MARCHES AND MATRIXES: HORSE AND MUSKET CAMPAIGNING

 

James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey; hand-coloured etching, 25 November 1796National Portrait Gallery, London (Creative Commons)

Having a bit of a lull in wargaming activity/content hereabouts, I thought I'd post a piece I wrote for our club's newsletter. So it's a bit of a read (apologies): think of it as a magazine piece in terms of read, if you will, as opposed to a blog post. So if you have the time and the inclination, settle in with a cuppa' (or a dram) and take it for what it's worth. In it, I hope to share a bit of research and provide some practical tools/ideas for better gaming.  I hope it provides, if nothing else, a bit of a diversion worthy of the time needed to read it. Without further ado, here 'tis (as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX). 

BATTLE GAMES 

The bulk of our gaming tends to be in the battle-game genre, games that are bounded by the physical framework of a table, played in the temporal span of an evening, have action that is divided into a finite number of turns--usually in a single day of battle--and are adjudicated at the conclusion of one or more of the former.  Requiring little to no preparation on the part of players, and no investment on the part of the host once completed, these are the most efficient kinds of games to present--of which convention and game night games are a perfect example.  This is not to suggest that these games are simplistic, easy to design, or unsatisfying to play.  However, when we want to go beyond these boundaries, we turn to another gaming genre: the campaign.  

CAMPAIGNS

There are many variations on the campaign theme, running from simple linked-battles to complex, refereed kriegspiels.  This piece will not attempt to address the broad topic of campaigns. Instead, it will focus on the horse and musket map campaign, and one of the most central--and vexing – components to deal with: organizing and marching units across the map. In any campaign system, I think it is safe to say that not only are we looking for mechanisms that are functional, but also that are grounded in history. In short, we want the campaign experience to be consistent with our understanding of the era.

  THE HORSE AND MUSKET CAMPAIGN

In the horse and musket era, particularly pre-Napoleonic, we're talking about replicating the coordination of movement and logistics for armies consisting of tens of thousands of soldiers organized into dozens of units of horse, foot, and guns. And doing so in a time when there was only quill and paper to record and reproduce orders, no means of disseminating information other than face-to-face or courier, and no means of tracking or reporting the progress of march elements in anything near real time. And yet, horse and musket armies routinely conducted significant marches and arrived at their destinations in time, ready to concentrate for battle. How did they do it?  Let’s take a look at the below march tables from 1743 and see what we can glean to inform our approach.

List of the March of the Austrian Army in Bavaria, 1743

From The UK Royal Trust: King George III's Military Map Collection; 

Brown and red ink on paper; 22.3 x 37.0 cm (sheet);  RCIN 728107 (click link to view full sized version)

Click to Enlarge.

Source text accompanying the above. 

"A list of places along the route taken in Bavaria for the Austrian army marching in three columns in July 1743. War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48).

"The list for each marching column has five headings: the names of the generals, the infantry regiments, cavalry regiments, dates and places of stopping points on the march, the bread and foraging for each day. The first column of 20,000 men was commanded by Prince Charles of Lorraine; the second column of 20,000 men by General Thungen, the third column (no strength given) General de Hohenembs."  (See the citation above the image to go to the source).

ANALYSIS

I translated and recast each of the columns into a contemporary format. In the original and in the updated versions, you read the tables vertically and not across (as it might seem at a glance). Here is the single document broken down into three parts, side by side with the contemporary format. You may need to expand to see more clearly. A pdf with the updated tables can be found at the following link.

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Although the above is broken into bits for ease of comparison, keep in mind that this is a  single document, in tabular format, that conveys all the key information that would be needed for a wide range of users involved in the operation, from regimental commanders to quartermasters. And even more importantly, it shows us how, in an era before word processing, copy machines, or even typewriters, orders could be compiled in an easy to reproduce format. This single sheet of paper could be hand-copied in short order, and every stakeholder could be provided one. Let's take a further dive into what is here.

