LAYING OUT THE TABLE Refer to the map on the next page. The top of the map is north. Each square represents one square foot on the gaming table. The Delaware River lines the north edge of the table and is impassible. The bluff proceeding to the river is steep and rocky; only light foot troops (as: Light Infantry, Jaegers, rifles, and militia) may traverse it, and even then at double the normal cost for Clear terrain. Big Timber Creek lies just off the east side of the table, and is also impassible. That table edge is not considered "friendly" to either side; figures forced to retreat off the east edge are considered destroyed. Likewise Woodbury Creek, which cuts across the SW corner of the map, is impassible. The two other watercourses on the map, while impassible to artillery, can be crossed by foot and mounted figures at a cost of but 1/2 move. The western third of Ft. Mercer proper (enclosed by the heavy line) is the equivalent of Heavy Works: the rest of the fort is treated as Field Works. Artillery embrasures are assumed to be available as the Patriots desire only in the western third, while loopholes for musketry are present throughout. A steepsided ditch 1" wide runs around the fort, close to the walls. An abatis of felled fruit trees (dotted line) lies 3" beyond the ditch. (See the Special Rule Field Engineering for an explanation of the effects of these features in game terms.) The Whitall House, near the NW corner of the map, is a large, two-story stone structure with attic. Behind it is an orchard wherein every tree has been cut down (to create the abatis, and an array of river obstructions known as chevaux-de-frise). Unit Rosters Patriot: 5 Two 12-pdr. howitzers (captured from von Donop), mounted on field carriages. 6 Two 6-pdr. guns on field carriages. The complement of artillerymen at the fort consisted of the men of Cook's Battery, plus selectees from the two RI regiments and perhaps 20 NJ militia serving on detail. 7 Three 4-pdr. guns, on garrison carriages. 8 The 2 Burlington County and East Morris County Regiments of NJ militia. 9 Morgan's Corps was officially designated the 11 VA Cont. Inf. Regt. The hard-core detachment shown here included some 75 superior Gloucester County militia, under Col Joseph Ellis. 10 Greene's artillery park is assumed to have consisted of just two 6-pdr. field pieces. The operation to relieve Ft. Mercer was hastily contrived, and the distance from the Patriot base at Whitemarsh was so great that the artillery brought over from Pennsylvania was probably minimal. 11 Includes 80-100 Continentals drawn from the MD/PA German Battalion. British [12]: 12 The 7 and 63 Regts. of Foot (both of which included many raw recruits), a Jaeger company, and a portion of the 17 Lt. Dragoons secured Cornwallis's lines of communication with Billingsport during this operation. Details from the two infantry regiments managed to round up some 400 cattle for the hungry British Army in Philadelphia. Billingsport itself was garrisoned by the 10 Regt. of Foot, along with about 250 convalescents from Wilson's force. Finally, the 42 Regt. of Foot (The Black Watch) held Cooper's Ferry, well north of the battlefield, by which means the army planned to re-cross the river to Philadelphia once the movement against Ft. Mercer was complete. 13 Each of these two batteries consists of two 12-pdr. howitzers on field carriages. 14 Two 6-pdr. guns on field carriages. 15 This battalion had constituted the reserve at Red Bank on 22 October, and was the only unit to have survived that engagement intact. 16 Includes 70 British Guards. 17 Two 6-pdr. guns on field carriages. SETUP British The British set up first; the Patriots move first. One British player (LTG Cornwallis) should control the three starting artillery batteries, the Light Infantry, the Reserve (with BG Erskine), and the three "C-in-C" (only) reinforcements. The other player (MG Wilson) takes all the remaining British -control I ed units and BG Leslie. As the game begins, the British side is assumed to be in the process of deploying to storm Ft. Mercer. The artillery preparation is about to commence; outposts guard the rear of the main British force, and a few supplementary units are still coming up from Billingsport. The British Light Infantry set up in Line formation at Point H, facing east. One of the British 12# artillery batteries sets up, Unlimbered, at each of the two stars shown in the north-center portion of the map (facing Ft. Mercer). The starting 6# battery sets up similarly, at either location. Units which start at Points 1, K, L, or M set up in Column formation, the heads of each column at the appropriate Reference Point and the rest of it stretching away to the SW, S, SE, and SE, respectively. The columns at 3, L, and M deploy along the roads. The starting Outguard units set up in Line or Skirmish formation, anywhere along the line shown bisecting Point N (including in woods). Patriots If there are two Patriot players, the first (MG Greene) should control the Advance Corps and Left Wing, while the other player (BG Varnum) takes all remaining units and their commanders. If there are three Patriot players, the third controls the Garrison