Barbarians Bears and Beavers

Rogers Rangers

2010-12-09T14:31:00.001Z

Here is the 'Rangers in caps' pack from Galloping Major. http://www.gallopingmajorwargames.com/

fallen trees

2010-12-08T10:56:00.003Z

Here are a couple fallen trees that I've been working on.
I started by gluing polystyrene tiles to old CDs and when dry, I trimmed away unwanted material and roughened up the surface a bit.

The central part was cut out to form the root ball and then large twigs were pushed into the top to form the dead tree and smaller twigs were pushed in the bottom to make the roots. A few smaller twigs were also pushed in the base section.

I then glued the root ball in place onto the base section. It helps to push a couple twigs into the base section to act as pegs for the root ball to make the structure more secure.

Basing material is then applied and left to dry.

All that is then required is to paint the basing material and add flock to taste.

I then went on to use the same method to make a larger, completely fallen tree.

Quebec Militia

2010-11-25T20:07:00.000Z

Here is my first bag of Galloping Major http://www.gallopingmajorwargames.com/page4.htm figures.
They are Canadian Militia and I painted them up as Quebec militia. They are really lovely figures and a joy to paint.

Galloping Major

2010-11-19T17:37:00.001Z

This is my first attempt at painting http://www.gallopingmajorwargames.com/ figures. All in all, I really like them and they seem to paint up quite easily.

Portage Party

2010-11-15T22:08:00.001Z

28mm figures by http://www.redoubtenterprises.com/
This is actually two sets. You get two Indians carrying the canoe and one walking and the canoe in each pack.

Peter Pig American artillery casualty markers

2010-11-08T17:14:00.000Z

Here are some artillery casualty markers by Peter Pig http://www.peterpig.co.uk/
British versions on the way.

Artillery redoubt

2010-09-09T14:46:00.000+01:00

Just working on an 1812 skirmish scenario which requires an artillery redoubt so thought I'd better build one.
First step is to cut out the base from chip board. Great way to recycle some old crappy furniture.

Glued a few gabions in place. Gabions are from Hovels. http://www.hovelsltd.co.uk/

Earth banking made from balsa wood.

Gun platforms cut and glued in place then scored planking into them.

Added some log protection.

Basetex applied.

Sand dry brush on the soil.

Made a few tools to scatter about the place. The shafts are made from cocktail sticks which are split at one end and then the card spades are slotted in. Gun platforms painted with a watery flesh ink wash and the gabbions are painted sand and then given a chestnut brown ink wash.

Finished off with a bit of flock and leaf scatter. Will take some 'in action' pics later in week.

15mm trees

2010-09-08T22:03:00.002+01:00

I have been unhappy with K&M trees for some time but they have served their purpose. I wanted to make some more realistic looking trees but didn't want to spend a fortune. Having looked around, I discovered some tree armatures at the local model railway shop which weren't too expensive and it wasn't too difficult to throw them together to make some nice (I think so any way) trees and you can make loads from the pack. I also bought some additional flock to beef them up a bit but per unit, they still come in cheaper than K&M and I am much happier with them.

Queen's Rangers Highlanders

2010-08-05T19:06:00.001+01:00

Just finished this unit of Queen's Ranger's Highlanders. The figures are by Peter Pig.
http://www.peterpig.co.uk/

They always get their man!

2010-08-04T17:17:00.001+01:00

These are figures by Redoubt http://www.redoubtenterprises.com/ from their Zulu War range and are in fact Natal Mounted Police which I have painted up as Royal Canadian Mounted Police for wild west / North West Rebellion games. I did a little converting by cutting off some of the pith helmets and replacing with pill box hats which I made from Milliput.
Since completing these, I have discovered that similar figures are produced by Empress http://www.empressminiatures.com/ and they are absolutely gorgeous. To expand my collection, I will definitely go with these.

Small fort

2010-07-27T16:20:00.002+01:00

Here is another model which I made a while ago. The first step was to work out how big I wanted it to be and then to cut out an appropriately sized base out of chip board. I then glued polystyrene sheets to this with pva (pva doesn't chorode the styrene) and allowed a day or two for drying time. Once dry, you can easily sculpt the styrene to the desired contours.

