Musket & Tomahawk: A Military History of the French & Indian War, 1753-1760 (Regiments & Campaigns)

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Speaking of missions my absolute favourite thing about Muskets and Tomahawks (and if you’ve read my comments on OTT I do mention this a lot) are the Side Plots. Every game should have side plots, 40K, AoS, Flames of War, Bolt Action, Monopoly all of them need some good side plots.

Origins Skirmish in Hampshire County, West Virginia, Spring 1756. In the early part of the war, the French, Canadians, and their allied Indians prevailed on the frontier. However, the Colonial Americans did have the occasional success against these raiders. In the spring of 1756, Virginia Militia Captain Jeremiah Smith of Albemarle County arrived in Hampshire County, Virginia, then on the western edge of settlement and today part of West Virginia. He was just in time: “...a party of about 50 Indians, with a French captain at their head, crossed the Allegheny Mountains... Capt. Smith raised a party of twenty brave men, marched to meet this...foe, and fell in with them at the head of the Capon River, when a fierce and bloody battle was fought. Smith killed the captain with his own hand; five other Indians have fallen...they gave way and fled.” Episodes such as this were repeated scores of times in the frontier countiesVaudreuil, Governor-General 53, 56, 59, 71, 72 Virginia 11, 13, 14, 15, 17 Ward, Capt Edward 39 warfare (Anglo-American forces) 13, 37–38, 70 warfare (French/New France forces) 7, 8, 10, 15, 46–47, 70, 72–73 Washington, Col George 13, 16, 75 conflict with Forbes 40, 42 Jumonville Glen 11–12 Lt. Corbière’s patrol 69 Virginia Provincials 29, 30, 31 weapons 7, 27–28, 30, 31, 34 DEDICATION In memory of William L. Brown III of Maryland. Superlative curator, historian, documentary film director and friend. Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 Map of North America in the 1750s. Spain, France, and Great Britain had various claims to substantial parts of America, much of it, such as Rupert’s Land or western Canada, unsettled by European powers. (Author’s photo) Essentially Side Plots are just that, side missions mostly undertaken by the force commander which do things like help break ties, mitigate losses or make victories that much more satisfying. It gets even better though because if you choose to roll for a side plot then you randomly get one of ten Gifts which are once a game special actions that make your Commander that much more superior to those lesser men who choose to play games without Side Plots. The Papers of Henry Bouquet Colonial Office The British Defeat of the French in Pennsylvania 1758 Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York Writings of General John Forbes War Office

What really adds flavour to the game is the expansion books which contain tailored scenarios for that period. The only supplement published so far is Redcoats and Tomahawks but future releases will follow the same style. Indians, most of whom are on the far bank of the Allegheny, cross the river and advance towards the hills. European war 15–16 Forbes’ campaign (1758) Aubry’s raid 60–68, 62–63, 66–67 Forbes’ army 4, 18, 25–34 Grant’s raid 4, 49–59, 50–51, 52, 53, 54–55, 59, 70, 73 Lt. Corbière’s patrol 68–69 routes to Fort Duquesne 24, 35–40, 42 strength of Fort Duquesne garrison 42–43, 46–48 see also Indian nations; strategy Forbes, Gen John 4, 23, 24, 32, 74 on artillery 27–28 on Aubry’s raid 68 GRANT’S RAID ON FORT DUQUESNE SEPTEMBER 14, 1758 Undetected during its approach, the Anglo-American force announced its presence by setting fire to an outlying building and signaling the advance with pipes and drums. In the fort, the alarm was raised and, within minutes, the defenders assembled. A force under Captain Aubry headed along the bank of the Monongahela, towards the hills occupied by Grant’s force, while Commandant Lignery remained with some 200 men at the fort. Once he reached the hills, Aubry’s force turned into the woods and fell upon Grant’s flank. Meanwhile, Indian allies, most of whom appear to have been camped across the Allegheny, had been also alerted and entered the fight in increasing numbers. The Anglo-American advance slowed then stopped as it was overwhelmed by expert woodsmen in an environment for which it was unprepared. Soon, panic set in and the Anglo-American force broke, with many who could not swim attempting to cross the Monongahela and Grant himself being captured. The raid was an absolute and costly fiasco.A column of about 500 men under Captain Aubry heads toward the hills, edging the Monongahela River.