1. Task Organization. Immediately, one can see that the army is organized into three numbered columns. The internal composition of each is presented in hierarchical order. Most prominent are the lists of line regiments, divided into infantry and cavalry. Listing the number of regiments at the bottom of each column may seem redundant, but it provides a quick reference for those who may be more concerned with numbers than the actual unit identities.  Having the total at the bottom also serves as a check against error when reproducing the list by hand (in the same way that writing the amount on a check in roman numerals and again in longhand provides an internal proofing mechanism). Attachments (support, administrative, and non-regimental elements) are in the space at the bottom. This format accounts for the entire force, providing a format to include even esoteric elements like “Prussian Volunteers.” 

2. Command.  Each column commander is named, with the remaining commanders accounted for in the lists of generals. The fact that Gen. Thungen and Gen. Hohenembs are double listed as commanding the Second and Third Columns (respectively) and are also listed as the first generals in the Third and Second Columns suggests that the generals lists may reflect other relationships as well (which may be known in the army).  In this case it likely seems that these two generals were detailed from their “usual” places to command these columns, perhaps due to seniority. 

3. March Routes and Times. Each table serves as a stand-alone reference for its column. You can see that each column is moving on a different route, which is easily indexed by date and place. These routes are in “connect the dots” format (what we would refer to as point-to-point, with towns being the points). Complete maps were in short supply, but routes between towns were well known, and roads were defined by the towns they connected. Thus, these directions could have been followed as is. However, during this era, strip maps were routinely produced, which would provide a perfect graphic tool to use in conjunction with these march tables. (More on this point in the later part of this piece). 

 4. Logistics. The requirements necessary to sustain each force, per day, have been worked out and listed. Although units of measure are not specified for bread, oats, and hay, it is very likely that these would have been commonly understood and therefore not bothered with given the shorthand nature of the table (most likely  loaves, bushels, and bales, respectively). Combine this with the march column and t provides key planning information for quartermasters. They would be able to know not only what was needed for the march, but where and when. 

5. Force Optimization. Taking a step back, we can see that the army was divided into two equal columns (The First and Second), each of 20,000 men and approximately the same mix and number of regiments. We may infer that these are not accidental and would represent an optimum force size and mix given the routes involved, as well as leveraging standardization to the extent that two of the columns would be equivalent, simplifying support planning.  The Third Column is smaller, and probably represents the remainder. Thus, we can glean how an army was task organized for a march, the suggestion being that columns would be balanced. 

How Might We Use This Information to Shape Our Horse and Musket Campaigns?

James Gillray, 1799. From the Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University

1. Maps. We see that horse and musket armies were what we would today call “road bound.” This is often characterized as some sort of failure of vision on the part of commanders of the era. Instead, it was the reality of both travel and navigation in that time. As has been shown in the source, military operations were defined by the road network, and navigation was defined by a path through key points (i.e., towns).  Granted, some roads might be little more than tracks, and some towns might not amount to much more than a few hovels, but that does not change the paradigm. This is actually good news. It means that we do not have to go through the elaborate procedure of creating campaign maps (particularly hex maps) covered with terrain and the (often) equally elaborate schemes for moving units into and across terrain as opposed to on roads (or routes).  

Instead, a more easily produced point-to-point map would both be more historically accurate and a better tool for managing movement. Major and minor routes could still be differentiated, as well as key terrain. Happily, for those who don't want to come up with their own, there are ready-made point-to-point maps that could be used. And I'll show you a few...

Wargame Maps

            Napoleon (4th Ed) (Columbia Games)      Detail of Napoleon Map
One of the best, and most recognizable, is the Columbia Games Napoleon block game map. This map is designed with equal distances between points, so they also work to regulate movement like squares on a board (in the game,  infantry moves one town per turn, cavalry, two--but your use may vary). In addition, it shows the cockpit of Europe, which could be used for any number of campaigns. It can be downloaded from the Columbia Games site. 

For a more grand campaign, something like Histo Games Friedrich map could serve.

For something a bit more abstract, but entirely functional, the venerable GDW Soldier King map would suit as a hybrid route/area campaign map. 

Period or Other Maps

Even better, a period or similar map could be used with little or no modification provided that it showed a road network linking locations. One would only need to come up with march rates (4km per hour would work), and a number of hours of march per day (6 to 8 would be reasonable). If two or more elements were on the same route, they would not move together in a “stack” but be separated. Rather than trying to track these by physical length, manage them using a time table, with subsequent elements hitting points on the shared route a number of hours or days (depending on the campaign clock) after others. Which leads me to my next point.

