"The great Whisky Rebellion -- what if" Topic

Between the years 1791-1924 there was a rebellion of sorts in the western portions of this New baby Country -- primarily in Western Pennsylvania.
It was called the Whiskey rebellion and a good amount can be gleaned from Wikipedia if interested.
President Washington moved west with approximately 15,000 militia becoming the only sitting American president to lead an army into the field.
What if this rebellion had mushroomed into something much larger?
Has anyone gamed this interesting episode in American history. Did you alter the scale of the rebellion or leave possibilities for it to become much larger then it did?
Plenty of interesting scenarios here I believe.

Russ Dunaway

I don't recall from history class that the Whisky Rebellion lasted quite that long.

We have gamed it ,first blood to the Rebels..then it all went south for the rebellion and lack of artillery.

There's a consistent problem with wargame campaigns and short-lived rebellions, and I don't know the answer. If the Whiskey Rebellion had gone on, the Whiskey Rebels would have changed. There'd have been organization, troop types and probably uniforms. Same is true of 1798 Ireland and Monmouth's Rebellion, among many others. If the war had gone on even a year or two--well, think about the American rebels at Concord Bridge and Bunker Hill and then consider Washington's Army at Brandywine.

So I look at such things, and sometimes fight the historical actions, but I don't turn them into campaigns. Those I fight out with armies that have a full range of troop types.

The goal of the rebels in the Whiskey Rebellion wasn't to fight. It was to intimidate government officials into backing down. When Washington chose to confront the rebels show of force with a large show of force the rebels backed down. I don't see a traditional wargame working for this type of mostly political conflict.

A scenario that would be more true to the conflict might be something like a skirmish game, or perhaps something similar to a western bank robbery game.

That was suppose to be 1791-1724 .
Oopsie daisy oh!!
These type of things actually require imaginations and out of the box thinking so some are just excluded.
It could easily be written into the scenario that the rebellion spread, grew and even acquired some artillery.

Russ Dunaway

Russ, you mean the dates of 1791-1824 maybe?

Tom

Bill N, ask yourself how many wars started because each side was convinced the other would back down. I'd put the AWI on that list, by the way. Washington might have overplayed his hand, and produced a good drop of martyrs--or underplayed, rescinded the Whiskey Tax, but sought other ways to subdue the frontier, after the manner of the British following the Stamp Tax riots. Think of the state of Franklin, property disputes, Indian wars and clandestine British support. I can see it as an alternate history.

But if (rarely) I get involved in a wargame campaign, it's to generate battles--and those battles will most certainly be for armies I have miniatures for.

Even Old Glory doesn't sell castings for the 2nd Franklin Infantry, 1794 uniform, and the flag sheet can be very hard come by. The Very British Civil War is much better documented.

A long ago uncle of mine was arrested in it.
Guess you could make a game of a escalation

No "documentation" necessary.
A bunch of farmers and civilians, many vets of the AWI form, the mob grows, some AWI generals and officers get involved (as happened)
A midnight raid transpires and a couple of field pieces fall into the mobs hands.
More and more sympathetic followers join in.
Washington advances westward from Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Now pick a scenario, the rebels start sniping at Washington's troops as they advance.
Somewhere not far from Braddocks field they grab the high ground and make a defensive position.
A movement in other states begins to garner support and more sympathizers began to organize.
Many vets and milita move West in support of the rebels threatening Washington's rear and flanks.
Some State governments begin to become concerned as to what appears to be Federal overreach or reaction-- Hmmmm -- sound familiar???
Sounds fun to me, would look pretty on the table, perhaps pull some western Indian tribes in on the deal

Russ Dunaway

I always thought that Shay's rebellion had more potential.
State militia fighting armed men from the western part of the state a number of whom were Am Rev vets.

Russ etal, the dates of the rebellion were 1791-1794. Another one to consider is the War of Regulation in 1771, South Carolina.

I vote for Shay's as well. Evenly matched militia – type forces, something over a thousand each. The rebels were organized and had elected officers. Veterans on both sides I believe. A fight in Springfield, then a second smaller encounter in Sheffield in the hills.