Warlord's Epic Battle Revolution Review: British and Continental Infantry

 

Dear Reader,

Like so many other hobbyists, Warlord was kind enough to send a few sprues of their new Epic Battles: Revolution range to me for review. I picked them up on April 14th, and have completed painting both a British and Continental Battalion for the rules I use, or two regiments each for Warlord's Black Powder. 

The British are painted as the 64th Regiment of Foot (where my ancestor, James Webster, served): red coats faced black. and the Continentals are painted in a common color scheme for New England and Pennsylvania Continentals: brown coats faced red. I have intentionally painted both units in linen (tan/beige) overalls or gaitered trousers, a long pant which was common summer issue in the middle and later years of the war. 

There is a more full review below after the photos. So, without further introduction: the two battalions. 

So: as a history professor and military historian of this period, how to I evaluate these figures? 

First of all: they are not figures that will make material culture perfectionists best pleased. The bayonets are on the wrong side of the muskets as a result of structural issues, there are minor errors with the officers' uniforms, some people were complaining today that the Hessians all have mustaches, for example. For me, more than any of that, the most frustrating part is that the British infantry are not in open order, but in a release like this, they were never likely to be. There are always gripes to be had with 10/15mm figures. If you are a material culture purist, go purchase Perry's excellent set of British infantry. 

Moving from the bad to the good: these figures, by and large, are an excellent depiction of the uniforms of British and Continental troops, and depending on how you paint them, can represent troops at almost all stages of the war. You can indeed, as I suspected, paint the troops in full gaiters, half-gaiters, or gaitered trousers depending on your preference. This is much less noticeable than attempting the same on Perry's 28mm figures, giving a great deal of flexibility of representing troops from all stages of the war with one sprue. 

Moving from the good to the excellent: the figures are exceptionally well designed for painting quickly. I've painted 400 figures since I received the review sprues on April 14th, despite the fact that it is a relatively busy time of year (finals) in my work as a professor. I won't say that they are easy to paint, or that they paint themselves, or something like this, but I do believe that Warlord has hit their stride in capturing an impressive amount of detail on the figures, but doing so in a way that is natural to paint. The way that the breeches, belt, and waistcoat are oriented on the front of the figure is natural and easy to paint. The facings, and even the lace on the facings, is easy to pick out (and this is coming from someone who would rate my painting skills as subpar). 

If you are looking for a great way to introduce your local club to the AWI, or even to eighteenth-century warfare more broadly by using the Hessian sprue for the Seven Years War, these figures provide a cheap, effective, and rewarding entry point. I will definitely be purchasing a selection for my university wargame club, as we prepare to game the 250th anniversaries of the American War of Independence. I hope you will as well.  

Thanks for Reading,

Alex 

Painting Warlord's Epic Battles: Revolution "Hessians" for the Seven Years War

 

Dear Reader,

Like so many other hobbyists, Warlord was kind enough to send a few sprues of their new Epic Battles: Revolution range to me for review. I picked them up on Monday afternoon, and have painted three stands. As I noted in my early review, I think these figures will be good for the AWI, but I actually think they will be great for the European Seven Years War. Let's dive in. 

First all all, the figures are modeled in such a way that they are very easy to paint, and paint quickly. I was able to paint and base these 60 figures between Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning, despite working a full day on Tuesday. I sprayed them black, and didn't really spend much time highlighting or shading, just thin base coats to get them ready for the table. You can see the results below.

Now, you say: those troops don't look very much they are from the American War of Independence at all. You'd be correct. They are painted as Prussian IR 6 (Grenadier Garde), Prussian IR 13 (Itzenplitz) and Austrian IR 4 (Teutschmeister) from the 1750s/1760s period. I am extremely pleased with the suitability of using these figures for the Seven Years War era: there are some very minor uniform changes, but on the whole they look great.

Modularity

With a range of sprues, it is very possible to model a variety of units with minimal effort: for example, I chose to represent one of the few Prussian grenadier units which carried flags during the Seven Years War. Most did not. You could make for the AWI, for example, the Hessian Grenadier Battalion von Rall, which carried flags, using the excess flag bearers leftover from your Continental units. You'll have flexibility with extra drummers, officers, and soldiers to modify your units how you need them.

Excellent Molds

With a few errors (such as the bayonets, or minor quibbles with the officer designs) aside, the figures are designed in such a way to allow for quick painting and shading with minimal effort. It is very easy to pick out the facings, waistcoat, crossbelts and waistbelt, and breeches, even if they are all the same color, and leave black to produce a shading effect. This pleasantly surprised me compared to other Epic Battles ranges, and even the 15mm figures that I normally use for the Seven Years War.

In conclusion: I remain very excited for the possibility of using the figures for the Seven Years War. I look forward to expanding my collection when they release. I'll be painting up the British and Americans next, to see how much of this holds true for the AWI.

