In the Sands of Egypt

Today’s regular Sunday game was set in Egypt in 1801. Having locked the French up in Alexandria, the British forces under Hutchinson have commenced their movement on Cairo. The fortified town of Rahamaniyeh was taken and the army advanced along the fertile edge of the Nile while a flotilla of small boats ferried supplies up river. Near Shubrakhit, some fifty miles north of Cairo,  the Nile bends and a broad island restricts the channel. Here the French have built a redoubt in which they have positioned a battery to dominate the channel. If the advance is to be pressed further the position must be carried. It is known that a significant French force is deployed in support.

The table plan with the Nile off table to the left.  The blue line shows the limits of French deployment. Where the line is on or outside the table edge, it shows a possible point of entry. The red line shows the possible Anglo-Ottoman points of entry.

The French force is made up of three infantry brigades and two cavalry brigades.

Brigade

  • 22e Demi Brigade Légeré (3 Battalions)

  • 75e Demi Brigade (3 Battalions)

  • Light battery

Brigade

  • 4e Demi Brigade Légeré (3 Battalions)

  • 9e Demi Brigade (3 Battalions)

  • Light battery 

Brigade

  • 85e Demi Brigade (3 Battalions)

  • 88e Demi Brigade (3 Battalions)

  • Light battery

Cavalry Brigade

  • 3rd Dragoons

  • 14th Dragoons

  • 7th Hussars

  • One horse battery

Brigade

  • 22nd Chasseurs a Cheval
  • Dromedary Regiment
  • Horse Battery
Unattached Artillery
  • Light battery
  • 3 x field batteries

The British had four infantry brigades and are supported by an Ottoman force of five cavalry and six infantry units.

Moore’s Brigade

  • 23rd Foot
  • 28th Foot
  • 42nd Foot
  • 58th Foot
  • Corsican Rangers
  • One 12lb gun battery
Craddock's Brigade 
  • 8th Foot
  • 13th Foot
  • 18th Foot
  • 90th Foot
  • One 6lb gun battery

Stuart’s Emigré Brigade
  • De Watteville
  • De Rolls
  • Minorca Regiment
  • Dillon’s Regiment
  • One 6lb battery

Guards Brigade – Stuart
  • Coldstream Guards
  • 3rd Guards
  • One 6lb battery
Unattached
  • Hompesch’s Hussars

  • 16th Light Dragoons

  • 2 units Dismounted Light Dragoons
  • 2 12lb artillery batteries

Ottoman Forces

Five units Mamelukes

1 unit Jannisary infantry

1 unit Nazim-i Cedid infantry

1 unit of Albanian infantry

3 units of Ottoman infantry 

How the game ran.

The French chose to deploy one brigade with the reserve artillery in and around the redoubt and the two smaller positions. One infantry brigade, supported by the  chasseurs a cheval and dromedaries, was held off table to the immediate left of the redoubts. The third brigade and the cavalry brigade were held off the table opposite the village. 

The British chose to place Moore’s Brigade opposite the redoubts, with Craddock’s Brigade to their right. The Emigre and Guards Brigades were further to the right. Finally the Ottoman troops held the far right, way out in the desert.

The Ottomans swarmed across the long ridge and occupied the village, blocking the path of the French troops on the far left, preventing them from entering the fight.  Meanwhile opposite the redoubts Moore’s Brigade made slow progress on the fertile land, having to cross numerous irrigation ditches. The Guards moved sluggishly but soon got into a position where they could bring superior numbers against the French left. 

However the failure of the French extreme left to arrive sealed the fate of the rest of the French force as the British lapped around their flanks. 

The initial deployment, with the redoubt left centre. 

The Guards and Emigre brigades prepare to advance

The French right

Above and below, Moore’s Brigade advanced on the British left, with the Highlanders leading, against the redoubt 

The Ottoman cavalry swarm forward

The Hompesch Hussars press forward

Craddock’s Brigade advances

Above and below, the Ottomans swarm around the village

The Ottoman cavalry catch the dromedary troops out of square, and eventually break them

The Chasseurs a Cheval about to break the Ottoman cavalry 

Above and below, Ottoman infantry

The Guards and Emigre Brigades begin their swing against the French left

The British artillery preparing to pound the French in the redoubt

The Navy drags up the guns

The final position around the redoubt…the last two French battalions on the table

A Short Visit to Egypt

Veteran readers of this blog may recall that back in October 2018 and March 2019 we replayed the three of the battles of the Egyptian campaign of 1801, more specifically the Landing at Abuqir Bay and the Battle of Mandara and the The Battle of Alexandria or Canope. In the latter action the British were severely defeated and forced to retreat from the field.

Yesterday we played another game associated to that campaign that assumes that after the action of Alexandria a British rearguard allowed the Navy to extract the army, which was taken to Malta where it was reequipped before joining an Ottoman force on the northern tributary of the Nile at Damietta. The united Anglo-Ottoman force advanced on Cairo. Our game takes place around an oasis on that advance that both sides need to control. The oasis was located in the dead centre of the table with undulating ground around the edges.

The French army contained a total of 18 battalions, the dromedary regiment, four cavalry regiments (2 dragoons, 1 hussars, 1 Chasseurs á cheval), 2 horse batteries, two field batteries and a light battery. The Anglo-Ottomans had 14 British battalions, two small units of dismounted dragoons, one unit of Hompesch Hussars, six small artillery batteries, five units of Mamelukes, one unit of Janissaries, one of Nazim-i Cedid infantry, three units of Ottoman infantry. Deployment was free with each side able to deploy across the full width of their side of the table, 300mm in from the edge.

