"Rebellion! Guilford Courthouse Rifleman Stats Query" Topic

Chaps,

On page 135 of the Rebellion! Black Powder AWI book it gives the American Riflemen units a Hand-to-Hand rating of 2. This seems a bit low and I thought their rating would be perhaps 3 or 4. A typo, or do you think the rating is correct?

Thanks,

Ezza

Remember, they didn't have bayonets.

Jim

The Jagers in the same scenario are also armed with rifles, but get a 4 for their Hand-to-Hand rating.

Ezza

Jaegers did not have bayonets, true, but they did carry
a very long knife/very short-sword-like blade.

Did not some American riflemen carry hatchets/tomahawks
or similar arms ?

not as good perhaps as a short sword/long knife, but
useful, surely ?

Can anyone point out when American riflemen (CL) actually fought hand to hand and seemed to do particularly well? I could say the same for the Jaegers too though, but they were professional soldiers and as pointed out, at least had swords.

If memory serves me correctly, the riflemen at Guilford Courthouse were militia, which probably explains the low hand-to-hand, since they wouldn't be inclined to stand and fight even if they were equipped for it.

LT

Just like at Cowpens, they were told to give two shots and fall back. That's the key. They were given permission to skedaddle. Which means that by falling back, they were following orders and not being cowards.
Which also meant they were not expected to fight.
Jaegers on the other hand were professional soldiers, and armed with a melee weapon.

To me the ratings make sense.

At Cowpens, Morgan realized they would run away anyway. So, why not make that part of your plan? Tell the men that not only did you expect it, they could do it with honor. +25 points on morale. He told them where to rally. And they did. Did not fight hand to hand, but enough came back to influence the battle with shooting and went on after the war to have successful political careers.

The riflemen in the Continental army were most effective when teamed up with a bayonet/musket unit to support them.

Hessian Jaeger rifles did take bayonets.

I haven't got Rebellion! to hand at the moment, but seem to think that most other rifle units (whether American, British or Hessian) in other scenarios have a Hand-to-Hand rating of 4. But will check through the other scenarios later to see if this is indeed the case.

Ezza

Actually, more of the scenarios in Rebellion! in which American rifles appear give them a Hand-to-Hand rating of 2 than give them a 4. They get a 4 at Cowpens, Spencer's Ordinary, and Gloucester Point, a 3 at Chatterton's Hill, and a 2 at Princeton, Bemis Heights, Weitzel's Mill, and Guilford Courthouse.

The Hessian Jaegers do indeed rate a 4 most of the time, although they only get a 1 in the Newport scenario because they're a Tiny unit.

LT

Unfortunately for the Germans their rifles could not mount a bayonet. They were usually backed up by a bayonet wielding unit such as the QR, Highlanders, or German grenadiers. The Ferguson rifle, however, did mount a bayonet. Perhaps that is what you were thinking of.

I believe Ewald talking about this in his journal.

Brass1,

Thanks for your comments on the other Rebellion! scenarios. I also had a look as the scenarios and saw that several other rifle units have a Hand-to-Hand rating of 2. So will keep the stats as they appear for the scenario.

Ezza

In a one on one hand to hand fight a rifleman could probably do as well as a musket and bayonet armed British soldier. In a melee between units of riflemen and musket armed troops though, the riflemen would have been at a disadvantage. The riflemen's strength would have been at picking off their opponents from a distance.