A Bloodless Battle? Stow-on-the-Wold 1642

After missing a week due to the Mid-Autumn Festival, Gareth and I resumed the English Civil War last night, to fight out the Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold.  This took place in October 1642 as a small covering force of Parliamentarians, under the command of Sir William Waller tried to block a larger Royalist army marching to relieve the siege of Oxford by the Earl of Essex.  Waller has only 5 infantry regiments supported by a single cavalry regiment and an artillery battery, against 8 Royalist infantry backed by 5 cavalry and 2 batteries.  Against this, Waller has the advantage of fighting a defensive battle in ground of his own choosing.

The field after terrain placement but before armies are deployed - Royalists behind blue line to the left, Waller behind Red line on the right.

As the battle was taking place in an area of hilly terrain, Waller (Gareth) could place up to three large steep hills.  These cannot be charged up by cavalry and give a defensive advantage to units that are above an attacker.  They also conceal units placed on the opposite side of the ridge line from the opponent.  Waller selected only two hills, labelled Dean and Parr Hills, which he placed either side of the Warwick to Malmsbury Road along which the Royal Army was advancing.  Just to the front of these hills he placed a stream, which would slow movement and give defensive advantage.  This ran from an impassable patch of marsh at the foot of Dean Hill.  The King (me) had only two features to place and chose one low hill - Hale Hill on the picture above - positioned so as to give a view along the back of Parr Hill, and a small wood.  The positioning of the latter was an unforced own goal, constraining my deployment on the only open side of the field.

Waller had to set up first.  He revealed a line of three infantry regiments along the crest of Parr Hill, supported by his artillery at the end beside the Warwick-Malmsbury Road.  His other units remained concealed behind the hills.  The King arrayed his army in three divisions.  The main infantry body was deployed on the right, with two brigades intended to pin the enemy on Parr Hill while a third brigade, supported by artillery worked round the flank to cut the Gloucester Road.  On the left, Prince Maurice had a mixed brigade of two infantry and one cavalry regiments, aiming to work through the gap between the marsh and the edge of the field, to threaten the other enemy flank and cut the road to Oxford.  He was given the only veteran units in the Royalist army, to give his force heft despite the low numbers.  Prince Rupert was in the centre with the main cavalry body, placed to shift to either wing to exploit whichever gained outflanking advantage, or to attack the centre if Waller shifted his troops out to defend the wings.

The position after the first turn.  Waller's guns have fired to try to disrupt the Royalist cavalry centre but without effect.  Maurice has advanced his infantry onto Hale Hill at the top of the picture.  In the bottom left, Royalist infantry trying to work out how to advance around the wood and their own slowly moving artillery.

A couple of turns later.  All Parliamentary units have revealed themselves.  With the Royalist infantry on the right still tripping over themselves and their guns, the main Parliamentary line has decided to move down to the bank of the stream, looking for opportunity to disrupt the Royalists further with musketry fire.  Waller's guns have found the range to Rupert's cavalry, disrupting them and preventing movement.  Only on the left is Maurice's advance proceeding apace, with only one infantry regiment at the top of Dean Hill to oppose them.

As the confusion on the Royalist right continues, Waller advances his cavalry and the left of his infantry line across the stream to add pressure.

The Parliamentary guns lose their aim, giving Rupert a chance to move his cavalry, but he promptly fails a manoeuvre test, leaving one of his regiments disordered.  In the top left of the picture, Maurice's leading regiment is now moving around the end of the marsh.

Parliamentary musketeers fire on Maurice's veteran infantry from the top of Dean Hill, to absolutely no effect.

At the other end of the field, the Parliamentary infantry that has crossed the stream fires on the traffic jam of Royalist infantry and artillery, also to no effect whatever!

Disappointed with the effect of his musketry, Waller pulled back his infantry on both flanks and decided to send his cavalry across to support the isolated unit on Dean Hill, banking on the ineptitude of the Royalist right not putting pressure on that flank.  One of the Royalist guns has unlimbered and fired on the infantry as it crossed back over the stream, disrupting it, but none of the Royalist regiments is in position to exploit this opportunity. 

As Maurice's brigade begins to work round Dean Hill towards the Oxford Road, Rupert moves one of his cavalry brigades to the left to support this turning movement.  One Royalist Regiment reaches the stream to the far right of the field, facing an open flank but the rest of the infantry division is still not sorted out into an attacking position!

Finally the Royalist infantry push forwards, one regiment crossing the stream in the bottom centre, the rest reaching the line of it as the Parliamentary infantry cede ground and pull back to the top of Parr Hill.  Maurice's Brigade, reinforced by Rupert's detachment, is now fully around the flank, cutting the Oxford Road and threatening the Parliamentary rear and baggage.  Waller has been dithering with his cavalry reserve, committing it to neither flank.

The Parliamentary line erupts with fire from end to end.  Four infantry regiments and an artillery battery between them inflict a grand total of 0 hits!!!#@**

Having started the game quite late, there was not time to finish off last night.  It remains on the table for conclusion next week.  The Royalists are on the cusp of victory.  Having cut the Oxford Road, Waller cannot retreat to link up with Essex at Oxford.  They also look set to overrun the baggage train and cut the road to Malmsbury as well, leaving Waller with only the road to Gloucester and even that is now under threat.  In Waller's favour is that only a few turns remain before nightfall, so he has a chance to get his men away without significant loss except for the baggage.  In terms of the campaign, he will not be able to stop the Royalist army moving on to Oxford as it has movement allowance in hand, but he will be a threat to the rear if Essex choses to stand and fight and the Royal Army fails to defeat this force.

The problem with musket fire revealed in the game was a consequence of a too hurried amendment to the rules after the last game when we decided to move away from the One Hour Wargame system.  Changing from the die roll indicating the number of hits to having to get a 5 or better to hit seemed like a reasonable step in the aftermath of the earlier bloodbath but overlooked the negative modifier for 'new' regiments, which most of those engaged in this battle were.  This meant that they would only hit on a 6.  Artillery were a little more effective, but at anything other than close range could not inflict hits, only disrupt action.  As no hand to hand combat has yet taken place, in which hits are guaranteed, the battle is paused after 11 turns with not a single hit taken from any unit on the table!