Are you a wargamer that enjoys the Horse and Musket period but are getting tired of Napoleonics or ACW? Hungry but don't know what you want to eat? Need a break from your mainstream interest? May I suggest you take an excursion into the Are of Marlborough and you might just find what you have been missing from your games . . . some excitement from a new period!

The period of history from 1700 through 1715 in Europe has not really been covered too well in wargaming circles. Perhaps it's because there is very little in English print when compared to, say, the American Civil War, Napoleonics, and WWII. I have spent the last four years trying to amass printed materials on this fascinating period and for all my efforts, I still feel that I know too little! Perhaps the one thing that I do know for sure is that I am once again having fun with the hobby!

The purpose of this article is to share some fundamental things about this period that I have discovered that makes it quite different from any other period (like the Seven Years War). I will give you a (very) abbreviated background history of the period, discuss some of the gaming related issues and conclude with a list of some sources that you can use as a starting point if you'd like to explore and learn more.

Just as historians call the period of European history "Napoleonic," the same can be said of this period to be Marlburian." In both instances, they are named after the greatest military leader of their time. In this case, we are talking about the War of Spanish Succession. When the King of Spain died without an heir to the throne, France and Austria (known back then as "Imperialist troops") both laid hereditary claims to that vacant throne. It can be said that both had seemingly credible claims. Britain sided against France's claim (what a surprise?) for it would make France THE largest power on continental Europe.

With this setting, we need to introduce the players. The main players are France and Bavaria (which had an outstanding military at this time) pitted against Austria, Prussia, England and the United Provinces (a country with hereditary ties to Britain). Since Spain laid claim to some northern European territories called "The Spanish Netherlands" and because of its proximity to the Dutch, it is not surprising a lot of the fighting was located around an area called "Flanders." Other "theatres" included northern Italy, Spain, and Bavaria, to name a few.

While the period is named after John Churchill (the Duke of Marlborough), there are several other great commanders to come out of this period. Perhaps you have heard of the likes of Eugene, Vauban, Tillies, Victor Amadeus, and de Saxe? This, too, was their period.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this period is that it was one of transitions in military thought and practices. The muskets have gone from matchlocks to flintlocks. Even the seemingly backwards nation of Russia found the means to upgrade their army to flintlocks by the turn of the century (The Great Northern War is raging in the east during this time as well! Modern flintlocks are found next to pikes among the Russians and Swedes here.).

The pike is all but gone by 1702, with only a few isolated cases (in the west) where poorer factions still retained their use. The flintlock provided an increase in firepower never before experienced by commanders. This necessitated a need to develop new tactics and organizations to exploit more fully this new military potential. But this is only the beginning of the mystique of this period! There are several other things that make this period unlike all others in the "horse and musket" periods. Some of the more interesting (to me, at least) topics are:

• The invention of the socket (versus the plug) bayonet which allowed continued use of this newly discovered firepower and still allow the infantry to defend itself from the cavalry.
• There were campaign seasons. A typical year may only see 1-3 pitched battles. Armies were expensive to raise and maintain in the field. The men and horses could be devastating to a region to support! The image of rather large armies maneuvering in enemy territory to eat like locusts can be a powerful means for making economic war on a country.
• While the image of large armies eating off the land was not fully developed until Napoleon, these armies still required logistical support. This came in the form of "fortresses" strung along the frontiers of each country. Think of these as forward supply points, to enable an army to function outside of their borders. Because of this dependency on these fortresses, sieges to take them away from a country reasonably ensured a reduction in the enemy's ability to wander too far from their own borders for long periods of time. This resulted in numerous sieges within the campaigning season.
• Cavalry is perhaps the most numerous than in any other period! A typical ration is about 2 squadrons (approximately 150 men) to 3 battalions of infantry (approximately 1800 men). Most of it was considered to be "heavy." When order of battle information is found, the authors frequently describe the opposing armies in terms of squadrons and battalions rather than regiments.
• Artillery was crewed by a handful of professionals with the help of unskilled infantry "assistants." The guns were transported by civilian teamsters who just seemed to "disappear" when the shooting started. While battalion guns were used by many, their use was not universal. For the most part, artillery was of the "set up and forget" type. One can often read about the number of guns recovered by the winning side of a battle due to the inability of the losers to extricate them.
• There were many differing tactical doctrines to discover. The platoon firing system (as practiced by the Dutch and English) verses the volley system (as practiced by the French and Bavarians) is probably the most shining example. Others are: deployment into varying numbers of ranks, cavalry receiving charges at a standstill, caracoling cavalry, carefully watching the deployment of your opponent to determine where to focus your main effort (indeed, soldiers were beaten by their officers and NCO's if they did not "step smartly" when deploying into line as it would literally threaten the lives of their comrades by giving the impression that the unit was poorly disciplined . . . hence the famous saying: "The Gentlemen of France may fire first.") to name a few. It is also interesting to note that armies did not begin to march in cadence until the War of Austrian Succession (just before the Seven Years War).
• The deployment and organization of the armies for battle is interesting. We see battalions and squadrons assembled into "ad-hoc" brigades. These brigades were deployed into "lines" (in line, most of the time). Multiple lines made up a "wing." There could be left and right wings, center and reserve wings as well. A wing could be equated to Napoleonic "divisions" in strength. The cavalry were usually to be found on the "ends," but creative minds like Marlborough's saw them also included mixed in with the lines.

Wargamer's Eye

These are just a few of the attractions from the history side of the period. Let's now look at the period from a wargamer's eye.

