Battle of Bunker Hill

Motivated by our series of three game mini-campaigns using Rebels and Patriots, Matt wanted to tackle something a bit larger than the standard R&P sized game.  The battle Matt targeted was the Battle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill.  As seen from the battle layout photo below, Matt spared no effort to present a most handsome game.  Fought over Zoom, Matt provided three cameras for the contest.  Each camera provided a different view of the battlefield.  One camera maintained a view from the north. A second camera had a near ground-level view from the behind the redoubt.  Finally, a third camera provided an overhead view from the southeast overlooking Charlestown and the British approaches to the redoubt upon the hill.

Battle of Bunker Hill Initial Dispositions
photo courtesy wargamesinthedungeon

As has become tradition in our series of AWI battles, Matt commanded the British while I took command of the rebels.  A few special rules were added for this battle.  A double six activation for the British allowed for an offshore naval bombardment.  A double six for the Americans allowed one additional skirmisher unit to arrive.  The Americans were allowed to fire for only six turns before ammo shortages began to tell.  A combatant takes an army morale test having lost 50% of his units (five units) and then withdraws at seven units lost.

On to the battle!

Charlestown militia look on 

View from the Mystic River Cam

Combined LI advances upon the American left

while the British step off toward the redoubt

The Lights advance while the Rebels hold fire.

Rebels continue to hold fire as Redcoats approach.

Finally, fire erupts all along the line!

Rebel left remains silent as the British approach.

Already, the British are becoming disordered

as volleys are exchanged.

Rebel guns fire as redcoats advance down the lane.

Nixon suffers from artillery as Doolittle offers support.

Rebel artillery sees off the first Redcoat regiment!

View from the sky cam

Stark opens up against the approaching light infantry.

Weakened from artillery fire,
Nixon is under pressure to hold.

The Grenadiers with Howe attached
 storm the earthworks!

Stark steps back out of musketry range on the left.

Doolittle suffers from naval fire as he supports Nixon.

British assault as viewed from above.

Gridley's artillery sees off a second British attacker!

The grenadiers in hand-to-hand with Nixon's boys.

Nixon is driven back with heavy casualties!
Grenadiers are in the redoubt!

The grenadiers are immediately counterattacked

and are driven out from the barricades.

Two British regiments flee on the Rebel left

and the Lights are put to flight for good measure!

British infantry fail a rally test and disperse.

Yet, the Redcoats keep coming.

With the British defeated on the left, Rebels redeploy.

British guns continue to pound
 the rebels in the redoubt.

Despite heavy losses, the Redcoats keep advancing.

Frye lets off one last volley as his ammo runs out.

His attackers recoil.

With empty muskets,
Frye charges across the defenses

engaging the British on their terms.

Frye is repulsed but makes it back into the redoubt.

With both his left and right vanquished,Howe concedes
defeat and withdraws back to the transport barges.

WOW!  This was quite the hard-fought and tense battle.

With limited ammunition, the Rebels waited until the British were well within range before opening up.  As the ammo clock ticked down, the Americans tried to make best use of this fleeting firepower.  The British never gave in and kept up its frontal assaults time after time.  Like the action at Concord's South Bridge (see Debacle at Concord's South Bridge), frontal assaults prove costly.  That lesson was reinforced at Bunker Hill.

What were the keys to an American victory?  Well, being able to defend a hardened emplacement, for one.  Two, the British attacks upon the Rebel left proved completely futile with three British regiments put to flight early in the battle.  Three, the Americans were equal in quality to their British counterparts with the exception of melee. Four, and probably most impactful, the British suffered from terrible Morale and Rally Tests throughout the game.  Attacks rarely got up enough momentum to follow through.  Every advance would suffer disorder (or even breakage) requiring a pause in the attack to recover.  By the time a unit recovered, the Americans would quickly disorder it again from musketry.  It was like marching uphill over very muddy ground.

The Victors parading through Charlestown
photo courtesy wargamesinthedungeon

Bunker Hill was another job well done by Matt.  Chapeau to Matt and thanks for a very entertaining battle!

Matt will likely have his version of the battle up on his blog very soon.  Be sure to check it out at Wargamesinthedungeon.