On Campaign - Sappers and Miners - the shadow of Sebastopol

 The slow build up continues around the Chatham Lower Lines, and sapping and mining will be a feature of this campaign game.  Siege training really took off at Chatham after the Siege of Sebastopol - which had highlighted many deficiencies across the whole army, including the Engineers. 

As a result of the great siege in the Crimea, the Royal Sappers and Miners would be amalgamated with the Royal Engineers in 1856 to become the new Corps of Royal Engineers.  For this campaign some hearty Crimean and Mutiny types will be fulfilling this role.

The trenches of Sebastopol 

Ubique - Sappers and Miners

On Campaign - trenches

As the Campaign develops there will need to be some extensive sapping and mining - both of which feature in the new volume, Garden Campaigns.  Trench warfare can be difficult to simulate, and there needs to be that sense of the 'narrowness' of the trench system and artillery positions.  This campaign is very much about trying out new ideas and is very much an exercise in Victorian toy soldier gaming.

Mr William Simpson gives us some good period images from the Crimea.  

A quiet day in the Diamond Battery, 1854, Sebastopol 

So the trench lines will be constructed to surround the Redoubts and Redan at Chatham...

A rough outline of the attacking trench works.

Leading to a quiet day in the Mortar battery.  

A whole connecting series of trench lines will be required.

  

On Campaign - Mr William 'Crimea' Simpson in the archives

In planning this campaign, a number of initial thoughts had come to mind.  The idea was mid Victorian, and possibly the Crimea or the Mutiny - or a revisiting of the Paris Commune.  Whilst looking at some material relating to the Commune, in a private London library, I came across a photographic scrapbook that belonged to William Simpson - the artist known as 'Crimea' Simpson.  I was looking for material relating to his experiences in Paris, where he was a participant in the siege and Commune.  

William Simpson was a keen photographer, and I was delighted to find his photographs of the sapping and mining exercises at Chatham, in 1872.  These would be turned into illustrations for The Illustrated London News.  

The photographs above may be reproduced here for the first time, and they are the inspiration for this campaign, and a possible 'Victorian (Funny) Little Wars' ...

They show mining operations, with the Chatham lines in the background.

"William Simpson photographed by R. Fenton on Cathecart Hill before Sebastapol. Crimea. 1855."

Internet source.

On campaign - fortifications

 Having decided on a Victorian campaign, based on the war scares of the 1860's, the action moves to Kent - and Chatham, and possibly Dover.  The 'Chatham Lines' were originally developed as a Napoleonic defensive position, but by mid century they were the site of extensive sapping and mining exercises.  Earlier, they had staged large mock battles - as described by Charles Dickens in the Pickwick Papers.  

So, it was time to play around with some forts - which is indeed time never wasted ...

Mark 1 - redoubt

And a ground view from the besiegers baseline/trenches.

The view including the besiegers HQ

The Chatham Lines will need to expand to include a Redan and some serious obstacles, and the besiegers will need to make full use of the depth positions - the flower bed and pigsty.  

All to play for!

On campaign - prelude

 The last couple of months have been spent sorting out some projects - such as completing the Paris Commune armies with sappers, gunners and staff.  Other projects - long on hold - have been dusted down.  But, the key question has been what the main campaign should be for the summer?  FLW HQ is now able to host its first game, so what better than a siege.

The seat of Mars is on the eastern flank of Wales, in a town on the border.  About here 

                                                                                                                ⛛                                                 

I am very fortunate to have a very small walled garden, that is perfect for a 100+ sized army, or a more extended smaller campaign.  There is also a Cider House (shed) that fits a good sized table.

The campaign is going to be Victorian, and initially I had thought of the Commune or Crimea.  But, as it is the first game here it really should be truly Wellsian, pacifist and imaginary - so it will be a Sappers and Miners, and Rifle Volunteers exercise in the 1860's.

This is the first attempt at looking at the shape and size of the siege.   

Ready, be ready against the storm!

Riflemen, Riflemen, Riflemen form!

Tennyson

Paris, siege and Commune, 1870/1871 - Barricades

 The month of May has been dedicated to a refreshing of the 1870 figures, with a particular nod to the Communards and Versailles armies.  It is hoped that the new season will give them an outing in a mini campaign.  1871 remains the 'terrible year', and HG's novel 'The sleeper awakes' has echoes of the Commune.

Barricades are an icon of the battles in the 'bloody week' in May, 1871,

But first, the aim is to rework the Nineteenth Century FLW rules and try out some new ideas.  

Paris, siege and Commune, 1871 - the artillery and sappers

 A number of projects have been 'in progress' during this winter quarters.  Most activity has been focussed around the rewrite of the Campaign edition of FLW, which is now available.

Sieges continue to fascinate, and I have been doing some work on completing the 1870/71 armies.  The inspiration has been August Raffet's magnificent work;

Costumes militaires sous les deux sièges de Paris

available online here:

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52505837g.r=

To begin, the artillery and sappers.

The toy soldiers are mostly the early, and excellent Barzso ACW figures - painted here at 1870/1871 French.