We arrived at the U.S. Army Museum at Ft. Leavenworth for the Simsats Club Gameday event. The Security inspections were to a higher standard as the "terrorist rating" was elevated but that doesn’t stop life from going on as usual. There were 15 players there and four games set up to be played - DBA, Master & Commander (large scale Nappie ship battle based on the movie), Roman Ramming Galleys battle (based on the Ben-Hur movie sea battle), and American Revolutionary War battle in 15mm which I played! The Amer. Rev. game was put on by John Davis using his "Yorktown" rules-set, painted troops and terrain. The way the "rules" work is each side rolls to move first, then the high-rolling side rolls 1D6 for each unit (rgt.) on the table for command points which allow it to: move - 3 points, fire - 2 points, change formation - 1 point, crossing light terrain - 4 points, crossing heavy terrain - 5 points! By the rules a unit that does not move and rolled a "6" could fire "3 times" at the enemy although each unit could "only move once" even if a "6" was rolled - it was a very "luck-oriented" system that could have your units move up "in range" this turn and next turn "not roll high enough to get to fire or move"!! Cavalry could only "charge & melee" (but was very powerful in inflicting hits!) and all "melees" happened last in the turn. Musket ranges were 9" (short) & 18" (long), Rifles ranges were 9" (short) 18"(medium) 27" (long), and artillery could reach out to 27 inches! If you lost a stand (3 hits) you had to morale test - 3-6 passes for all but Militia - Militia passes on 4-6 (attached "leader" helps by "1" but could get killed causing "morale problems"!). The Battle of the Carolina Covered Bridge - as told by the American commander - the British Army in the Carolinas had detached a division of troops to go north to destroy Rebel American supply stores at the town of Higginsville, to get there they would have to cross the covered bridge at Fordable Creek and advance across Higgins Farm then over the slight hill to Higginsville! The Americans forewarned of their coming had called up the local Militia ( 5 rgts.) and Continental Reg.(4 rgts.), 2 artillery guns, Morgan’s Rifles (sharpshooters), and Gen. Gates and his Cavalry (1 rgt.) to stop the on-coming British. They also had time to construct a timber-dugout redoubt on the slight hill before Higginsville. The Americans deployed 3 rgts. of Militia to the left far forward at the fence-line of Higgins Farm fields, 2 rgts. and 2 artillery guns in the middle in the "redoubt", and Morgan’s Rifles on the right in some light woods, with the 4 Reg. rgts. and 1 Cav. rgt. "in reserve" with Gen. Gates to the rear! The British Advance Div. had 3 Hessian rgts. on the American right across the creek, 4 Brit, Reg. rgts. In the middle across the creek, and 5 Tory rgts. and a Cavalry rgt. (Tarlton’s) on the left across the creek. They also had a 2 artillery gun column and Gen. Howe in the middle for support across the creek by the bridge! The battle opened with the American artillery "firing" ranging shots across the creek from the "redoubt" and just hitting "short" of the British on the other side of the creek (we didn‘t allow any pre-measuring but it didn‘t hurt to try - the Brits. knew how far forward they could move before taking "hits")! On the left at Higgin’s Farm the Americam Militia also fired out 18" with muskets and found their shots just hitting the far side of the creek! The British "marched forward "in column’s" toward their side of the creek knowing we couldn’t hit them till they reached their side of the creek by the covered bridge! Morgan’s Rifles in the light woods on our right came out of the woods "in line" and got the "first hits" on the British artillery with their long Kentucky rifles long range out to 27"! The British response to this was to "un-limber" their guns and fire back at Morgan’s Rifles now exposed in the open "in line". Morgan’s Rifles took 3 hits lost a stand and fell back into the woods in "skirmish order" (harder to hit). The British troops continued to shift to the American left toward Higgin’s Farm before crossing the Fordable Creek. The British artillery moved forward to their side of the creek and "counter-battery" fired at the American guns in the "redoubt" scoring 1 hit! The American artillery reply fired both guns at 1 British gun (got 3 hits) and killed that gun (a gun at 1 strength was in-effective so we took it off the table)!! The British moved their troops "in line" up to their side of the creek and started taking "long shots’ at the Amer. Militia at Higgin’s Farm behind