2. Organization and Orders.  The best way to replicate the process in our campaign would be to use the same tools as they did in the period. To enable this, I’ve taken the format and modified it for a miniatures campaign. One of these would be filled out per element for a specified time (perhaps by week). 

You can download a version of this for your use. 

Explanation: I’ve renamed the “Generals” column to be more open ended in order to list subordinate commanders as well as provide space for command notes (command points, for instance, might find their way here). In the regiments lists, I’ve added a space to enumerate battalions and squadrons. In the command section, instead of the number of troops, you would provide the size of the force expressed in game terms (strength points or some other metric). For the march route, I’ve added a “turn” column; however, this could be replaced by days, dates, or some other unit of time, depending on the campaign clock. On the right, I generalized the forage column to leave space for notes concerning the march (again, depending on the campaign system).  Finally, at the bottom I’ve added a space for contingencies, notes, and other information. 

CONCLUSION

Although the cartoon image of military operations in the pre-Napoleonic era is of plodding forces led by idiot aristocrats (true in some cases), the actual fact is that there was a standing officer class in every society for whom warfare was a way of life, and their understanding was grounded in both study and long experience. In short, they did things for good reason and knew how to get things done. Now you do, too!

Excelsior!

THE MAP ROOM IS OPEN

 

Period Map of the Battle of Kolin Cleaned up and resized for use with half scale Bloody Big Battles and Kriegspiel Blocks. One of the products of my latest major project. 

Although I have not been painting, I have been heavily engaged in a different sort of hobby project, one that I am happy to say has reached its completion (although I hope to continue to add to it in the future).  Specifically, I have been busy building a new content page to this blog: The Map Room. This is an extension of my use of Kriegspiel Blocks on maps to play half scale Bloody Big Battles. Specifically, I have created period maps that can be downloaded and used for gaming (and I share them in the Map Room).  I also created a set of modular terrain sets to generate custom games with a post-Napoleonic Kriegspiel Map look to them.  The Map Room page contains more explanation, so I refer the curious to that source for in depth information.  But in summary, here is the process (as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX):

HISTORICAL PERIOD MAPS

I start with a historical map. This one is of the Battle of Kolin (taken from the Royal Collection Trust King George III's Military Map Collection)...

...I then mask the graphics, leaving the terrain features...

...I then crop the image to the map only, and resize it to playing scale/size ...

...I then format it for printing (and also put in pdf, available on the Map Page)...

..I then print it out and put it together: in this case, I also hand colored it (there is a tutorial on hand coloring on the Map Room page).

Above, the finished product with a small number of Bloody Big Battles style units represented by Kriegspiel Blocks for illustration.  These historical maps can be used to fight particular battles (of course), but I picked them more as good terrain-scapes that could be used generically. There are several tutorials in the Map Room to help with how to manage gaming with them, how to assemble the, how to colorize them, and how to produce custom modular maps (which is the next topic in this post). 

MODULAR TERRAIN AND MAPS

I also wanted to be able to put together games that were not based on any particular map. In other words, to provide resources to essentially replicate the same process used for a standard miniatures scenario: ie, using terrain pieces on a "blank slate" wargame table/game mat.

Above: samples of pages from the Hill, Town, and Woods terrain sets.

I still wanted a period look, however. Whereas the historical battle maps above have an 18th century look (fair enough since they are are from the 18th Century), Bloody Big Battles is focused on post-Napoleonic (although there are variants for earlier periods).  So I pulled the modular graphics from 19th Century Kriegspiel Maps (mostly the Metz Map) and created four sets: Hills, Towns, Woods, and Rivers. Each set is several pages in length and contains multiple terrain features. I put each into a pdf and posted them in the Map Room.

After downloading and printing, all you need do is cut out the desired pieces and put them on a "Map" sheet (there is also a tutorial on producing a period looking blank map sheet). A bit of plexiglas over the top flattens them out and allows you to draw roads, town names, and other supplemental details as needed... 

...and Bob's Yer Uncle. 

Best of all, most of this kit can be organized and contained in art sleeves...

...which in turn can be neatly stored in this large artist's carrying portfolio. 

Excelsior!

