended to colorize it but we were so busy prepping other aspects of the game we left it undone for too long and then when we finally got around to it the deadline for the game did not permit the added time it turned out would be required.  If and when we run it again we should get it in color, but I think the B&W version has a charm of its own.

Tom Dulski, very cool that you recently visited the Old Stone House!  Though I grew up around the corner from it, I now live about 2,800 miles away, so this past Spring I dispatched my younger daughter, who was at school in NYC, there to take some pics for reference purposes.  Do you live in Brooklyn?  You may or may not know there is a very active wargaming club not far from the Old Stone House, across the street from John Jay High School on 5th Street between 7th & 8th Avenues.  I haven't managed to stop by there for at least a decade but last I knew it was still going strong.

Willie, my friend, it's been way too long, great to see your comment!

Okay, here's another handy LINK to the latest Battle of Brooklyn post on my blog.  This is not the AAR but the Scenario & Army Lists we used, plus a few of the maps we used as reference and a few more pics of the layout:

https://maiwandday.blogspot.com/2023/08/battle-of-brooklyn-1776-scenario-brief.html

Like the British, the AAR is coming soon -- I gaurantee......

[Old Contemptable]

Excellent game! I like the attention to detail.

[Mad Guru]

Thanks, Old Contemptable, appreciate the compliment!

[CapnJim]

I may need to steal this scenario.  I have the forces with which to play it...

[Anspach]

Beautiful looking layout! I love the fort, and East River. Great job on all the scenery.

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Thanks very much for all the positive waves, LAFers (as Oddball might say).

Fred, glad to hear you like the B&W photo!  We originally intended to colorize it but we were so busy prepping other aspects of the game we left it undone for too long and then when we finally got around to it the deadline for the game did not permit the added time it turned out would be required.  If and when we run it again we should get it in color, but I think the B&W version has a charm of its own.

There was a contemporary series of drawings in a folio entitled Atlantic Neptune that I used in several of my Osprey Campaign books.  This included numerous views of NYC and the surrounding coastline - and you're right, the B/W versions do have a charm of their own.  They just......look right!

I actually did all the groundwork - maps, orbats, artwork prep, etc - for the New York Osprey Campaign, but had to stop due to illness and another author took over the writing of the text.  As part of the research, in 2004 I toured the area and visited  the Old Stone House (which featured in one of the "battle plates").  I had a great time, as I was accompanied and guided by the then Press Officer for the Brigade of the Revolution, Todd Post (currently the commanding officer of the re-created 2nd Virginia - post-NYC campaign impression though).  I was also one of the organisers of a mega-game of the battle over here in the UK in 2008, that ended with the victorious forces of King George (gawd bless 'im!) storming the fortifications before Glover's regiment could pull off the "American Dunkirk"; the game is still being talked about!

I am very much looking forward to your future posts on this.

[Mad Guru]

Thanks again for all the kind comments & compliments!

@Baron von Wreckedoften: Wow, that's quite a monicker you have, Baron!  I may be way off and completely wrong in this guess but that will not dissuade me from taking it: by any chance was that 2008 "mega" Battle of Brooklyn/Long Island game you helped organize (I must use the Rebel "Z" to spell that word!) played using the "British Grenadier" rules and was Mark Urban involved?  If so, then I have indeed heard of it all the way across the pond, so to speak!  ...but if I'm wrong then please forgive me my presumption.  Either way, are there any posts anyplace on the web still standing from that game?  If not, no worries, but if they do exist I would very much appreciate if you could post a link or links to them here.

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

It was indeed that game.  Here is Giles Allison's (Tarleton's Quarter) report on it:-

 https://gilesallison.blogspot.com/2008/11/long-island-27-august-2776.html

I know Henry Hyde (then editor of Battlegames was present and did a splendid write-up and photo-montage of the game for his blog, but I can't seem to find a link to it and he may have taken it down.  I'll see if I can find any more links (I did find the one to TMP, but all the links in that thread are dead now, except Giles' one).

A bunch of 15mm Napoleonic reprobates were re-playing Waterloo in the same room (yes, it was a VERY big room), so all-in-all an extremely memorable wargaming weekend.

[FifteensAway]

Missed this thread!  How dare I?!

MadGuru, nice to see you 'branching' out from Colonials.  AWI is a passion for me so I will be keeping an eye on this thread - and I've actually been working away on painting my AWI figures at long last - even hosted a game.  Have far, far too many but if I ever get them all painted, it will be an extremely versatile collection.  (Still busy with my FFL distraction for the moment. - well, after finishing off a small model train layout this week as a gift for a nephew.)

And, yes, Baron, I am a 15 mm unabashed 15 mm reprobate!