Field Works

Erin, supervising.

I spent this weekend having a revelation and then (for once) acting upon it.

I realised that there is no way in the world I am going to do my dreamt-of very "high end" display-quality model of Fort Niagara.

No.

I simply will not have the time, materials or money to make that happen.

If that does not happen, then all the little toy soldiers I've been working on for the past year will have gone for nought and I'm a bit sick of that!

Having rid myself of that false conception was really quite liberating and I took myself to the hardware store and bought some cork tile and some lengths of 19mm quarter-round beading. Next stop was the art-supply shop for some cheap green and yellow acrylic paint.

Here's what I came up with:

An entrenched, redoubted camp, somewhere in the Germanies with fleches for advanced piquets.

The march of the siege; the first parallel with a protective pair of redoubts (doubtless manned by Grenadiers) at either end. A sap wends it's serpentine way relentlessly forward.



A fort in the wilderness, to the right is a lake, to the left a river...

The same fort, with the Gate of the Five Nations in the foreground. Some of you will recognise the ravelin and half-bastions from another project.

Babies and the Art of Military Modelling

Well, life goes on. Me and Erin and an Airfix Gloster Gladiator.

The North Africa project. The Dorchester Armoured Command vehicle is scratch-built on an AEC Matador Chassis. It took me a week of half-hour spots here and there.

Another of the ACV with Matildas preparing to stand off hypothetical attackers. Next post will take us back to the Eighteenth Century.

And now for something completely different

Just for a change of pace, I thought I'd get off some shots of my slowly-expanding North Africa collection that I've started work on again with a few small eBay purchases. I've had these Matildas for ages and have more in stock, which is lucky as they do not seem to be in production by airfix at the moment, although the Italeri ones seem fine to me.

I'm not really building any historical Order of Battle, just bits that take my fancy. I'm thinking these will go towards 7RTR, eventually which means I'll need at least a total of 7 if I am to fuill tout the Rapid Fire organisation.

These Vickers Lights were a very intelligent purchase on the part of Airfix of a mould that was developed by JB models some years ago. It's currently in production and a really nice little kit that builds very easily.

The faithful old Airfix Universal carrier. Such a useful kit, and it looks splendid in my rather inaccurate Caunter Camoflage. Oughtn't that blue be grey instead?

The Germans arrive. I have had these two Opel Blitzes forever; more than 15 years if you can believe that. A bit like the old Matchbox Pz 2 I have had floating around (and still intact) for donkeys' years.

Italian M13/40 by Italeri; another old m0del I've had for years. Like some others, it is now back in production after a fair old absence and I have taken advantage of the opportunity to stock up on them; terribly useful vehicles for equipping either side!

I picked up an old Gloster Gladiator kit from Airfix last week and was delighted thay had included transfers for "Faith", "Hope" and "Charity", Maltas' legendary defenders against the early Italian assault. Put them with a few Vickers and a pair of Matildas painted in the Malta "stone wall" pattern, and you could do all sorts of things with fallschirmjaeger...

Just a thought.

Of Partridges and Walnuts

It was not long after Captain Joincare had arrived at his appointed place with his piquet that he found himself met by two partridge hunters, the brothers Gudenus.

The fusilieers were all of them taking their ease, variously smoking upon their clay pipes, or playing cards or at dice or at whatever took their fancy. One of them, called by himself "Jolicoeur", Joincare was pleased to remember, was talented with partridge, walnuts, the broad leaves of trees and the embers of a fire burned low.

For their part, the Brothers Gudenus (Daniel and Louis as they were named) were pleased to accept six sous for a brace. They had been shooting for the pot, but now had coin with which to purchase some lace for their sisters' wedding-dress.

Upon taking their leave of the Captain, Daniel and Louis made their way homeward by trails that they themselves (with the exception of the local Abenakis) only knew.

Imagine their surprize to espy when only two miles from where they had left Captain Joincare a party of Englishmen who were obviously designing some ill.

Daniel, being the elder, instructed his brother to run to the French and tell them what the English were about. He himself would run home and arouse their relations.

It ought to be mentioned at this point that the Gudenus and several of their neighbours were of course (as was widely known by people in the area) Acadians and, on account of the misfortunes suffered by those people, bore the English great ill-feeling and would not forebear to do them like injury in return.

Louis ran with all speed and informed Captain Joincare of the presence of the English soldiers, and thus raised in his mind a dilemma.

