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wargaming The Battle forthe CHOSHU GunsThis scenario is based on the land actionat Shimonoseki on 6 September 1862,which is covered on the previous page.Following a successful operation in whicha landing party of French, Dutch andBritish troops had put ashore and captureda Japanese gun battery near Toyoura, someBritish sailors where in the process ofspiking and dismantling the enemy’s gunswhen they were set upon by a force ofChoshu Samurai who had ridden out froma nearby barracks/stockade in an attemptto drive off the barbarians.OBJECTIVES, SETUP ANDADDITIONAL RULESChoshuThe Choshu samurai player’s task is touse his mounted warriors to launch an allout assault against the British and drivethem off the table, or into the sea.The game starts with the Samurai (whomove first) being placed on the tablewithin charge range of either or both ofthe two batteries or the Naval Brigade,whichever is the closer.BritishThe British player force consists of agroup of sailors who are in the processof dismantling the enemy’s two shorebatteries and a Naval Brigade who arestationed in support (just in case anyChoshu should attack!)The Naval Brigade must be deployed nomore than half a move away from theguns/sailors. The British player deployshis force on the table first.Not far away a unit of Royal Marines(RMLI) have been destroying anotherChoshu shore battery and they may returnat any moment, or at least any turn.For the RMLI to enter the game throw1D6 each turn - a 6 rolled in the first turnmeans they have arrived on the scene, a 5or 6 in the second, a 4, 5 or 6 in the third,and so on.The RMLI enters the table on the westernroad approaching the first shore battery.The two shore batteries should be placedmore than 12 inches apart, so that oneof the shore parties will be ‘Out ofCommand’, unless the player uses CaptAlexander RN (the Naval C-in-C) to betheir command element.Only Col Suther RM can rally any RMLIrouters and only Capt Alexander RN canrally any Royal Naval routers.The British player’s objective is to driveoff the Samurai.AFTERMATHFollowing this action the RMLI and NavalBrigade went on to attack the nearbybarracks/stockade. This action would alsomake for an interesting wargame.uniformsThe RMLI wore a white cap with anattached plain white neck cloth. This wasthe same hat that was being worn by theEast India Company and the British forcesin India at the time, when they were notwearing the pith helmet.Under the Amendments to Naval Regulationsin 1857 the uniforms were as follows:SeamenBlue Cloth Jacket: To be made of NavyBlue Cloth, double breasted, with standand fall collar, sleeves sufficiently largeto go easily over a Duck and Serge Frock,to reach to the hip, with an opening at theCuffs on the seam, with two small blackbuttons, one inside breast pocket on theleft side.Blue Cloth Trowsers: To be made of NavyBlue Cloth, of the ordinary Naval Pattern,fitting tight at the waistband, with twopockets and a broad flap, and black uniformbuttons, identical to those on the jacket.Duck Trowsers: To be made of whiteDuck cloth, in a similar manner to theBlue Trowsers, with white metal dead-eyebuttons on them.Hat: To be black or white, according toclimate. The hat to be 4'' high in the crown, 3''wide in the rim, and seven inches across thecrown, and made of Sennet [Straw], coveredwith brown Holland painted black, with a hatribbon bearing the ship’s name; and in warmclimates the same hat uncovered. A chin-stayto be attached to the hat.Royal Marine Light InfantryTunic, Scarlet Cloak.-Eight buttons up frontat equal distances, skirts closed behind,with back slashes edged with white, eachhaving three large uniform buttons. Collarand cuffs of blue cloth, collar rounded infront, and having a row, of 5/8'' gold-wirelace at top under white edging. Colonels towear for collar badges, embroidered crownsand stars; Lieutenant-Colonels crowns;Majors, stars; Captains crowns and stars;Lieutenants, crowns.Trowsers, Undress, Winter. - Blue cloth withscarlet welt, ¼'' wide, down each seam.FiguresHaving extensively looked for figures for thisperiod, there seems to be no manufacturerthat produces British wearing the white capand neck cloth. The figures for the RoyalMarines that were in India during the IndianMutiny are modelled wearing a pith helmet.Likewise the figures for the Naval Brigadeare modelled with the seamen wearing theirSennet hats and not the bonnets as depictedin the Illustrated London News drawing. I didfind one manufacturer that produced someEast India Company/British Battalion in28mm wearing the white cap, but they werealso wearing the loose white trousers thatwere used in India.However, several manufacturers do figuresof the Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the 20thCentury. Therefore I have used the RoyalMarine figures wearing a forage cap and forthe Naval Brigade I have used French sailors(who had the same square rig uniform asshown in the drawing). These figures justneeded some remodelling with the hatbandtails being removed from the caps.Napoleonic Wars1803-1815Above: The photo above shows figures from the author’s 15mm collection in action during the attack on the Chosha barracks. On the previous pageare three photos showing scenes from the ‘Attack on the Chosha Guns’ scenario..netCheck out the WI website to findOrders of Battle for this scenariofor the Volley and Bayonet rule set.