and Advance Corps; the assignments above are otherwise unchanged. Units of the Mercer Garrison set up in any desired formation, in either portion(s) of the Fort. A unit may not agLup so as to straddle the wall delineating the two portions. The two Advance Corps regiments set up at Points B and C, respectively, in any formation. Units of the Patriot main body set up in four, roughly parallel columns at the locations designated for them on the Patriot Unit Roster, the head of each column at the appropriate Reference Point and the rest of it stretching away to the SE as terrain permits. When in doubt, main body units set up along a road in preference to Clear terrain, and in Clear before woods or swamp. REINFORCEMENTS Patriots: None. British: "B" Sqn. (-)/17 Lt. Dragoons enters the table on the road at Point P, in Column formation, on Turn 3. Once this unit has moved, roll 1d6 for the entry of the reinforcing artillery battery: on a roll of 1-4, it enters on the same turn, Limbered, on the road in the same location. If a 5 or 6 is rolled, the battery enters the next turn instead. On Turn 4, roll for the entry of the I Anspach Bn.: it enters that Turn on a I 3 (Turn 5 otherwise). On Turn 5, roll for entry of the Bayreuth Bn.: it enters that Turn on a 1-2. If a 3-5 is rolled, the unit enters on Turn 6; if the roll is a 6, it does not enter until Turn 7. NOTE: Entry of these units cannot be voluntarily delayed. If they are somehow prevented from entering the table past the last possible turn shown for them in the reinforcement schedule above, they are assumed to have turned back to Billingsport and out of the fight. Such units do NOT count as "British units destroyed" for the purposes of Victory Determination. LIGHT AND WEATHER All turns take place in full daylight. The weather is crisp, with a hint of frost. No adjustments to the terrain depicted on the scenario map are necessary due to weather. SPECIAL RULES Field Engineering The following rules address the characteristics of the defensive works present at Ft. Mercer, and the available means of penetrating them: The Abatis. Only foot figures may attempt to cross the abatis, and then only at a gap. This restriction applies regardless of the direction of movement. Stands working to penetrate the abatis must be adjacent thereto, and may not fire. Troops must be in Line formation to create a gap, since they are assumed to be concentrating on a small area. Upon request, a player who controls stands eligible to work on the abatis must announce whether or not they are doing so. The movement penalty involved in creating a gap is 1/2 move for light troops, but a complete move for any other type of infantry. Each figure working on the abatis creates a 1/4" gap for each period spent: a four-figure stand of light troops, for example, creates a 1" gap per 1/2 move. Gaps are treated like Clear terrain. Commanders, messengers, artillery crews, and other individual-type or non-infantry figures cannot create gaps. A stand which passes through a previously existing gap may do so without penalty, provided the gap is sufficiently wide to accommodate the unit's current formation. Although musketry and artillery fire can penetrate the abatis in both directions, the abatis imparts Light Cover to any stands working on it or sheltering immediately behind it, relative to the direction of such fire. Before play begins, the British C-in-C may designate up to four (4) complete stands of friendly infantry as impromptu axemen. Axemen are assumed to be carrying, in lieu of muskets, the army's available supply of double-bit axes, hatchets, rope, and crowbars for use in clearing away the abatis on an expedited basis. A stand of axemen creates gaps in half the time given above: for example, a stand of four axemen who were also light troops creates a 1 gap in but 1/4 move. Axemen may not fire, and operate at one Class lower than normal (due to their unfamiliar duties and self-recognized vulnerability) for the duration of the game. Should a mixture of Classes (quality or morale levels) result within the same unit, the rules you use will dictate that unit's resulting, overall Class. If engaged in melee, axemen suffer a penalty at least as great as that for troops who have no bayonets. The identities of axemen stands are obvious to all units, subject to lines-of-sight. The Ditch This obstacle was about 15' wide and 12' deep. It functions like the abatis above, except: 1) the basic movement penalties it imparts are doubled; 2) the nature of the cover from fire it provides is different, and 3) a section of ditch is difficult to move over even when it has been bridged. Troops used to defeat (fill in) the ditch are called sappers. Before play begins, the British C-in-C may designate any number of foot units, (exception: Axemen may not simultaneously be sappers, and vice versa.) the front rank of which (when in Column formation) is assumed to be carrying fascines---large, tightly packed bundles of brush over which foot troops can effect a crossing of the ditch. A sapper stand may toss its load of fascines into the ditch upon merely coming adjacent to it: there is not movement penalty associated with this