On campaign - retrospective

 

This little garden campaign came to life by accident.  Looking at the Paris Commune papers of William (Crimean) Simpson in a private archive in London I came across his photographs of the sapping and mining exercises at Chatham.  A little research followed, and this campaign seemed to be the perfect Wellsian way to open the new season.  

It was also a truly Shandean way to begin, with a siege.  The game used 120 + toy soldiers, 10 cannons and mortars and the Congreve rocket - in a rather small walled garden.  

The Victorian theme will hopefully continue ... 

SIEGE OPERATIONS AT CHATHAM.

The Tasmanian Times (Hobart Town, Tasmania) Friday 21 October 1870 

Some interesting siege operations, in which both

volunteers and soldiers of the line took part, were

carried out at Chatham on the 1st inst, says the Daily

News. Reviews and inspections, and ordinary field

movements are no unusual sights to a Chatham

crowd, but the peculiarity of yesterday's proceeding

caused larger masses of spectators than are generally

to be seen to distribute themselves along the most

favourable positions on the broad eminence known

as The Lines.

The event was in celebration

of the visit of some Engineer Volunteer Corps to

the Government School of Military Engineering.

The Volunteer Engineers were conveyed

by special train from London early in the morning,

and at the station they were met by Colonel

Lennox, V.C, and Captain Marindin, R.E., Brigade

Major. The corps were the 1st Middlesex, under

Lieut,-Colonel M'Leod ;the 2nd Tower Hamlets,

under Lieut.-Colonel Comyn ; the 1st Hampshire,

under Capt. Buchan ; and the 1st London, under

Lieut.-Colman. Our Engineer regiments, as is

well known, are but aa infinitesimal proportion of

the country's great Volunteer army, but though

deficient in numerical strength the men of the corps

represented at Chatham—as many a military man

acknowledged—were quite np to the mark in

appearance and efficiency. On their arrival they

marched along the military road and through the

Chatham Barrack, to the Brompton Barracks pre

ceded by the bands of the Royal Engineers and the

Royal Marine Light Infantry, and followed by crowds

of civilians. 

Later in the

afternoon the volunteers and the garrison men 

combined in the attack and defence of the works of

Chatham. The troops paraded in working rather

than holiday costume, that is to say—officers, patrol

jackets and forage caps; men, tunics and forage caps.

The operations were regulated by the Major—General

commanding from the top of St. Mary's Barracks

by flag signals. The garrison forces were the

Welsh Fosiliers and Royal engineers, under the

command of Colonel Louis. There were two

columns of attack—the left under Colonel Adair,

and the right nnder Colonel Rickman; the duty

of the former being to assault Prince Henry's bastion

and the latter the Giilingham face. The while of

the attacking force was under the orders of Colonel

Lennox. The assault on Prince Henry's bastion

was the first, and to the general spectator

most intelligible and therefore interesting operation

of the day. The columnar assault consisted of the

covering party (1st Middlesex Engineers), sappers

with tools, two divisions of ladders, and the advance,

main body, and reserve of the storming party. The

treonh they had to force was of immense depth and

width, and required some smart work on the part of

the men who had the management of the scaling

ladders. At first the firing over the garrison parapet

drove back the attacking party, but. backed by

a battery of artillery, and assisted by distant aids,

the heights were victoriously carried. To effect this

success the men vent through the numerous movements

that represent the scaling of high walls

and steep embankments, carrying their heavy

ladders with them in retreat and advance. 

The hot

firing on both sides, the flying about of hand

grenades, the appearance of officers, sword in hand,

leading their men into the imminent and harmless

breach, were a very vivid commentary upon the

terrible events transpiring on the Continent. The

scene was highly exciting until with a shout the

garrison was defeated, and the tide of battle rolled

nearer the Medway. The firing of the sniders in

the hands of the *' regulars" was in startling contrast

to the action of the old ramrod pieces with which

the Volunteers were armed. The guns of the

attacking force were worked by parties of the

Light Marine Infantry under Major Nepean. They

were an 18-pounder, two 9 pounders, two 241b

howitzers, and a few mortars. 