The British deployed with the Ottoman command on the left, Extending beyond the oasis. In the centre, directly opposite the oasis was a small mixed brigade of two battalions, the dismounted dragoons, the Hompesch Hussars and two 12lb guns. Extending to the right was a brigade of seven battalions and two guns, and finally on the extreme right was a abrigade of five battalions and two guns.

By coincidence the French deployment mirrored the Anglo-Ottoman deployment. Their cavalry, supported by the field batteries were on the left, opposite the Ottoman force. Two demi-brigades were posted opposite the oasis. The dromedary regiment, supported by a horse battery, moved to occupy the oasis. Two more groupd each of two demi-brigades extended to the left of the oasis.

The British extreme left that faced my two demi-brigades (below)

In the centre the French quickly occupied the oasis

While the British formed a menacing line to the right of the oasis.

The action started on the British left, where the Mameluke cavalry attempted to take on the French cavalry, but the French troopers proved the better.

The action then moved to the Ottoman infantry, supported by some British infantry and dismounted light dragoons, who engaged the French infantry, and again came off the worst.

With the Ottoman advance stalled, the French artillery proceeded to blow their formations apart and soon drove them from the field. Action then moved to the other side of the oasis, where a strong British force dealt to a couple of demi-brigades in short order.

At the same time action developed on my front, on the French extreme left, with my two demi-brigades stepping off in fine order.

Despite taking a pounding from the British guns, I managed to arrange three battalions to converge their fire on a single British battalion and score nine hits! And he saves EIGHT!!!

Things are looking grim for me when the British attacked, but against all odds one of my battalions turned the tide and threw them back. But both of us were largely fought out and stood back and the action moved back to the centre

The French cavalry, the artillery and the largely intact brigade around the oasis swung to face the last intact British brigade.

Outgunned and with the French troopers circling the last of the British began to crumble.

Here we ended an excellent day’s wargame. 

 

Flatboats and Dragoons

The evil butterfly is still at work on my painting table flitting between projects.

This week’s first task was to complete the third and final British flatboat that I intend to use for coastal operations in the Napoleonic Wars.

I am getting really good at these now and managed to complete the whole set in four days including the basing. It is a shame that I don’t need any more of these now that I have the process well practiced – it’s a bit like wallpapering…you haven’t done it for ages so it takes time to get back into practice, but the time you are finished you are an expert again…then you park that skill for another five years and go right back to the start again. The water effect is still setting - our recent cool wet weather has delayed the cure.

Again I have furled the flags and stored in their waterproof coverings. I have also changed the positions of a number of the crew that are sitting aft to get a little more variety. 

And here is the “fleet” of three models, packed on their storage tray.

Also coming off the painting table is a batch of reinforcements for the Russian Crimean dragoons. The main part of these unit, six figures each were done back in 2016, but three more figures have been added to each and the regiment have been rebased with three figures to a base.

Similar reinforcements for the Russian hussars will follow.

The Butterfly has Been Busy.

Last weekend we took a trip to Queenstown in the lower part of the South Island, just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a winter break in a wintery spot.

Queenstown is a spectacular place nestled between towering mountains. This was my second visit, the first being several years ago when on a couple of warm days in February we investigated the town, ate some lovely food and had a great trip on a steamboat up Lake Wakatipu.  Those towering mountains haven’t changed, but this time they sported a fresh dusting of snow.

We had an eventful trip down. The approach to Queenstown airfield is challenging at the best of times, flying down a narrow valley, and our arrival was met with wind-shear as we exited the valley, forcing two go-arounds, followed by a diversion to refuel at Invercargill (85 nautical miles to the southwest) and then a third, successful, attempt at Queenstown. So our one hour forty flight took us three and a half hours, but with these gorgeous views, who cares, and we were still arrived in time for lunch.

On a fabulously sunny Sunday, albeit with a frosty -4C start, a gondola ride took us another 1000 feet above the town for a breathtaking view over the lake before partaking in the food and wine on offer. I must say I was a little disappointed in some of the restaurants this time that were charging absurdly high prices for some pretty small servings - I mean $32.00 for four scallops in a bit of sauce was a bit steep in an establishment that could hardly be called fine dining. Still we managed to find some places with value and atmosphere - especially as we watched NZ beat Australia at rugby.

Since returning home I have been working hard to catch up on the basing backlog and there are four groups of goodies for show and tell. The varied nature of these item shows an alarming tendency towards butterflyism as I flit between projects...I need to start that Bavarian project to get me back on the straight and narrow.

First is number one of eight Russian Napoleonic limbers I need to do to get the Russian army up to spec.

Second is the first of four Spanish Napoleonic limbers. Drawn by four mules and accompanied by two muleteers, this makes quite a different sort of limber model. I am sure this model will have a second life as a limber for the Carlist Wars.

Third is a unit of Don Cossacks. This is my first use of the Games Workshop Contrast Colours, with the blue being applied over a blue base coat and the hair completed with a coat of Snakebite Leather...really Snakebite Leather? I still need to practice some more with these to figure out exactly how to use them.

The fourth item is number two of what will be three flatboats from the Perrys. This time I have furled the flags. I love this model and am looking forward to the third one.

The butterfly fluttering will probably continue for another few weeks while the odds and ends of projects wrap up.