Role Playing

Back in my college days, I had quite a bit of fun playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends. We would sit around a table for hours. Most of my memories are of the people and that we laughed and had a good time. I miss that. But with the realities of being an adult, time doesn't really exist to do that anymore.

What I have done is found a site called RPOL.net. It basically allows for a play by mail type of situation that is accomplished in a private forum for each game. I have been a member there for years and have been in and out of games. Part of the problem there is real life can kill a game faster than anything.

I was running a game there for a few years until my Ulcerative Colitis forced me to drop the game. I just wasn't well enough to put in the effort to maintain the game. I think I am at a point now to retry running a game again. If you have any interest, stop by and take a look at what I am working on. The Tales of the Bloody Stool is the name of the game thus far.

The premise is similar to the fall of the Roman Empire where the regular army has pulled back from its frontier outposts and left them to fend for themselves. The action is organized around an inn that is run by a forcibly retired veteran from the old fort across the road. From the inn, players will meet and seek adventure in the world the empire left behind.

If you are interested, please let me know that you heard about it from the blog.

Campaign Musings for Sharp Practice - Wilkes County, 1779

I am really pleased with the work Rich did on the Swamp Fox supplement. He took my initial idea and made it into a fantastic campaign series. While working on the second edition of This Land Divided, I wanted to do something similar. It is a unique opportunity as the campaign is reduced to a small area - Wilkes County, Georgia. Through the year of 1779, there are two campaigns that occured in the county.

This is still a very rough working outline of what I am thinking about and may not be really workable. I am putting it here instead of burdening the updates to This Land Divided with it.

Campaign Ideas

The first was the movement of North and South Carolina Loyalist volunteers that were moving to Augusta, Georgia to consolidate the Crown's hold on the colony. This resulted in a number of engagements that culminated in the battle at Kettle Creek.

The second campaign was David Taitt's Indian coalition attempting to burn their way through the county and link up with Loyalist forces in Augusta. Again, there were numerous small actions throughout the county that saw the three indian warbands' advanced blunted and turned back. Of the initial six hundred warriors raised, less than one hundred reached Augusta.

These present an opportunity for the wargamer to use Dawns and Departures to create a viable campaign in the county. Here is the map from the supplement. I have added numbers to the various forts present on the map.

Notes on the Map

The bottom left corner of the map is Creek Indian territory. The Ogeechee River is the boundary between Wilkes County and Creek Lands. The upper left corner of the map is Cherokee Indian lands. There is no clear dividing line but the bulk of grid A1 is Indian lands. The bulk of the county is heavily wooded. There are clearings where families have carved out a homestead. The rivers and creeks are bordered with swamps and heavy cane breaks. While there are no significant hills, there are considerable elevation changes throughout the county. Look to the maps included with the Kettle Creek scenario in This Land Divided for an example.

Forts of Wilkes County

I have done my best to determine which fortifications they are. Here is the list below:

1 - Little’s Station/Little’s Fort – This is possibly the location of Captain James Little’s farmstead. This is guessed by the author.
2 -
3 -
4 - Loggy Fort – Rebel fort opposite of Fort James. Site of an Indian attack on a wagon train Commanded by Elijah Clarke in 1776.
Fort James/Fort Dartmouth/Water’s Fort – British Ranger fort on the fork of the Savannah and Broad Rivers. Later the site of the town of Petersburg. 120 foot square fort with four bastions of logs. Two bastions were covered and two were open. The fort also had a blockhouse, barracks, a commandant’s house and officer’s quarters.
5 -
6 - Kerr’s Fort – On the Broad River opposite the mouth of Long Creek. It is near Nail’s Fort. Built by 1778 and was similar to Carr’s Fort.
7 - Fort Nail – Located on the North side of the Broad River at the confluence of the Deep/Deer Creek. It was attacked twice in 1778 by the Creek and Cherokee Indians. Commanded by Joseph Nail Sr. Nail’s company served as guides for Colonel Picken’s.
8 - Hovington’s Fort/Stewart’s Fort – Built by Captain Hovington. Prior to the Georgia expedition to Florida, then Lieutenant Colonel Elijah Clark commanded a Battalion under Colonel John Stewart (About 200 men). They were formed out of this fort. Located on the Broad River about 12 miles above the confluence with the Savannah River and two miles east of Nail’s Fort.
9 - Clarke’s Station/Fort Clarke – Elijah Clarke’s farmstead that served as a militia station. Located on the south side of the Savannah River on Pistol Creek. It was located fifty miles above Augusta. It was one of the principle fortifications in the county.
10 - Barber’s Fort – Located on Long Creek. Captain Barber and his men fought at Kettle Creek. Likely Location.
11 - Hill’s Fort/Fort Martin – Located on Long Creek. Was built by Captain John Hill and was the headquarters of his company of militia.
12 - John Heard’s Fort - Located several miles northeast of Washington, Georgia. Built by John Heard. Occupied by Loyalists in 1779 and 1780.
13 - Dooly’s Fort – Another fort that was on the Savannah River that now resides in present day Lincoln County, Georgia. Located on John Dooly’s five hundred acre plantation. Being the Rebel Commander of the Wilkes County Militia John Dooly, it was an important post in the county.
14 - Middleton's Ferry - Note this is really my assumption rather than any hard facts on its true location.
15 - Kiokee Fort – Located in present day Colombia County on the southeastern border of Wilkes County.
16 - Heard’s Fort – Near present day Washington, Georgia in Wilkes County. Built in 1774 to protect against Indian incursions. Commanded by Steven Heard. The town of Washington became incorporated 1780 as the county seat. It was the first town named for George Washington in the United States. Washington would serve as the temporary capitol of Revolutionary Georgia from 1780 until 1781. The town was in essence the fort and was not laid out until January of 1780. Five families were in the area Williamson and Heard being the principle pair.
17 - Carr’s Fort – on Beaverdam Creek. Battles were fought here against the Creeks in 1778 and 1779. In February of 1779, it was occupied by eighty Loyalist militia. They were besieged by Pickens and Dooly until they left to intercept Colonel Boyd’s regiment at Kettle Creek.
18 - Phillips’ Fort – Phillip’s fort was located near the confluence of the Reedy Creek and Little River. This fort was a few miles to the south of Kettle Creek battlefield. Captain Zachariah Phillips’ company of militia was headquartered here. It was noted as a substantial fortification with garrisons of both South Carolina and Georgia militia from time to time.
19 – Joel Philip’s Fort – Mentioned in a visit by Samuel Elbert in 1777.
20 - Powell’s Fort/Childer’s Fort – On a tributary of the Ogeechee River near the Little River.
21 - Sherrill’s Fort – Was a fortified homestead of William Sherrill. It was attacked by Indians (Creek and Cherokee) in 1774. Abandoned before the revolution.
22 – William White’s House – A family home destroyed in 1773. No fortification was present here during the revolution.
23 - Well’s Fort – Another fort destroyed by Taitt’s Indians in 1779.
24 - Newsom’s Fort/Newsom’s Pond – Headquarters of Captain Solomon Newsom’s company. Located on the south side of Brier Creek. Attacked by the Creek Indians in 1777 and again in 1779.
25 - Roger’s Fort – Located on the Ogeechee River in Wilkes County. David Taitt’s war bands destroyed the fort in 1779.
26 - Fulsom’s Fort – Build in 1777 and destroyed in 1778. It was rebuilt in 1779 and destroyed by Indians under Taitt’s command in the same year.
27 - Wrightsborough – A Quaker settlement south of the Kettle Creek battlefield. The settlement was largely loyalist in sentiment. It was a stopping point for Colonel Boyd’s force and Colonel Hamilton. The house of Thomas Ansley, known as the Rock House, was a fortified dwelling in the community.
Barnard’s Ogeechee River Fort – British Ranger fort established in 1773. One hundred feet square fort intended to be garrisoned by an officer and 20 men. Close to present day Wrightsborough.

The county had other forts present that the locations I am less certain of.