Next thing I did was to start constructing an out building I wanted for inside the fort. I made the basic shape out of artist card and glued them together with super glue. You can use pva but the dry time is much longer. I then cut out and glued thin pieces of balsa to the outside of the construction and scored planking marks into it. After that, I added shingles and the door and window frames etc. The door handle is a shot gun pellet.

I now placed the block house in position on the board. You can build a blockhouse in the same way the out house was built but the one I used was bought from Redoubt Enterprises http://www.redoubtenterprises.com/

I then marked out where I wanted the palisade to go and then started sticking BBQ skewers along its track. I found that it made the structure stronger to tie them together near the top. That done, you can position the out house into place.

I wanted a firing step inside the fort so the next step was to work out how high it was to be and to place balsa supports for it along the inside of the palisade and other areas.

Now you can start to put the basing material down. First thing I did was to place several large rocks into the styrene and then I began painting on the basing material. I used a mixture of sand and brown emulsion paint for this.

You need to start painting now as there are parts you won't be able to get at once the firing step is glued in place. I used a leather brown colour which was then given a black was when it was dry.

That done, you can start building the platform for the firing step.

Finish painting the remaining parts and then when dry, dry brush the whole lot with a cream colour and maybe a little white. Go easy on the white though.

I also dry brush the basing material with an ochre colour and then add some rocky patches with a bit of a white dry brush. Again, go steady with this.

Next step is to flock the base whilst leaving a few bare patches. I also add a few areas of longer grass. All sorts of material for this can be bought from local hobby shops of model railway shops.

Games Room

2010-07-24T18:17:00.001+01:00

The WD3 crowd have been trading pictures of their respective games rooms so I thought I would also share some pics here. This is my little oasis and weekly battle ground.

Redoubt Indians

2010-07-24T18:04:00.000+01:00

Here is a selection of Redoubt Indians which are a little larger than the Perry Indians but mix in quite well as they are based individually. I really need to get the portage party. Maybe at the next show eh?

http://www.redoubtenterprises.com/

Perry Woodland Indians

2010-07-24T17:36:00.001+01:00

These are some lovely figures from the Perry twins http://www.perry-miniatures.com/ and are part of their American War of Independence range but will, of course, cover a long period of time so I use them for Last of the Mohicans, French and Indian War and War of 1812 skirmishing.

Last of the Mohicans

2010-07-24T17:05:00.002+01:00

Well, Last of the Mohicans is one of my favourite films, set in my favourite period so lets face it, you just have to game it don't you? It just stands to reason. I looked around for a generic set of skirmish rules for the period and stumbled across a set completely dedicated to the the film, which was nice.

I think most people are aware of the site where I downloaded the rules from but if you aren't, here is a link http://www.freewargamesrules.co.uk/
Its a great resource for free rules which you can try at no monetary risk. Here is a link to the Last of the Mohican rules http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/skarlet/mohicans/mohicans_rules.htm
Now, I do like this very simple set of rules but I will give you a word of warning. Hawkeye is indeed dead eye dick and Chingachgook will have you on the butchers slab before you can say pound of mince please. Knowing this, you can see that you're probably going to want a fair few baddies to take them on.
I have also taken the core rules and amended them slightly for general skirmish games in North America and they seem to work very well.
The figures pictured are painted by myself and are available from Conquest Miniatures http://www.conquestminiatures.com/ and you can also get a set from Redoubt Enterprises http://www.redoubtenterprises.com/ although, I have to say that I prefer the Conquest figures.

Lexington Belfry

2010-07-23T19:01:00.001+01:00

This is the belfry which stood at Lexington. I believe this particular one (the original) burnt down and there is now a replacement there.

I don't do AWI skirmishing but I just fancied building this with the view that it could fit in with other North American skirmish games that I do do.

The first step was to come up with the correct proportions and establish a 'footprint' so that I could make an appropriate sized base to begin construction. I just came up with something which looked right to me rather than using any sort of mathematical formula. Having done this, I drew a rectangle on the base and then glued the uprights on all four corners in their places. Next step was to cut and glue the cross pieces and then the door way. I find that super glue is best for this as it sticks straight away, unlike pva.

