Part TWO of our Fourth Game in our ECW Campaign

Denley Run

This game was fought on May 29, 2004 with our ECW rules set and our "club" 15 armies. The "club" forces are owned by Jay Stribling, Jim Pitts, Robert Whitfield, Mark Stevens, Mike Lowry, and David Burton.

The campaign in it's original form stopped after game number three The King's Debaclethis battle, with the King's acknowledgement of defeat. This game did not really "fit in" with the first three. Our new premise was that the Scots are allied to the rump of the Royalist forces, while the Parliamentary army (with the blessing of the King) strives to eject the Scots from Northern England.

Jay Stribling was the game-master, and is your humble narrator. Ed Sansing and Robert Whitfield took the photos.

Photo by Ed Sansing

The Northern edge of the battlefield with the troops well engaged. Colored red arrows indicate the path of the Roundhead cavalry, while the blue arrows indicate the Scots horse. Three of the infantry units (facing to the right) are Scotsmen under the command of Fred Diamond. The garrison of Longwood House are Parliamentary units led by Phil Young.

Phil held his ground and Fred, over a 3 turn period, was pushed back, then routed by an attack by Phil's horse. The Scots fled into the marsh where the horse declined to pursue them, but the hapless Scottish foot did not rally from rout.

Photo by Ed Sansing

Horse battles horse in the center as Bill Reiman's mounted units try to force their way across the run. The Royalists were on the attack all along the stream.

Photo by Ed Sansing

Photo by Ed Sansing

This is the southern end of the field where getting across the stream was the real battle. Colored rings may be seen on some units. This is the system that the Jackson Gamers use to mark the morale rating of a unit after it first tests morale in the game.

Gold or Yellow indicate a unit with four morale points - The BEST!
Blue indicates a unit with three morale points - above average.
Green or White indicates a unit with two morale points - average.
Red indicates a unit with only one morale point - a disaster waiting to happen!

Photo by Ed Sansing

Fred Diamond (black shirt) and Bill Reiman (blue shirt) discuss the situation on the Northern end of the field. Note the strips of paper in Denly run. These are the results of the reconnaissance of each unit that tried to cross the stream. The game-master promises to use blue paper next time!

Photo by Ed Sansing

The left flank. The cavalry on the extreme right of the image are Scots who forded Denly Run. They were pounced upon by Roundhead cavalry hurrying up on the left of the photo and forced back across the stream. For the entire game, Ed Sansing (Roundhead) and Sean Pitts (Scot) tried to get across Denly Run and have at each other. Poor command response would allow only dribbles of troops across (mainly Scots) who were forced back each time.

Photo by Ed Sansing

The cavalry at the top of the photo are Royalists under the command of Robert Whitfield who have forded Denly Run (a time-consuming thing to do) and have raced into the midst of Parliament's position. Almost all of General Pitts' infantry has faced left and made a wall to seal off this incursion. The white-coated unit on the left is the artillery's firelock guards, hastened up to prolong the Roundhead line. One regiment of Parliamentary cavalry (with blue morale ring) engages Whitfields' two units of Royalists.

Photo by Ed Sansing

Victory Conditions

Each Player had three Vital Points on his side of the field to hold, and three Objectives on the enemy's side of the field to take.

Parliament

Parliament and the Scots had won the third battle and captured all the Royalist artillery. The cavaliers have fallen back in disarray. You are advancing now and they have chosen a strong place to receive you. You have been reinforced and the Scots have sent another regiment of their little lancers (not really proper horse) to help you.

You will attack the Scots army and drive them from the field. Your objectives are to seize the enemy baggage train, take the bridge over Denly Run, and the enemy's road to the rear.

Your Vital points are your baggage train, the road to your rear, and the Longwood House, your headquarters. Long live King and Parliament - death be the lot of the Scots!

Victory Conditions - The Scots

You have chosen a strong location behind the "Denly Run" with bogs hampering the enemy's effort to cross. Hard work and grevious expenditures have raised new troops, including two new regiments of Lancers - a weapon that the English do not understand.

You were sent to this land because the Parliament needed help, and they promise to embrace the true church (The Kirk of Scotland) after the war is won. They have shown themselves to be liars and heretics! They will not keep their word.

Your objectives are the enemy baggage train, the enemy's artillery, and Longwood House. Your Vital points are your baggage train, the bridge over Denly Run, and the road to the rear. God Bless the true Kirk! Down with the Parliamentary English Rascals!

Photo by Ed Sansing

You may cross first good sirrah! Nay sir, YOU go first! Each side has been across the bridge once and been pushed back by this time. The Scots (on right) had only Horse to take or deny the bridge but Parliament was marching its foot up. The black tractor tires carried by the pikemen at bottom left are "Casualty rings".

Unit Organizations

Each of the "Foot" regiments consisted of 4 stands of 'pike' and 4 stands of 'shot', four figures per stand. So a full strength regiment was 32 men. "Horse" regiments consisted of five stands of 3 figures each, for a total of 15 men. A few horse regiments had 6 stands.

"Dragoon" regiments had 18 men mounted (6 stands of three each) and 16 men dismounted (4 stands of four each). The difference in men were considered to be holding the horses of the dismounted ones. "Firelock" regiments, of 'shot' only had s stands, each of four men.

Photo by Ed Sansing

So - Who won the battle anyway?

When we quit the fighting, the game was a draw. However, all agree that if one more turn had been played, Parliament would have secured the bridge over Denly Run and won the battle. This battle was very Cavalry-heavy with the Scots and Royalists fielding 7 "Tertias" (brigades) of Horse and 2 of Foot. The Roundheads brought 6 Tertias of Horse and 3 of Foot to the battlefield. The Scots had 5 cannon while the Parliamentarians had 6.

Return to the First part of the FOURTH battle

The FIRST battle in this series.

The SECOND battle in this series.

The THIRD battle in this series.

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