We tested my reworked Camden scenario with the historical deployment. My premise is that the historical deployment should see a Crown victory. Jay led the Continentals and I was Cornwallis. Andrew showed later with Dunkel and cheered the carnage. The field is simple, a fairly open area with swampy ground on each flank, impassable to artillery, difficult for others.
Many sources claim even more NC Militia (all Continental
forces in italics) than I show, while maps indicate they had a fairly small
frontage. That’s why they’re two and three lines deep here.
I forgot a picture of the starting deployment but here’s the
first British turn.
Adding text to the photos I mistakenly started naming the 23rd
(plus Light Infantry) the 33rd. The 33rd was routed by
hot enemy dice. All photos after this show the mislabeled 23rd. Mea culpa.
I goofed here and had the Legion cavalry pass
through the 71st and attack Smallwood’s regulars, who were in
good order. They emptied saddles, removing a base and pushing the horsemen back
behind the 71st, where they would keep them from retreating later,
when things went badly. They would have done better to fall back in good order.
The threat would likely have stopped Porterfield’s
flank move.
Porterfield was routed; the 23rd exploited
and defeated Smallwood.
The game went on a turn longer than it should have. I think the
last NC militia unit fled during turn 4, which should have ended the game
as the Continentals broke. I played the British half of the 5th turn
and Jay threw in the towel. In spite of the hiding he took, he enjoyed the
game. Andrew was happy from the sidelines. We all liked the contagious panic. Some
time we need to play it with free deployment. It should be a lot closer.
We played 4 ½ turns in 135 minutes. There was a lot of action
from the start, since the front lines were within 12” of each other.
The final losses: British lost 6 infantry bases, 3 ran off,
3 cavalry bases, 1 ran off. Gates lost 12 infantry bases, 17 ran off.
12 British bases against 29. I was uncertain about the victory conditions. It actually
worked out better than I thought, a decisive Crown victory. If eliminated
Continental regular bases count double, then it was 12 to 35, a thumping victory,
something like the actual battle. 3 British units routed, the 33rd,
the 71st and the Legion Dragoons. The Continentals saw all 5 militia
units and Porterfield rout. The British had one unit of NC militia,
every bit as bad as any Rebel militia. It lurked in the rear, firing several times
near the end of the game.
