In earlier issues I have included a copies of the rules used in the action described in this article. I am afraid that after each convention they get another little tweak to try to make them "gamer-proof." Hence included are the latest incarnation of "As per Margin." As I mentioned in an earlier article, when I was visiting my old college roommate, John Craig, we used "As Per Margin" to re-fight Second Finisterre. This having gone well, we decided to move on to a big battle. These are not as common as one might think. I suggested Toulon (I I February 1744). Looking over the situation, John objected that the front squadrons of the Franco/Spanish and rear squadrons of the British were unlikely ever to get into action (a sound observation, as that is precisely what occurred in the actual battle). We decided instead to try the Battle of Grenada. We did not get the paratroopers ready, as some might assume. The Battle of Grenada which we proposed to fight occurred on 6 July 1779, in that segment of Britain's ongoing battle against the Bourbon powers which we so parochially refer to as the American Revolution. Readers of Patrick O'Brian who have extended their range beyond the Aubrey/Maturin series, may have read The Unknown Shore, one of whose main characters is Midshipman Jack Byron. Byron (uncle of the poet) was a real person and the action off Grenada was the only fleet action which he had the opportunity to command. In April of 1778, the French dispatched the Toulon squadron tinder the comte d'Estaing to help the Americans. On 29 July they appeared off Newport, Rhode Island where they succeeded in seizing some outer works that the outnumbered British garrison under Major General Sir Robert Pigot had abandoned. On 7 August, the British sank several vessels in an attempt to block the channel, but as the French managed to force the British back and the British were compelled burned theirfrigates and sloops to prevent capture. They used the ordinance front the scuttled ships to establish shore batteries. On 9 August, a British squadron under Lord Howe appeared and the next day dEstaing got underway. Lord Howe (with a smaller force) maneuvered to get an advantage during the next two days, but a severe gale blew tip, separating the squadrons and doing considerable damage to both fleets. Here are the makings of a really splendid mini-campaign. However, John and I had no troops or terrain, just ships, so ,vcre confined to a naval action. To return to the Admiralty's reaction to the dispatch of the Toulon squadron, in June they sent a similar squadron tinder Vice Admiral John Byron with the specific purpose of confounding d'Estaing regardless of his knavish tricks, wheresoever he might go: North America, Leeward Islands or Jamaica. Byron had a reputation of attracting bad weather--his nickname in the Navy was "Foul Weather Jack" and, true to form, the storms that wracked the squadron in its passage 4 the Atlantiedid nothing to belie the cognomen. The resulting damage to both fleets from the forces of nature resulted in action between them that summer. Not until November were the French refitted in Boston and able to sail for the West Indies. On the same day, MajorGeneral Grant, commanding a force of five thousand troops departed New York. Escorted by a small squadron, his instructions were to capture St. Lucia (the island immediately south of French Martinique and its main naval base at Fort Royal). At Barbados they joined Vice Admiral Samuel Barrington. commander in chief of the Leeward Islands station, and the convoy landed its troops on 14 December and quickly overwhelmed the garrison. Just like in a cheap adventure novel, just at this moment d'Estaing came over the horizon with a greatly superior squadron and transports carrying nine thousand troops. D'Estaing's various attempts to dislodge Barrington from his anchorage were unsuccessful. He landed his troops on the northern part of the island, but the bold land attack was driven back with heavy losses. On Christmas Eve, d'Estaing re-embarked his army and retired to Martinique. Thus the British had succeeded in taking the valuable anchorage of Gros Islet Bay, holding St. Lucia, only thirty miles across the water from the French base. Again, a splendid combined arms action, beyond our capability to duplicate. Byron's squadron, which had left North American waters in December, joined Barrington in January, and as the latter was the junior, command of the Leeward Islands station transferred to Byron, Barrington remaining in his flagship the Prince (~f Wales (74) as second in command. The situation was then quiescent for a few months with the two fleets facing each other. so to speak, across the channel between St. Lucia and Martinique. Each from time to time received reinforcements from home and by June this had resulted in Byron having twenty-one of the line under his command and d'Estaing having twenty-five. The stalemate was broken by Byron's need to escort a large convoy of British merchant ships which had gathered at St. Kitts, two hundred miles to the northward, and to see it well clear into the Atlantic on its homeward bound voyage, Byron took his entire fleet, thus leaving d'Estaing free to act freely against the southern islands. First he sent a small expedition to capture the ungarrisoned St. Vincent (thirty miles south of St. Lucia) and then sailed from Fort Royal on 30 June with his whole fleet and army to attack the more valuable and almost equally defenseless island of Grenada, sixty miles further south. Byron returned to St. Lucia on I July and learned of the capture of St. Vincent. Hearing somewhat later that d'Estaing had continued south with a considerable force (probabl.