The assault having

succeeded, the defenders fell back owing to the

second column having effected an entrance at 

Gillingham face. The covering party in the assault on

this defence consisted of two companies of 2nd Tower

Hamlets Engineer Volunteers, who advanced in extended

order at the double to the edge of the counterscarp,

and lay down there. Then followed the

same movements as before with the ladders, only in

this instance the storming company was composed

of two companies of the General Depot

Battalion, nnder Lieutenant Hart. They

charged over the Giilingham face, and the defenders

fell back on to the Ravelin and Cumberland bastion.

The 1st London Engineers were the main body,

while the reserve was formed of the General

Depot Batta'ion. The remainder of the 2nd Tower

Hamlets Volunteers, and the 1st Hants

Volunteers. The Ravelin was carried first,

and then the Cumberland Bastion. After the

operations, the regular troops formed np on the

parade outside the Crimean Arch ; while the Engineers

marched past Major General Brownrigg,

C B., commanding the garrison. A special train

brought the Volunteers to town in the evening.

The Royal Engineer Train and the Army Service

Corps kept the ground, assisted by the local police.

It was pleasant weather both for soldiers and

spectators.

On Campaign - the finale - phase 2

 The moment of the attack has arrived.  

The mine has been set, using a sketch map.  

The measurement is made, and Mrs H W explodes the mine!

The smoke clears and the crater appears!

The signal is given and the Forlorn Hope spring forward, followed by the Brigade.

Hmm.  More ladders needed?  As the mines at Chatham usually had to be fired in front of the redoubts there was no possibility of a breach.  The attackers needed a at least four more sections of 'escaliers' to effectively storm the Redan, and the umpires agreed that the attackers would be able to keep the defenders heads down, by weight of musketry ... so an honourable draw at the close of play.

Just one thing left to do.

On Campaign - the finale - phase 1

 A beautiful day (four) dawned, and as the mining continued below ground, the toy soldiers deployed for the finale of the Chatham Field Days.

The attacking Brigade is composed of three Battalions and one Independent Company.  

The Brigade 

The Guards (composite) battalion

 The Fore and Fit Princess Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen-Anspach's Merther-Tydfilshire Own Royal Loyal Light Infantry, Regimental District 329A

The Royal Cardigan, Brecon & Radnor Rifles

1 x Independent Coy -  Rifle Brigade with 2 x ladder sections - Royal Engineers as a Forlorn Hope

The Brigade commander observes from the parapet, awaiting the explosion of the mine.  The Divisional HQ are sending orders ...

Meanwhile in the Redan, the Garrison is composed of volunteers from the Central Invalid Depôt at Chatham.  The CO requires some assistance after a heavy night in the Opium Den with John Jasper, the choir master of Cloisterham (Rochester) ...

The Chatham Invalids, 1855

On Campaign - bombardment

 

With both sides deployed, the first two game days were spent with an artillery duel and sapping and mining.

The besiegers fielded;

    2 x Armstrong heavy guns

    2 x howitzer 

    2 x mortar 

    1 x rocket

The defenders fielded;

    3 x heavy fortress guns 

    1 x fortress gun

The Armstrong cannon

The Congreve Rocket was in a depth position in the Pigsty.

The bombardment was conducted with the excellent Nerf gun - small calibre - and the besiegers weight of fire began to tell.  At the close of play the two Bastions were damaged, and the Redan hit in several places.  Much of this damage could be fixed overnight by the defenders.  However, two of the fortress guns had been destroyed.  The Besiegers received relatively slight losses, with one gun damaged.

At the close of the Campaign day, no breach had been made.  The attackers could conceivably build a new parallel and mass a breaching battery, but all eyes were now turned - underground ...

On Campaign - news! Mr Billy Russell of the Times

 Glorious sunshine, and an early start setting up the first game.  

Situation - the lower Chatham Lines are being besieged by the opposition force, who have entrenched/invested the position and mounted their siege guns.  Sapping and mining operations have also begun.  

Before the action begins, a look at the besieging forces, and their HQ.  The Crimean War toy soldiers are very much in evidence, and Lord Raglan will be standing in as 'Backsight Forethought (Snr)' in this campaign.

The Chatham siege exercises attracted crowds of tens of thousands of spectators and were covered by magazines such as the Illustrated London News - so it is appropriate to have the press represented at the HQ, in the form here of the lovely Tradition Billy Russell of the Times.   

Mr Russell of the Times, photographed by Roger Fenton

The Illustrated London News reports on the Chatham Exercises

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