The English Civil War, Very Civile Actions, 28mm

For a while we’ve been intermittently fighting an English Civil War campaign, using the “Tinker Fox” system produced by The Perfect Captain. This engagement came about as a result of the latest round of activity, which saw the Royalists launch an attack against the Parliamentarian-held town of Knareton, in the county of Worringhamshire.The garrison, staunchly led by Colonel Matthew Cowper consisted of two regiments of foot – those of Sir Robert Vaughn, and Colonel Cowper’s own force, supported by a couple of pieces of artillery. They were attacked by a small Royalist field army of near-equal size – two small regiments of foot and two small regiments of horse, supported by a light field battery.This hazy-looking map is the best map available, as the small “battlefield” card supplied by The Perfect Captain doesn’t lend itself to enlargement. However, the Royalists attacked from the south, while the Parliamentarians defended the edge of the village.Parliamentarians spilled the first blood, causing casualties to the two oncoming Royalist pike blocks through musketry.However, the pikemen refused to be checked, and the drove the Parliamentarian shot from the first buildings of the village, routing one sleeve of musketeers, and destroying the other. Things were looking bleak for the forces of righteousness, especially when the two units of royalist horse began spilling around the edges of the village, trying to seek out a way past the village defences.Then the Royalists over-reached themselves. By advancing too far and too fast into the eastern side of the village, they exposed themselves to counter-attack, and Sir Robert’s Pikes fell upon a detachment of Royalist shot, and put them to flight. While things still looked dangerous for the Parliamentarian defenders, at least the Royalists had been checked slightly, and the Parliamentarians were back in the fight.Time prevented us from playing the game through to its conclusion. Could Colonel Cowper have held on, or would the Royalist regain the initiative and drive them from the village? By the end of play about a quarter of the village was in Royalist hands, but the battle could have gone either way. We might continue the battle in a few weeks, or we might decide some more arbitrary means of deciding what might have happened. Whatever happens, the war in Worringhamshire will continue.

Tags: Very Civile Actions