The knew the English were in the area in numbers greater than his own, but not how many. He could count on the support of Captain Chabert's Grenadiers, but they were some distance away and he was not sure when exactly they might arrive. In similar like, he was assured the assistance of an unknown number of militia at an unknown time.

His orders promised him support and implied that he must watch the road.

What to do?

In the Woods

Gonna tek you under me wing boy. You looks to be greener than me sleeve. You'll need to keep yer eyes open to mek yer way here, boy, yessir you will.

Be lucky, you'll mebbe see Frenchies - they knows what they is doing in these woods, boy.

You'll be imaginatin' red men every-where before long. Mark me words, boy.

But sometimes, well, a whole durn war-party can sneak on by ye before you spots 'em. He-he-he! Thet happens an' your pretty scalp'll be decoratin' some long-haouse bye'n'bye.

Lissen to whut Cap'n Roberts tells ye. Watch him an' learn, boy. See how he gits on daoun thet Injun trail. Eh? eh?

Yer Cap'n de Lancey, he might be a-tellin' Roberts that his men would never stoop to skulking in the woods like savages or a Frencher. He'll be doin' it hisself before long.

But you lobsters are mekkin' a hash of things, boy. Ye're all spread out like which ez good, but ye've no order to ye.

Try et agin, like uz, laddie.

Et's not easy, goin' a-rangin', but mebbe th' bloodybacks'll mek good.

Marching Out

The dawn is quiet, as the poet once wrote. Quiet but for the crack of cannon fire as Bombardier Jolicoeur screams obscenities at the cloth-headed soldats of the troupes de terre who are fumbling clumsily over his eight-pounders.

"Sponge out you thick sons of bitches! Out!" He slaps his palm against his forehead in dire frustration.

Load that Cartridge, Number two! No, not you - you're number Four. Number two! Yes, you!!! Now the wad, and the ball. You'll need another wad to hold it in... oh, start again! Get the worm!"


Meantime, the Languedoc Regiments' piquet company leaves the fort and enters the woods. Every man a picked man, quick nimble and active. They are the Regiments light infantry.

Jolicoeur is happier to scream at the gunnery trainees; better that than spend night after night in the woods with them.

What's this? the Grenadiers, too? What's going on? Must be some operation. Still, it's nothing to do with him.

"Run out!" ah, the mad music of the wheels on the boards of the platforms.

The whole regiment is on the move South, marching in Grand Divisions. Must be a big one.

"Fire, you sons of bitches!"

New York Provincials

I realised that I've not yet posted any real pictures of my new New York Provincials. So here they are, a full Grand Division. I like them so much I may go on and do more as well as some of the blue-coated privincials from other colonies. The figures are very easy to paint indeed.

The figures are by RSM. The Officer is the Advancing Prussian, the Drummer is a British figure with a minor conversion to his head-wear whilst the rank (and the file) are from the AWI range, American Militia. I think I have said before that they seem to have been incorrectly catalogued, having been commissioned from Steve Hezzlewood to supplement the French and Indian war range as it then was by Hap Jordan's Battalionfeur Games. I take this information from the "Reviewing Stand" pages of The Courier Vol VIII, No. 5.

An intriguing mention is made that more figures were planned to fill gaps in current FIW ranges. Does anyone know whether this is so?

My conversion of the drummer - I've added a fur front to his cap. I have no evidence as to whether this is remotely accurate - I suspect not!

Marechal de Camp

It's surprising what you can accomplish between feeds at odd hours of the night and day.

This figure is my first post-baby creation. He's the general officer from the RSM French range; I'm sure you all have examples of the figure in your collections.

I have painted him as a Marechal de Camp (or Brigadier) with the idea that he will be my French and Indian War "de Levis", surely one of the more attractive personalities among the French fighting for New France.

I have painted him in the standard version of the French general officers' uniform, straight out of the relevant Osprey.

I will do a command diorama eventually representing Montcalm and an ADC or two.

The new Dauphine of Alzheim

Yes, sir, that's my baby. Erin Lucy. 20 minutes old and with a cone head.

My beer gut is to the left, tastefully adorned in the red, Violent Femmes t-shirt.

To quote them out of context:

And I waited my whole life for just one...

Day.

Good on you kids; Amy and Erin.

Post #401

Bit of an update, OK?