Military uniforms mimicked civilian attire at that time on the continent. Therefore, most uniforms were generally similar in appearance as to the cut of the cloth. Only minor details in color, lace, and the color of metal buttons differentiated the armies and units within the same army. This makes for a very colorful period. Since the government supplied funds each year to the regiment's colonel for uniforms, we see an almost universal practice of turning last year's coat inside-out (showing the lining color or "facing" of the coat material) to make a "waistcoat." A vast majority of outer coats were a gray (for economical reasons) which varied from pure white to a "pike gray."

Of course, there were shades of red, blue, green, and even yellow to be found. Almost all hats were pinned up into formal tricornes. Most had either white/silver of yellow/gold lace sewn into the exposed edges for reinforcement of the brims. It seems most practical to game this period at a figure ratio of 1:50. Most rules for the period use this scale. It makes a typical battalion to be 12 figures; squadrons to be 3 figures. Since the number of battalions and squadrons were so numerous, it doesn't seem to take forever to paint and field these "building blocks" of an army.

The availability of figure selection in many scales is wide. Perhaps the 15mm scale offers the best selection. Companies like Minifigs, Essex, Dixon, Roundway, and Editions Brokaw cover this and the Great Northern War pretty well. I have figures for this period in 6, 10, 15, 25, and 42mm. I really like this period!

Due to Vaubon, the master of fortifications and siege warfare, coming from this period, there are many interesting sieges and fortresses to be modeled and played out. This period also lends itself well to campaigns and scenario generation that can have drastic ramifications in the context of a campaign. To appreciate later periods of military history fully, one should go back and discover why certain methods evolved as they did (like Napoleon's Corps system. NOT that he came up with the original idea, but rather, his ability to make the ideas of others before him work). This period is truly one that offers many answers to such questions. It was a period of military discovery with much trial and error.

If any of this has sparked a desire to learn more about the period, I suggest tracking down a few of these references:

For history and background of the period:

• "The Anatomy of Victory" by Brent Nosworthy. ISBN: 0-87052-014-8 Hippocrene Books. If you can have only one book, this is it! It covers military developments, battle tactics, evolution of weapons, and their employment from 1689-1763. Brent writes in a very readable style which both informs and entertains. Loaded with insight and scholarly research. A MUST!
• "The Art of War in the Age of Marlborough" by David Chandler. ISBN: 0-946771-42-1, Spellmount Ltd. A well written volume on the subject. Chandler compliments Nosworthy's volume and should be read together with it. This book adds to the details of the period.
• "Military Memoirs of Marlborough's Campaigns 1702-1712" edited by David Chandler. ISBN: 1-85367-330-7, Greenhill Books. Good firsthand accounts of the campaigns from some of the participants. Of course, very informative as to the English, but little form the Imperialist view. This volume will add depth to your understanding of the difficulties of campaigning and how soldiers coped with the hardships.
• "Marlborough as Military Commander" by David Chandler. ISBN: 0- 946771-12-X, Spellmount, Ltd. While primarily focused upon the man himself, it paints an informative picture of the socio-economic-political settings for the period. It provides a good depth of information into Dutch attempts to "reign in" the Duke's war fighting efforts.
• "Fire and Stone," by Christopher Duffy, ISBN: 1-85367-247-5, Greenhill Books. Subtitled "The Science of Fortress Warfare 1660- 1860." Duffy covers this period quite well. A must for those of us who would like to wargame siege operations. For Wargamer's Use:
• Military Modeling's "Guide to siege Wargaming," by Stuart Asquith. ISBN: 1-85486-009-7, Argus Books. Well illustrated with photos of wargame figures and equipment, this volume discusses the art of siege warfare and suggests ways to wargame it in miniature. A refreshing and encouraging work on a subject that most find boring. This book offers many ways to incorporate all those cool castles, forts, and siege equipment models you've been keenly interested in onto your wargame tables. Very practical ideas that will make for an interesting game. Recommended!
• "From Shot to Pike," by Charles Stewart Grant. A Wargames Research Group Publication. While providing a condensed version of events of the period (1685-1720), its real value is as a painting guide. Though there are illustrations, the only color is on the cover. Inside you'll find uniform details, regimental names, and facing color info. A must for the painter of wargame armies of this period. Very highly recommended! (If you can find a copy; I'm told that it's out of print now.)
• The excellent line of booklets, mostly edited by Pat Condray of Editions Brokaw. These booklets are probably the best specific sources you can find in the USA in English. Each one covers a country's uniform and organization info so one can create them in miniature. Truly a labor of love, one merely has to try doing research on his own to appreciate fully what Pat has made available, addressing the needs of wargamers of this period. Pat has folks like Dan Schor helping him translate and compile these impressive booklets from many foreign language sources, many of them rare. Once again, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
• Like Pat's series, C. A. Sapherson also has been quite prolific in providing us with some well-done research in this period. A typical volume will provide you with uniform detail drawings, color info, organizational strengths, dates of raising and disbanding, and unit history details. Even though they are a bit more expensive (usually a dollar or three more) than Pat's offerings, they remain an excellent value. Again, as specific presentation of research directed towards the wargamer, these booklets are also a labor of love. Not glitzy, but the information contained is worth many times their value to a gamer.

I hope this article has sparked an interest in the Marlburian era for you. If so, you now have a very basic foundation from which to expand. For me, discovering information about this period was like discovering Napoleonics in the 1970's! The excitement of discovering a new Horse and Musket period with friends that know about as much as I did (not much) sparked my desire to wargame the period. We all started out at the same level and shared our findings over the game table, telephone, and many varied beverages. The excitement of finding new figures, rules, research materials, and sharing them with like-minded gamers has rekindled the fire that drew me to wargaming in the first place. Why not give the Marlburian period a chance to rediscover that "special something" that makes historical miniature wargaming a driving force in your life once again?

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