On 1 - 3 June, Burnt65 and I were honoured to be invited to display our Ridgeway game at the 150th Anniversary of Ridgeway Conference in Fort Erie, Ontario. We had many positive comments from the venders, speakers and attendees alike, only one of whom was a fellow gamer. People said that they had read about the battle, seen maps and walked the ground but to see a birds eye view with the troops on the table helped them really understand what happened on the morning of 2 Jun 1866.
Here follows a few pics of the event (apologies for the name labels, they were only included for the benefit of onlookers and would not normally appear in our games):
Queens Own Rifles of Canada (QORC)advance.
Fenians advance towards Bertie Road
Fenian resistance builds.
Fenians maintain the pressure, on the Canadian left flank QORC begin to fall back their positions taken by 13th Bn Canadian Volunteer Militia.
QORC drive off Fenian skirmishers near the Anger Farm.
The game ended more or less historically. Fenian mounted scouts arrived to inform Colonel O'Neil, the Fenian commander, that a strong column of Militia and British regulars accompanied by cavalry and artillery were advancing from the area of Stevensville to the North West. Colonel Booker, the Canadian commander at Ridgeway, mistook the mounted scouts for cavalry and ordered 'Form Square'.
The Fenians poured fire into the dense formation causing many casualties and degrading Canadian morale to such an extent that reforming into line was impossible, the fight was over. Some units routed while others withdrew in good order towards to railway station in Ridgeway and then on to Port Colborne.