1877 Russian Artillery Breakthrough

I had a hunch that the 'missing' Russian artillery was still lurking around simply because knowing Mr. Hardman as I do it would have inconceivable he would not have acquired the appropriate material whilst building up the Russo Turkish War collection. His attention to detail in these matters is legendary and completeness in all things is his usual modus operandi. I was right albeit for the wrong reason though! My theory that he had used the models for something else was incorrect as I received an email from him this morning detailing the fact that a further bag of 'stuff' including the said artillery had somehow missed being added to the already large bag of models I was presented with on Wednesday. It weighs two and half pounds so that is either an awful lot of artillery or a truck load of further reinforcements.


I may have to revise the number of models in the collection somewhat….;-)


Thinking a long way ahead I have pondered on how best to organise this little lot and have settled on using Charge! as the model for the unit compositions - as I have done so for the 1890s set up. Three 'companies' of sixteen rank and file each and a couple of supernumeraries seems a very practical set up for the infantry with 24 figure cavalry regiments and gun batteries of two models and crews. Everything will be based individually which means that I will have the flexibility to use the figures for various rule sets without worrying about rebasing. I will make some movement trays in any event for speed of movement on the table top.


Mention of Charge! may raise a few eyebrows given that the rules of the same name were originally focused on the wars in the latter part of the 18th century. As I recall the authors did point out that they could be extended forwards and backwards in time so tweaking them to include the effects of later shoulder arms and artillery would not be impossible - in fact I am sure I have seen later Victorian era adaptation of Charge! somewhere. One for the future methinks but for the moment my plan is to use the Portable Wargame (Colonial) or possibly Memoir of Battle, depending on how the mood takes me.