Thanks for Reading,

Alex 

What were battles like in the Revolutionary War? A 250th Guide

 

Dear Reader,

We are approximately two weeks away from the 250th anniversary of the most commonly accepted starting point of the American Revolutionary War, or as also known, the American War of Independence. As a result, many organizations and companies (including wargame companies like Warlord Games with their new Revolution epic battles range) are rushing to commemorate and capitalize on this anniversary.

But what were battles in the Revolutionary War really like? It's a subject that, as a history professor, I have spent my life studying. 

I am creating this guide as a resource for those commemorating the anniversaries of the Revolutionary War. Maybe you are an interested member of the public, or a wargamer, or reenactor. Regardless of your background, this guide is designed to make research on the Revolutionary War available to you in a variety of formats. I have a large number of articles and suggested reading below, but for those in a hurry, are looking for something to listen or watch, we'll begin with podcasts and videos. At least in terms of the podcasts and blog links, a lot of this is my work: 

If you are looking for a beginner's guide to eighteenth-century warfare and battle, check out this two-part episode of the Prime and Load Podcast:

Prime and Load Episode Part-1

Prime and Load Episode Part-2

If you are more of a youtube learner, check out these lectures on the nature of war in the American Revolution and Eighteenth Century. 

Waging War in America Panel

Revolutionary War in the West (British Army)

Infantry in Battle at History Hive

Now, for those who are looking to read more on this in detail, I'd highly recommend the following articles on Kabinettskriege and there will be books below. So what were battles like in this period? And what about the soldiers who fought in those battles? 

Armies were divided into infantry, cavalry, and artillery, what an eighteenth-century English speaker would have called "foot, horse, and guns." This guide will mainly focus on the experience of infantry, for three reasons. First, it is my academic speciality. Second, more troops served in the infantry than any other branch of service, so there are more written records from these men. Third and finally, especially in the American Revolutionary War, battles were largely decided by infantry engagements. 

The average soldier would take part in 3 or 4 major battles, which lasted roughly 4 hours apiece. In the course of his career, he also fought in innumerable sieges, skirmishes, and smaller actions. His chance of being wounded in an individual battle was quite small, but rose to almost 60% over the course of his career. What did the infantry firefights in this period look like? The experience of battle looked very different here than in movies. 

First, soldiers often fired at comparatively long ranges, perhaps 75-300 yards. Both British, European, and American infantrymen did frequently aim their weapons, and were instructed to, despite the challenges of their flintlock smoothbore muskets. They were trained to fire quickly, perhaps around 3 shots per minute. Particularly in the Russian and American armies, soldiers would fire buckshot from their muskets, in addition to larger musket balls. Despite this, with the level of smoke and relative inaccuracy of these weapons, many firefights were indecisive, leading to ammunition shortages. These problems were exacerbated by the fact soldiers often fired without waiting for orders, and fired as soon as they loaded rather than waiting to all fire a volley together. Soldiers didn't always march in cadence or lockstep, they frequently jogged and ran on battlefields, to rapid close the distance between themselves and the enemy or to get out of the line of fire. At least compared to its frequent depiction in Hollywood, hand-to-hand combat in open fields, were soldiers mutually charged into melee combat, was quite rare. Hand-to-hand combat was common when fighting cavalry, when fighting over defending obstacles like fortifications, and when fighting armies outside of military Europe.

For much of the last hundred years, we have misunderstood how the British tactically fought in the Revolutionary War. They were much more flexible, fastmoving, and aggressive than displayed in movies like the Patriot. That's one of the reasons it was so difficult for Washington to win the Revolutionary War: the British army was well-suited to fighting in North America. Like many eighteenth-century armies, they used cover and concealment effectively.

And now the soldiers. Who was the "average" eighteenth-century soldier?  More than likely, he had been a day-laborer or apprenticed weaver before enlisting in the service. He had first enlisted in his early twenties, and after seven or eight years of service was around thirty years of age. He was unmarried. The soldier was tall compared with many civilians, likely around 5 feet 8 inches (approx 172 cm). When on the march with his regiment, the soldier was capable of covering an average of 14 miles per day, although that could easily be increased in times of extreme need, such as when 10th Regiment of Foot dashed 70 miles in a 24 hour period in the Seven Years' War.[1] His daily calorie intake ranged from roughly 2200-3000, and mainly consisted of meat and bread of some type.  Even when not marching or fighting, his daily life was quite rigorous, as he and the men around him were often engaged in strenuous physical labor. He was far more likely to die from disease than enemy action. Talk of his propensity for desertion has perhaps been overblown.

Finally, some suggested readings.

If you read one book on the eighteenth-century armies and the AWI, it should be Christopher Duffy's The Military Experience in the Age of Reason. 

If you read two books on eighteenth-century armies and the AWI, the second should be Matthew H. Spring's With Zeal and With Bayonets Only.

If you read three books on eighteenth-century armies and the AWI, the third should be Martin and Lenders 'A Respectable Army'. 

Good luck as you read on the period and commemorate the anniversaries of the Revolutionary War. 

As always, 

Thanks for Reading

Alex Burns