Fort Fisher revisited part 3 - time and tide

The US players were Jerry, Martin and Tim C, the Rebs were Pete and Russell.  I provided most of the toys and Russell kindly brought his (newly painted) US infantry.

The US players had free choice of that time of day to start - in the best traditions they opted for dawn.  Despite me dropping a few hints they didn't ask me about tide times - which turned out not to be their best move!  I had equipped myself with a set of tide tables (actually from Whitby in North Yorkshire) which I'd have shared on request.  Low tide was - you've guessed it - around dawn.  

On floated the fleet - Portland in the distance, apparently hotly pursued by two US warships.  Next in line were the two transports while closer inshore were the ironclads.

An early shot from the Reb gunners severed the tow of the bomb ketch which was then left adrift and pointing in any direction except the fort!

Just after that calamity the lighter-coloured monitor ran aground and stuck fast.

Of course, what every amphibious assault needs is a real amphibian!   Sharp-eyed Pete spotted Froggie (as we call him) but he didn't seem that interested in the game.

The Ironsides took hits and was soon gently ablaze.  It also lost power and steering.

The crew of the monitor emerged on deck as the incoming tide, while failing to refloat the thing, rendered the deck awash.

And excellent hit on a US warship!

Pete adopts the elegant firing posture familiar to Funny Little Wars gamers!

The fleet was soon in a bit of a state - the orange dice were used to keep track of hits - but sailed gamely on. In the distance, Portland has been beached and Cdr Rhind is rowing away at a furious pace!

As well as Confederate guns, the US sailors must face other hazards.  Sharkie came with the Playmobil ship so it seemed only fair to include him in the game.

Fort Fisher revisited part 2 - US briefing

 

The US Navy:  a raggle-taggle of wooden ships from junk shops, Playmobil plastic, two mdf ironclads and the nearest monitor lovingly hacked from balsa and insulation board.

The attack on Fort Fisher – 24 December 1864

Rear Admiral David Porter, US Navy

Brevet Brigadier General Newton M Curtis, US Army

Commander Alexander Rhind, US Navy

Forces:

1 Brigade, 2^nd Div, XXIV Corps

                                    3 New York Regiment

                                    112 New York Rgt

                                    117 New York Rgt

 

2 ships of the line:       USS Brooklyn (carrying half of 3 NY)

                                    USS Juanita (carrying half of 3 NY)

2 transport ships          Nyack (carrying 112 NY)

                                    Saucy Mary Todd* (carrying 117 NY)

1 Battery Ironclad       USS Ironsides

2 Monitors:                  USS Mahopac

                                    USS Saugus

1 Bomb ketch (towed by a ship)

Boats to land 1 regiment

USS Portland (aka ‘The Experiment’ – TOP SECRET

Portland is a captured screw-driven Confederate blockade runner which has been loaded with 300 tons of gunpowder.  It is intended that this be run aground near the fort and detonated.  The plan indicates that this will destroy the fort but it all sounds damn risky.  You may want to get rid of this vessel sooner rather than later!

 

Orders:

Bombard the fort into submission and then land troops to mop up survivors.  There is no time to spare and you have been allocated considerable resources.  The eyes of the President and the Union are on you.  Detonate the Portland by 1130 real time, land troops by 1330.

Ben Butler

Major General B F Butler

Expeditionary Corps (Army of the James)

The sneaky Yankee players refined the plan by re-flagging Portland with a spare CS flag.  It was then to sail towards the rover mouth pursued by two US warships.  The rotters!

Oh, and it it possible that not all of the ship names are entirely historically accurate.  

The Portland - a wooden ship found in a junk shop.  I removed the remains of the masts and added a couple of balsa funnels.  It bears - to my eyes at least - more than a passing resemblance to the Louisiana, on which the Portland nonsense is based.

The two US ships in hot pursuit.  More junk shop finds.  They're from a rather earlier era but a sailing ship is a sailing ship, right?

  

 * 100 Vanity Points if you can tell me in a comment who Mary Todd was. 200 if you can do it without Google.

Fort Fisher re-visited part 1 - Confederate briefing

For our game a couple of weeks ago I revisited one which Bertrand and I played in London back in 2019.  This gave me an opportunity to get out and use several gun emplacements and the like which hadn't previously seen action and also the three ironclads I built in late 2019.  

I put together briefings and on the day, rose early to lay out the fort.  This post will be confined to the CS briefing, the next to the US brief and subsequent posts to the action which ensued.

some guns awaiting targets

 The attack on Fort Fisher – 24 December 1864

Colonel William Lamb, Cmdr, Fort Fisher Garrison

Brigadier General William Kirkland

Forces:

Fort Fisher artillery     1 North Carolina Heavy Artillery

                                    3 North Carolina Light Artillery

All guns have limited ammunition

17 North Carolina Regiment

 Reinforcements – roll 1D6 from turn 10.  On a ‘6’ half of 42 North Carolina Rgt arrives:

  

Orders

Hold the Fort to the last man and gun – Wilmington must be saved!

In the event of serious threat reinforcements will be dispatched from Hoke’s Division.

  

William H C Whiting

Major General William H C Whiting

Cape Fear District Commander

The first blunder of the game was all my own, as I forgot to deploy 17 NC Rgt.  Luckily nobody noticed so it's really the CS players' fault.  There, I think I got away with that.

The fort.  Impressive eh?

Saturday Knight Fever - part 3

Back at the Kickyerhead Inn, things are hotting up.  Russell twangs off an arrow at Peter but this is deflected by the latter's leather outfit(!)  

Having caught Lady E in his arms, Robin proposes marriage.  An angry Lord John asks his daughter what the hell she thinks she's playing at.

Battered by the combined effects of beer and Doris, Mark stumbles upstairs and collapses.

Fred announces - rather late - that Robin isn't in the inn.

Clearly wanting to move up the billing somewhat, Russell twangs at Robin but misses, hitting Martin

Martin then attacks Robin who is soon beaten to the ground and killed.  Bending over the corpse, Martin dodges another arrow from Russell.  The Inkeeper tries to collect payment from his increasingly rowdy guests.

At this point Doris reappears, whispers in Lady E's ear and the two run off.

Lord John pursues, grappling his daughter to the ground.  Doris attacks John and between blows, pours beer in through his helmet visor.  Soon John expires.  Russell tries to sneak up but is felled by Martin.

In the final scene, Doris and Lady Ermentrude run off hand in hand into the sunset.

A very entertaining game to run and my thanks again to the players who entered into the spirit of the thing with some splendid role playing.

Of course, like the ending leaves the way open for a sequel!

        Who is Lord John's heir?

            

                    Who will lay claim to his estates?

                                    Why is Doris still carrying tankards of beer?

                                                        How bad is Sir Mark's hangover?

No doubt these and other questions will be sorely neglected when we again return to this era.