ECW Campaign. Battle 2. The fat lady sings - Winterton

Get yer microscopes out lads…it’s time for another migraine inducing squinty eyed 2mm battle, brought to you via Broomtech’s latest crapovision technology. (Teeny weeny figures, crap lighting and dodgy iPad camera).

Background fluff

Spring 1643 saw the re emergence from winter quarters of both armies. With his supply lines constantly ravaged by parties of Royalist horse, Parliamentary General Waller continued to slowly retire from the midlands towards the Thames Valley. His brief occupation of Coventry and Banbury had rattled the King in his new Birmingham capital but had been unsustainable with the majority of resources now redirected towards General Essex in the south. 

Meanwhile in Birmingham Queen Henrietta Maria had been more than a little disappointed in her husbands lack of martial prowess and had chided him, continuously, to do something material to advance his cause. Party to some of her majesties more caustic comments Rupert suggested that Charles could take part in the ongoing pursuit of the retiring General Waller. Perhaps keen to escape his wife’s opprobrium Charles agreed. 

In early April the Kings new horse heavy field army approached the tiny village of Winterton surprised to find that General Waller had decided to make a stand on the ridge that ran behind the settlement. It seemed an ideal opportunity to burnish the kings martial credentials and at the council of war, Rupert proposed a bold plan. 

The ridge ahead of the royalist army was bisected by a road and the Parliamentarians had occupied both sides of it. Rupert proposed that he take four of the five cavalry regiments available in order to push the enemy off the rightmost flank. The King could oversee the occupation of the enclosures in the centre ground, fixing the attention of the Parliamentarians while Rupert ran amok. 

These are the two burn cards that the Royalists can play during the game.

And for completeness here are the Parliaments burn cards.

On the Royalist left a force of dragoons, infantry and a regiment of horse under Wilmot were left to fulfil a screening role. Wilmot was a capable commander but under somewhat of a cloud after his participation in the recent southern failure with Hopton.

The battle commenced after lunch with a desultory Royalist canonnade that caused little loss amongst the enemy. 

General Waller was dismayed to see the size of the army before him and even more so when he realised the King himself was leading it. Hurriedly he toured his restive foot and ordered them to dig a ditch the better to defend themselves. Taking up position on the crown of the ridge he watched his own battery of cannon below as they readied to return the royalist barrage. 

Initial battlefield deployments. On the left are the royalists with Rupert in the foreground. On the right Hesselrig’s cuirassiers line the ridge, in the middle are Chudleigh’s infantry and way over in the background is Lord Stamford’s horse.

Seemingly moments later he found himself unhorsed and partially deaf, being ministered to by anxious staff officers. The site occupied by his grand battery of cannon was now a scorched and flattened slope littered with the dead and dying. 

« Ere corporal pass us that briar of yorn…but mind you don’t trip over that budge barrel. Oh eck »

Messengers began to arrive from the Hesselrig’s horse on the left most ridge and Lord Stamford’s horse on the right. Both sought reassurance about Waller’s continued good health but Hesselrig also reported a worryingly large party of enemy horse massing to his front.

And so the battle began in earnest.

On the Parliamentary right Lord Stamford noted the weakness of the Royalist screening force and after approval from Waller led a sudden rush of horse down the ridge into Wilmot’s unsuspecting cavalry. Already weakened by having despatched scouts Wilmot’s men took 75% casualties but stubbornly held their ground. Though successful and suffering minimal casualties it was Lord Stamford’s men that withdrew to reorganise and reload. 

Lord Stamford’s men give Wilmot’s chaps a real pummelling before pulling back to reload. 75% casualties but still holding their ground.

In the centre of the field the Royalist foot advanced and in concert with a regiment of dragoons secured the defensively important enclosures while the King watched on from a small hillock to the rear.

The royalist centre seize the central enclosures then begin a slow advance on the enemy ridge line.

Rupert on the Royalist right had amassed a mighty force of four regiments of horse and as soon as his scouts came back with news of Hesselrigs occupation of the ridge ahead, he gave the order to move out. The cohesion of his advance was interrupted a little when the Parliamentarian cannon chose to immolate themselves but the ride up the gentle slope of the ridge still hit his opponents cuirassier horse with great force. Though his initial units were thrown back they caused some casualties and a great deal of confusion, confusion exploited by Rupert who raced up a small defile to arrive on Hesselrig’s flank. 

Rupert, centre of picture, sends Hesselrig reeling after 2 of his own regiments are beaten back.

Within moments of Rupert’s arrival Hesselrig’s broken squadrons began streaming back towards Waller on the other ridge. Rupert pursued, causing yet more losses until he ran into the hurriedly repositioning foot of Lord Chudleigh. The parliamentarians managed a ragged volley that was enough to throw Rupert’s men back with loss. 

Watching Rupert’s progress Waller began to dictate orders for his army to retire from the field when fate took an unexpected hand.

On the Parliamentary right Lord Stamford’s men were unaware of battlefield developments elsewhere but could clearly see that the Royalist screening force to his front were weak and over extended. Marshalling his two squadrons of horse he urged them forward once more. 

Wilmot’s horse saw them coming this time but aware they were all that was available to block the onrushing enemy they stood their ground. Wilmot and a small group of troopers survived the onslaught but the rest were swept away and Lord Stamford’s men found themselves unexpectedly amongst the enemy baggage train and the King’s entourage. The Royal Standard fell and Stamford was forced to shoot one of his own men who raised his sword to strike the unhorsed King. 

The King’s entourage watch in disbelief as Lord Stamford’s two squadrons destroy Wilmot’s remaining horse and head towards them.

After destroying the Royalist baggage Stamford loops around to attack the Kings party from front and rear. The leader casualty check revealed the King had been killed (two crossed sabres) but I downgraded it to captured as being the more likely outcome.

Apologising profusely to the Monarch, Stamford saw him immediately remounted and then hurriedly rushed him from the battlefield under the protection of every trooper he could still muster. 

Queue fat lady breaking into song.

So, the curse of the ECW campaign strikes again, my first campaign, six years ago, was also cut short by a series of unexpected in game events. 

Doh…

So it’s over…almost before it began.

Or is it?

Here are a couple of options that I’d like your thoughts on. I’ll go with whichever seems the most popular. 

1) Enough with this never ending ECW stuff let’s have some Space Nazis!

2) Carry on with Charles briefly imprisoned but then escaping while dressed as a washerwoman. 

3) The Queen and Rupert ride an upsurge in Royalist support for the shameful handling of the monarch and attempt to free him by continuing the fight.

4) The King agrees a modified list of Parliamentary demands and remains a heavily curtailed ceremonial figurehead. Game over. Parliament automatic win. Until the King does some double dealing in the  future and we get a second civil war I suppose.

5) The Royalist party claims the captured king is an imposter, A « lookey likey » used by Parliament after the real King was bravely killed at the head of his troops. The King’s eldest son is proclaimed King in a low key Birmingham ceremony. The war goes on.

6) Any other outcome you feel you’d like to see…that doesn’t include Space Nazis.

Toodleooh