the fences. The "artillery duel" continued and the British lost their other gun in the exchange - the British now had no artillery and this was to affect the rest of the battle as the Americans still had 2 effective guns in the "redoubt"!! The British won the "initiative roll" and made the American go first so the Americans would have to "move & fire" before the British "crossed the creek" ( a very trying time for any army!). The Amer. artillery fired at the British across the creek, the Amer. Morgan’s Rifles fired at the Hessians across the creek at long range, and the Amer. Militia at the left fence-line at Higgin’s Farm fired across the creek! The "problem" for the British was on their part of the turn - they had to roll 1D6 for each unit ( rgt.) and they each had to roll at least a "4" to cross the creek (light terrain) - this meant that they only got 4 units across this turn ( 2 Tory infantry & Tarlton’s Cavalry on the left and 1 Hessian infantry on the right) including the unit that came across the "covered bridge"! Just to have "mass" on one area of the table did not mean you could apply it if you couldn’t coordinate your advances (the command points roll left nothing certain)! The next turn the Americans got to go first and the Militia at the left fence-line rolled high and got "multiple shots" on the Tory infantry and Tarlton’s Cavalry (the Cavalry failed the moral roll for losing a stand and retreated back across to the far side of the creek), the Amer. artillery & Morgan’s Rifles shot at the Hessian infantry that had crossed weakening it! The British on their part of the turn finally got about 7 units across and started firing at the Militia at the farm fence-line sending 1 Militia back in retreat. The Hessians on the left advanced forward toward the "redoubt" and left after Morgan’s Rifles in the woods - These "full strength" units killed off Morgan’s Rifles and the Americans had to move forward their Cavalry and a Reg. infantry on the right of the "redoubt" just in case. The American artillery started firing 1 gun to the right each turn weakening the Hessians and 1 gun to the left each turn weakening the British! The British continued to "fire-fight" the Amer. Militia at the left at Higgin’s Farm fence-line and little by little they cleared away these 3 Militia rgts. to capture the fence-line but they were taking hits too from the Militia, from the Amer. artillery and many British units (infantry & Tarlton’s Cavalry) had to fall back & re-group! The Americans moved up their "reserves" (3 Reg. Infantry) and shifted them to the left to face what was left of the British forces ( about 5 good strength infantry rgts.). The American Cavalry was waiting just right of the "redoubt" for the Hessian’s 2 hurt infantry units to come with-in "charge" range so they could "ride them down". The Amer. artillery was shelling the Hessians each turn and the Hessians were weaker & weaker - they would have to move up rapidly and get "butchered" by the American Cavalry or retreat back across the creek out of range! The Americans re-deployed their Reg. infantry into the "redoubt" with the guns and put the Militia there back "in reserve". The American Reg. infantry on the left behind Higgin’s Farm formed line to wait for the British advance as the Amer. artillery was shelling the British lines breaking their morale! The British realized they could not beat a now superior force and withdrew back across the creek out of range - the Americans were victorious!! We enjoyed this American Revolutionary War game battle and learning the John Davies’ "Yorktown" rules! We later played the Roman Ramming Galley game in the afternoon. We had a good day of gaming at the Ft. Leavenworth Simsats Gameday event at the U.S. Army Museum. Thanks to Steve Allie for putting these events on! We look forward to the next Tabletop Tuesday every Tuesday night at Tabletop Hobbies in Lenexa Kans. (6:30-10-ish PM), the August Wet powder Wargamers of Lees Summit Monthly game (Amer. Civil War this month), the next Ft. Leav. Simsats Sept. 25th at the U.S. Army Museum, the LSHS Recruits-Con Sept. 17th/18th at Lees Summit High School (check out www.recruits-con.com) , Border Wars HAHMGS Con Oct. 1,2,3 at the Best Western on S.W. Trafwy. in K.C.Kan., and Command Con Nov.19-21 in St. Louis at Grant’s Shelter! Till then, good gaming all, Harold (Harold’s Old Games) Morgan in Gladstone Mo. (N.K.C.Mo.) Back to Table of Contents Penny Whistle # 61 Back to Penny Whistle List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Lion's Den Publications. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com