Autry’s Fort – Possibly located near Fishing and Kettle Creeks. Location uncertain.
McGowan’s Blockhouse – Cherokee Ford
Fort Charlotte – British fortification across the Savannah River in South Carolina. Presently under Lake Strom Thurmond. Possibly located at Fort #5 on the map.
Cowan’s Ferry – Possibly fortified. Principle ferry across the Savannah River in Wilke’s County. Possibly had a fortified structure. \
Fort Dement –
Fort Independence – On Rocky River in present day Anderson, SC. Boyd’s militia burned it in February of 1779. Possibly fort #2 on the map.
Fort Marbury – One of several forts on the Ogeechee River.
Alexander’s Fort – On the headwaters of the Ogeechee River in Wilkes County. Probably on the property of Captain Samuel Alexander’s plantation. Fort Chatham – Built in 1778. Location unknown.
Gunnell’s Fort – Located on Sandy Creek. Both Picken’s and Dooly utilized this fort when fighting against Taitt’s Indians.
Knox’s Fort/Cherokee Corner/Gourd Vine Station – In present day Oglethorpe County, was in existence by 1777.
McNabb’s Fort – Robert McNabb served in Captain Carr’s company and built a fortified house on his property along Kettle Creek. It was burned in an indian attack and McNabb was killed in the attack.
Pott’s Fort – Another fort mentioned in pension applications. Claimed Captain John Wheat’s company was stationed there for a while.
Shannon’s Fort – South Carolina fort on the Savannah River across from Wilkes County. Commanded by Georgia Militia Captain Gunnells in 1781. Possibly the fort #3 on the map
Hinton’s Fort – On Chickasaw Creek, a tributary of the Broad River and twenty miles north of Kettle Creek. Not pictured. Located in B2 in the fork in the road.
Williamson’s Fort/Fort Washington – Captain Micajah Williamson was the commander of the fort on the Broad River. It was also known as Broad River Station by 1780.
McGirth’s Little River Camp – On the Little River south of Kettle Creek. Headquarters of Colonel Daniel McGirth’s Loyalist militia. It was McGirth’s group that Boyd was aiming to link up with before his disastrous battle at Kettle Creek. This was located somewhere near present day Washington, Georgia. MCGirth had close to five hundred men in his command. Had he linked up with Boyd';s eight hundred men, the Rebels of Wilkes county would he hard pressed to defend against such a force.

For the purpose of the first campaign, the location of McGirth's Camp is of importance. It was with McGirth, that Colonel Boyd was attempting to link up with before proceeding to Augusta. I think it is reasonable to assume that it would be somewhere south of Wrightsborough, at least for the purpose of the campaign.

The forts in the county were designed to support a garrison of thirty men. Some were larger and some were smaller. But this gives us an idea of the size of the force that could be called upon to defend it. Some of the forts were equipped with swivel guns to augment their defence. There was little to no real artillery that would be found in the county. It is likely, that Colonel Pickens brought a light galloper gun with him from South Carolina as prior to Kettle Creek, he had made a request for one when he was besieging a Loyalist fort. None of the accounts of Kettle Creek mentions its presence but several cannon balls from galloper guns were found on the battle site over the years.

Boyd's Campaign

The troops that fought are entirely militia or Indians that fought across the county. No state line, Provincials or regulars were present. The militia of both sides tended to be mounted. Other than a small group of Georgia Horse Rangers, none of the troops can be considered cavalry. The militia will largely dismount before getting into a fight. Since they furnished their own horses, they had a keen interest in keeping them healthy.

This campaign is designed for 4 players: two Loyalist and two Rebel players. There are also non-player forces present on the map as well. The Loyalists forces are those of Colonel Daniel McGirth below Wrightsville in grid B5. The second force is that of Colonel James Boyd. Boyd's forces begin in South Carolina at the top edge of grid B on the map. There is a ford present across the Savannah River above Vann's Creek (Fort 1). The goal of the Loyalists is to link up and leave to the south to Augusta.

The Rebels are under the command of Colonel's Dooly and Pickens. Historically, these two militia leaders combined forces to combat Boyd. For the purpose of the campaign, they may operate independently.

