AKULA's - A Very British Revolution - 1863 - Pg2 The Volunteers Force - Research

[AKULA]

A Victorian "What If" project with hopefully a good grounding historically in terms of troops, uniforms and the like - no steam tanks or flying contraptions in sight.  My initial inspiration was the fantastic threads on LAF, by Silent Invader & others covering the Fictional "Battle of Dorking" which was set in 1875.

My starting point is set a bit earlier though...in 1863, which in many ways historically was a pivotal year.  The initial focus will also be upon internal strife, rather than an external invasion...although the threat of an invasion plays it part in the narrative...and may well become a reality later on.


Thread Index - Key Pages
Page 1  -  Historical Background, the "What-if" scenario & Reference Material
Page 2  -  Volunteer Forces - Research


So before we get into the "what-if" ... first of all, a few words on the historical setting.

Historical Background

The mid-nineteenth century bore witness to a wave of politically-motivated assassination attempts…some more successful than others.

In January 1858 Italian nationalists, backed by English radicals, attempted to assassinate Emperor Napoleon III in Paris by throwing bombs at his carriage.  Despite the explosions killing a number of the military escort, Napoleon III was unharmed, but the diplomatic fallout from what became known as the “Orsini Affair” led indirectly to the collapse of the British Government.

The souring of relations between Britain & France that followed this incident created such serious concern about a possible French invasion, that the War Office created a new reserve in 1859, known as the “Volunteer Force”, and in the following year, began the construction of a series of Coastal Forts (which are now known as ”Palmerston’s Follies”. In 1861 another radical attempted (and failed) to kill Wilhelm I, the King of Prussia at close range with a pistol.  But not every attempt to kill a head of state failed…most notably in 1865, with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

In Britain, Queen Victoria survived a total of eight (!) attempts between 1840-1882.

The "what if" scenario

"Late February 1863 and Queen Victoria and her oldest son, Albert Edward have died, in what appears to be a tragic accident, with their train suffering a catastrophic derailment on an isolated stretch of track in the North of England.  Prince Alfred, who only days before had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant aboard HMS Racoon, hurriedly returned to shore.  There was some speculation that Prince Alfred, might choose to be known by one of his middle names, and be crowned as King Albert, in honour of his late father, but it was as Alfred that the 18 year old took the throne.  One of his first duties as Monarch was to appoint a new Prime Minister.

In the week following the train derailment, with the country in a state of both confusion and sorrow, an anarchist emptied a revolver into the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston at point blank range.  Initially the motive behind this act of violence was a mystery, with many competing theories abound… was he an Irish separatist? An agent for Napoleon III? Or even America? Was he acting alone, or part of a wider group?  Even murmurings that perhaps the train derailment was no accident, but part of an orchestrated plot.

Lord Russell, Foreign Secretary at the time of Palmerston’s assassination, was appointed as Prime Minister – an experienced member of the Cabinet, he had served as Prime Minister previously, but at times had had a stormy relationship with Palmerston and was regarded as a reformer, having been one of the principal architects behind the Great Reform Act of 1832.  With Russell’s appointment as PM, the Reform League which included many former Chartists in its ranks saw an opportunity to once again push for male suffrage, and organized a mass march on Westminster, but the timing proved to be disastrous.

In the aftermath, of Palmerston’s assassination, the streets of London remained tense, and it was into this cauldron that the Reformists marched.  The Lord Mayor of London, shocked by the scale of the crowd that had gathered, and fearful of revolution “read the Riot Act” (1714) and called upon the army to clear the streets of the capital. When more than insults were hurled in the direction of the hastily assembled soldiers, the order was given to volley-fire into the crowd, with lethal results.  What had been a relatively peaceful protest now turned into a panicked rout.

As news spread of the “Massacre of Westminster” trade unions, many of their leaders former Chartists, and some even veterans of the General Strike of 1842, downed tools, with a list of demands including the right to vote for working men, and the arrest of the Lord Mayor of London.  The protests spread across the UK, with particularly strong support in Sheffield, Liverpool and Glasgow.

As protests turned violent, the Secretary of State for the Home Department called upon Lord-Lieutenants across Britain to embody their recently created county Volunteer Corps to restore public order.  Many of these locally-raised volunteers – more mindful of family and friends than some distant official they had never met - either rejected the call, or in some cases even sided with the protestors.

Concerned at growing reports of a potential French invasion, and frustrated by the lack of effectiveness of the Volunteers in dealing with the unrest, Lord Russell with great sadness instructed the Secretary of State for War to dispatch Regular troops to extinguish the sparks of revolution before any foreign power could take advantage."

