On the Table Today is...

the Battle of San Martino, 1859.  The table is set and the guns are silent, for now.

In a twist of irony, I have been accepted by the Rejects to host a remote game for their group.  At least three of the Rejects are active bloggers and in commentary I suggested that we might have a go at a remote game.  Well, they accepted.  On Monday, I expect six players to fill the roles of brigadiers and CiCs to refight the action at the southern end of Lake Garda.  

I know both teams of three are making battle plans for the day and questions have been drifting in from parts unknown.  Almost unknown.  I believe the Rejects are based in the London Kent area of the UK.  

Battle Briefing

The Battle of San Martino comprised the northern portion of the larger Battle of Solferino on 24 June 1859 fought simultaneously to the south.

The battle began as the Sardinians sent out a number of reconnaissance forces to probe southeast from Lonato and Rivoltella towards Pozzolengo. Rather than fielding an integrated advance guard to act as the recon force, the Sardinians drew off battalions and squadrons from each division and sent them on their way.

One of the largest of these recon contingents was drawn from Mollard's 3rd Division. Not expecting Austrian resistance on the west bank of the Mincio River, Mollard was surprised to run into Austrian forces at Ponticello. What was initially thought to be only Austrian screening elements turned out to be Benedek's VIII Corps centered on Pozzolengo. Benedek, likewise, was surprised to discover the Sardinians bearing down on his corps in force.

The battlefield

Mollard realized his miscalculation and fell back to the heights around San Martino. While Sardinian columns continued streaming towards Mollard's positions at San Martino, Mollard prepared for a defensive action until sufficient force could be gathered to push Benedek back onto the Mincio. Not waiting for the Sardinian storm to gather over San Martino, Benedek counterattacked to prevent the Sardinians from compromising the Austrian line of communication over the Mincio.

Brigade deployment zones

The scenario picks up where my narrative ends. That is, elements of Mollard's recon column hold the San Martino heights while reinforcements continue their march to San Martino. Benedek has several brigades from two divisions poised to attack the heights. The Sardinian objective is to cut the Austrian line of communication across the Mincio by taking Pozzolengo directly. Indirectly, an attack toward Madonna del Scorpeta may turn Benedek’s left and separate Benedek from the bulk of the Austrian army engaged at Solferino. Since Benedek's force anchors the far right of the Austrian army and protects the army's line of communication, the Austrian VIII Corps is tasked with holding the Pozzolengo position until ordered otherwise. Falling back behind the Mincio too early would allow the Sardinians to reinforce the French at Solferino.

Armies deployed

With the table set, armies deployed, and instructions delivered, the table lays in wait of battle.

Men at Arms Arrive First

The way in which the Perry Miniatures' War of the Roses boxes are configured, I can field one Battle's worth of bill and bow from one box. To complete a Battle, 13 figures from the Men-at-Arms' box are needed.  As the number of Battles grows and my suboptimal planning kicks in, I end up with a surplus of Men-at-Arms figures.

What to do?

Typically, each 52 figure Battle is fielded at one time.  Rather than wait until the next order from Perry arrives, I crack on with the MAA components.  The bill and bow complement will straggle in at a later date. Until those stragglers arrive, work goes forward.

Off the painting desk today are 26 Men-at-Arms figures for two Battles.  These are MAA for Somerset and Clifford.  Flags are Pete's Flags.   

Somerset

Clifford

On the gaming front, Friday sees a return of Commands & Colors Ancients action in 6mm with a revisit to the Battle of Caralis.  Previous battles have been closely contested.  Kevin wants a rematch.  Who am I to say no?

On deck for Monday is the Franco-Austrian War battle of San Martino in 15mm.  While this northern part of the Battle of Solferino has seen action before, I have never hosted it remotely nor on a grid.  There have been some revisions to the rules and scenario to fit the number of players, remote gaming, and a grid.  Actually, a new ruleset will be in play for this action.  More details on the game setup before Monday.

First French Cavalry

Gaming and planning for games are consuming much of my hobby time of late.  Two games (possibly even a third) are scheduled for this week, and I am making preparations to host a remote game on the 23rd.  Given these demands, meaningful painting sessions continue to be few.     

Progress is being made, however.  Off the painting desk is the first French cavalry contingent for the 18mm SYW project.  Mustering out today are two squadrons of French dragoon regiment, La Reine.  Figures are from Eureka Miniatures.  Several more French cavalry units are in work and slowly making their way through the painting queue.

With sights set on getting enough French together to field a viable force for some smaller WAS battles, I still have much work to accomplish.  One battle in mind requires seven cavalry units.  Having only one completed, I need to pick up the pace. 

The Alamo battle mentioned in the previous post, we fought on Saturday.  Scott and I took command of the Mexicans while Tim and Jeff hunkered down behind the palisades of the Alamo.  As seen in the photo below, the Mexicans stormed the defenses early in the second wave and few Texicans escaped.  Bowie and Crockett fell early in the fight. 