Action on two fronts, as it were. As of today I'm finished the painting of the European troops I need for la Belle Famille. They are the New York Provincial Regiment, and mighty fine they look too in their green coats. I converted (slightly) a British drummer by putting a greenstuff "bearskin" front on his little cap to give him a little interest*. I like the way they look, being all in a firing line, nine shooters and nine loaders with an officer and the drummer keeping them in line. More than I need for the Battle, but I think that I'll come up with a use for them in the context of the wider Niagara campaign. That has been my idea for building this collection; over-do things for la Belle Famille in the hope that the greater campaign will turn out to have been well served.

This is what passes for planning in the Duchy of Alzheim!

I promise, promise, promise to get some photos up soon in support of my previous post, but time and circumstances have been against me. I can't promise when I can make good on this, but I certainly intend to. DoA has been something of a neglected child of late, though my conscience niggles and niggles at me.

On the topic, I've just gotten home from the hospital here. The Duchess is in the process of being induced and, without bothering you all with the details, we are waiting on the moment. It's late and I'm very tired and looking at being at the hospital again tomorrow morning at 7 am and waiting for her to go into labour. She's been waiting for things to get on since about 2 this afternoon, so we have spent a very boring and very LONG day doing not much of anything.

I did take the time to look at the latest White Dwarf and look long and thoughtfully at my 50 or so mounted Riders of Rohan and go "hmmmm, tasty". Is anyone else inspired or is it just me? Are the rules good or rubbish? All answers published in the pixels of this august journal.

Now, a beer and bed. I hope I don't get a call at 04:00; I may not be at my best.

* A little interest is a good thing. I am inspired to hack the heads off Grenadiers now and transfer them to highlanders with the greenstuff treatment. Voila - 42nd Regiment Grenadiers for Ticonderoga - someday..!

Passages of Arms

From an Ancient Archive:

++++++++++++++++++++

To: Captain Roger Roberts

From: Gen'l Jeffrey Amherst

Roberts,

You are hereby requested and required to assemble your Independent Company of Rangers at Fort William Henry.

You will there brigade your your Independent Company with the Light Companies of the 44th and 46th Foot. Upon doing so, you will set out North along the Western Shore of Lake George and Scout for the enemy in the vicinity of Fort Carillon.

In so doing, you will acheive two purposes.

The First - you will determine whether the French are attempting to descend the Lake upon it's Western Side.

The Second - you will impress upon the Officers and Men of the 44th and 46th your method of Ranging that they may become Proficient at the Art.

Should you contact the Enemy, you are to do so only on the most advantageous of terms; should it go Ill with you, I will not think the less of you should your troops break contact and return to Fort William Henry or what post soever you Desire for the security of your company.

I remain Sir,

Your Servant,

Amherst

********************

To: Chabert, Captain of Grenadiers

Captain Chabert,

I have this day decided to encamp My Regiment of Languedoc South of Fort Carillon for the next two days as we receive the supplies you are aware that are coming to us via bateaux from His Majesties' Fort of St. Frederic.

During this time, it is my desire that Captain Joincare watch the road south with his piquet for any activity on the part of the English.

It would greatly gratify me if with your company of Grenadiers you were to provide succours for Joincare should he require assistance. Rest assured, that the rest of the battalion would join you post-haste as soon as we are alerted to enemy activity.

I have the Honour to remain Sir,

Your Humble and Obedient Servant,

Poulain, Colonel

Where are we now?

Right then.

The anal-retentive within calls for an accounting.

The progress of painting (house, not soldiers!) continues, but there is hope that this evening Madam will be out to the football which means I can sneak a few hours painting of a more pleasurable kind in.

This week I've been steadily working on a block of 16 RSM British Infantry and a Stadden British Grenadier NCO. They are all base-coated, flesh painted and have their hat-lace sewn on.

I think I might be able to polish them off tonight - it's really just a matter of getting all the highlights in and painting weapons.

That will see the British Contingent for la Belle Famille completed - in fact completed rather over specification.

The scenario calls for 30 Light infantry. I've painted 31.

I need 10 Line of the 44th - I have 18.

I need 38 Line of the 46th - I'll have 46 painted by this evening.

I need 5 Grenadiers of the 46th - by this evening I ought to have 11.

I need 10 NY Provincial Infantry - I have four. What???

Currently I have a package waiting for me at the post office with (I anticipate) another 16 Provincials and 72 Indians which ought to see me done.

I am over quota on my British. Don't worry! There's a plan to that! I'm just pushing through with an eye on campaigning the siege iteslf. I have been painting artillerymen in infantry uniforms to represent the garrison at Fort Niagara, as well. I ought at some stage start doing the same for the British.