The clapboard can now be fitted starting from the bottom with each successive piece overlapping the one under it slightly. Make sure that the width of each piece is the same with as between each upright. You can tackle this one side at a time. When finished, you should have gaps between each side running up the corners of the building. You now cut a single piece of balsa to fit into this gap making a clean, finished corner. You can also put the door in at this time.

I then made the bell tower construction. I made the bell from a solid piece of Milliput but you might find that you can buy an actual bell to serve the same purpose. I looked but couldn't find one. Remember to paint the inside of the building and also the whole bell tower before you glue in place as you will be able to see into the building when the construction is complete.

This done, you can glue in place the roof supports coming into the bell tower from each corner of the building. Now cut strips of roofing material and apply the same way you did the clap boarding to the side of the building. The only difference is that these need to but up to each other with no gap between them so you will need to do a layer at a time all the way around the roof from the bottom up.

The final part of the roof can now be sorted. You need a roof support coming from each corner of the top part of the belfry each meeting in the middle to form a peak. You can then apply the roofing timbers much the same as you did with the main roof section.

Now add some details to the door like hinges, latches etc. I used plasticard but you can use whatever you deem best.

Last but not least, paint and base. I painted the building brown and then gave it a black ink wash which, when dry was dry brushed with an ochre colour. Metal work was picked out in black. For basing, I use brown emulsion with sand mixed in which is then dry brushed with a sand colour and flock and leaf litter added.

Et voila!

If you don't fancy building one, you can also buy one from Grand Manner.

http://www.grandmanner.co.uk/home/index.asp

18th century house

2010-07-23T18:09:00.001+01:00

I was after a house for 1812 skirmishing and came upon this one which I liked very much. Decided on the clap board colour as I knew there was a 'yellow' house at Crysler's Farm so went for something in that sort of spectrum.
The building wasn't cheap but it is very nice and the lift off roof allows for figures to be placed inside which saves on record keeping.
I made the fencing from balsa.

This building, along with others is available from GrandManner. http://www.grandmanner.co.uk/home/index.asp

19th Light Dragoons

2010-07-22T19:09:00.001+01:00

There were only two British cavalry Regiments to serve in North America during the War of 1812 and it is this unit, the 19th which saw the most action. This unit saw action at the re-capture of Fort George, Black Rock and Buffalo, Chippawa, Lundy's Lane and the siege of Fort Erie. A contingent also saw action at a skirmish at Molcolm's Mill chasing off American raiders. Another squadron which was stationed in Montreal also saw action at Plattsburgh.
As the Regiment was sent to North America in 1812 during the uniform change, I chose to portray them in the Tarleton rather than the new shako as I prefer the Tarleton.

The figures are from Front Rank http://www.frontrank.com/ and the standard is hand painted by myself.

22nd US Infantry

2010-07-22T17:49:00.001+01:00

This Regiment saw action at Chippawa and Lundy's Lane. Their nickname, "Regulars, by God" came during the War of 1812 from the Battle of Chippewa on 5 July 1814. The uniform of the Infantry was normally blue, however, due to shortages of blue cloth the troops under the command of General Winfield Scott were issued short jackets of gray cloth which they wore into the battle. At first , the British mistook the regulars for militia. But when Scott's brigade of regiments advanced without wavering through a hail of artillery and musket fire, the British commander Major General Phineas Riall realized his mistake and cried, "Those are Regulars, By God!."

Figures are from Old Glory http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/ and the standards are hand painted by myself.

1st Royal Scots War of 1812

2010-07-22T17:27:00.001+01:00

These are the 1st Royal Scots who saw action at Sackett's Harbour, Buffalo and Black Rock, Fort Niagara, Longwoods, Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, the siege of Fort Erie and Cook's Mill.

The figures are from Front Rank http://www.frontrank.com/ and the standards are hand painted by myself.