WoFun Mexicans clear the Alamo

With several days of rain combined with spring snowpack melt, the Spokane River is swollen with water.  Last week, I made a short stroll along the Lower Falls to see the action.  In the photo below, a torrent of water passes over the Monroe Street Dam and down the Lower Falls.  The volume and power of water flowing through town is impressive.  To get a sense of scale, the gondolas dangling near the bridge each holds four passengers. 

Water rushing over Lower Falls

Time to put together a battle plan for Tuesday's game as I take command of the Scottish army at Falkirk. If I can call upon the Gods of fortune, perhaps, I can reverse history?  Probably not but it will be fun to try.

Cycling the Palouse + Games

Weather finally warmed-up and dried-out enough to get back outside on the bike yesterday.  After spending most of April and May indoors on the trainer, unhooking the bike from the indoor torture device was a welcome task.  

Wednesday's route took me 40 miles over hill and dale to the south of Spokane.  Wind was light to moderate and temperatures were cool especially under the ever-present cloud cover.  Elevation gained over the route totaled about 2,500 ft.

With weather expected to see more of the same today, I plan to be out and back before the possibility of afternoon showers returns.

On the gaming front, the Tuesday remote game saw a return to the Russian Civil War and Graham's playtesting.  The focus of Tuesday's game was appearance of an armored train.  Being White commander in this clash, I would be faced with dealing with such a monster.

It was a bloody affair.  The battle was salvaged by a fortuitous White bombing run against the train.  The pilots hit their mark causing the train to withdraw.  Full battle account at Graham's blog,

Armored Train-ing Wheels 

RCW game. 
Whites v Armored Train.

The game generated some good post-game commentary discussing the finer points of armored trains and how to deal with them.  Rules' details will be forthcoming from Graham's keyboard soon.

For Saturday, a second game is on the docket.

Saturday's game sees a return to the Alamo in what is becoming an annual event to celebrate Kevin's birthday. 

Alamo with WoFun

The game is played using WoFun plexiglass 18mm figures on a gridded board.  Rules in use are a variation of Commands & Colors.  Last year, I recall that the attacking Mexicans wiped out the Texican defenders and the birthday boy fell in defeat.  Will the historical result hold up on Saturday?

Alamo with WoFun

The result does not matter much.  We will enjoy good company, BBQ, and birthday cake.  What could be a better way to spend a Saturday?  

SYW French Artillery

With the Las Guasimas game taking up a lot of my time this past week (preparation before Tuesday, game on Tuesday, battle report on Wednesday), hobby activities seemed to wane the remainder of the week.  Well, I did revisit the hidden movement process present in Tuesday's game and overhauled that procedure.  A few trials suggest that I am satisfied with the direction and effect of the improvements.  We will see what others think next time I spring a SAW game on them.  Not sure I am ready for that.  Regardless, I save those discussions for another time.  In the meantime, I plan to run through the scenario at least once more.

Today sees the latest results from the painting desk.  Off the workbench are six French guns and 24 crew for the SYW project.  Rather than the usual Eureka guns and crew, I opted to field a bag of Old Glory artillery.  I picked up a bag of artillery when I made the year-end order to load The Lead Pile up with Old Glory French infantry.  Again, an Old Glory infantry choice is unusual for this project.  Most infantry are Eureka augmented with Blue Moon and a few Lancashire Games figures.  I did not care much for the poses of the Eureka French so went with the Old Glory French which are excellent.  Good choice, I think.

The painting desk is still showing SYW French activity.  Cavalry are moving through the production line.  Perhaps a bit too slowly.  A few units will be emerging soon.  Cavalry figures are Eureka.

Also on the workbench is the completion of a box of Perry WotR' Men at Arms figures.  When I completed the six Battles, enough MAA figures remained to field two more MAA Battle components of thirteen figures each.  The two additions will be for Somerset and Clifford.  I suppose I ought to place an order with Perry to field the bill and bow components for these two Battles.  What I originally thought would comprise a collection of six Battles may expand to include eight Battles in total.  Sigh.  It never ends.

Cowboys in Cuba

Mountain gun vigilant from the heights above

The first test of my Spanish-American rules is in the books.  Planning to host the Tuesday remote game and needing a working draft (well, QRS), I sketched the rules' concept out while away in Las Vegas last week.  Built upon earlier work, I figured the general game engine could work in a new setting.  After all, a game engine predicated upon unit combat effectiveness and cohesion ought to have broad applications.  No?

Anyway, without rules' critique and the stresses that remote gaming can generate (I save those for another time), let me try to recount the battle from my almost fresh memory.

Battlefield

The American forces are marching from Siborney toward Santiago.  In their path is a Spanish force situated in the hills along Las Guasimas Creek.  The US objective is to brush these Spanish aside and exit the table on the road to Santiago.  They have ten turns to accomplish this task.  For Tuesday's action, we had a full house with two Spanish players opposed by four American players.  The Spanish commander was able to place his force on table hidden along with an equivalent number of dummy markers.  Both units and dummies could move freely until spotted.

Hidden Spanish on the Spanish left.

Hidden Spanish on the Spanish right.

Typical of game hosting of late, the action kept me hopping.  Grabbing a screenshot or photo was catch-as-catch-can.

On to battle!

Americans arrive!

