Simple Falkirk

I didn't quite have time to write them up, but when I did 'Simple Prestonpans' recently, I also managed a go at 'Simple Falkirk' too (and Culloden - will write that up soon too). Again it uses the simple rules of Stephen Simpson, published back in Wargames Illustrated 134.

The Battle of Falkirk was a Jacobite victory, although far harder fought and less crushing than Prestonpans.

The Jacobite Army contains 6 units of Highlanders and 4 units of Lowlanders/Regular Foot.

The Government Army contains 2 units of Raw Dragoons, 6 units of Raw Infantry, and 3 units of Regular Infantry.

The Set-Up:

The armies face off: Government troops on the Right, Jacobites on the Left.

The Jacobite Army - Highland units in the lead, lowlanders in the rear

The Government Army - Dragoons to the Left, better-quality infantry on the Right and Right-rear.

The Battle:

The Government lead regiments get in a very effective volley to begin the battle

The Jacobites advance...

One of the raw Government battalions breaks at the sight of the ferocious Highlanders

However, a second volley from the Government Foot routs the central Highland regiment

Meanwhile, the Government Dragoons charge home, sabreing the Highlanders as they go

The Jacobite Foot charge home - another Government battalion takes to its heels

The Government Foot form a new makeshift line to try and contain the advancing Highlanders

Doesn't seem to have worked though - the Jacobite Left continues to pile forwards; the Jacobite Right starts to break after losing its fight with the Dragoons

However, the other Jacobite regiment sees off its opposing Dragoons

The remaining Government Dragoons charge home into another Highland regiment; meanwhile, the Lowland regiments take over the struggle in the centre

The remaining Highlanders are fighting like furies: another Foot regiment and the last of the Government Dragoons are seen off; the Lowland Foot is under severe pressure in the centre, and taking heavy casualties

A Lowland Regiment breaks in the centre

However, the victorious Highlanders from the Jacobite Right are simply rampaging through the Government flank: another battalion takes to its heels

Can the remaining Highlanders win it before the remaining Lowlanders lose it? Another Lowlander regiment is routed in the centre

However, the remaining Government troops are being forced into a pocket - and the most exposed battalion breaks

The Government troops under pressure at all points - however, the exhausted leading Jacobite Highlanders break from facing just one volley too many

However, the armies are now reaching the point of mutual collapse - another Government Foot battalion breaks

The remaining Jacobites charge forward...

And the Government forces are down to their last battalion

Which isn't going quietly - despite their losses, they rout another Lowland regiment!

But superior fire from the flank breaks them - or was it pure exhaustion?

 

Game Notes: All good fun, although it does show where games have to end up without any kind of army morale rules. We can rationalize this as a somewhat plausible result - shades of Sherrifmuir, perhaps? - but it felt a little more like a Chess endgame than a typical wargame. However, not saying it is wrong, just unusual. In any case, this would have been the Malplaquet of the '45: victory, but at a cost so unacceptable that the Rebellion must be defeated soon after. And that doesn't seem so implausible. In any case, the mechanisms for something so simple are really quite effective. Perhaps the only thing a bit off to my way of thinking is that potentially cavalry should break any Foot - the way it works currently is that even if the raw Government Dragoons do charge home, they still stand more chance of being broken than actually winning. But apart from that, pretty good actually.

Figures by Baccus 6mm.