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[AKULA]

So that is the background to this project - the key point is that many of the elements were present historically:

The "Orsini Affair" did lead to the fall of the first Palmerston Government, and created an invasion scare, which led to the creation of the Volunteers.  In reality the Chartist/Reform movement had largely quietened down by 1863 ... indeed in a few years time, the Government of the day would actually legislate upon most of their demands, in the Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884. John Russell was actually a supporter of Reform (in real life he did become PM again, but not until 1865), but the situation he finds himself in in this fictional scenario leaves him little choice but to crack down on the protesters.

Prince Albert Edward, in real life, would actually marry a few weeks later, in early March 1863.  Prince Alfred had just been promoted to Lieutenant on HMS Racoon.

There was a General Strike in 1842.  By 1863 the Union movement was growing steadily in numbers and ambition - the Trades Union Congress would actually be founded in 1868.  Union members carried out a series of murders and explosions in the mid-1860s in Sheffield, known as the "Sheffield Outrages".  The Irish Republican Brotherhood were active in the 1860s.  And "reading the Riot Act 1714" was a thing.

What kicks off the fictional "Massacre of Westminster" is the over reaction of a Government reeling from combination of the untimely death of the monarch, and the assassination of the Prime Minister, but the use of the Riot Act is IMHO realistic, and  unfortunately you not have to look to far back for the real-life "Peterloo Massacre".

So where does it go from here?

What I have in mind is a Government seeking to restore order by using Regular troops.  The Volunteers may in some cases stand with the Reform League/chartist/protestors as they were raised locally...in many cases the units were formed by coal miners, steel workers & railway workers.  The Regulars, on the other hand, are more likely to follow orders - this project is set before the Cardwell Reforms of 1868-74 that localised regular formations, including the establishment of more formal regionally based barracks, so its more likely that units that have spent years away from Britain (in both the Crimea & India for example) have less local ties at this stage.

The other protagonists are the unions, the Irish Brotherhood, other Separatist/Nationalists, and possibly a foreign power or two... after all, there was a real-life invasion scare a couple of years previously.


Figures

I plan on using the excellent Perry British Intervention Forces as the core for Regulars & Volunteers, with some minor conversions.

Other protagonists will be a combination of various other companies including not just Perrys, but also North Star, Wargames Foundry, Artisan, Ironclad, Westward & Empress (and probably some others as well)


Rules

Possibly FFOL and/or some homegrown simple rules.


Reference Material
"A guide to the Volunteers of England: 1859 - 1908" (Ray Westlake)
"The Territorial Battalions: 1859 - 1985" (Ray Westlake)
"West York Rifle Volunteers: 1859-1887" (Dixon Pickup)
"Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteer Forces of the East Riding: 1689-1908" (R.W.S.Norfolk)
"History of Welsh Militia & Volunteer Corps" (Bryn Owen)

[Moriarty]

Sounds like a plan!

[Silent Invader]

Definitely following this 

[Inkpaduta]

An addition to your fine account and set up could be to have Ireland also rise in another attempt at independence causing even more problems for teh crown and diverting much needed British troops from the revolution in England.

[trev]

Inserting what if.  Looking forward to seeing this develop.

[Will Bailie]

Fascinating scenario. Like Inkpaduta, my mind also goes to how this might affect events outside of England.  Would there a rising in Ireland, recovering from the great famine and with rise of groups like the Fenian Brotherhood and the IRB?  What impact on the American Civil War, especially if British regiments are recalled from Canada to the home islands?  Would any elements of the British Army be recalled from India, and what effect might that have on British rule in the aftermath of 1857, or might the Tsar find this an opportune moment for a southwarion expanion of the Russian Empire in Asia, possibly reaching to Afghanistan, Persia or (gasp!) India?

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Fascinating, will follow with great interest.

[Jemima Fawr]

What an excellent setting!  I love a bit of counter-factual 'history' that's firmly rooted in actual history, without resorting to fantasy or sci-fi.  You've clearly put a lot of thought and love into this project and look forward to seeing it develop.

[Malamute]

Look forward to seeing how this develops

[Yankeepedlar01]

A clever idea with lots of What-Ifs awaiting both at home and abroad!

[armchairgeneral]

Like the idea and the historical context. Pushing the dates along a tad for no better reason than shameless megalomania, the situation could escalate into a civil war prompting an expansionist and opportunistic Prussia to invade. The US, having just come out of their civil war, could offer to assist Britain with an expeditionary force.

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

I am in!  I have been toying with an 1820s conflict as my 28mm naps can be of use.

the problem remains, as for Silver Bayonet, of a certain dearth of civilian figs. Late Victorians are not so hard, but regency and early victorians less so.

[CapnJim]

Fascinating!  This, I too shall follow... 

I do like the historical basis for your fictional events.  All quite believable, given what little I know about mid-19th Century England...

[Cory]

I am in!  I have been toying with an 1820s conflict as my 28mm naps can be of use.

the problem remains, as for Silver Bayonet, of a certain dearth of civilian figs. Late Victorians are not so hard, but regency and early victorians less so.

The B'Hoys range from TVAG has a few.