"Basing for company as maneuver element?" Topic

I plan to start with a Fenian project using the Counter Strike mini-game Army of Ireland as the basis for the homebrew rules to wargame The Battle of Ridgeway. It was a small battle (more of a skirmish); In the game, the element of maneuver (i.e counter) is a company.

I am using 10mm miniatures on a single larger base instead of a counter to represent a company. I'm thinking a rank or two of infantry marching/advancing with a handful of skirmishers out in front. Does that sound like a decent enough representation of a mid-19th century infantry company? Any thoughts or opinions?

I'd be inclined to do 2 lines without skirmishers.

Place some officers/NCOs/drummers appropriately (that's a cop out, because I have no idea where they'd be). How big is your base?

I haven't decided on a base size but probably something like 60mm or 50mm x30mm or 60x40 or roundabouts.

I'm thinking of a single or double tank in the rear and a few skirmishing out in front.

This image shows how I imagine companies formed up with a company or two spread out in front as skirmishers:

Hello Prince Albert,

I was fortunate to be able to do a short tour of the Battle of Ridgeway in late August and have pulled together some information on the engagement. Looking at the Canadian order of battle it appears that the average company had a strength of 46 men.

Deployed in 2 ranks would give a company frontage of 24 yards if one assumes a frontage of 1 yard per file. That would fit nicely with 1 inch stands and a ground scale of 25 yards per inch. At that scale the Ridgeway battlefield would exactly fit onto a 5X7-foot table.

Unfortunately, the Fenian order of battle does not provide the number of companies in each of the larger units so the average size of these smaller formations cannot be determined.

Order Of Battle

Canadians

2nd Battalion Volunteer Militia Rifles of Toronto "The Queen's Own Rifles" – 481 officers and men in 10 companies.
- green Rifle uniforms.
- 5th Co armed with Spencer Repeaters albeit with only 28 rounds each.

13th Battalion Volunteer Militia of Hamilton – 265 officers and men in 6 companies
- red tunics with dark blue collar and cuffs.

York Rifle Company, Volunteer Militia of Haldimand County (attached to QOR) – 47 officers and men.

Caledonia Rifle Company, Volunteer Militia of Haldimand County (attached to 13th Battalion) – 48 officers and men.

Fenians

7th Buffalo Regiment "Irish Army of Liberation" – estimate of 150 men.

13th Tennessee Regiment of Nashville plus 200 men from Memphis Company – total 315 men.

17th Kentucky Regiment of Louisville – 144 men plus 2 Terre Haute Indiana Companies
- Louisville contingent had blue jackets with green facings.

18th Ohio Regiment "Cleveland Rangers – estimate of 50–100 men.
- green shirts and caps.

19th Ohio Regiment of Cincinnati "Irish Republic Volunteers" – 220 men.

New Orleans Company "Louisiana Tigers" – 100 men.

Troop of mounted scouts riding horses seized on the Canadian side – estimated at 25–50 men.

Many of the Fenians wore civilian clothing with green scarves although some wore an assortment of blue U.S. Army and grey Confederate Army tunics, some with green facings. Fenian standards had the Irish 'sunburst' in gold on a green field and one standard featured the Irish Harp.

I also have several maps of the battle. The best of these are photos of a map display at the small pavilion at the site.

A good history of the battle can be found on pages 176-230 of Peter Wronski's PhD dissertation. He also published a book on the battle, but the dissertation is available for free. LOL

PDF link

Interesting.