Loyalist Forces

Colonel McGirth's Command

Georgia Loyalist Militia

Leader, Status III, Daniel McGirth Leader, Status II Three Groups of 10 Average Loyalist Militia

Leader, Status II Two Groups of 10 Poorly Equipped Loyalist Militia

Leader, Status I One Group of 6 Loyalist Ranger Skirmishers

Colonel James Boyd's Command

Georgia Loyalist Militia

Leader, Status III, James Boyd Leader, Status II Three Groups of 10 Poorly Equipped Loyalist Militia - Dispirited

Leader, Status II Two Groups of 8 Well Trained Loyalist Militia

Leader, Status II Two Groups of 10 Poorly Equipped Loyalist Militia - Dispirited

Loyalist Campaign Supports

List One

Physic

Musician

List Two

Water Cart

Secondary Deployment Point

Movable Deployment Point

Transportation Cart

List Three

Ammunition Cart

Colors

Scout

Train Defense Group

Status I Leader

List Four

Mule Train

Rebel Forces

Colonel John Dooly's Command

Georgia Loyalist Militia

Leader, Status III, John Dooly Leader, Status II Three Groups of 10 Time Served Militia

Leader, Status II, Elijah Clarke Two Groups of 10 Poorly Equipped Rebel Militia

Leader, Status I One Groups of 6 Frontier Militia Skirmishers

Colonel Andrew Pickens' Command

Georgia Loyalist Militia

Leader, Status III, Andrew Pickens Leader, Status II Three Groups of 10 Time Served Rebel Militia

Leader, Status II Two Groups of 10 Poorly Equipped Rebel Militia

Leader, Status II Two Groups of 6 Rebel Militia Skirmishers

Rebel Campaign Supports

List One

Holy Man

Physic

Musician

Dummy Movable Deployment Point

List Two

Water Cart

Secondary Deployment Point

Movable Deployment Point

Transportation Cart

List Three

Ammunition Cart

Scout

Train Defense Group

Status I Leader

List Four

Mule Train

List Five

Light Gun*

Notes:
*This is only availible as an option for Colonel Picken's Command. It is only availible after the third campaign turn. If the weapon is lost, it cannot be replaced. If captured, it may be used by the loyalists from that point forward until they run out of ammunition.

Non-Player Elements

Each of the fortifications located on the map will be manned to some degree. This is dependent upon a number of factors. When a force enters a grid with a fort(s), roll for each fort to determine the defenders of the fort. This will apply to both Loyalist and Rebel forts. This is in addition to any player forces in the grid.

Die Roll	Result
1	Two Groups of Poorly Equipped Militia, Leader - Status I
2	One Group of Average Loyalist or Time Served Militia, Status I Big Man, One Swivel Gun with crew
3	Three Groups of Poorly Equipped Militia, Leader - Status I
4	Two Groups of Poorly Equipped Militia, Leader - Status I, One Swivel Gun with crew
5	One Group of Frontier Militia Skirmishers/Loyalist Ranger Skirmishers
6	Two Groups of Poorly Equipped Militia, Leader - Status I

Taitt's Indian Campaign

David Taitt was the Crown's representative among the Indian nations. Following the Loyalist defeat at Kettle Creek, he was authorized to raise warbands to head through Wilkes County and break the Rebel resistance and then proceed to Augusta to strengthen the Loyalist forces there. He split his 600 man warband into three groups. One lead by himself, the other Led by the Creek Chief Emistisiguo and the last under Alexander McGullivary.

For this, Taitt and Emistisiguo's bands begin the game in Grid A1 in Cherokee territory. McGullivary begins with his band in section A5 in Creek Indian territory. Here the Loyalist/Indian forces may be lead by three different players. Taitt and Emistisiguo's bands must press through and exit the campaign map in section B5 making their way to Augusta. McGullivary must move up and destroy as many Rebel forts as possible passing through no less than four campaign map grid squares before exiting the map at B5 to win.

The Rebels have the same basic forces as the previous campaign. Their job is to stop the Indians from destroying the Rebel forts and proceeding to Augusta.

Loyalist Forces

David Taitt's Command

Loyalist/Indian Forces

Leader, Status III, David Taitt Leader, Status II One Groups of 6 Loyalist Ranger Skirmishers (Rifle Armed)

Leader, Status II Two Groups of 12 Warriors (Musket Armed)

Leader, Status I Two Groups of 12 Warriors (Traditional Weapons)

Emistisiguo's Command

Loyalist/Indian Forces

Leader, Status III, Emistisiguo Leader, Status II Three Groups of 12 Warriors (Musket Armed)

Leader, Status I One Group of 12 Warriors (Traditional Weapons)

