New figures for Havana and Manila....and more besides

 I received some pictures from Graham at Crann Tara of new figures which Andy Stadden has completed. These will be prefect for the sieges of Havana and Manila.

Indian Labourers

Good for adding muskets and melee weapons to as well as for helping to dig the siege lines at Manila or for early in-uniformed sepoy peons.

British Sepoys 

600 of these at Manila and of course a staple of combat in India too. 

French Sepoys

It wasn't just the British who made use of Indian soldiers.

Manila Black Militia

The Spanish deployed 3 types of militia at Havana. White, multiracial and black units known in Spanish as "blanco", "pardo" and "moreno". The blancos and pardos wore a typical European uniform of coat, waistcoats and tricorn. The Moreno unit wore a simplified version of this with a cap with turned up flaps or sewn on panels and front and back. 

These uniforms were first recorded after the siege, but lasted through to the AWI and were worn by several of Spain's Caribbean and American possessions. These figures will be prefect to the 1760's through to the 1780's.

Andy has done a great job in sculpting these and Graham tells me they'll be ready in a couple of months. 

Can't wait to get my mitts on some!

Against Spain - update time !

 I received an email from Graham at Crann Tara yesterday with some good news. The first of the figures to accompany "Against Spain", the sequel to Wargaming the Sugar Islands have been sculpted by Andy Stadden.

These Indian labourers will be able to serve the British as labourers, "lascars", without whom no European army in India could operate. But with the addition of muskets they'll become early Sepoys, "peons" as they were known, who were only just becoming more regimented and equipped with uniforms in the 1750's. The Madras residency were to supply trained soldiers to serve in Drapers expedition to Manila, but instead he was given fresh recruits and men straight of the streets. Many disappeared in the the countryside once in the Philippines, some turned their coat and fought for the Spanish. Some settled and built a new life and their descendants are still there to this day. 

A versatile set of figures, excellently sculpted by Andy, soon to be joined by a more steadfast force....the Cuban Militia. Watch this space for more info!

The book itself is almost complete. The last couple of sections have to be written, summarising the end of the campaign on both islands and of the conclusion of the war. The maps for the scenarios are done and but the notes for the scenarios have to written, but everything else is in place.

Wargaming the Sugar Islands is still available, from myself using the link on the left, from Crann Tara, and Caliver Books here in the UK or On Military Matters in North America . 

 

There's a review here if you want to know a little bit more

Naval landing party

I have just finished these off - Crann Tara's excellent Naval Landing Party. 

As always these figures are very well sculpted and cleanly cast and are a joy to paint. Although sold as a landing party they could see service as civilians, militia or even pirates. 

They will join my marines in landing on the beaches of Cuba and the Philippines. 

That just about wraps up all the figures which I need for the former. I hope to have some black militia soon but will have to wait til these are finished being sculpted. Meantime I have some scenarios to playtest and will start painting figures which I intend using for the Filipino tribesmen which caused the British some bother. 

Cojimar Beach, Cuba, 1762.

 A few test shots. These are some bits and pieces I have been working on over the last couple of weeks. The figures are all CrannTara. The fort is from Slug Industries. The battery from Blood and Plunder. The mats are from Tiny Wargames. 

 

I'm currently working on a scenario for the landings and as for the book, the British now stand outside El Moro and the siege is underway. The rest of the book is sketched out and moving forward fairly quickly. 

Stay tuned!

Beach Gun Emplacement - Finished

A nice relaxing evening Friday spent listening to music, enjoying a nice malt....and painting.  

Emplacements done.

Crann Tara naval landing party crewing the gun. Clear bases showing working a treat!

British Marines next.

The Siege of Havana

Yesterday I received a book which I had splashed out on, courtesy of some sales of Wargaming the Sugar Islands Campaign.

I wasn't expecting anything too exciting, just a different narrative from other sources I have, but I was soon corrected.

The Siege of Havana by Francis Russell Hart was published in 1931.  I managed to find a signed copy from a bookseller in Germany and was surprised to find that it was a limited edition publication of only 675 books of which 112 were sold in the Uk, the rest in the US. The book is a well written narrative of the build up, siege and it's impacts and draws from English and Spanish language sources which are well referenced. It's a lovely read, even for an academic work, but it's real joy are a few of its maps and illustrations which I have not seen before.

Spanish Plan of El Morro.

Map of Havana, surrounding environment and troop dispositions.

Last week, whilst away on business, I did some research online to try to find more information on the Spanish Militias of the Havana garrison. I couldn't find anything detailing them at the time of the siege or before, other than that they existed. Plenty of information after 1762, including all of the illustrations of their uniforms, but nothing prior to their reorganisation after Havana was restored.

Hart's book book however has some key information. The numbers reported by English writers of the time of 4500 trained troops, 9000 sailors and 13 to 15000 militia were inaccurate, (and treated as such by Admiral Pocock who only asked for names of the regiments which he would be facing). Spanish writers numbers of around 5000 effective are closer quoting 750 marines, roughly 1900 troops, 1200 sailors and at the most 1500 black militia, (although only 2000 muskets, some in poor condition were available for the militia). Hart doubts that much more than 3000 effectives could be equipped for service. Although there were large numbers of men few of these other than the above were trained and fully equipped as infantry, cavalry or artillery.  The rest is appears had pikes or swords and possibly just machetes, good only for a sortie en masse.

Together with my copy of the Naval Records Society's Siege and Capture of Havana, Hart's Book will provide the basis for my sequel to the Sugar Islands Campaign, "Against Spain".