Battle of Falkirk Muir (17 January 1746) @ Historicon 2018

Historicon Preliminary Events List Entry

After turning back from Derby - for want of either any significant support from English Jacobites or a French invasion - the Jacobite Army returned to Scotland and besieged Stirling Castle. Lieutenant General Henry Hawley led a relief force from Edinburgh, encamping at Falkirk, from where he showed no signs of moving. The Jacobite army of 8,000 then approached Falkirk, surprising the 7,000 Hanoverians, who had to form up hurriedly, the wind driving the sleet in their faces The last of our three 1745 Jacobite battles - fought in a storm of wind with torrential rain/sleet/snow (or "just another day in Scotland") 

Rules: Piquet Field of Battle 2

Figures: Front Rank Miniatures

The Layout

The game begins with the Highlanders on the right flank under Lord George Murray threatening to outflank the hurriedly-forming Hanoverian troops. His highland command is faced with 3 regiments of dragoons of dubious quality. Lowlanders make a rear line ...

The Pretender is leading Jacobite Cavalry and Irish Piquets onto the field beside a deep and difficult ravine.

The Hanoverians had mostly managed to get into line, with a unit of Glasgow militia well in the rear of the cavalry. Unfortunately, the artillery is mired by the ravine, and another unit of militia is helping to drag the guns over the boggy moor....

The Game

The Hanoverians are first to take the initiative and get a Move card, which the cavalry successfully uses to charge the approaching highlanders ..

The effect was not as planned .. two of the units routed from the MacDonalds' fire, and the third was badly damaged by their opportunity fire, but at least engaged in melee, and pushed the their opposing Jacobite unit back in some disorder

On this same Move card, the Hanoverians made general move forward, 

and get a great roll to un-mire the guns

Moving routers as the first action on the next Hanoverian Move card took the 2 cavalry units towards the rear. One of these units was heading straight for the Glasgow Militia, through whom they continued their routing, and, as in the actual battle, the Glasgow Militia fired at their oncoming allies, 

and in this case completed their destruction

The Jacobites in the centre and left move up to engage with the first Hanoverian line

Meanwhile, the Hanoverian cavalry commander is found to be a casualty of the abortive charge, leaving the Hanoverian left flank exposed except for the unit of Glasgow Militia, (whose commander, I suppose, could be renamed Joshua McChamberlain) ..

As the Lowlanders come up, the Pretender enters the field with the Irish Piquets and Jacobite cavalry

More combat in the centre as the Hanoverian left wing starts to feel the pressure .. and the un-mired guns fail to move on the next 3 Move cards!!

 A Hanoverian commander is a casualty

The rather tardy highlanders on the right wing eventually engage with the Glasgow Militia

and suffer at the hands of the Glasgow boys 




 while the main engagement becomes intense

The Jacobites draw an "Uncontrolled Charge" card, mandating all Highlanders to move 8" and if possible go into melee ..

which precipitated a collapse of the Hanoverian left 

The Glasgow Militia were still holding, dealing with 2 Highlander units (one of which seems to have been charging at the spectators (as apparently happened in the actual battle)), but Army Morale Points were disappearing fast,

and the Hanoverians soon failed an Army Morale Test, so leaving the Jacobites victorious.