On a cold morning in November 1542 the invading Scottish army of King James V whilst endeavouring to cross the River Esk was completely and utterly routed by the much smaller forces of Sir Thomas Wharton, Deputy Warden of the English West March. The disparity of numbers and the circumstances leading to such an unlikely victory make the battle an unattractive proposition for a conventional face to face wargame. These circumstances make it an ideal solo project however, and this article will approach it thus. To tell the truth I am not a great fan of solo games, heresy this may be in this magazine, but they just lack something. Whether its the lack of a competitive element to the game or its just that I find the banter between the players so much a part of wargaming I am not sure. More likely its the inability to be able to gloat at my opponents misfortune as his general goes down yet again or more usually the wriggling as I try to bluff my way out of another embarrassment on the table top. However some historical scenarios are best played out this way and Solway Moss is one such, although there is no reason why the following scenario cannot be played by two players, perhaps as a pair of games, taking control of one side and then "changing ends" as it were. THE WARGAME For this recreation the aim of the Scots Army is (supposedly) to form up after crossing the Esk, see off any opposition and then exit the opposite table edge. They stand little real chance of doing this however. Deploy the Scots troops as shown on the map, ensure that each element is at least one move distance apart from its nearest friendly neighbour. Wharton's English (or more correctly "Cumbrian" as there were no soft Southerners at this fight) troops deploy as shown. There is no restriction on where each troop type is deployed except for the generals elements. Once deployment is complete then play the game using normal D.B.A. rules, with the following scenario specific modifications. Scottish Disputed Command The Scots Army suffered from a great drawback at Solway Moss, the King was not in command (not that he commanded much respect anyway) and there existed rival claimants to the leadership in the absence of the King. Initially the Scots only had to contend with the problems of crossing the river in the face of the enemy, however once the enemy horsemen started to attack and inflict losses confusion broke out in the ranks of the Scottish nobility and all semblance of command was lost as rival claimants to command of the army argued. In the real battle this sounded the death knell for the Scots army which halted and then disintegrated. To reflect this each move after the Scots have suffered any "destroyed or recoil" combat result add up the PIP scores of the Scots army, when the total reaches fifteen any subsequent score of one plus the number of Scots destroyed elements results in this confusion setting in. Once dissension has set in the Scots army may still try to advance or watever but with it's command structure splintered only a maximum of two elements may be moved whatever the PIP die may score, in addition due to the feeling of unease and rumours of treachery the confusion created no element may count rear support factors unless a PIP is expended to keep the troops steady. Border Reivers Whilst the Scottish forces have their problems in this wargame version of the battle, Wharton does not have it too easy himself. The infamous skills of the Border Reivers at sniffing out loot and their self interest over any notional allegiance to their nationally is here exploited to help provide a little balance in the game. Any Reiver element that has destroyed or forced a Scots element to recoil will roll a die, a score of five or six indicating they have acquired loot or perhaps some personality suitable for ransom. If this happens they will try to leave the nearest base edge (not the Scots edge) they can be stopped by Wharton expending one PIP which will bring them back to heel or at least until they lift some more loot. If they manage to leave the table they can not return, however they do not count as lost when determining victory or defeat. To represent the Reiver's alleged ability with the spear, count the river as bad going with the usual penalties fr movement for all troop types. Do not penalise the combat factors or count the Reivers as being in bad going in any combat. These horsemen were supposed to be capable of spearing salmon from the saddle and I presume being mounted is a great advantage over your foe when he is on foot, soaked through and cold and struggling to try to handle a pike whilst waist deep in the river. In the battle the Reivers did fight in the river, although admittedly it may have been against troops in retreat and or dispirited. THE ARMIES SCOTS Commander; initially Lord Maxwell, Warden of the Scottish West March & Admiral, later Oliver Sinclair, King James's favourite... 1 element Blades (representing the assorted nobility) 1 element Bows (representing men with "gunnes") 2 elements Psibi (representing assorted light troops with bows or "gunnes") 8 elements Pikes For the look of the game on the far bank of the river can be deployed however many additional elements you like to represent the majority of the Scots army who did not cross over the Esk. ENGLISH Commander : Thomas Wharton, Deputy Warden of the West March. 1 element Cavalry (representing Wharton and other rich Reivers or successful looters of armour) 1 element Cavalry (representing Thomas Musgrave and other rich etc..) 6 elements Light Horse Map The defeated Scots lost 1200 prisoners in the defeat, probably almost all of those who had crossed the Esk. Most sources give Wharton around 3/4000 men although only Musgrave's 800 or so Reivers were engaged, hence the ratio between the armies. Normal victory conditions apply i.e one third losses equals defeat. It is arguable whether the loss of the Scottish generals element should instigate a defeat however! Whilst this article has examined a major field battle, the Reivers where better known for their constant clan feuding and raiding than their contribution to either Scottish or English war efforts. Reiver families on both sides of the border lived in and helped create a state of near anarchy where feud, raid, pillage and blackmail ruled supreme. Surely an ideal world for the wargamer to set a campaign and altogether more satisfying than the semi-fictional Wild West that is but a poor imitation of the sixteenth century border country. As if to typify the world of the Borderer the poor Scots army after retreating from the Battle of Solway Moss was harried and pursued but not by Wharton's victorious riders, but by the Grahams a supposedly Scottish family ho were out for revenge on Maxwell who had led the Scots south burning their lands. The Reivers were very much Borderers first and English or Scots second. In l5mm scale decent figures for the Reivers can be had from Museum Miniatures, (although the Morion helmet is a little late for 1542) Essex and best of all Feudal Castings but I am sure there are others out there. The Scots I represented by utilising odd War of The Roses figures as my Scots are a) the wrong period and b) not yet painted. Solway Moss is discussed in the recent Osprey Men at Arms title "The Border Reivers", George MacDonald Fraser's "The Steel Bonnets" is a classic introduction to the world of the Border and for general details of English and Scottish forces of the Sixteenth century then George Gush's "Renaissance Armies" is still a good introduction. There are also articles on this battle in Military Modelling (March 1993) and The Arquebusier (1978 annual includes "Troops on the Border 1645" and "Solway Moss", both by Jim Webster,whilst the 1980 annual has "Anglo/Scots Border Wars 1542-1547" by Wally Hearl, a brief overview.). If visiting the Border than Solway Moss is near Longtown, 10 miles North of Carlisle. Although the actual site is disputed a walk along the river will take you over the probable site. A walk booklet is available from local tourist information centres for 20 pence: Arthuret,Debatable Land; Walks from Longtown. And while in the vicinity then visits to the Tullie House Museum in Carlisle and The Border History Museum in Hexham are recommended, both have good sections on the Reivers and Anglo-Scottish border conflicts in general. My thanks to Derek Harrison for his help with this article. Back to The Gauntlet No. 9 Table of Contents Back to The Gauntlet List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1997 by Craig Martelle Publications This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com