WOTR Battle of Hedgeley Moor, 24th April 1464

 This is a scenario from the Wars of the Roses Hail Caesar supplement. 

Background of the battle reproduced from the supplement:

The Lancastrian situation was not ideal. Henry VI was cooped up at Banburgh Castle after evading the Yorkists, the Scottish were looking to make a peace deal with Edward IV, and an attempted surprise takeover of Newcastle by the Duke of Somerset had failed dismally. His woes had only worsened, as he was nearly captured in Durham whilst asleep, escaping barefoot with nothing other than his nightshirt.

With a growing band of Lancastrian loyalists coalescing in the north whilst the Yorkists were distracted by countrywide unrest, the Scottish peace talks were postponed and chosen to be held in York - something that Somerset and Henry could use to their advantage by delaying them with an active and resistant Lancastrian North.

When Edward dispatched Baron Montagu north to deal with this threat, Somerset was tipped off to his mission and Sir Humphrey Neville was sent with a small force to ambush and kill him. Montagu managed to escape this deadly trap and arrived at Newcastle, where he raised an army to march forth and vanquish the Lancastrian troublemakers once and for all.

A very spartan tabletop! The terrain is basically a moor, the only feature being a road. I have deliberately picked a relatively simple game to test Hail Caesar with amendments in the WOTR supplement for this period. So we shall see how it plays!

Continued -

Table Size:  3'9" x 2'3"

Figures:  6mm Baccus

Orbats

YORKISTS

JOHN NEVILLE, BARON MONTAGUE (GENERAL) LR 8, FV 3

Acts Before He Thinks – If attached to a unit allows re-roll all combat attacks in 1^st round of combat. Blunder 10-12

• 1 x Household with Men-at-Arms 

• 2 x Household

• 2 x Longbowmen 

SIR WILLIAM STANLEY LR 8, FV 3 (Keen)

• 2 x Household 

• 2 x Longbowmen

JOHN SCROPE, BARON SCROPE LR 8, FV 2 

• 2 x Household 

• 2 x Longbowmen

LANCASTRIANS

HENRY BEAUFORT, DUKE OF SOMERSET (GENERAL) LR 9, FV 3 

• 2 x Household

• 2 x Longbowmen 
  

SIR RALPH PERCY LR 8, FV 3 

Feud (Nevilles) – Any of his units in combat with any of Neville's unit gains Stubborn special rule.

• 2 x Household

• 2 x Longbowmen 

ROBERT HUNGERFORD, BARON HUNGERFORD (Coward) LR 8, FV 2

Joint Command – Baron Roos (Coward) LR 8, FV 3

• 2 Household 

• 2 Longbowmen 

Victory conditions are very basic. Bludgeon the other side into submission! The scenario as written suggests 6 turns but I may extend this if no clear winner at that stage.

TURN 1

Photo taken from behind the Yorkist position with Montagu on the left and Stanley on the right make good progress as do the Lancastrian commands of Somerset and Hungerford. Both sides utilise the 'arrow storm' rule sending clouds of arrows into each other. Both sides suffer from a heavy disordering effect and heavy casualties delaying any possibility of charging into each other.

Percy fails his command roll and remains static.

Scrope fairs little better with only a single move.

TURN 2

Off camera to the right, Percy and Scrope have both failed their command rolls. Here in the centre little progress is made as more arrows pour down on either side with their disordering effects. This is not a situation that would continue long with both sides beginning to run low of ammo.

Hungerford (bottom left) was needed to rally one of his longbow units that had become shaken. Otherwise the deluge of arrows continued.

TURN 3

As the arrow storms continue the first significant losses occur. Top right of photo both Stanley and Hungerford lose a unit of longbowmen. Elsewhere casualties mount and repeated disorder of units prevented any offensive action.

On the opposite flank, Percy and Scrope move close enough to engage each other.

Turn 4

Stanley's Yorkists (red figures) lose a unit of household to longbowmen prompting him to join his surviving household unit in a charge on Hungerford. The Yorkists win the first round of melee pushing the Lancastrians back.

During the Lancastrian turn, Hungerford leads a charge into the flank of Stanley. A heroic defence sees Stanley destroy the household unit to his front and repelling Hungerford's flank attack.

Elsewhere, many longbow units have expended much of their arrow stock leading to an end of the arrow storms. As the pressure eases, units begin moving in preparation for an all out assault.

Turn 5

Montagu enjoys early success surging through the centre.

Stanley and Hungerford's forces are now again evenly matched but both close to breaking.

Turn 6

Events took a dramatic turn for the Yorkists in the centre. Montagu's division drove on in spectacular fashion destroying both of Somerset's household units. This broke Somerset's division who now hurriedly retires with his sole surviving longbowmen (top right).

It was equally bleak for the Lancastrians on their left flank. Stanley launched a charge into Hungerford's last household unit. Closing fire had no impact. Hungerford leading his troops lost the combat but hung on for another round which proved to be decisive. His household unit was destroyed breaking his division.

Percy, occupying the Lancastrian right flank, was the last division still in reasonably good shape although they lost one of their longbow units this turn to Yorkist arrows. There was now no prospect of a Lancastrian victory and therefore the game ended at this point - turn 6!

Not the most interesting of games to play being just a standard set-to across an open plain involving almost identical forces. It was useful though as a reminder of how Hail Caesar differs from Black Powder and particularly how it handled Wars of the Roses. On that score I liked the 'arrow storm' rule as a way of representing the impact of longbows on the battlefield. 

I am toying with the idea of running a mini-campaign with battles very different from this one and will include skirmishes. This will be for next year though and requires preparation so more of that in due course.