action. Subsequently, the sapper (or any other foot) stand may cross the ditch at a cost of but 1/2 move. Sapper stands may not fire before they have disgorged their loads, but they do retain their muskets and may fire on a subsequent turn. In further contrast to axemen, sapper stands retain their normal Class. If engaged in melee, sappers must drop their fascines--but spend 1/2 move gathering them up again before proceeding. A sapper stand may not voluntarily abandon its fascines. No new sapper stands or fascines may be generated during the game. Note that fascines themselves have no effect on the abatis (though if need be, sappers without loads may claw away at it just as do ordinary troops), while axemen are of no special aid in crossing the ditch. Troops may attempt to cross the ditch without the aid of a fascine-bridge. Such troops are assumed to be at the bottom of the ditch, and Disordered. The muzzles of Ft. Mercer's cannon cannot be depressed sufficiently to fire at figures in this location, but such figures have no cover whatsoever from musket fire received from inside the Fort. (They are safe from fire originating at ground level, not immediately adjacent to the ditch itself) It is impossible for troops at the bottom of the ditch to use an established fascine bridge, or to traverse one laterally: they must either exit the ditch (paying the movement penalty again), or attempt to scale the wall where they are. The Fort Walls. The previously-abandoned lower (Field Works) portion of Fort Mercer's curtain wall was 6' high. Unless otherwise provided for by the rules you use this obstacle can only be traversed by foot troops, at a penalty of 1/4 move (rounded up). The wall enclosing the western third of the fort was about 9' high and, in addition, was protected by a frieze (rows of sharpened wooden stakes projecting downward from the lip). It costs troops 1/2 move (rounded up) to traverse . (In the absence of effective shell ammunition, it was impractical for the British to attempt to breach the wood-reinforced earthen ramparts of Ft. Mercer using their cannon. The rules you use might accord the British 12-pounders (only) a chance to do so, however. EMN rebel infantry, guns, and their crews remain vulnerable to cannon and musketry, though still protected by the walls to a significant degree) Limited Patriot Artillery Ammunition . The 4# and 12# batteries at Ft. Mercer can each fire a maximum of three (3) times during the game before running out of ammunition. (( Cannonballs of the correct caliber which were in short supply at Ft. Mercer--not gunpowder) If the optional 18# battery is in play (see below), it can fire only twice. The ammunition available to Ft. Mercer's 6# battery, and to MG Greene's artillery, is effectively unlimited. The ammunition of all British artillery in this scenario is likewise unlimited. Inexperience of Lafayette. Notwithstanding his rank, MG Lafayette can command no unit which does not belong to the Advance Corps. (While Lafayette had already proven his bravery at Brandywine, and a natural talent for handling light forces in skirmishing around Philadelphia, Washington would probably not yet have trusted him with command of a major portion of the irreplaceable Continental Army. Lafayette would finally be given that chance at Barren Hill, PA (20 May 1778), where he performed creditably.) VICTORY DETERMINATION Patriots The Patriots win a Major Victory by being the last to exclusively occupy Ft. Mercer at the end of the game, having also inflicted casualties on the British side in the ratio of 2:1 or more (British: Patriot). ("Casualties" refers not only to figures killed, but to those which have left the table, are Broken/Routed at game's end, surrounded with no realistic hope of escape or relief, or otherwise been rendered hors de combat If the players cannot agree on a unit's status among themselves for this purpose, the game umpire or other impartial authority should be consulted to determine the outcome.) The British side must have suffered at least 20 figure casualties. If only one of these conditions prevails, the Patriots win a Marginal Victory. British The British win a Major Victory by being the sole occupants of Ft. Mercer at the end of the game, having also inflicted losses on the rebel side in the ratio of at least 3:2 (Rebel: British). The rebels must have suffered a total of at least 20 figure casualties. If only one of the above two conditions is fulfilled, the British win a Marginal Victory instead. If each side wins the same level of victory, or any other combination of results prevails, the result is a Draw. VARIANTS AND OPTIONAL RULES Additional Patriot Units To reflect the full order of battle potentially available to the Patriot side, or to tip the game somewhat in the Patriots' favor, Glover's Brigade (During this period the brigade was commanded by its senior colonel, William Shepard, in lieu of BG Glover who was in Connecticut on recruiting duty) can be introduced as reinforcement. The four regiments belonging to this brigade enter the table in Column formation, on the road at Point 0, on the turns shown for them below. All units must be taken as reinforcement, if