Peter Pig AWI rules

2010-07-22T16:41:00.001+01:00

Pre game set up. First of all, there is the pre game set up. Anyone familiar with their Wars of the Roses 'Bloody Barrons' rules will be familiar with this.
Each side is given a set number of dice which they divide up, as they wish, into several catagories i.e. extra ammo, scouting, etc etc. When this is done, both sides then roll the number of dice which they have assigned to the appropriate catagory and any 5's or 6's (might just be 6's) count. Who ever gets the most wins that part. So if you get the most for extra ammo, say, then you get the extra ammo. You get the idea.
The attacker and defender both pick several small pieces of terrain according to their list and the defender then deploys these. The board is divided into something like 6 sections and each section must have at least 2 pieces of terrain either wholey or entirely in the section. Once this is done, the attacker gets the chance to modify this to a certain extent.
In some games, the defender will then place objective markers on the table in places which he would like to defend. Four markers are placed and the attacker gets to remove one of these. These add to the points system at the end of the game to see who has won. The deeper an objective is into enemy territory means that it is worth more points if captured.
OK, now the armies are deployed and the game begins.
The game has a command and control system. An army commander, and his subbordinates have command values according to their ability. The C-in-C decides where he would most like to exhert his influence by picking a commander in that area. There is a dice roll which is modified by his and the subbordinate in questions command ratings. This will result in how many extra dice that subbordinate gets to spend. i.e. re-rolls.
We then get down to the activation of units. This is basically a PIPs system. A commander will roll a dice to try and activate a unit. If the commander is poor quality, he is less likely to be able to activate anything. If you fail to activate a unit, your turn is over. Once activated a unit rolls to see how many PIPs it gets. If you are using a commander who has been given extra dice by the C-in-C and you don't get a roll you liked i.e. not enough PIP's of a bad saving roll etc, you may elect to use those extra dice to dice again. You may move, shoot, charge etc according to the number of PIP's you have. If an active unit comes within close range of a non active unit, that unit is allowed opportunity fire on the active unit.
To fire, you get as many dice as you have bases and then you need a certain number to hit on each dice with modifiers. The opposition then gets a saving throw for each hit.
Thats the basics of it and in my opinion, it works quite well. The pre game bit is a bit of a distraction for me and makes it really gamey to no advantage.

Those are my thoughts any way.

I'd be glad to hear what other people think if they have tried them.

http://www.peterpig.co.uk/range5-awi.htm

DeLancey's Brigade

2010-07-20T14:27:00.005+01:00

OK, I'll admit that the primary reason that I wanted to paint this unit was because of the pretty white hats. They do, however, fit into the brief I set myself to paint Loyalist forces who were active in the south so I guess that's my get out clause.

These figures are from the relatively new Peter Pig Range which I like very much and are a genuine pleasure to paint. The only thing is that they didn't have feathers in their caps so I just cut out some pieces of paper which I had painted black and stuck them onto the hats after painting. Seems to have the desired effect so I'm quite pleased.

DeLancey's Brigade served in Savannah and Charleston. I believe the engagement of most note that they took part in was Eutaw Springs which was the last major engagement in the Carolinas. After this, I believe the Brigade returned to New York and was disbanded after the war.

Royal Highland Emigrants

2010-07-19T22:43:00.010+01:00

Thought I'd have a bash at these fellas. Took a bit of a liberty by kitting them out in breechers for the southern theatre instead of full Highland dress like most sources claim they wore. Didn't seem unreasonable for them to switch to a more practical dress and Chartrand does say that they later made the kilts into trews anyhoo.

Figures are Minifigs as donated, very kindly, by Brendan. Thanks Brendan.

