Morgan's Sack of Panama 1671

Wargaming the Sack

by Z. B. Smith

A wargame recreation of Morgan's descent upon Panama has much to commend it. The campaign will be short and have a definite objective. Furthermore:

1. The small scale of the campaign allows concentration on historically important, but often neglected, non-battle mechanics such as supply, politics, looting, scouting, interrogation of prisoners, sickness, escape, and pursuit;

2. The campaign was fought in such a challenging varieties of terrain as jungles, beaches, defiles, plains, hills, marshes, rivers, and the high seas;

3. Different sized conflicts are possible, from small ambushes to skirmishes in cities to full sized battles;

4. Hand-to-hand fighting was common, a combat too seldom portrayed in firepower dominated wargames,

5. Land/water combined operations are possible;

6. The forces offer a pleasing, and atypical, visual variety. And, although Morgan's campaign was direct and accomplished without too many hitches, the possibilities exist to make a recreation of the campaign challenging. For example, what if ...

    A. Morgan had attacked Portabelo instead of San Lorenzo?

    B. Morgan had sent part of his forces up the Gatun River to outflank the Spanish stockades on the Chagres?

    C. The Spanish had stood on the Chagres River?

    D. The Spanish had fought for Panama City at the original site chosen by Don Juan, instead of Mata Asnillos?

    E. A portion of the garrison at Portabelo had attacked San Lorenzo or attacked Morgan on the river from behind?

    F. Spanish reinforcements had arrived from Colombia or Peru while Morgan was still in the isthmus?

These possibilities, combined with the inherent appeal of the era, should give wargamers much fodder for battle.

In fighting miniature battles, wargamers should realize that the soldiers of neither side wore uniforms. Some soldiers wore armor, but the heat and poverty of the region dictated that most were lightly dressed. Spanish forces included free blacks and Indians. The Choco Indians of the region usually dressed only in a loin cloth (if anything at all), wore their hair long or in a bowl cut, and decorated their faces in geometric patterns with red, black and white paint. They occasionally wore beads crossed over their shoulders, anklets and bracelets (See Figure above).

Most 17th Century European miniatures can be used to represent the forces involved. Irregular dress should be the watchword for both sides. I n addition to European figures, some manufacturers offer figures suitable to the Spanish Main. Frontier Miniatures manufactures pirates and naval guns in 15mm and 25mm, and Minifigs produces a line of 15mm Napoleonic naval figures whose dress is significantly generic for use in this period. Outpost Miniatures makes a 25mm Seminole Uprising line whose "Escaped Slaves" can represent Panamanian blacks. The Indians can be represented by any figures who are naked or clad in loin cloths. As for things that float, Mini Figs sells the Greenfield Garrison line of 15mm ships, Triton makes 1/600 Armada ships, and the 1/1200 Valiant "Spanish Main" ships are also nice.

Although ruins still stand at Portabelo, San Lorenzo, and Panama City, wargamers cannot retrace many of Morgan's steps for most of his path now lies under the waters of the Panama Canal. Many books are available to give the wargamer a flavor of the period. Peter Earle's "The Sack of Panama", published by Jill Norman and Hobb House in 1981, is perhaps the most accessible. Two biographies of Morgan may also be found. One is the H. R. Allen's "Buccaneer: Admiral Sir Henry Morgan", published by Barker Limited in 1976; and another is Dudley Pope's "The Buccaneer King", published by Dodd, Meade and Company in 1977. An interesting book was written by Alexander Exquemelin (or John Esquemelling), a Dutchman who sailed with Morgan. Many of his stories are first hand and fantastic. His portrait of Morgan is unflattering, attributable to his disappointment at the small amount of booty taken at Panama City. A recent edition of his work was published by Dover in 1967 as "The Buccaneers of America".

Morgan's Sack of Panama 1671

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