\ bound f or Grenada) he embarked General Grant's five battalions in their transports, to defend, or if necessary retake, Grenada, and within two days was on his way in pursuit. Front a reconnaissance of I-ort Royal it appeared that some ships of the line had been left there, and front this evidence and misleading reports from ships which had sighted the French fleet on its passage south, Byron deduced that his twenty-one ships of the line would outnumber d'Estaing's sixteen. Finally we get to the table top (actually the floor of John's den in this case). North is the "narrow edge" and the British fleet enters from the northeast corner with the wind from the east. The French are anchored in the southeast comer, with the east "long edge" of the table (or John's fireplace) represented the west shore of Grenada. John was Admiral Byron and like Byron immediately signaled "General Chase" allowing each ship to increase its speed, but as this varies from ship to ship and turn to turn, thus losing formation. I (d'Estain-) hurredly tried to weigh anchor, get to sea and form line of battle (as did d'Estaing). In the course of the action, the wind backed northerly, making it more difficult for me to head the British force, but eventually meaning that dismasted British ships would drift down towards me, whereas any dismasted French Would drift south out of the action. We had great fun in a furious action of maneuver that also included some do\\ nnoht hard fighting. Eventually I managed to form line and force a much battered British force to withdraw off much like the original action). Some time back, I mentioned asking Tod Kershner about hosting Kolin or something with similar rules at the local wargame convention and his comment that the design was sufficiently successful in allowing one player to control an entire army, that they were not really suitable for convention play. I decided to do another sailing ship action instead. One of the reasons for the Battle of Grenada at John's house (besides the fact that we had fur) was to see how we thought it would work at a convention. We both thought that it ought to work very well. We were wrong! Why and how we were so wrong will be the topic of a later article. Note that the English fleet consisted of twenty 3rd rate ships (see below tor the hit chart) and one 2nd rate (add one hit box per line to the 3rd rate chart i. The French fleet consisted of nineteen 3rd rates, one 2nd rate and four 4th rates (subtract one hit box per line from the 3rd rate chart).  TURN RECORD CARD FOR THE BATTLE OF GRENADA, 6 JULY 1779 TURN SEQUENCE: I. French Fire II. Boarding Actions III. Check Wind (omit this step for the first ten turns) IV. Attempt to Cut Grapples/Fend Off V. Move: (Remember to check for Falling Aboard whenever ships come within 3") 1. All Dismasted Ships 2. French Ships 3. English Ships VI. English Fire VII. Checkoff 1 turn The top (narrow) edge of the table is North. The right (long) edge of the table is East and represents the west coast of the island of Grenada. The English enter from the NE corner of the table in line ahead (3.5" intervals mainmast to mainmast) steering SW. The French fleet is at anchor in the SE corner. Initial Wind from the East at 4 + 2 = 6 Initial time: 7:00 AM (first French ranging shots) First ten turns are 1.5 minutes each (cross out 1 box at the end of each turn) 00:7:03AM 00:7:06AM 00:7:09AM 00:7:12AM 00: 7:15 AM (first British fire) All following turns are 15 minutes 000: 8:00 AM 0000: 9:00 AM 0000: 10:00 AM 0000: 11:00 AM 0000: 12:00 Noon 0000: 1:00 PM 0000: 2:00 PM 0000: 3:00 PM 0000: 4:00 PM 0000: 5:00 PM 0000: 6:00 PM 0000: 7:00 PM FLEET WITHDRAWAL/VICTORY CONDITIONS: A fleet must discontinue the action when losing 1/3 of its force-first check at 1/6. Royal Navy losses: 1: 2: 3: 4: (Royal Navy must discontinue the action on 5 or 6) 5: 6: 7: (Royal Navy must discontinue the action) French losses: 1: 2: 3: 4: (French Must discontinue the action on 3-6) 5: 6: 7: 8: (French Navy must discontinue the action) 3RD RATE MASTS (When top line crossed out = DAMAGED: +2 if TACKING) OOOO (When bottom line. crossed out = DISMASTED) OOOO (When all crossed out additional hits are misses) GUNS (When all crossed out -- STRIKES) P:OOOO (Port guns, if all crossed Out additional hits to starboard) S:OOOO (Starboard guns, if all crossed out additional hits to port) (Gun boxes are 1st checked off the side receiving fire, but when a ship is raked, boxes are checked off both sides evenly with arly odd hit striking the HULL) HULL (Half crossed out = MAN P1, IMPS, all crossed out ~ SINKS) OOOO Ships that have had half their hull boxes crossed out are assumed to have some of the crew at work manning the pumps. If they are called from the pumps to fire (optional) or repel boarders (required) immediately toss 1D6: 1-3 & 6 = NO EFFECT, 4 additional HULL hit (the water is gaining), 5 = additional GUN hit (chosen by sinking ship indicates more men are needed to man the pumps). As Per Margin Rules for the Age of Fighting Sail Back to MWAN #109 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum 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