I've mentioned earlier that I already have sufficient French to see me over the line, although they are not really from the right units, historically speaking, so there's no more painting to do on that front, thankfully.

The Light Bobs

I have finally completed the light infantry contingent I need to do the La belle Famille scenario. I've been fitting them in between bouts of plastering and skirting-board laying as we prepare for our coming new arrival*. It's amazing what you can get done in 20-30 minutes while you get ready for work. From the rear they are the Light companies of the 4th/60th, the 46th and the 44th regiments.

Each company is ten figures strong, representing their real-life counterparts at a ratio of 1:5.

They are being led by Captain de Lancey. The casting is a Prussian Officer, but it's close enough to the look of the British troops that I am comfortable using him.

The figures are by RSM (as ever) with a few minor conversions to turn up the peaks of their cut-down tricornes for a little variety.

I find that I have ten castings left over in the stand-and-fire pose, so I am considering doing Gage's light infantry at some stage in the future.

*Yes. There's a baby on the way. Number One. Ogodogodogod....

Alzheim Market Square

UPDATE: They are going onto eBay by 10:00PM AEST today.

A few days ago I got a bit of a rush of blood to the head and kinda, sorta, accidentally bought two boxes of Revell Seven Years War Austrian Dragoons.

Silly me. What can I say?

Would anyone like them before I throw them on eBay? I'm looking for $AU30 for them or equivalent in trade.

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=622

All figures are there; mint and still on the sprue.

Any offers? Please contact me at: bloggerator@gmail.com

Fort Niagara Baseboard

It's taken me four hours, but I've finally finished transferring my gridded image of the fort to a 3 foot by 4 foot board of 5mm MDF.

The next step will be to start building up the fort from polystyrene.

UPDATE:

Regular commenter DC wrote to ask about scale for the French Castle and I started rambling. As you would; It's early in the morning here and I've not yet finished my first cup of coffee. I'm dropping my reply here.

I'm going to start off as I did the base-board and look at keeping to a 1"-equals-10-yards standard and see how I go from there.

When I'm building a piece of wargames terrain, I telescope the scale of the object depending on how large ther are in reality.

For example, I recently built three model ships, each of different sizes. The smallest (a Torpedo-boat) was a straight scale model at 1:60, whilst the others kept their 1:60 vertical scale while their length and width were more and more ruthlessly truncated to make them "gameable".
I think by that measure, it depends on what you want the buildings to do. The smaller the scale of the game (ie, skirmish), the larger you want your buildings to be so your little men can interact with them more. In larger games the buildings should become more abstracted, while fewer of them ought to represent more substantial settlements - 4-5 houses can be a town, 7-9 a town and so on.

The French Castle (or machicolated house) will get that sort of treatment and suffer some scale compression on the 'ground', but will still be fairly imposing.

Fort Niagara - to scale

Update: the map. Be warned! It's almost 1MB to download. It is scaled to print out on a piece of A3 paper for those of a bold nature...

As part of the process of creating a model of Fort Niagara, I've asked my ever-obliging partner Amy to help me with scaling out the fort fom the plans reproduced in Dunnigan's "Seige".

I scanned the picture for her and asked her to overlay a grid of squares, each a scale 150' x 150' which is taken from the scale in the map legend at it's upper right corner.

Remembering that Drums of War (among others) uses a ground-scale of 1" to 10 yards, it is simple to calculate that each grid-square will equal 5" x 5" on the board I'll build the fort on.

I will grid the board in 5" squares and then transferring the details will be relatively straigtforward.

Gen'l Pridoo's Command. Ye-haa.

Ye Extant Command of HMB Majesteys' Forces. Ye Soulders herein Numbered bare half those Required to Drub Ye French at la Belle Famille.

Ye Gen'l Pridoo w'th a Savage of ye Woods. Can dbl as ye Gen'l Braddock at the Late, Lamentable Reverse upon the Monongahela.

Ye 44th of Foote with ye Remn'nt Grenadoer Cpny. Light Infantery to Ye Fore. As may be seen, can be Used by Amateur Gen'ls Wishing to Re-Create the above Lamentable Reverse with An Eye to Overturning ye Historickal Outcome.

Grenadoers and ye Line Infantery of HM 46th of Foote.

Ye Men of Ye Light Company of Ye 60th Reg't of Foot (Ye Royal Americans).