Covered bridge

2009-05-13T20:20:00.020+01:00

I had wanted to build one of these iconic structures for some time and finally got round to it around the end of 2008. It is believed that covered bridges were built in such a way, partially to preserve the wooden road way from the elements and also to give travellers a similar helping hand. The bridge I came up with is an amalgamation of various designs I found on the net. First thing was to make two frame constructions, the first of which was used as the road way and covered in planking and the second frame was used as the base of the roof. After this, the side planking went on.
Next step was to start constructing the roof. All the beams are identical so once I'd worked out the shape on a piece of paper, it was easy to cut all the pieces out and glue them together. As the roof needs to be removable for game play to move figures through the bridge, a method to hold the roof in place but without using glue. Balsa blocks were glued in each corner of the roof, then the roof construction was held in situ on the main bridge construction then drilled out right into the main construction beneath. Cocktail stick were then inserted into the balsa block with the tip sticking out so that it will stick into the main construction beneath when finished. Whilst still held in place, planks were fitted onto the gable ends, fitting snugly against the main construction for a secure fit. At this point, I was able to start gluing on ribs which would give the shingles something to stick to and also to guide the course of the shingles as I worked. Before beginning work on the shingles, I made the ramps to lead up to the bridge which were fixed to a piece of artist card as a base and then the planking was glued in place. I then started cutting out and gluing into place a billion shingles. Its not as bad as it seems actually, once you get into a rhythm. Thats pretty much it for the build and I was able to start painting. First step was to spray the inside of the roof black. The rest of the bridge was painted a watery chestnut colour and then given a black wash whilst still damp which helps the wash to soak in to all the gaps between planking. I let this dry for a good 12 hours then was able to dry brush all over with a mustard colour using cheap poster paints and a fairly large, stiff brush. I then gave it a very light white dry brush just to pick out the edges. Finishing touch was to texture, paint and flock the bases for the ramps. This isn't a model which gets used a lot but I enjoyed building it and thats all that counts really.

HMS Shannon vs USS Chesapeake

2009-05-11T20:01:00.004+01:00

'No expressions can do justice to my brave officers and crew; the calm courage they displayed during the cannonade, and the tremendous precision of their fire, could only be equalled by their ardour with which they rushed to the assault.' Captain Philip Broke of HMS Shannon, 6 June 1813
HMS Shannon was a 38-gun frigate that won immortal fame for her capture of the USS Chesapeake off Boston in June 1813. Since the 1750s, the term frigate had described the smaller, faster types of warship used for commerce protection or raiding, or scouting for the main fleet. They had two decks with the main armament carried on the upper deck. Completed in 1806, Shannon was a Fifth Rate 'Leda' class frigate mounting twenty-eight 18-pounder guns, the Royal Navy's largest type of frigate during the Napoleonic era.
To meet all its commitments the Admiralty gave priority to the construction of the greatest number of frigates, rather than those with the heaviest armament. Nevertheless, British admirals frequently complained that they did not have enough; while searching for the French fleet before the Battle of the Nile in 1798, Horation Nelson wrote to Sir William Hamilton: 'All my ill-fortune, hitherto, has proceeded from want of frigates.'
In the 1790s the Americans built some very large 44-gun frigates and when war broke out between Great Britain and the United States in 1812 these ships won a series of single-ship actions; USS Constitution captured HMS Guerriere and HMS Java whilst USS United States overwhelmed HMS Macedonian. The British public, accustomed to naval victories regardless of the odds, was incensed. However, since many of the best British ships and crews were in European waters, the defeats were not so surprising.
In response the British instituted a closer blockade of American ports. HMS Shannon commanded by Captain Philip Broke was one of the ships patrolling off the coast of the United States. During his seven years in charge, Broke had worked up his ship to a peak of fighting efficiency with the best gunnery drill of any vessel in the Royal Navy. His gun crews were trained to fire into the hull of the enemy ship to kill the crew instead of shooting down the masts. Throughout his career Broke had prepared for a single-ship action. He even refused to capture American merchant ships, as this would require him to put crews on board and reduce the Shannon's efficiency.
After a long patrol off Boston, Broke was rewarded on 1 June 1813 when the 38-gun frigate USS Chesapeake came out to challenge him. The ensuing battle was the finest single-ship action in the age of sail. Captain James Lawrence, the new commander of the Chesapeake, was confident in the ability of his veteran crew, but had reckoned without Broke and the Shannon.
As the Chesapeake approached, the Shannon fired her first devastating broadside at a range of about 35 metres. Lawrence was wounded, but ordered the Chesapeake to slow down to enable her to return fire. However, the American gunners did not have time to adjust their aim as the carronades of the British ship swept the Chesapeake's quarterdeck and on her upper deck two-thirds of the gun crews were already casualties.
At a crucial moment the Chesapeake's wheel was destroyed by a 9-pounder gun that Broke had installed on Shannon's quarterdeck for that purpose. Out of control, the vulnerable stern of the American ship was exposed to raking British fire and in desperation Lawrence ordered his men to board as the Chesapeake drifted stern first towards the Shannon.
Instead it was Broke who seized the moment and led the boarding party in person onto the Chesapeake. Despite a final appeal from Captain Lawrence 'Don't give up the ship!', the battle was effectively over. In a final act three American sailors, probably from the rigging, attacked Broke; he killed the first, but the second hit him with a musket and the third sliced open his skull before being overwhelmed.
The entire action lasted only 11 minutes, but its unequalled ferocity left 148 American and 83 English sailors killed or wounded. All the Chesapeake's officers were casualties and Lawrence died of his wounds three days later.
Broke made a miraculous recovery and returned to England where he received a hero's welcome for restoring the pride of the Royal Navy. Later in his career he made a decisive contribution to the establishment of professional standards of gunnery at HMS Excellent and laid the foundations for victories such as the attack on Acre in 1840. .
HMS Shannon was placed in the reserve in 1831. She was renamed the St Lawrence in 1844 and became a receiving ship at Sheerness, before finally being broken up in November 1859. But her name and that of Philip Broke will forever be associated for her swift and devastating victory over the Chesapeake.

