"Battles of Concord and Lexington " Topic

to play this scenario would you just need bands of minuteman and a few british regulars

At Lexington there was about 400 Soldiers and Marines if I'm not mistaken and 100 Soldiers at Concord. By the end of it all there were about 1500 British Soldiers on the field, and 3800 Americans.

At Concord, the British would be in companies of Light Infantry and Grenadiers.
Lexington would not be much of a game. Just a massacre that no one expected to break out. the game comes in around Concord and on the way back when the Minutemen mustered and hurried to the action.

I have seen an on-line battle report from a gamer who ran the retreat from Concord. He had the American minute men coming on in a phased manner. Unfortunately I can't recall when (more than several years ago) or where I saw it.

Jim

It seems like the Pony Wars rules mechanism might work well for this type of scenario. The Americans could be run by the judge as they appear while the game players run the British units.

British were handled roughly at Concord, and started to retreat.
It would not do to have either side know when and where Minutemen from neighboring villages arrive. Make it random.
The British were close to breaking on the way back, and were indeed "rescued".

Bear in mind that in 1775, the British were very much a second rate line garrison mob, not at all the elite they later became. They were not as good as they were in the FIW or as good as they would become. They were stuck in a miserable grubby town for years, lacking in training, bored and miserable.
So, treat them that way in your scenario.

It's a long road back, so do not go overboard on the terrain. I intend to use "scrolling terrain" when I get enough Brits painted. I have already gamed a few time street fighting in and around Concord. The only advantage the British got were bayonets. The Minutemen were motivated, the British were not.

A lot of Massachusetts political careers were born that April Morning.

I guess it depends on what rules system you use. I would rate the British 1775 at trained, or in British Grenadier second line.

The British battalions took many country hikes during their time in Boston to get in shape. They also drilled in some regular rotations and shot at marks out on the water. What they lacked were experienced officers and combat experience. They also lacked what were called the war time camps in Houlding's book, Fit for Service. They went through those at Halifax and once they landed in NY.

What Lexington and Concord lacked were military objectives – as most of the powder and weapons had been moved by the time they got there.

Having participated in the 225th battle re-enactments there (we only formed up at 4:45am not the night before – though some did the march out of Boston too) – I can tell you that even though the trees had no leaves, the rebels seems to appear out of nowhere as if by magic. Plenty of rolling terrain to hide them, along with woods and walls.

I know we were exhausted by the end of the long day, though I am not comparing our experience to theirs, except to say how absolutely hard theirs was.

To answer the original question, Smith was a poor officer (for rating), and Pitcairn was somewhere between average to good – though his control over the troops was limited.

Off the top of my head I am not sure any marine flank companies were with him. I have seen OBs that list both with and without – though an entire hat battalion was sent in the relief force.

Pitcairn was an odd choice, most likely based on his good relations with the locals. Smith, I believe, was senior and a good friend of Gage's.

I believe the grenadiers stayed formed (in ranks of three according to contemporary drawings), while the Lights often deployed off road and came up behind some of the minute men.

So, depending on your rules, you'd want some flexibility for how you can deploy your companies.

This one really is a company level game.

The Osprey Campaign "Boston 1775" has a timetable of how the various militia units arrived, and which were Minutemen.

The OFM is very slightly harsh on the Flank Company men, although he is correct that they weren't the elite force of the Philly and later campaigns. Urban's brilliant book "Fusiliers" refers to the officers having to block the road at one point and present their bayonets to stop the men running back to Boston. However, bear in mind they had marched almost 20 miles and had no food for 12 hours, having set off in the dark and had to leave Boston by boat then wade ashore on the other side of the Back Bay to avoid American spies.

Again, OFM is quite right that the first engagement at Lexington is not worth gaming, but remember that there was a second tranche of fighting – Percy's relief column arrives in Lexington just before Smith's and they wait there for an hours or so whilst the Flank Battalions take a much-needed breather. During this, some of Pery's regiments send out "marksmen" to deal with snipers in the houses around the green, some of which were burned to deny their cover to the enemy. This might make a good Sharp Practice type of game with a little imagination.

