"CAMERONE DAY" Topic

Put up a post on my Maiwand Day blog introducing my new effort on the blogging front -- a Camerone Day blog, meant to chronicle the lead up to a refight on the 150th anniversary, on April 30th, 2013, one year from today. Also put up a handful of pics of recent Afghan terrain and miniature gaming efforts. If interested, please check it out here:

link

And if anyone feels like gaming it, or making up a nice little diorama, we do a special pack:
link

On 30 April 1863, Captain Jean Danjou, with 2 other officers and 62 men sought to hold a defensible position at the Hacienda Camarone, an inn protected by a 3-metre-high-wall.

While his legionnaires prepared to defend the inn, the Mexican commander, Colonel Milan, demanded that Danjou and soldiers surrender noting the Mexican Army's numeric superiority. Danjou replied "We have munitions. We will not surrender".

This force, who had had nothing to eat or drink since the day before, in spite of the extreme heat, resisted against 800 Mexican cavalry and 1,200 Mexican infantry from 10am to 6pm. Captain Danjou was shot in the chest and killed, but his men fought on, culminating in an heroic bayonet charge by the 5 remaining men.

When the last two survivors were asked to surrender, they insisted that Mexican soldiers allow them safe passage home, to keep their flag, and to escort the body of Captain Danjou. To that, the Mexican commander commented "What can I do with such men? No, these are not men, they are devils".

This pack contains 5 fighting legionnaires, 1 wounded and 1 dead with 1 dead Mexican lancer and his horse, but we have more Mexicans if you want to do it in 1:1. :-)

Brave men indeed, no wonder the FFL celebrates this day.

We are re-fighting it tonight at the Slimbridge club using Tim Tilson's scenario, our own rules and QRF's Freikorps range

I read the title and thought for a moment it was going to be something to do with the Prime Minister!

Thanks for the reminder, I had forgoten. I will now fly the Tri-color off my front porch today.

Oooooh. Shiny. I need more QRF/FK 15s.

I need to dig out my TSATF rules…..

Eric

I agree, you need more FK 15s :-)

Love QRF\FK 15s for the Maximilian Adventure. I'm running two games at Historicon using mostly QRF figures. First wil be Puebla, while the second game is an ahistorical fight between Imperial Mexican army and Republicans.

Geoff, that specially pack has two advancing legionaires that are pretty cool looking. Any chance you could make a pack of 8 (4 each of the two poses) to add variety to the existing line?

Eric Burgess
Maximilian Project – link

I second Eric's request

My group is playing Cinco de Mayo on…. May 5th! Complete with Mexican food and tequila. Viva Juarez!

@Pan Marek: sounds like a plan!

(adds another blog to the 'following' list)

This incident is notable to me in various readings for the complete lack of dissension or hesitation from any of the troops, as well as no man trying to slip out.

Pretty tough to slip out when your one of 60, tired, thirsty, dressed funny compared to the locals and surrounded by 2000 angry Mexicans.

Eric

That being said, of course, it IS the Legion…

Now, let's see if I can convince She Who Must Be Obeyed that Geoff absolutely needs some of my custom…

Eric

Hi everybody ,

I rescued a few picture of the Freikorp little diorama done many moons ago, and I have a bit of fun with photoshop.

link

Cheers

Great story behind Camaron, making of heroes

Geoff, that specially pack has two advancing legionaires that are pretty cool looking. Any chance you could make a pack of 8 (4 each of the two poses) to add variety to the existing line?

I'll look into that, as I thought those were already available in a pack

Thanks Geoff. Those two figures are only in the Cameron set. They are EXCELLENT figures and would add greatly to the existing French figures for the period.

I have always liked the Foundry Legionnaires, but have been frustrated in finding suitable Mexican opponents, particularly mounted. Does anyone have a suggestion?

Thanks,

The Colonel

That Foundry range does include a few Mexican cavalrymen, I think there are 4. A dependable source of various regular & irregular Mexican cav. is Old Glory's Mexican-American War and Alamo ranges. Here's a link:

link

The Mexican commander was a plank. Gallant, chivalrous, but militarily a plank.

Wow, took me forever to figure out how to post a pic from the new-&-legitimately-improved Blogger system here on TMP, but finally managed to pull it off.

Funny, the first Camerone figures I ever owned were the figures in that exact same Freicorps 15 set, which I must have bought back in the mid-to-late Eighties.

Still need to post a ton of pics from our 149th anniversary game on the new blog. The game itself lasted pretty much all day, and was a lot of fun, and considering it was pretty much "cobbled together" terrain wise, looked pretty good too.

For anyone interested, here's a direct link to my fledgling Camerone Day blog:

cameroneday.blogspot.com

If you navigate back though previous posts (don't worry, there aren't too many posts up as of yet!) you will see a detailed diagram of the hacienda compound, along with somewhat over-written plans for its forthcoming construction.

@CooperSteve: with regard to Colonel Milan, remember he was hamstrung by a complete lack of artillery or engineering equipment in the face of a determined enemy entrenched behind limestone defenses -- one small mountain gun, or even just some picks and shovels, would have made a dramatic difference in the casaulties suffered by the Mexicans and the time they required to defeat Company Danjou. Of course, you could say Milan should have waited to attack until such equipment was secured and put to use against the walls, but who knows how long that might have taken. In the end, I'd say the most memorable part Milan played in the "drama" of the battle is that which you give him credit for: being supremely gallant and chivalrous to his defeated opponents.

He was gallant from the off, the plankness was not realising that these guys were hanging on for grim death not out of zealotry but to buy time for the convoy that was Milan's real target.

So far as his poor troops were concerned, not that benign, given their casualties!

But credit to him for his decency, in a war where atrocities were all too common on both sides.

Hi:

Larry Brom told me of a personal experience with the Cameron.

He was in the Marines after Korea, on a ship in the Med. They were given shore leave in Algeria. Larry said that he and his fellow Marines when to the Legion museum (outpost) and saw Lt. Danjous's wooden hand. Larry said that he and his buddies laughed about it, until an old "sweat" legionnaire told him to revere the artifact. Larry has always maintained that the only fighters tougher than Marines are the Legion. I don't believe that he has ever forgotten that encounter. Though I have not asked about it in the last 30 years, I know that he feels that the legion is tough.

Swab Jockey

Thanks for posting that story, Swab Jockey. As a long-time admirer of the Legion, and a long-time player & fan of TSATF, I won't forget it.

"I'll look into that, as I thought those were already available in a pack"

Geoff, The advancing ones are available but counting clockwise from the first prone figure, the second and fourth are not. That's the ones we want and if you might oblige it would be great.

Gents

with 15mm FFl covered in excellent fashion should you

require 28mm FFl in depth please note the Camerone set is

released see gringo40s.blogspot.com

an additional release for the last stand part 2 will be

on sale in about 2-3 weeks with Republican ground troops

regards

Ged

gringo40s.com
gringo40s.blogspot.com
and 28mm Maximillian