Please note that after writing this post, I was required to have a good lie down with a dictionary and a theaurus.

Fort Little Niagra

I have been researching Fort Little Niagara these past few days with an eye on the goal of building it for my extended Niagara campaign.

There is very little pictorial evidence.

This link points to a reconstruction that is based on the written evidenceso far as I can tell. As can be seen, it’s a “U” shaped stockade terminating on the river with a block-house at each of the corners that face the portage road.

I’m not too sure that the use of block-houses in this representation are accurate, but they are a valid interpretation of the word “bastion” as mentioned in my 1994 edition of Pouchots’ Memoir. Keep in mind though that they could also be interpreted as square projections of the basic ground-plan of the palisade with a firing-step inside with perhaps a stout little cabin as a redoubt within. I'm thinking here of other French Frontier Forts from Chartrands' FORT 75" published by Osprey.

My alternative interpretation of a "bastion" at Fort Little Niagara.

This next link on a way marking website shows a picture of what is called a barracks chimney built in 1750. If nothing else it was at least as tall today as it was then and would have serviced a building of at least two stories. More than that we cannot tell.

Pouchot describes the site as flat and good for erecting earthworks. I think we could surmise that there were none or minimal works at the site; a ditch and bank at most?

Let the imagining of the fort begin!

UPDATE:

Has anyone got a tip on making palisades? Those bamboo skewers look so much like... bamboo skewers.

British Grenadier(s)

Grenadiers of the 46th Foot, obviously doing a little firing drill as they get ready to meet the French at la Belle Famille.

I'm getting the hang of painting the British (sheesh, it only took 20 or so figures!) and have evolved a style that is quite pleasing while retaining enough of the heavy lace detailling that I think can be a bit off-putting when approaching them for the first time.

I've tried fairly hard to differentiate them from the 44th Foot by giving them nice, smart, white gaiters and left them with laced, red waistcoats. Note that they also sport lace "wings" on their coats. These were surprisingly easy to do and look pretty effective.

Niagara Project Update

New York converged Provincials. I stumbled across these in a sample bag I bought off RSM ages ago. They are actually from their AWI range as "militia", but I think they were commissioned from Steve Hezzlewood (along with an advancing figure) for another miniatures company in the later 1980s - you'll find the ad for them in v6 of "The Courier".

There is not really much information to be had on these fellows. I stronly suspect that the officers were dressed much as the men with additional silver lace on their coats. I've not yet decided whether to represent them with the normal RSM officer figure, or perhaps the advancing Prussian officer. The New York Regiment won high praise for it's good conduct during the siege.

The Staff. Still a work in progress at the moment; the horse nearest the camera still needs his rider to be painted!

I've started painting a few staff officers. Mostly complete, they still need their bases to be greened up. From the left they are the colonel of the 44th, an ADC riding post-haste and the inspiring colonel of the 46th. The fourth horse is awaiting another ADC. He's an early experiment in the oil-paint-wipe-off method. Oddly, the paint remaining in the recesses had crazed; it looks like a miniature old master!

All figures are by RSM.

The Ancient and Honorable Order of the Tankard

"How do I look, Bauer?"

"Radiant, milord. Radiant."

"I thought so," beamed His Highness. "Do we have any orders we can bestow?"

"I'm sure we can come up with something for the Beersteiners, milord."

Comments on "The Siege"

In response to my last post, two of our commenters, DC and Bill made interesting comments that I felt deserved a better response than I could make in the comments section.

I will interpolate my replies within the body of their text.