The North Bridge at Concord is an interesting scenario, as four British light companies had passed through on their way to search another home (Maj Buttrick's house?) and were essentially cut off when the hundreds of militia stormed across the bridge and took out the three other light companies defending it. (There's also the chaotic shambles when the three light companies try to carry out a tactic known as "street firing" which one company has practised before, one other company commander has heard of, but 1/2 of the officers and 2/3 of the men have never come across.)

SM:

At work, so no references handy. Were the Marine flank companies with that column? I'm inclined to say no.

It really was a running or maybe I should say a stumbling fight back to Boston. There were a number of instances when the Light Bobs (Light Infantry) would come up behind an ambush set by the militia and just wail on them.

My brother was in the 10th back in the 90's. Here is a shot of him on Lexington green.

The retreat from Concord turned into a very tricky and spirited action. Whether by accident or design the American wound up fighting a very sophisticated action. It was much more than small groups hiding behind rock walls. "Paul Revere's Ride" has a good description of the retreat.

Might take a page from Two Hour Wargames and use PEFs (Possible Enemy Forces). Have them come on table and roll when they are in view of the enemy. Could be anything from a really big company of angry militia to a rumor…

I wanted to do something for this April 19th. This has given me some good food for thought. Thanks.

I like "vtsaogames" idea. I always thought a game where the GM ran the "Mericans" as Wally Simon would call them and have a system to bring them on randomly and in variable unit sizes. Much like a British Colonial game or American West. Then you could use any rules set you liked.

The OFM is very slightly harsh on the Flank Company men, although he is correct that they weren't the elite force of the Philly and later campaigns.

The last time I did Lexington, I was playtesting the magnificent Flames of Liberty.
I considered the "defend our homes" motivation of the Minutemen with the quality of the British. The Minutemen were not rubes and yokels. They had a good sprinkling of FIW veterans, obviously not as spry as they once were. (Who is?)
So, I gave no troops special abilities, both sides being equal, but gave the British bayonets.
It FELT right.
I figured that was the best way to test brand new mechanisms, and be semi historical at the same time.

No, I agree with your assessment of the relative merits of both sides, I just think "second class garrison troops" was a little harsh for the flank companies – the 23rd's grenadier company, for example, had a fair few "Minden men". But absolutely true that the militia – and the minutemen especially – had far more combat veterans than their opponents, if a little longer in the tooth.

One of the regiments at Bunker Hill (the 38th) had obviously committed some sort of faux pas in their early existence, as they had not long returned to Europe after 52 years' consecutive service in the Caribbean.

I highly suggest "The Minutemen" by GEN John Galvin. He covers Lexington and Concord very well.

I've run the game both in Gettysburg and the Wilds of Luzerne County, if I remember correctly.

As someone from that area… born and raised… who has walked the ground…

I think the retreat from Concord is a magnificent game.

My two shillings worth.

Eric

Having walked over the area a few years back, I like the "scrolling terrain" idea. In the end it's all fairly much the same, other than the odd homestead here and there IIRC.

I highly suggest "The Minutemen" by GEN John Galvin. He covers Lexington and Concord very well.

Agree 100% – superb book.

"William Diamond's Drum" by Tourtellot, and "19th of April" by Murdock (Harold, not Rupert, if anyone is worried) are also very good reads. The former is more narrative in style, the latter more dry, but both are full of good info for scenario writers.

Having read Mark Urban's account in "Fusiliers" and visited the National Park visitor centres, Concord, Lexington & Boston, for me, it was like an 18th Century version of Black Hawk Down(!) – a raid that goes very wrong. So, I concur with those who recommend a 'rolling landscape' approach. However, I'd probably go for a schematic map approach with each stage or station representing key events or places along the route (e.g., Concord, Lexington, Meriam's Corner, Bloody Angle, etc.). Each stage could then be fought as a separate action, ending when the British retire (or advance if including both outward and return journeys) off the table to the next stage.

This approach could help in tracking the progress of the relief column (and possibly militia reinforcements) and provide flexibility for gaming the raid over a number of sessions, depending on time available (or speed of the action). There is a nice map of the route in the National Park Service's "Minute Man" leaflet. I, of course, picked up my copy at the visitor centre. I don't know if you can request these things to be posted to you.