AWI: White Plains/Chatterton's Hill, 28th October 1776 - Introduction

This scenario is taken from the British Grenadier! AWI Scenarios book 1. A brief background to the battle:

In the summer of 1776 an Anglo-German army under the command of General Sir William Howe attacked the Americans on Long Island commanded by Lt General George Washington. He made a demonstration against Washington's strong defences while sending a powerful force to turn his flank. Howe managed to wrong-foot Washington several times but failed to destroy his army.

By the third week of October, Washington's troops had been forced to concede New York and began to prepare a defensive position to the north of Manhattan island. Washington chose ground at White Plains and prepared earthworks in the hope of defeating the redcoats. Howe had no intention of storming the earthworks and instead identified Chatterton's Hill, wooded high ground to the right of Washington's position, as a target for turning it. 

Washington, belatedly realising the weakness of his deployments, rushed reinforcements to Chatterton's Hill. Command of the attack force was given to the Hessian Lt General Philip von Heister. Upon reaching the Bronx river his Germans started building a bridge. Maj General Leslie decided this was too slow and discovered a barely useable ford to the German brigade's left. He drove his men threw it and attacked the American position.

Table Size - 4'6" x 3'9"

Figures - Baccus 6mm

Rules - Black Powder

Continued -

To convert the British Grenadier! orders of battle to Black Powder I doubled the figures and then adjusted them slightly to match small, standard and large units. 

This is a small game and useful to allow for the gradual expansion of the collection.

Objectives:

The British have an advantage in both troop numbers and quality. The outcome will therefore be in little doubt. The objective for the Americans is to delay the British and to inflict as much damage to them as possible.

The British must capture Chatterton's Hill by the end of turn 16. If they fail to do so or the Americans inflict 1/3 more casualties than they suffer then it will be deemed an American victory. 

To calculate casualties, 1 point will be awarded for each base in a unit that is shaken at the end of the game, and 2 points for each that has dispersed from the field.  

Orders of Battle

Rall's Hessians approaching the ford.

British 12pdr section.

Haslet's advanced position with his skirmishers ranged out into the woods.

Putnam on Chatterton's Hill.

Another view of Putman ready to hold the hill at all costs.

McDougall with the main American force on the reverse slopes of Chatterton's Hill.

All the action will be covered in the next post.