Historical Background
The destruction of Fort Granville in July of 1756, along with the mass desertion of settlers along the western frontier, made it clear to the Pennsylvania government that a more effective means of defense was required to stop the terror of the Delaware Indian raids. Governor Robert Hunter Morris charged Lieutenant-Colonel John Armstrong with leading an attack on the Indian village in Kittanning, which was the staging area for Delaware chief Captain Jacobs (Tewea).
Armstrong set out from Fort Shirley on August 30 with approximately three hundred men. No obstacles impeded his progress for the next nine days and on September 7 a campfire was spotted near Kittanning. Refraining from confrontation, Armstrong left a couple dozen men under the charge of Lieutenant James Hogg to watch the camp-fire and then led the rest of his men to Kittanning with the intent to attack after daybreak. Armstrong’s forces, attacking from the south and the east, took the village by surprise the following morning. Many of the Delawares fled as Armstrong’s men fired on the village. From the cover of their cabins, Captain Jacobs – and his men who did not flee – returned the British fire. From the shelter of their homes, the Delawares killed or wounded many of Armstrong’s company, including Armstrong himself who was wounded in the shoulder.
Realizing the futility of firing on enemies behind cover, Armstrong ordered the burning of the village. The blaze ignited the stores of gunpowder delivered by the French from Fort Duquesne just days earlier and many of the Delawares, trying to escape the explosions and flames, were shot. Captain Jacobs and his family were killed after attempting to escape by jumping from the second story of his cabin.
Armstrong, while seeking medical treatment, learned that a Delaware force was approaching from the west and from the other side of the Allegheny river and immediately ordered a retreat. Hogg and the men ordered to attack the campsite outside Kittanning at dawn were surprised to find a larger force of Delawares than expected. Hogg and five of his men were killed, and the survivors became tangled with Armstrong’s forces during the retreat. While unable to calculate how many of the enemy were killed, Armstrong did manage to free eleven captives from Kittanning – four of whom were lost during their escape from the village.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. The rest is history?
Battle Notes
Delaware Army
• Commander: Jacobs
• (3) 4 Command cards & 3 Combat cards Delaware Indians start with 3 Command cards. Draw two cards after first Command card is played. Command is increased to 4. A Combat card may not be played until you hold 4 Command cards.
British Army
• Commander: Armstrong
• 5 Command cards & 3 Combat cards
• Move First
Victory
6 Victory Banners
Special Rules
- British gain one permanent victory banner when occupying the camp outlined in red at the start of their turn. Remove the camp hex and collect a banner.
- British gain one permanent victory banner for each unit that starts and exits from the two right flank baseline hexes (outlined in red), but only after the removal of the camp hex and no French/Indian unit occupies a building hex.
- British gain one permanent victory banner for each building that is burned.
- The Allegheny river is impassable except at the River Crossings (outlined in blue).
- The River Crossing are only usable by the Delaware and French.
- Indian “War Cry” is in effect.
- French militia may move one hex and battle or two hexes and not battle.
- A Forest hex does not stop movement.
- Retreat two hexes per flag. - A lone non-Indian leader may never end it’s movement with an Indian unit.
- Burning a building
The occupying ordered unit must exit the building and declare it ‘burning’. Mark the hex – it is considered impassable terrain.
- The exiting unit must have started their turn on the building.
- The exiting unit can only move one hex.
- The exiting unit cannot battle the turn it exits a burning building.
- A burning building blocks line of site.