The American cavalry arrive with Wood and the 1st US volunteer Cavalry marching up the trail while Wheeler and Young take the main Siborney-Santiago Road.  The American plan hinges on pinning the Spanish in the center and outflanking both flanks.  To do this, Wood splits his command (1st Volunteer Cavalry, "Rough Riders") with four troops heading up the trail while four troops head off into the dense jungle to the left.  The 10th US Cavalry ("Buffalo Soldiers") hugs the right flank while the 1st US Cavalry marches down the road.

American plan of attack.

As the Americans advance, the 1st US Cav comes under artillery fire as it crosses the Las Guasimas Creek.  The troopers are pinned at the bridge.  The 10th Cav envelops the ranch as its occupants retire.  No contact with enemy infantry yet. 

Coming under fire

Wood's advance against the Spanish right.

The Spanish defenders laying in wait, spring up seemingly all around!  Mauser bullets split the air as the 1st US Cav comes under fire as it crosses the creek.  The troopers on the road are pinned.  Luckily, help is on the way as the 10th works its way around the ranch and threatens the enemy's flank.  Is there no concern for the potential enemy in the rifle pits on the heights above?

Contact!

10th Cav to the rescue!

On the Spanish right, Wood continues working his way rapidly around the enemy flank.  Spaniards in the trenches, thrown up across the trail, are easily outflanked and quickly engaged in a firefight in the jungle.   

Contact on the Spanish right! 

Seeing four of its six troops pinned, the remaining two troops of the 1st US Cav storm up the hill into the dense jungle.  Their bravery is met with a hail of bullets.  The troopers tumble back down the hill in disorder.

1st US Cav gets bogged down.

With the 1st US Cav pinned, the 10th Cav redoubles the effort to relief pressure on its comrades.  Attacking in strength, the Buffalo Soldiers force the defenders back.  The Spanish suffer heavy casualties in this sharp action.

10th Cav attacks!

The 10th Cav presses on.

The American attack on the Spanish left. 

Flushed with success, the 10th Cav presses on.  The troopers scale the heights and contact another Spanish defender. Two troops take casualties as they work their way up the slopes.  Spanish artillery fire from the mountain gun continues to harass the 1st US Cav at the creek.  For them, progress is slow.

10th Cav scales the heights.

On the Spanish right, Wood completes his encirclement of the enemy trench position.  The Spanish defenders are in a serious jam as they are pinned to the front and threatened on both flanks. 

In a pickle!

The hot action on the Spanish right continues with more Spanish infantry appearing near the crossroads.  These Spaniards halt the Rough Riders as they attempt to reach the objective.  Spanish artillery fire rains down on the enemy as the troopers clear the trench line and threaten the enemy rear.  The clock is ticking.

Heavy fighting...EVERYWHERE!

Hot action at the crossroads

Back on the Spanish left, the 10th Cav attacks.  Two troops up on the ridge attack along the ridgeline and into the waiting Spanish.  The Mausers rip through the 10th as it closes.  In ferocious close combat, the troopers are scattered.  Suffering heavily as well, the Spanish defenders fall back.

10th Cav Troopers meet their Maker on the heights.

With the Spanish defense collapsing back toward Santiago, the race is on to secure the crossroads.  In the heavy and prolonged firefight at the crossroads, Wood falls.  Quickly replaced, his next-in-line falls.  Officer casualties are high.

Race to the crossroads!

Stalemated at the crossroads and time expired, the heated action at Las Guasimas ends in a draw. 

The Americans believe if Wood had not fallen at this crucial time, victory could have been theirs.

Hard fought on both sides and an entertaining battle.  The game produced a narrative not unlike the historical event.  Well, except for the loss of Wood! 

Game finished in about three hours.

My retrospective on rules, game, and game play another time, after I recover.

One More Sumerian Battle Cart

I managed to push out one more Sumerian battle cart before month end.  Now, effort at the painting desk returns back to working on SYW French.  I may slip in a random Sumerian unit or two while I work on the SYW project but I really want to focus some attention on French cavalry and artillery.  There are a number of War of Austrian Succession scenarios in mind and I need some French to complete these scenarios.

What is coming up on the Sumerian front?  Well, work begins on a couple of units of bowmen and then followed by javelin skirmishers.  Oh, this battle cart and crew are from Newline Designs.

With Las Guasimas on the gaming table and the game later today, thoughts have been unsurprisingly directed back toward the SAW project.  The scenario called for a Colt Machine Gun.  I thought, for sure, there was one already painted.  Wrong!  Not only was there not one painted but I did not even have a model in The Lead Pile.  Such an oversight.  Today's role of a Colt MG will be played by a Gatling Gun. Hmm.  Where did I see a Gatling Gun on display?  I recall seeing one on display in a store/museum somewhere.  But where?  Rummaging through travel photos, I discovered the gun was in a store in Ketchikan, Alaska.  A couple of photos of the weapon below:

I wonder if this piece originally came mounted on a wooden tripod?  I suppose if one planned to display this piece in the parlor, there is not enough space for the wheeled carriage.  One or two US Hotchkiss field pieces would be useful to add to the collection too.  Time to thumb through the Old Glory catalog.