Testing Lake Champlain

 

The Waters of Valcour Bay

 

Yesterday was the 244th anniversary of the Battle of Valcour Island, where Benedict Arnold led a small fleet of hastily built gunboats and ships against an also hastily built fleet of British vessels located on Lake Champlain between Vermont and New York.  While the battle ended in an American defeat, it also ended the 1776 campaign season for the British attempting to come down out of Canada to take Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence.

The anniversary reminded me of the Battle of Valcour Island game that I had been putting together last year.  In September, I build the American ship Enterprise.  I had so much fun with that build, that a couple of weeks later I assembled the HMS Inflexible.

Over the winter, I dabbled a bit with putting together the game.  War Artisan's Workshop has a great set of papercraft ships, covering the vessels that took part in the battle, as well as a free set of naval rules called Away Boarders!  My original intention was to build both the American and British Fleets, a game board, and some custom player sheets then play out the battle this year on or near the anniversary date.

Unfortunately, I didn't make much progress on this project.  I ordered a couple more ship kits, and started to assemble them, and played a bit with creating a board.  Away Boarders! uses a sort of grid system, with dots in triangular formations representing ship locations.  I wanted to create a board that both looked good, and was functional with the rules.  The above photo was the result of my one test.  A 2'x2' piece of hardboard was sprayed with a rattle can of greenish-blue texture paint that I had used on the bases of the two ships that I build.  I then used a white paint pen to add very small dots in the grid system used for the game.  Overall, I liked the look, however, that's all the progress I have.

With this project in mind again, maybe I'll add it to my winter project list and see about hosting a Valcour Island game on the 245th anniversary.

Year End - 2018

"Soldiers Atop The Mount" - 2018

It's sort of traditional in the blogging world to create a year-end post, especially in regards to project type things like painting. With only a couple of days left in 2018, here's where I'm at:

First, created this blog. I've blogged a few times in the past, but never consistently. So far I'm doing okay with this one, and it's helping me stay motivated with my figure painting. I'm not as prolific as some, but I haven't abandoned this one so far.

Next, reenacting. I was able to attend five events this past year. Less than I would like, but often real life gets in the way, especially with four children to tend to at home. My wife and kids are starting to attend events with me, so this may change in 2019. One of the events was a “lifestyles” event, while the other four were military in nature. I enjoy both aspects of the hobby, though I really need to get into better shape to keep up with the younger guys on the field. Count that as a goal for 2019.

Sewing projects related to reenacting included a shift, petticoat, and jacket for my wife. I'm also currently working on a pair of breeches for one of the guys in Warner's Regiment. 2019 will probably see some more sewing for my wife, and some upgrades in clothing for the kids.

Learning about the Southern Battery during "Muster at Mount Independence."

Third, history. Most of my historical pursuits this year have been driven by interest in my reenacting unit and the locations where they were stationed and fought. This past fall I was able to attend a full day event at Mount Independence in Orwell, Vermont, where I learned a little more about the fortifications that were there, and the archaeology that has been happening for the last several decades. In particular, there was a focus on the Southern Battery, where our reenacting unit had been stationed during the past summer's “Soldiers Atop The Mount” event. It was pretty neat to hang out with state archaeologists, museum curators, and historians for the day, especially those who had been involved with excavations on the site. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the area, and the artifacts on exhibit in the site's museum.

1765 Surveyor's Field Notes at Bennington Museum.

My other historical pursuit has been researching and learning about 18^th century surveying techniques. One part of this involved a research trip to the Bennington Museum, in Bennington, Vermont, where I was able to read the original field notes of a surveyor from New York who was working in the area in the 1760s. Handling the original manuscript, written over 250 years ago, was a little surreal. Later, while at home, I started mapping out his field notes, and found that he had actually walked right across the property that the museum is currently located on. Pretty wild to imagine that the two of us were in the same spot, with the same book, a couple of centuries apart from each other. For 2019, I'm hoping to attend the School of Instruction in March, held by The Department of the Geographer, a group that reenacts surveyors for the Continental Army. This is a yearly event, and photos that I've seen from past years show it to be both a lot of fun, and very informative regarding colonial surveying.