THE BOTTLE AND THE BATTLEFIELD: KOLIN, 1757

Schlacht bei Kolin, HGM Poosch, Wikimedia Commons

In this post, dear readers, we take another turn into my e-books for antiquarians in order to share a colorful, if little known, anecdote of the Battle of Kolin, June 1757--Frederick the Great's first defeat.  Although the course of this battle is worthy of study, I won't reprise it here.  You may find several excellent accounts on the Battlefield Anomalies web page and the Project Seven Years War page (among others).   This posting was generated by my perusal of the below book on cavalry, written in the immediate aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars by Count Von Bismarck (not the Prussian Iron Chancellor of the later century) who was an officer who reformed the Wurtemburg Cavalry.  It was translated into English by an English cavalry officer who adds his own notes and commentary. Anecdotes aside, it is well worth reading for information on the role and use of cavalry in the Napoleonic era and the lessons learned, covering everything from the conceptual and operational to the organizational and sub tactical. I am fortunate enough to have a copy of my own, but it is openly available in digital form on the web (see information below the title page images below). As usual, in this post you may clix on pix for BIG PIX (and will probably need to do so to read the passages):

 

Lectures on the Tactics of Cavalry, 1827, available on the Internet Archive

Like many of the military treatises of its day, this text has much "technical" information on the organization, configuration, and evolutions cavalry, but it is also generously sprinkled with historical anecdotes in support of concepts and principles. This particular tome is most rich in these, with bits pulled from antiquity right up through the (then) latest wars.  So not only is it a rich resource on Napoleonic cavalry, but it is also a dashing good read on military history and attitudes. Some of these anecdotes are well known, and some not so much--which brings me to this post, which relates an entertaining anecdote from the Battle of Kolin.  The battle happened during the Seven Years War between the Austrians and Prussians, and raged all day, with the Austrians under Daun holding off the assaulting Prussians. This was the battle where Frederick is famously said to have grabbed a color to lead a renewed charge ("Dogs, do you want to live forever!") only to find that the was heading up the hill alone.  Later in the day there were several Austrian cavalry charges that decisively turned back the Prussians. Accounts vary about these, which is an interesting topic in itself. Focusing on the book's anecdote, there was a three-regiment Saxon cavalry brigade on the Austrian right wing whose role is sometimes mentioned, sometimes mentioned only in passing, and sometimes not mentioned at all.  Additionally, the sources are contradictory on the crisis of the battle, some accounts mention that Daun had sent an order to withdraw late in the battle (others don't mention this order at all, interestingly enough).  Obviously, the more "Austrian" the narrative, the less is made of any decision to abandon the field or the role of the Saxons.  In the end, it wots not: the Austrian Army did not withdraw.  Instead the right wing cavalry charged and broke the Prussian last effort late in the day, driving them from the field.  This anecdote focuses on the moment that this withdrawal order arrived at the Saxon cavalry brigade, and the response of its commander, Saxon Lt Colonel Benkendorf...

The below is a footnote Found on pages 79 and 80 of the text as an illustration of the phrase, "The winning or losing of a battle depends often on some small, unimportant accident, not taken into the calculation of the General" 

(Clix pix for Big Pix to read)

 If it didn't happen this way, it should have, is all I have to say.

 The note above has it's own footnote that is worth including:

 

Excelsior!

FREEMAN'S FARM: AN ELECTRONIC BRIGADIER BATREP

 

AJ's splendid AWI figures marching across the table.

Well, dear readers, I am happy to finally be able to post a game report. Last Friday, my friend AJ (of AJ's Wargaming Blog) hosted a playtest of his upcoming Huzzah! convention game: The Battle of Freeman's Farm  (American War of Independence).  He has also posted a report on the game on his blog. First, a few words about the cutting edge system AJ has created, something he calls eBrigadier.  This utilizes connected tablet computers to input moves, track unit morale, losses, exhaustion, and resolve combat and track army attrition.  And it's dead simple to use (for users). 

(Above) Players recording the moves and actions of their counterparts across the table.  