Here are a couple models I built and painted of the two famous ships. models are 1:700 scale from the Skytrex 'Meridian - Trafalgar' range (http://www.skytrex.com/skytrex.com/).

Queen's Rangers figures (Infantry)

2009-05-11T18:56:00.017+01:00

As far as I am aware, there are three manufacturers who make Queen's Rangers infantry in 15mm. The first one which I looked at was Freikorp http://quickreactionforce.co.uk/catalog/popup_image.php/pID/1101 and they didn't really float my boat as I wasn't really keen on the sculpts and lack of poses. The second manufacturer was Minifigs but sadly, there are no pics of them on their web site but they very kindly offered to send me a sample which I declined as I had already decided my plan of attack by then. Third and final manufacturer is Old Glory 15's. Several problems surfaced with this manufacturer- No pics on the web site so I emailed them to ask if they could send me a pic of the figures I was interested in. Their answer? 'Sorry, but we do not have the means at this time to take pics.' If this answer shocks you, I can assure you that you were no more shocked than I. Problem two is that it isn't easy laying your hands on Old Glory 15's and more in the UK and the postage is a real killer. Problem three is that Old Glory 15's tend to be quite large and wouldn't really mix in with figures which we already have.

In the end, after thinking long and hard on the subject, I eventually decided to convert. As a basis for the conversion, I started with a light infantryman from Essex Miniatures (http://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/)

The comb on the hat was removed and the peak also. Next thing was to get rid of the turn backs to create a short coat.

I then cut out mitre shapes from paper and stuck them onto the front of the newly cut down caps. It may seem a little flimsy for gaming purposes but once you complete the next step and get some paint on them, they're not too bad at all.

The feathers were made out of bits of Milliput which were moulded around the top of the hat and pushed up to the paper mitre to give it strength. The feathery indentations were made with a dampened scalpel which stops the blade sticking to the Milliput.

Here are a couple pics of the finished product. The flags are from 'Flags for the Lads' (http://www.zen36884.zen.co.uk/fftl/4.zen.co.uk/fftl/).

Unit update (7/8/2010)
I converted and painted this unit of Queen's Rangers Riflemen a while ago but compromised slightly by not including the hackle as I couldn't think of a way of making it and thought that it might be a bit brittle. Well I have not been entirely happy with the compromise so have re thought the decision and this is what I came up with. I used a length of plastic box shaped rod and cut into the corners with a blade to form the feathers then cut into appropriate lengths and glued to the side of the existing hats.
I'm much happier with this. Here are a couple elements to show the addition.

