Historical Background
Ater defeating Washington at Germantown two weeks before, British General Howe attempts to snuff out the remaining rebel resistance around Philadelphia. Washington orders the two Delaware river bank forts controlling the approaches below the city be held to keep the Royal Navy from sailing up river to resupply Howes army. Two Rhode Island Continental regiments under Colonel Christopher Greene are sent to Fort Mercer, also known as Red Bank, on the eastern side of the river. They bolster about 12 cannon along the nine foot high log reinforced earthen ramparts that are inside the star shaped fort. Its defenses boast a deep, wide ditch below its walls as well as felled trees known as abatis that are strewn about the open fields of fire to entangle and disrupt attacking troops. Howe orders a brigade of Hessians under Col von Donop comprised of three battalions of grenadiers, a fusilier regiment, and about 160 jagers, along with artillery and British howitzers, to assault the fort by land. Planned Royal Navy support can't make it past down river rebel underwater defenses, long spikes anchored in the shipping line called Chevaux de Frise. As a result, the Pennsylvania Navy is able to provide fire support to the fort's defenders and torments the Hessians with grape and shot as they form in three assault columns to invest the fort from three directions. The Germans bravely march to the attack under a barrage of their own which is largely ineffectual. Each leading company of the Hessian assault columns caries fascines, bundles of tree branches tied together to be thrown into and stacked in the deep ditch so they can get across and scale the walls of the fort. But the fire from the Continentals is devastating as the Hessians try to get through the abatis, more so as they have no axes and saws to cut through them. Soon, Col von Donop is mortally wounded, as are other commanders, and the assault quickly founders. After suffering appalling casualties, the Hessians retreat in disorder. Howe is disgusted and pulls the German troops out of his field army to a backwater post and they never really contribute much for some time after.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. The rest is history?
Empty Board
Battle Notes
Continental Army
• Commander: Greene
• 4 Command Cards & 3 Combat Cards
British Army
• Commander: von Donop
• 5 Command Cards & 3 Combat Cards
• Move first
Victory
7 Victory Banners.
Special Rules
- The stream hexes represent the Delaware River and are impassable except to the ship borne Continental Light Artillery unit. Note it is depicted in a ship as it represents the Pennsylvania Navy. It only has line of sight and can fire on Hessian units that move inside the Field Works hexes of Fort Red Bank as well as the three ditch hexes nearest to the river on either side of the fort. Hessian units outside of those parameters have no LOS to the Continental ship (they must be within the Field Work hex « walls» of the fort to see and fire on the ship). The ship is considered to have protection as though it was in a field works hex. It cannot move except to retreat as normal but it will retreat downriver to the left. If it fails a rally check, it will be removed from the board and the Hessians hill gain a victory banner.
- Road hexes represent deep and very wide ditches that are impassable unless a frascine bundle is placed in a ditch hex by a Hessian unit. The Hessian unit starting with leaders will each have a marker (such a a dime) which represent fascine bundles. A unit can place a fascine bundle into an adjacent ditch hex only as the first action of its turn (it can't move into a hex and then place the fascine into an adjacent ditch hex). In the turn a unit places the fascine it may perform ranged combat but will do so reduced by one die as though it had moved representing the loss of firepower due to the men placing the fasciae. Once placed, any OTHER units adjacent to the fascine/ditch hex may move into it as though it were a clear terrain hex with no penalties. On the next turn the unit that placed the famine may move onto it as well. If a unit is eliminated while carrying fascines, they are left in place in the hex and any other unit will automatically pick them up upon entering that hex.
- The red Xs represent abatis which are cut and sharpened tree laid out so as to impede and disrupt attackers. Use a penny or quarter to represent the abatis. A unit or lone leader moving into or out of an Abatis must stop and move no further that turn. A unit battling out will roll -1 die. In this scenario, due to the fact that the Hessians did not have the required tools. the Abatis may not be removed. Abatis do not block line of sight.
- Use British Grenadier Guards and Highlander units to fill out the required number of Hessian Grenadier unit. Use British Regular unit to fill out the required Hessian Regular units.