DC elaborated on my request for more info on his own Niagara campaign:
"Well...it all began about 20 years ago when i obtained a copy of Dunnigan's book on the siege - which is essential (i think you have a copy..?).
GH - Yes, I picked it up via Amazon 6 months ago. I'm reading it for the third time at the moment.
The first effort was a 15mm display game that was inspired by Niagara rather than an attempt at a faithful reproduction. Using 15mm allowed us to not only model the fort and works but also a section of lake (with watercraft), the river, cliffs, camps, and associated followers, livestock, etc. that the excellent freikorps range provides.
GH - I'm intending something similar but in 28mm. I'll model the shoreline, but not the lake and will put smaller scale ship and boat models on a wheeled trolley and navigate them around the playing table - an idea I've long been wanting to try out.
Our rules for this and other large FIW games were published in MWAN a few years later. The subsequent 25mm project was intended as a replay of the entire campaign at 1:10. I intended to use Bill Protz's siege rules (highly recommended) for the siege itself, and was developing a new set of rules (set at a lower level than previously) for the field actions.
GH - I am probably going to use Bills' "Drums of War on the Mohawk" with a couple of minor tweaks here and there. I'm not sure about which siege rules I'll use - either my own or Bills'.
The plan was to reenact Belle Famille and the siege solo, and then move on to umpire a 3 player campaign where the players had free rein (within certain boundaries of plausability of course).
GH - My thoughts exactly! I'd like to put on la Belle Famille as a convention game, while I play out the siege for myself at home solo. I have been thinking about the mechanics of running the whole Siege as a campaign, too.
We would use Protz's campaign rules too - with a few amendments and expansions.Was Little Niagara the stockade on the portage? If so, then yes, i made a model of that.
GH - that's the one; information on it seems quite scanty. I have hopes that Chartrands' next "FORT" series for Osprey will be helpful. It's sure to be for Fort Niagara proper.
I painted about 200 figures and then moved on to Maximillian in Mexico - as you do. They have sat unused at Mr 'Making Miniatures' house now for years. Writing this has created an urge to dig them out again...oh dear...

Bill had some very interesting thoughts on La Belle Famille:
I continue to be confounded at the defeat of the French Relief Column. Perhaps it can only be explained in my mind as:
1. Blockheads in charge of the column failing to scout properly.
GH - Was tactical scouting done all that well in this era?
2. And to not deploy into line with l'compagnie franche de la Marines in the center with the milice on the flanks sooner.They would have swept the much numerically inferior Brit. force away by outflanking them. Instead, at first, it appearss as if the column was shot to pieces as Oman might remark of French columns in Spain in the Napoleonic Wars. There is perhaps a diagram in Dunnigan showing a French line at an odd angle. I've seen it someplace. If this line did happen, I still don't get it unless the initial volleys caused a bad morale situation and a throw of snake eyes using the morale system of Drums of War Along The Mohawk.
GH - I'd have thought this a difficult fight for the Frencjh to win, charging in column against a line that was ready to receive them, then trying to deploy into line under fire. Perhaps too, the Militia were in the van, taking casualties from the typically scorching British vollies; perhaps they recoiled into the CFdlM behind them and wrecked their chances of deploying? We don't know much about the French order of march, really. Alternatively, perhaps the french were proponents of l'ordre profond and thought they would easily smash the numerically inferior Britich aside?
I've been on the spot of La Belle Famille several times. From the French perspective the Niagara Gorge is not too far from their left. To the right there would be endless forest. Forest all over the place actually except for the road and the clearing beyond the fort.
GH: If I am eventally to game out the campaign, I'll need better topographical detail on the area. I guess the maps are available online somewhere.
There are other mysteries in the history of battles why one side won in spite of impossible odds. This one is in the list for me.
GH - agreed!
Greg this is a very good battle to wargame as the real thing and with the above in mind. I'm sure you will find it satisfying.
The thing is at 1:10 it is easy to build too!
Best of luck to all concerned.
Votre serviteur,Bill

44th Foot for La Belle Famille - WIP

Long time no see! Hang on, I'll just dust off the controls here... Phew, I haven't been here for a while. Been over Defending Melbourne. It's been a busy few months - naturally I had the last minute panic over unfinished business and ruthlessly dropped absolutely everything else to get a scramble on.

Now that things have got back to normal over the past few weeks, I've had a chance to start work on my next project; the small convention game for May in Melbourne.

As you've probably gathered from previous posts, I'm interested in the Siege of Fort Niagara in 1759. I hope to stage a re-fight of the action at La Belle Famille, the attempted French relief of the Garrison by the Army of the Ohio.

I have most of the French forces I need for the game completed; that they are not all Compagnies Franches de la Marine is not a consideration for me, so I will use existing units. I do require more Indians and militia, but i think I can do them mostly out of my existing lead mountain.

The British are another story. Pictured below are those (barring the handful of Light Infantry I already have painted) few I have painted. I have sufficient stocks to finish off the Light Infantry and the Grenadiers, although i am a bit iffy as to my Line Infantry. I may need to dip into my Hanoverians who are so similar as to make no appreciable difference.

44th Foot; the battle-line is drawn up ready to face an uncertain outcome.

The Grenadiers are to the right. The officer is a conversion as the RSM line has no Grenadier officer.