In the Shadows of History: Battle of Newtown, 31st July 1689: Part Seven

by Barry Hilton August 28, 2013

Scenario Option 1 The Battle of Newton – Historical re-fight

Williamite Objective

You must drive the Jacobite Army from the field. Victory will be complete if you do so without losing more than 50% of your own strength

Jacobite Objective

You must hold position and repulse the imminent attack. Victory will be complete if you are able to counterattack and drive the Rebels off the field.

Deployment is shown on the accompanying map below. The game has a limit of 10 turns. As historical accounts are not specific about which flank the woods appeared on I have placed woods on both flanks.

Jacobite forces in action against a pursuing enemy

Scenario Option 2 The Battle of Newton – Hamilton returns!

Objectives and deployment are as per scenario option 1. The game has a limit of 10 turns

The potential return of the Jacobite vanguard.

Starting from the beginning of game turn 3 the Jacobite player is allowed to roll two D6 every turn. When the sum total of these rolls reaches 21, Brigadier Hamilton arrives back on the field having rallied his troops.

To determine exactly how many of the vanguard return roll a DAverage and consult the table below:

DAv score Regimental size action Company size action

2 1 squadron (Horse) 4 troops (2 Horse, 2 Dragoons)

3 2 squadrons (1 Horse, 1 Dragoon) 8 troops (3 Horse, 5 Dragoons)

4 3 squadrons (1 Horse, 2 Dragoons) 12 troops (3 Horse, 9 Dragoons)

5 All All

To determine precisely Hamilton’s point of arrival number the table edges 1-4. Dice using a D4 to locate the arrival. Now divide the chosen table edge into three equal sections. Roll a D3 to locate the precise point of entry. The vanguard will enter in line of troops or squadrons depending on the scenario scale chosen.

Map for Scenario One and Two

Terrain

The hill should be treated as gentle but giving an advantage to those on higher ground. BLB gives a +1 melee modifier for this. The morass should be impassable to horses and artillery. Foot should treat it as very difficult going and be disordered when in it. Some of the historical sources say that the ground in the morass had dried out sufficiently in the warm summer weather to allow the Protestant Horse to cross but for this scenario I have not allowed it. The woods should be difficult going for both horse and foot. The few buildings on the southern edge of Newtown and the woods should be treated as soft cover and could be represented as burned out cottages.

Table Size

If the regimental level game is played I recommend a 6 x 4 foot or 6 x 6 foot table. For the company level game which has far more units I would recommend an 8 x 6 or 10 x 6 foot table in 28mm scale. For a 15mm game these sizes could be reduced significantly.

Deployment
The accompanying map shows troop dispositions as far as can be determined from available sources. As a variation, players may actually wish to deploy one or two Jacobite regiments in column of march on the road out of Newton but about half way across the table. The Protestant foot can be deployed on the road also in March column but their dragoons and horse may be positioned forward of Newton and with a possibility of catching the enemy before they cross the causeway and form up with the rest of their army.

Scenario Option 3 The Battle of Newtown – Conjectural

In this scenario option the cavalry clash at Lisnaskea has never taken place and the two forces meet at full strength in open country north of Newtown.

Lay out a table on flat or gently rolling terrain. A road should run from one long table edge across and exit on the other. Each player must place three terrain features each from the following selection: Small wood, small hill, enclosure, small marshy area. Each player can choose up to three of the same type of terrain piece. Terrain pieces can be placed adjacent to each other. Once this is completed roll off for choice of long table edge. Winner chooses. Players should then draw a map and mark on the disposition of their forces. When this is completed place all troops on the table and begin the game.

There is no turn limit on this scenario. The object for each side is to win the day.

Scenario Option 4 The Battle of Newtown – Conjectural with preliminary cavalry clash

In this final scenario option the cavalry clash at Lisnaskea is fought out before the main bodies meet. Set up a table as described in option 3. Dice for choice of table edge. Dice for initiative and the winner can choose to place a troop/squadron first or offer this to his opponent. Players should alternate placement until all troops are on the table. The orders of battle for Hamilton and Berry’s vanguards should be used to form each force. Deployment can be anywhere up to the table midpoint on own side of table.

Surprise

To simulate the shock of two vanguards bumping into each other unexpectedly use the following method to decide which side keeps its head and maintains the initiative. Each player rolls a D6. The player with the highest score is allowed a free move at the start of the game. This can involve declaring charges if any enemy troops or squadrons are within range. Charged units attempting to counter charge take their morale check at a +1(if BLB is used).For other rule sets modify morale test modifiers ‘to counter charge’ in a way that makes this more difficult for the force that has been surprised.

Fight five turns of play. The side which has the most intact squadrons by the end of T5 is deemed to have come off best in the fight. Any squadrons in rout or under 50% strength at the end of T5 are removed from play. Clear the table and follow the set up procedure described in Option 3 to create a new table set up. Once this is done the winner of the cavalry clash can choose which table side they wish to set up on and they can also make the opposing player deploy fully before they themselves deploy. The cavalry remaining intact at the end of the cavalry clash are added back into the main forces and can be deployed for battle.