John Graves Simcoe

2009-05-08T20:40:00.006+01:00

Military life was in the blood of John Graves Simcoe. His father was a naval officer who served with Wolfe in the Quebec Campaign of 1759 and died when John was still a child. John had the sort of education that was typical of boys of his class, attending Eton College and Oxford University, although John left Oxford after only one year. At the age of 18, John was given a commission in the army as an ensign, and five years later he went to war, shipping over to America to fight the revolutionaries. His regiment arrived in Boston in 1775 only two days after the Battle of Bunker Hill. While taking part in the siege of Boston, Simcoe purchased a captaincy (purchasing a commission was common in those days—it was how wealthy people made sure they rose through the ranks). During 1776-1777 Simcoe received three wounds as he fought in the Long Island campaign, the capture of New York and the New Jersey campaign. Earning a reputation during the war both as a commander and as a military theorist, Simcoe was eventually promoted to lieutenant, then to lieutenant-colonel.
On October 15, 1777 Simcoe was promoted to major and made regimental commander of the Queen's Rangers. After nearly six years of fighting, Simcoe was invalided home to Britain in 1781.

The Province of Upper Canada was created under the Constitutional Act of 1791 Simcoe was appointed lieutenant governor and made plans to move to Upper Canada with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Sophia, leaving three other daughters behind with their aunt. They left England in September and arrived on November 11. After working hard to establish Upper Canada beginning in 1792, he requested leave in 1796 to return to England for health reasons. He never returned.

Robert Rogers

2009-05-08T20:28:00.004+01:00

Robert Rogers was born in Dunbarton, New Hampshire, in 1727; died in England about 1800. He entered the military service during the old French war, for which he raised and commanded "Rogers's rangers," a company that, acquired reputation for activity, particularly in the region of Lake George. His name is perpetuated there by the precipice that is known as "Rogers's slide," near which he escaped from the Indians, who, believing" that he had slid down the steep defile of the mountain under the protection of the Great Spirit, made no attempt at further pursuit. On 13 March, 1758, with 170 men, he fought 100 French and 600 Indians, and, after losing 100 men and killing 150, he retreated. In 1759 he was sent by Sir Jeffrey Amherst from Crown Point to destroy the Indian village of St. Francis near St. Lawrence river, which service he performed, killing 200 Indians, and in 1760 he was ordered by Amherst to take possession of Detroit and other western posts that were ceded by the French after the fall of Quebec. Ascending the St. Lawrence with 200 rangers, he visited Fort Pitt, had an interview with Pontiac, and received the submission of Detroit. He visited England, and suffered from want until he borrowed money to print his journal, which he presented to the king, who in 1765 appointed him governor of Mackinaw, Michigan ; but while holding this office he was accused of plotting to plunder his own fort and to deliver it to the French, and was consequently sent to Montreal in irons and tried by court-martial. In 1769 he revisited England, but was soon imprisoned for debt. Afterward he returned to this country. Dr. John Wheelock, of Dartmouth college, wrote at this period: "The famous Major Rogers came to my house from a tavern in the neighborhood, where he called for refreshment. I had never before seen him. He was in but an ordinary habit for one of his character. He treated me with great respect" said he came from London in July, and had spent twenty days with the congress in Philadelphia, and I forget how many at New York: had been offered and urged to take a commission in favor of the colonies, but, as he was on half-pay from the crown, he thought it proper not to accept it "; and also "that he had got a pass, or license to travel, from the Continental congress." Major Rogers's accounts of himself were probably not accurate, but he had been a prisoner of congress, and was released on parole, promising that he would bear no arms against the American colonies. Soon after leaving Dr. Wheelock he wrote to General Washington: "I love America; it is my native country, and that of my family, and I intend to spend the evening of my days in it." It is believed that at this very moment he was a spy. Being suspected by Washington, he was secured in 1776, and during his examination, pretending that he had business with congress, was sent to Philadelphia under the care of an officer. That body decided that he should be disposed of by the Provincial congress of New Hampshire. Notwithstanding his parole, he accepted the commission of colonel in the British army, for which he raised the Queen's rangers, a corps that was celebrated throughout, the contest. To encourage enlistments he issued a printed circular promising to the recruits "their proportion of all rebel lands." On 21 October, 1776, he escaped being taken prisoner by Lord Stifling at Mamaroneck. Soon afterward he went to England, and in 1778 he was proscribed and banished. His subsequent history is lost. Rogers was the author of "A Concise Account of North America" (London, 1765); "Journals," giving an account of his early adventures as a ranger (1765 ; Dublin, 1770) ; and " Ponteach, or the Savages of America," a tragedy in verse (1766). This was printed anonymously, and is now very rare. His "Diary of the Siege of Detroit in the War with Pontiac" was published, with other narratives and with notes, by Franklin B. Hough (Albany, 1860; new ed., 1883). The names of the officers of Rogers's rangers are given in the "Report of the Adjutant-General of New Hampshire," and his exploits are chronicled in General John Wins-low's unpublished "Journal," and in manuscript letters in the Massachusetts archives. The "Journals" mentioned above are condensed in "Reminiscences of the French War," edited by Caleb Stark (Concord, 1831), and also appear in an abridged form in a "Memoir of John Stark" by the same author (1860). The best edition is that edited by Franklin B. Hough (Albany, 1883).

