In preparation, American General George Washington readied most of his units to defend from this frontal assault around the narrow crossing of Chad's Ford on the Brandywine. The Creek flows through the countryside of Pennsylvania, enveloped by sheer cliffs and heavily wooded hills on both sides. Knowing that much of fast-flowing creek could not be crossed, Washington was confident of holding his position.
However, more detailed surveillance of the terrain would suggest that alternative routes could provide could turn the battle in the favour of the British.
The Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 resulted in recrimination and confusion after the invasion of England ended in retreat. By 1746 the Jacobite army of Bonnie Prince Charles was declining in numbers and motivation. Despite victories at Prestonpans and Falkirk many Highlanders had left the army after Falkirk to return home.
The British army in Scotland was now led by William, Duke of Cumberland, and second son of King George II. His army was bigger than the Jacobite force, and he had been drilling it for six weeks at Aberdeen. This training included new bayonet drills to fight the Highlanders.
Cumberland marched north. The Jacobites chose to fight on a marsh near Culloden. This decision showed some of the internal tensions in the Jacobite army. Some thought the marshy ground would impede the famous Highland charge, a tactic which was the basis of their victory plans. The Jacobites tried a night attack on the day of Cumberland’s birthday, but it failed. In the morning, the British army, which included Highland clansmen in its ranks, assembled on the moor.
Can you change history and lead the smaller, exhausted force of Bonnie Prince Charles to victory?
Historically Culloden was won by the British government forces, with the Jacobite army being decisively defeated. This ended any hope of the Stuarts reclaiming the British throne. Cumberland gained the nickname of “Butcher” because of his orders to kill any wounded Jacobites on the field. Government loyalists called him “Sweet William”, and the flower of the same name is supposedly named in his honour.
Following the loss of Boston to the Rebels, the British needed a new strategy: an attack on New York was to be attempted. Ten weeks later, the Continental Army suffered a huge loss in the Battle of Long Island and abandoned New York City.
Retreating to Morris Mansion on the heights of Harlem, General Washington assembled his troops and watched as Major-General Howe moved his forces onto the high ground across the plains. Washington then ordered Captain Thomas Knowlton to lead a group of New England Rangers south to attempt to draw the British back towards the Americans encamped on the Heights to surprise them.
Can the Americans stop the British from overrunning all of New York and then crossing into New Jersey and Pennsylvania? Will they find the courage to stop the British
As so often in 18th Century warfare, French plans to invade England during the Seven Years War were reliant on ships from the naval base at Toulouse joining ships from Brest. The British had both ports blockaded, and the French had to wait for one of the blockading fleets to withdraw for re-supply before attempting any rendezvous.
The opportunity came when the British fleet under Admiral Boscawen at Toulon withdrew to Gibraltar. The French under Jean-François de la Clue-Sabran left Toulon, and began to make their way towards Brest. Passing the Straits of Gibraltar, the French were spotted by Boscawen’s lookout ships.
Giving chase, Boscawen’s fleet was only slightly larger than the French force, and caught up with them off the coast of Portugal where battle was joined.
Take control of the British and defeat the French to end the invasion threat to Britain.
Historically, the French fleet separated and Boscawen’s fourteen ships defeated seven French ships.
Following the end of The War of Spanish Succession, Spain lost its Italian territories thanks to the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Not surprisingly, King Philip V of Spain was intent on regaining these lands. Having recaptured Sardinia the previous year, the Spanish landed on Sicily in July 1718.
On the morning of 15 October 1718, the Spanish army under the Marquis de Lede was camped around the city of Mellazo. However, unknown to the Spanish, their fleet had been beaten by the British at Cape Passaro. The Royal Navy had then landed an Austrian army, under Count Wirich von Daun, to lift the siege.
The Marquis de Lede was completely surprised by the Austrian attack and, with no possibility of help from Spanish forces to the West faced a desperate Battle. Can you delay the Austrians and regroup the scattered Spanish forces
Trade, money, power: whoever secured India would have them all. The British, French and Dutch contended for their share of India’s wealth, but the Mughal Empire had no intention of giving up without a fight.
Supplied by the French, the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, marched on Plassey, threatening British interests there. Defended only by Colonel Robert Clive and a small force of sepoys, this small village became the turning point for the British East Indian Company’s fortunes.
Penned in against the river, Clive’s army must hold their ground against superior Mughal numbers. Victory here will secure the Company’s interests and wealth for generations to come.
John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, was the greatest British general of the 18th century. In 1706 he was leading the Allied forces in the Spanish Netherlands against the French and Bavarian forces in the War of Spanish Succession. Two years before he had won a great victory at Blenheim.
Churchill did not expect the French to attack in Flanders, but Louis XIV had ordered Marshal Villeroi to do just that. After French success in Italy and along the Rhine, Louis wanted to see similar victories in Flanders. Villeroi therefore set out to bring Marlborough to battle, and Marlborough moved to meet this French offensive. Both sides moved quicker than the other expected, and they met at the town of Ramillies. Villeroi deployed with his line centred on Ramillies, and Marlborough prepared his forces for attack.
Lead Marlborough’s army in its assault on Villeroi’s positions.
Historically Marlborough won his second great victory of the war at Ramillies thanks to his subtle tactical manoeuvring. The victory destroyed Villeroi’s army. Marlborough would go on to win two more great victories in the war at Oudenaarde and Malplaquet.
In 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, Lord Cornwallis led the British army to Yorktown during the summer campaign. His aim was to take advantage of British naval dominance to aid the campaign in the south.
A French fleet under the Comte de Grasse sailed from the West Indies to the Chesapeake, seeking to cut off Cornwallis from his naval support. It managed to avoid a British fleet under Rear-Admiral sir Samuel Hood. When Hood found no French ships at the Chesapeake, he sailed to New York where Read-Admiral Thomas Graves took control.
Sailing south they found de Grasses’ fleet in the Chesapeake. De Grasse took the approaching sails to be a friendly convoy, but it rapidly became clear it was the British fleet. Despite the advantage of the wind, Graves formed his fleet into a line allowing the French time to form into a line of their own.
Can you command the French and inflict enough damage on the British to inflict to force them to withdraw?
Historically the battle of the Chesapeake was a decisive victory for the French and their American allies. The British fleet did not suffer major damage, but its defeat spelt Cornwallis’ doom, and resulted in his surrender at Yorktown. This was the biggest blow to British operations in America during the war.
During the War of 1812, the new United States Navy found itself at war with the Royal Navy. Even with its massive commitments in Europe against Napoleonic France, the British still had eighty-five ships in American waters compared to just twenty-two US ships.
The US Navy therefore relied on hit-and-run tactics and the skill of its crews. It also had some frigates that were far more powerful than their British equivalents.
A string of defeats left some British captains hungry for revenge. Captain Sir Philip Broke of the HMS Shannon was particularly looking forward to clashing with the Americans. On patrol off Boston, Broke issued a challenge to Captain James Lawrence of the USS Chesapeake.
The Chesapeake was already looking for the Shannon and what happened next would be perhaps the greatest ship-to-ship duel in the entire history of the Age of Sail.
Take control of the Shannon and see if you can repeat history.
Historically the battle was short but very bloody, lasting just sixteen minutes with the Shannon emerging victorious thanks to its crew’s superior gunnery skills. Lawrence was amongst those killed in the battle.
Interesting finds
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Originally Posted by Koil
of researchable techs
We shooting bricks and cement?