Leader, Status II Two Groups of 10 Poorly Equipped Loyalist Militia - Dispirited

Alexander McGullivary's Command

Loyalist/Indian Forces

Leader, Status III, Alexander McGullivary Leader, Status II Two Groups of 12 Warriors (Musket Armed)

Leader, Status II Two Groups of 12 Warriors (Traditional Weapons)

Leader, Status I One Groups of 10 Poorly Equipped Loyalist Militia - Dispirited

Loyalist/Indian Campaign Supports

List One

Physic/Medicine Man

Musician

List Two

Secondary Deployment Point

Movable Deployment Point

List Three

Scout

Train Defense Group

Status I Leader

Mule Train

Note that the Loyalists do not get any type of wheeled cart as a support. This is due to the nature of the terrain that they will move through. Instead they get a mule train at a cheaper cost.

Map Population and Movement

The grids contain more than what a typical Dawns and Departure campaign map contains. The defender has the choice of terrain type availible. Typically it would be woods, swamp, creek/river, cane breaks, fort, homestead, farmland. The players can use their own discretion for the terrain for the table.

The table below can be used to generate terrain for the tabletop games. Simply choose the dominant terrain feature and roll for the terrain as indicated by that row.

Wilkes County, Georgia
Terrain	1	2	3	4	5	6
Farmstead	Two Small Fields	One Large Field	Farm house with outbuildings	One Orchard	Ruined Farm	Two Orchards
River	River	Creek	Flooded Timber	Swamp	Cane Break	Small Pond
Woods	Two Large Woods	Two Small Woods	Open Ground	Hovel	Two Large Woods	One Large Wood
Fort	Open Ground	Fort (Blockhouse or stockade fort)	Two small buildings	Open Ground	Two Large Woods	Swamp
Town	Open Ground	Two Large Buildings*	Small Yard	Two Small Yards	Two Small Buildings	Two Small Fields

*Note: This may include a reinforced home set up to be a strong point for the community defense or a blockhouse.

In grids with more than one fortification, it may require multiple battles to pacify the area. Friendly forts will allow a player to station their men there, but they will not furnish additional forces to fight in that grid square. They will remain with the fort as its garrison.

Moving across the map where there is no road that links two grid squares is considered to be movement through an Adjacent Area in Dawns and Departures.

< Rebels and Loyalists may detach a group to act as mounted scouts. They will take no part in table top actions but will behave as scouts according to the Dawns and Departures rules. Indians may detach two warriors from a group to act in the same capacity.

Wagons - The terrain in Wilkes County is not suitable for wheeled carts and wagons. Thus, these must follow the established roads outlined on the map. Boyd's force has found a road on the Georgia side of the Savannah River that will link them to the main road junction in Grid B2 for the purpose of the campaign. Otherwise they would lose any wagons that they had with them before the start which is hardly fair. Mule trains may cross difficult terrain without difficulty.

End Note

This is still very much a work in progress. I just wanted to get my ideas down somewhere and offer it for people to review and bounce ideas around. Please add any notes that you can think of to this to improve upon what I have started. I may need to dump the existing map and make something else.

Attempts at a Cane Break

I need to make multiple cane breaks for some scenarios. I struggled on how to make this. Here is a picture of the thick cane breaks that grow near streams and rivers here in Georgia.

I came up with an idea. First I took an offcut of vinyl tile. Then I cut up a thin exercise matt and glued it to the tile.

Next, I beveled the edges of the matt.

Taking this, I covered it with a mix of burnt umber paint, caulk and sand.

I then dry brushed it with the burnt umber mixed with white paint.

Then dry brushed that with a plain white.

Now for the hard part, how to represent the cane? I found this small broom at the grocery store.

I cut the bristles off and began to poke holes in the matt and plant the bristles in it.

I painted the bristles green and then put on some blobs of glue and sprinkled it with flock. I will need to reglue and reflock these several times to get the look I am going for. You can see in the pictures below that I put some glue to hold the bristles in place.

Next I prepared some long grass to go around the edges. I bought a couple yards of teddy bear fur to experiment with. I cut a small swatch and tried a technique I learned from the Red Beard Baron's YouTube channel. I came up with this.

This will be cut up and glued to the perimeter of the base once I get the flock where I want it for the cane.

More to come.