any are. NOTE: Entry of these units cannot be delayed; if they are somehow prevented from entering, they turn back to Woodbury and out of the fight. Such units do NOT count as "Patriot units destroyed" for purposes of Victory Determination. UNIT COMMAND #FIGS SETUP CLASS 1 MA Cont. Inf. Regt. Reserve 15 Reinf. (4) 3 4 MA Cont. Inf. Regt. Reserve 15 Reinf. (5) 3 13 MA Cont. Inf. Regt. Reserve 15 Reinf. (6) 4 15 MA Cont. Inf. Regt. Reserve 15 Reinf. (7) 4 Per orders from Varnum, the following Patriot troops from Red Bank were used to relieve the garrison at Ft. Mifflin for periods lasting up to a few nights. They had, in fact, shuttled to Mifflin just prior to the 22 October battle, and thus missed taking on von Donop's Hessians. The nightmarish demolition of Ft. Mifflin by British artillery took much of the starch out of these Virginians, but given the pressing need a handful would probably have been fit to fight again a week after Mifflin's fall, at Second Red Bank. By mutual agreement of the players, add them to Ft. Mercer's starting OB: UNIT COMMAND #FIGS SETUP CLASS 6 VA Cont. Inf. Regt. Mercer Garrison 6 A 4 Substitute Patriot Artillery. Six 18-pdr. naval guns (some salvaged from the wreck of the Augusta) guarded the water side of Ft. Mercer; a few may have been available for redeployment in a pinch. Substitute one battery of two 18# guns on naval (garrison) carriages for the 6# battery given in the fort's regular OB. Influence of Mauduit. Ft. Mercer's cannon were sited, and directed during the 22 October battle, by the crack French engineer-artillerist CPT Chevalier Thomas Antoine Mauduit du Plessis. To reflect his influence, each game-turn the player controlling LTC Greene may temporarily improve the Class of one of the fort's artillery crews by one (1). He announces his selection at the moment the battery in question is nominated to fire. The selection may change from battery to battery, turn to turn. Mauduit is assumed to continue to advise a given battery until he is reassigned to a different one, in which case the Class of the first crew falls back to its default level. To help keep track of Maucluit, players should deploy a single, dismounted officer figure. Maucluit need not advise any battery on a given turn, but any such withdrawal must be announced, and reflected by the positioning of the figure. Should a battery Maucluit is currently advising suffer a casualty, the Frenchman runs the same risk of incidental death or injury as would a commander attached to a foot unit, according to the rules you use. Limited Communication. A regime of limited communication should prevail between the Mercer Garrison player, on the one hand, and the other Patriot player(s). Likewise, the two British commanders should enjoy communication only via messenger, or when face-to-face. DISCUSSION This scenario represents only a minor modification of historical events in southern New Jersey during the extended fight for control of the Delaware River in late Fall, 1777. The tactical situation has been deliberately crafted to put the British side, with its vaunted superiority in training and discipline, squarely between a rock and a hard place. Caught in the act of deploying to execute one mission (an attack on Ft. Mercer), the British must decide how many resources to divert to keeping at bay a second, onrushing rebel force. Both British players must demonstrate flexibility, decisiveness, and a notinconsiderable degree of tactical finesse to achieve a happy result. The starting British artillery preparation will be a key to success in assaulting the fort. But don't dillydally, hoping the defenders will suffer some sort of convenient "critical hit": count the number of moves it will take your forwardmost units to gain the interior of the fort via the rebel fieldworks, and allow at least double that time to actually accomplish the job. You will probably have to take your lumps going in. You cannot succeed unless you judiciously employ the special characteristics of your axemen and sappers, respectively, to help the accompanying infantry gain the fort. Make sure you have plenty of both types of these specialists on hand, drawn principally from the Light Infantry. While von Donop's men mistook the abandoned part of the works for their objective, that area is in fact untenable-both to its defenders, and to you once you overrun it. Maintain the scope and rapidity of your assault at all costs, with a view toward entering the main rebel citadel. Don't get fancy, maneuvering hither and yon and trying to time things just right. This might well prove counterproductive: the more time you spend within range of the rebel muskets and cannon, the more lopsided the butcher's bill against you. Lord Cornwallis should probably resist the temptation to dive into his tactical command (of the British Left) in favor of remaining above the fray in his role as C-in-C. The dragoon detachment which starts in the Outguard can do very little until it receives reinforcement. The Outguard should otherwise seek to bend, but not break, under rebel pressure until help can arrive. The Patriots should develop their attack swiftly in order to exploit local numerical superiority over the enemy Cutguard. The NJ militia brigade will not be able to accomplish much head-on, but should instead proceed up the east edge of the table to threaten the British flank. A small force--possibly Morgan's Corps-should peel off to the west to prevent the British reinforcements from arriving. Take advantage of your main line's more numerous light troops, and its artillery, to hammer the Outguard. Subsequently, your actions should be coordinated as closely as possible with those of the Ft. Mercer garrison. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY JACKSON, John W. The Pennsylvania Navy, 1775-1781 (New Brunswick: Rutgers Univ. Press, 1974), Ch. X. LOSSING, Benson Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. I (Harper, 1850), 291-299. MARTIN, David G. The Philadelphia Campaign, June 1777-July 1778 (PA: Combined Books, 1993), Ch. VII. REED, John F. Campaign to Valley Forge: July 1, 1777 to December 19, 1777 (London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1980), Ch. XXV. SMITH, Samuel S. Fight for the Delaware, 1777 (Philip Freneau Press, 1970), Chs. V-X. SYMONDS, Craig L. and CLIPSON, Wm. J. (Ill.) A Battlefield Atlas of the American Revolution (Baltimore: Nautical and Aviation Publishing Co. of America, 1990), Map 22/p.59 WARD, Christopher The War of the Revolution, Vol. I (New York: Macmillan, 1952), Ch. 34. WRIGHT, Robert K., Jr. The Continental Army (Washington, DC: US Army Center of Military History/USGPO, 1988). KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS Overview This scenario is not quite ready to play "out of the box": players will have to adapt some of the concepts and quantities given to the specific requirements of whatever rules set they prefer. I have tried to provide enough information to make such conversion straightforward. I personally use a home variant of the out-of-print Washington's Wars (David R. Hoffman: Soldiers & Swords, 1993). Following is an explanation of key terms and concepts sufficient to get you playing the Second Red Bank scenario. Total Figures. These are combat troops, gun models, and major commanders only (no messengers, etc.). LAYING OUT THE TABLE Refer to the chart to identify the different terrain symbols used. The map concentrates on terrain that did, or plausibly could have, had a significant impact on the outcome at Red Bank. Unit Rosters The number of figures given for a unit implies nothing about basing; units are based according to the specific rules you use. Figures are foot (infantry) unless otherwise noted: Dragoon figures are identified by a letter "c" placed next to the #FIGS for that unit. The number of figures in an artillery crew is shown in parentheses [viz. (4)]; in each case, there is only one actual gun model per artillery unit. (For simplicity's sake, only artillery capable of throwing shot of four (4) pounds' weight or greater is represented in this scenario) An "r" denotes rifle-armed troops, Rifle-armed figures have no bayonets; militia infantry, on the other hand, are assumed to have them unless otherwise noted. SETUP The (lettered) Reference Point at which units set up is shown. "Reinf." refers to units that enter the table after the start of play. The turn upon which they are first eligible to enter the table is indicated in parentheses. This scenario recognizes three standard formations for foot and mounted troops alike: Line, Column, and Skirmish Order, Artillery units can be Limbered (i.e., ready to travel) or Unlimbered (deployed). All units that begin the game on the table are directed to set up in one of these formations, or "in any desired formation." If the rules set being used allows units to assume other formations (for example "Open Order", which in practice lies between Line and Skirmish Order), players may permit a unit to set up therein provided such setup accords with: 1) the terrain the unit occupies; 2) the historical ability of the troop type in question, and 3) the general spirit of the situation. CLASS Troop units are rated primarily on the extent of their historical reputation for martial skill and elan, secondarily on their track record in the War proper. Lower numbers indicate higher skill, morale, and discipline. Commanders A "C-in-C' is that side's senior commander present. By mutual agreement, or if called for by the rules being used, any number of subordinate commanders can be added to the orders of battle shown. All such additional commanders have a default Ability Rating of "Fair." Unless otherwise stated, command figures may begin the game either mounted or dismounted, at the owning player's option. "...[Historians] will not believe that such a force as Great Britain has employed for eight years in this country could be baffled, in their plan for subjugating it, by numbers infinitely less, composed of men often half-starved, always in rags, without pay, and experiencing, at times, every species of distress which human nature is capable of undergoing." -- George Washington to MG Nathanael Greene, 6 February 1783. Background Back to MWAN #114 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. 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