Briefly stated, each player has a tablet that is pre-loaded with unit information. During the turn, the moving player simply dictates the actions of his units to his counterpart, who enters them into the system. The turn then gets resolved and the tablets then go to the other side of the table.  For a more complete explanation, you might want to check out AJ's Youtube Channel or by following this link to the topic on his blog.  Unfortunately, with the demise of Google Plus, his dedicated eBrigadier page has gone "poof" so the above will have to do for now.  Enough with the details.   On to the report. As usual, you may clix pix for Big Pix.

Pre-game festivities.  I was on the American side, and my fellow patriots were Bob (red jacket at left) and Ralph (seated at right).  Also pictured are our convivial host,  AJ (red t shirt), and Rob. 

The British: Rob (British right), AJ (British center), and (Von) George (Commanding the Hessians on the British left). 

Lola: Patriot and my faithful adjutant for the evening, seen here providing both inspiration and sound advice.  

The three American commands at the bottom of the picture. Bob was on the left in a command that included Morgan's Rifles and the Dearborn Light Infantry.  Ralph was on the right with the New Hampshire Continentals and some militia, and I was in the center with the 2nd and 4th New York Continentals, a unit of Vermont Militia, and the 2nd Massachusetts Continentals plus a section of 6lb guns (the latter two transferred from the left wing).  The British were in three columns (their right hand column is out of frame). The fields in the upper right/center of the picture represent Freeman's Farm. This would be the focus of much action.

(Left) Ralph pushes his Granite Staters (that's New Hampshire) into the field on the right while my New Yorkers take up positions in the right/center.  (Right) On our left, Bob takes up the line to face the Rob's advancing British right.  On this wing, there would be some far flung action as the British pushed their Native Americans around the end of the American line and Bob pushed Dearborn's Light Infantry around the edge of the British line. 

In the center, I spotted our only guns and brilliantly advanced the Vermont Militia to slow down the British, intending to attrit them with cannon and musket fire. Neither happened. The Vermonters took to their heels and the guns lasted but one turn longer before they were overrun...

...a long shot showing the early British Advance--you can see the Vermont militia getting engaged in the top center of the picture: AJ aggressively pushed the 21st Foot out in advance to engage the Vermonters (and then take the guns, which they did...so much for the American science of war!).

On the right, Ralph shakes out some infantry into open order and covers the woods while his New Hampshire Continentals brace for the arrival of the Hessians.

An illustration of the eBrigadier system at work: Hessian commander Von George (left) moving and communicating instructions for his units to Ralph, his American counterpart, who is entering them into the tablet. 

The British, with a slight numerical and qualitative advantage, aggressively pushed ahead engaging the entire American line, each side standing and trading volleys...will the Americans hold?

In the center the 2nd Massachusetts took up the decisive spot after the guns had been overrun and the Vermont Militia had run (the Vermonters can be seen in the above rallying behind the 2nd MA).  The British 21st Foot had dispatched the guns and the Vermonters and was now going toe to toe with the 2nd MA.  To add to their achievements, the 21st Foot would pick-off Gen Gates, too. 

Meanwhile on the right, Von George's Hessians press Ralph's New Hampshire Continentals, each side standing and trading volleys. 

Back in the center, the 2nd New York begins to show signs of wear...

 ...and and AJ sends the 9th Foot to close with the New Yorkers.

The 2nd NY holds, but the 4th NY wilts under the volleys from the Hessian Grenadiers and the 62nd Foot, leaving only the 2nd the line. To its left, the 2nd MA is heavily engaged with the 21st Foot.  The American center is in crisis....

 ...(Above Left) but the 2nd MA holds its ground.  The Vermont Militia (who are in this story after all) having finished their ice cream, wheel to the edge of the field and volley into the advancing 9th Foot. (Above Right) Meanwhile, the 4th New York (amazingly) rallies and is in position to firm up the center...

...after a hard pounding, the units of the British center and left finally begin to crack, leaving the field to the exhausted Americans.  (Above) Rob, commander of the British right, takes the loss philosophically, befitting of a Professional English officer and gentleman of the era. 

Apologies to Bob (commander of the US left); I did not get many pictures of the action there, but the fighting was equally touch and go.  It was a near run thing--given a few different decisions by General Dice it could have been the Americans who were leaving the table.  Well played all around, and a fine way to end the week: playing with toy soldiers on a rainy Friday night! 

Thanks to AJ for hosting!

Excelsior!