Finished Miniatures for 2018, plus some old finds.

Finally, wargaming. This year I decided to put some serious effort toward painting up a set of miniatures that I've had stashed for several years. These miniatures became the 28mm version of Warner's Regiment as they may have appeared in 1777. I also completed some small terrain pieces, a few civilians, and started a set of British troops to pit against my Continentals. Within the last couple of weeks, I also found a second stash of older miniatures that I had purchased at some point, so I've added these to the “to do” box. My goal for 2019 is to finish the British regiment, repaint a cannon crew that I found, and then paint up the extra figures that I dug up (Three mounted Continentals, a few militia, and an extra sprue of Perry plastics). I'd also like to work on some more terrain pieces, including a ground mat to stage games on. Will I actually game? Who knows. I might attempt a couple of solo games if I can find the time, or perhaps wrangle some friends into a game some weekend. I'm having fun putting the armies and terrain together, so anything else would just be extra fun.

So, I think that sums up 2018 in regards to this blog's topics. On to 2019!

Soldiers Atop The Mount - 2018

This past weekend, Warner's Regiment took part in the annual “Soldiers Atop the Mount” event at Mount Independence in Orwell, Vermont. The event is run by the Vermont State Historic Sites, and features reenactors portraying soldiers garrisoning the fort that occupied the grounds in 1776 and 1777.

Me and Miss G. in our 18th Century roles.

Planning and construction of the fort began in July of 1776 when the Continental Army decided to fortify the peninsula of land opposite Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. By erecting a second fort, and connecting the two via a bridge across the Lake, the Americans had total control of the Lake Champlain water route leading from Canada to the north, to New York, via Lake George and the Hudson River, to the south. The two forts were abandoned, however, in July of 1777, when the British army, under General John Burgoyne, moved south to lay siege to Ticonderoga. At first, General St. Clair, commander of the Continentals, did not believe reports of British movements. When Burgoyne arrived, his men were able to haul cannon to the top of Mount Defiance, which overlooked both Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. This move, coupled with the fact that he was short of both supplies and men, convinced St. Clair that the Americans should retreat, rather than be captured in a siege that they could not withstand. On July 6, 1777, women, children and supplies were sent south on boats to Skenesborough (today's Whitehall, New York), while the army at Ticonderoga moved across the lake to Mount Independence, then south along the military road to Castleton, Vermont. The British pursued St. Clair, which led to the Battle of Hubbardton on July 7^th, a delaying action which may have saved St. Clair's army.

The Sgt. Major demonstrating guard procedures.

For this past weekend, our unit was tasked with manning the Southern Battery of Mount Independence. Some of our men and women were allowed to camp at the battery, which was the first time the ground had been home to troops since November of 1777, when the British left the fort after the defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga. On Saturday, our men posted guard at the battery, challenging visitors with a sign/counter-sign phrase that they learned from our regimental Chaplain who was stationed further down the trail from out post. Once admitted, guests were able to learn about the design of the three-tiered construction of the battery defenses, then could move a bit further along the trail where the 2nd Continental Artillery was firing one of their small pieces (again, the first time such had been done since 1777 in this location).

Cpt. Mullen explaining the battery layout to guests.

In the afternoon, we set off on a small skirmish in the woods at the upper camp of the mount. The scenario was that a small patrol had attacked the camp, and we were to push them out. Unlike most reenactments where visitors stand behind a line while troops battle each other across an open field, this event allows visitors to follow along behind the men at a safe distance as they patrol and engage the enemy in the woods. Two of the officers from Warner's acted as guides for the crowd, interpreting the action as it unfolded.

Some of the ladies of the Regiment at the Upper Encampment.

Day two of the event saw a Sunday service by our Chaplain, who read a sermon from Reverend Thomas Allen, who had served at the mount in the time period. There was a reading of the Declaration of Independence in front of the assembled troops, and a second small skirmish in the afternoon.

Safety inspection before the Sunday skirmish.