Queen's Rangers brief history

2009-05-08T19:45:00.004+01:00

Many Loyalist regiments were raised at the beginning of the AWI. The regiment in question here was the Queen's Rangers which was named after Queen Charlotte, wife to George III.
Anyone unfamiliar with the Queen's Rangers would certainly not be unfamiliar with the gentleman who raised it, a certain Robert Rogers, still basking in the glory from the French and Indian War. The good times weren't to last, however and Rogers parted company with the regiment in 1777. After the war, he went to London where he died a pauper.
The regiment was mostly raised from loyalists in Westchester, Long Island and western Connecticut.
In the North, the regiment saw action at Mamaroneck, Brandywine and Germantown where they suffered sunstantial losses.
Their most succesful commander, John Graves Simcoe was very popular and saw them through the rest of the war finally seeing them surrender with the rest of the troops at Yorktown. In happier days with the regiment he lead them through the Philadelphia campaign saw action in New York State and New Jersey.
The period which most interests me is after this when they ventured further south with Benedict Arnold, raiding Richmond and Charlestown. Fighting as reconnaisance and outpost troops, they were never defeated in battle.
When the surrendered at Yorktown with the rest of the army their Colours were smuggled away and not handed over as they were supposed to be.
The modern day descendents of the Queen's Rangers reside in Toronto and the Yorktown Colours can still be seen there in the officers mess. The Rangers participated in the building of York (modern day Toronto) and Shaw, McGill and Jarvis Streets are all named after Queen's officers.

Wargaming the American War on Independence

2009-05-08T19:20:00.003+01:00

Now, I'm no stranger to the American War of Independence but I would class myself as a novice to this particular conflict. As a group, we have been gaming the AWI for a substantial number of years and I have finally arrived at a place where I want to build some troops for it.
The first consideration was what to do as we already have the core of what is needed so I decided to go for what would be considered, by many, to be more fringe elements. After flicking through books and web pages and seeking advice from people more in the know, I decided to launch into some Loyalists. I pretty much wrote off the British Legion straight away as it was a bit too predictable for my liking. The Legion which did spark my interest, however, is the Queens Rangers as it incorporates quite a few unique elements. In addition to the standard infantry units, you also get to build Light Infantry, Grenadiers, highlanders, Huzzars and Dragoons and the icing on the cake is that they had unique milinery which looks pretty cool.
The next consideration was which period to choose. This was quickly sorted out as there was a uniform change after 1780 resulting in the snazzy hats and they also wandered off into the South which is more of an interesting theatre for me. In addition to the Queen's Rangers, I will also be building a unit of the Volunteers of Ireland (more snazzy hats) and also a unit of deLancey's in their nice white roundabouts (more snazzy hats). I shall be posting pics as I finish these units and maybe some day pics of them in battle.

Horse Island Lighthouse

2009-05-07T19:21:00.019+01:00

This light stood on Horse Island just off shore from Sackett's Harbour, New York. It was a project which I enjoyed working on as it was more than just a simple build, what with incorperating the light with thought given to the ability to replace both worn out bulbs and also batteries without this tarnishing the look of the finished product.

Here are a couple pics of the model under construction and some more of the finished product with light on and off.