brass light 12-pdr cannons 8 brass light 6-pdr cannons 2 brass 8-inch howitzers 2 brass 5½-inch howitzers 1 brass 8-inch mortar 2 brass 5½-inch mortars 12 brass 4 2/5-inch (Coehorn) mortars Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 shouts… The fight was brisk and stubborn…the loss of the English was 400 killed, a large number wounded and at least 100 made prisoners including the commander [Grant] and other officers. We lost 8 Canadians killed and 8 wounded… Mr. Aubry, captain of the troops of New Orleans as well as all officers of the detachment from the Illinois gave proof of great valor in this affair…1 Montour, the “Enemy’s strength both as to Indians, French and Canadians and the present situation of their fort be infinitely stronger than any thing I ever could have imagined… [Croghan and Montour] sending me positive accounts that their numbers exceed greatly 4000, in and about the Fort…” By October 8, Croghan was still insisting that there were about 4,000 enemies, but Forbes now informed Abercromby that “This I cannot believe” and now thought that “their whole force are not more than 1200 men which is in their fort…” A week later, on October 15, Forbes wrote to Bouquet informing him that the Ohio Indians had told the participants at the meeting going on in Easton at the time that “the French will have in those parts near four thousand men French, Canadians, & Indians. That they have provisions in plenty as yet; That the Canadians are not at all in the Fort but that they as well as the western Indians were scattered about in the Indian villages where they help the inhabitants to build huts & houses and were ready at a Call” (Forbes: pp. 217, 227, 230). Thus plagued with obviously dubious information, General Forbes was rightly suspicious about American intelligence services. On the French side, everyone knew in Fort Duquesne that major reinforcements amounting to thousands of troops would not be coming to the Ohio Valley to face a large Anglo-American army. The defense resources of New France were already stretched to the limit and its few thousands of regular soldiers could be concentrated on only one front. In the summer of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John St. Clair, quartermastergeneral of Forbes’ army in 1758. He is wearing the uniform of the 60th Regiment: a scarlet coat with dark blue lapels and small collar tab, and silver buttons. (Print from a miniature by J.S. Copley. Author’s photo)Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 Americans surveying land beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains toward the Ohio Valley in the late 1740s. Indians look on, wondering what is going on and sometimes reporting these activities to the French. Print after JOB in the 1914 Washington: Man of Pennsylvania was much better in that respect and Forbes, who rightly considered that the operation depended crucially on good logistic support, decided to stay in that province. There was another possibility: the Old Trading Path used by Indians and fur traders that went right across western Pennsylvania. It started at Harris Ferry on the Susquehanna River and progressed west through the Alleghany Mountains to the headwaters of the Ohio River where Fort Duquesne stood. It would have the advantage of good logistical support thanks to ample means of transportation that were available in Pennsylvania. A stretch of the trail called Burd’s Road, going west up to Raystown (later Fort Bedford), 36 A comprehensive history of the brutal wilderness war that secured America’s independence in 1777—by an author with “a flair for vivid detail” ( Library Journal). With Musket and Tomahawk is a vivid account of the American and British struggles in the sprawling wilderness region of the American northeast during the Revolutionary War. Combining strategic, tactical, and personal detail, historian Michael Logusz describes how the patriots of the newly organized Northern Army defeated England’s massive onslaught of 1777, all but ensuring America’s independence. There are three universal scenarios in the main rulebook that can be used for any time period, all of them are classic, basic games that we’re all used to, Seizing objectives, steal the loot and exit the board.

British and American troops, ordnance, ammunition, and supply wagons moving on Forbes Road, built across Pennsylvania during the summer and fall of 1758. (Painting by Nat Youngblood. Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburg. Author’s photo.) Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 A British brass light 12-pounder cannon on its carriage, 1750s. This was the largest type of gun brought by the army that marched towards Fort Duquesne. (Reproduction. Fort Ligonier Museum, Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Author’s photo) In this book you will find the core rules, as well as a set of special rules to recreate the peculiarities of the small war: spotting the enemy, hidden movement, the varying reactions of units with different doctrines, combat in unusual conditions, and officers’ ambitions and personal intrigues. Apart from this rulebook, you’ll need the Muskets & Tomahawks supplement that covers the period you want to recreate to start playing your first games Britain’s three-pronged thrust was meant to separate New England from the rest of the young nation. Yet, despite its superior resources, Britain’s campaign was a disaster. Gen. John Burgoyne emerged from a woodline with six thousand soldiers to surrender to the Patriots at Saratoga in October 1777.

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Aubry’s Raid on Fort Ligonier John Ligonier, First Earl Ligonier, 1760. Lord Ligonier was commanderin-chief of the British army from 1757 to 1759, thus at the time of Forbes’ advance in 1758, and Fort Ligonier was named in his honor. He became Master-General of the Ordnance from 1759 to 1762. (Portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Collection and photo: Fort Ligonier Museum, Ligonier, Pennsylvania) In terms of military command and of the ability to marshal forces, the far less populous New France had the advantage. It was, since the 1660s, administered by the royal French government and therefore generally organized, with various allowances for place and distance, like a French province. The capital was Quebec City, the port of entry to Canada, and the place of residence of the governor-general, who was both the highest official in New France and the governor of Canada, the most important part of the domain, going from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the western prairies. On the east coast, Acadia and southern Newfoundland had been lost to Britain by the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, but France had built the sizable fortress city of Louisbourg on Isle Royale, as Cape Breton Island was then called, and this area was set up as a separate colony with its own governor. Louisiana had been settled from the early 18th century on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico 6 John Campbell, Earl of Loudoun, c.1753. During his tenure as commanderin-chief in North America during 1756 and 1757, General Loudoun formulated the master strategy that was followed by the British government for the conquest of New France. He is shown in the uniform of the 30th Regiment of Foot. (Collection and photo: Fort Ligonier, Pennsylvania) militiamen listed in the muster rolls. Some of these were occasionally called upon for guard duties and in emergencies. No accurate figure is known as to how many mustered, but it is certain that their numbers dwarfed the New France militiamen called on duty because of the huge difference in population in favor of the American colonies. By then the French had only about 7,000 regulars to defend Canada and Louisbourg. Tomahawk and Musket – French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley 1758 edition. In any event, he later wrote to William Pitt that he had applied “the Generall principles upon which I have proceeded” from Turpin “regarding precautions by having posts along my route…” (CO 5/50). From late April, but especially during May, contingents gradually moved westward towards Raystown, 217 miles (349 km) from Philadelphia, where all units would regroup. Also heading there were up to 360 supply wagons as well the artillery. Forbes instructed Bouquet to go ahead to Raystown while he remained at Philadelphia with St. Clair to sort out various supply problems, then headed out in late June. Meanwhile, as he moved west, Bouquet found the existing road increasingly difficult and finally found it easier to built an entirely new one west of Fort Loudoun, and reached Fort Lyttleton (also spelled Littleton), which had been built by Pennsylvania