Phase 1 of my 1817-18 Chilean Project is the Battle of Chacabuco (12 Feb 1817).
Phase 1a: Patriot
The Patriot army at Chacabuco is Argentine in origin. All the major Argentine units appear and will be used throughout the rest of the campaign.
| Origin | Name | Flag | Stands | Figures | Figures | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Horses | Guns | Total | ||||||
| Argentine | General San Martin | – | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | PS-015 Patriot General San Martin | ||
| Division Commander | – | 3 | 6 | 6 | 12 | Fantassin, Battle Honours, or AB | |||
| Argentine | Artillery (4lb) | – | 6 | 18 | 6 | 24 |
PS-020 Argentina Artillery Crew PRNS-012 4lbr Field Gun (Long Barrel) (2 guns) |
||
| Argentine | Cazadores a Caballo de la Escolta del General | – | 6 | 12 | 12 | 24 | PRNS-006 Cavalry in Braided Jackets w/sabers | 2 Squadrons | |
| Argentine | Granaderos a Caballo | – | 12 | 24 | 24 | 48 | 4 x PS003 Argentina Granadero a Caballo Cavalry (shako/command) 4 x PS002 Argentina Granadero a Caballo Cavalry (shako/saber) | 4 Squadrons of 3 stands. All with Sabre. | |
| Argentine | 7th Infantry Regiment | 
|
8 | 24 | 24 | PSU-004 Argentina Infantry 1813-1823 UNIT PACK | Formed from freed black slaves | ||
| Argentine | 8th Infantry Regiment (8th Battalion of Free Negroes) | 
|
8 | 24 | 24 | PSU-004 Argentina Infantry 1813-1823 UNIT PACK | Formed from freed black slaves | ||
| Argentine | 11th Infantry Regiment | 
|
8 | 24 | 24 | PSU-004 Argentina Infantry 1813-1823 UNIT PACK | |||
| Argentine |
Cazadores de los Andes (Cazadore Infantry Regiment #1) |
|
8 | 24 | 24 | 3 x Fantassin UN-31 British Rifles Marching 1 x Fantassin UN-30 Command Light Infantrymen | Officers should not wear pelisse. Need a standard bearer. | ||
| Argentine | Grenadier Battalion | 1 | 3 | 3 | Just need an extra command stand with officer, drummer, grenadier | ||||
| Argentine | Cazadore Battalion | 1 | 3 | 3 | Just need an extra command stand with officer, drummer, cazadore | ||||
I am using a slightly different Orbat to Fletcher (2005) based on thoughts on the Cazadores a Caballo:
| Current Orbat | Suggested replacement |
|---|---|
| 1 Squadron Escolta del General (150-elite) | 1 Squadron Argentine Cazadores a Caballo de la Escolta del General (150-elite) |
Phase 1b: Royalists
This is the first army to face, and be defeated by, San Martin. The infantry wore the old style double breasted blue jacket. Historically many of the units ceased to exist. Although they only appear once in the campaign I’ve opted to build both this army, with the blue jackets, and the subsequent white uniformed guys for several reasons:
- They look different. Obvious but had to be said.
- So I have a total force roughly equal to the total Patriot force.
- Which means I can do a campaign game.
| Origin | Name | Flag | Stands | Figures | Figures | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Horses | Guns | Total | ||||||
| General | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | RS-006 Royalist General Osorio | The commanders were Maroto (Chacabuco), Ordoñez (Talcahuano, Cancha Rayada), and Osorio (Maipo). | |||
| Division Commander | 3 | 6 | 6 | 12 | Fantassin, Battle Honours, or AB | Ordoñez as a sub-commander at Maipo but dominated the field. | |||
| American | Artillery (4lb) | 8 | 24 | 8 | 32 |
RNS-009 Royalist Artillery Crew PRNS-012 4lbr Field Gun (Long Barrel) (2 guns) |
|||
| American | Carabineros de Abascal | 3 | 6 | 6 | 12 | PRNS-006 Cavalry in Braided Jackets w/sabers | Supposedly 2 Squadrons, but do 1. | ||
| American | Concordia Hussars | 6 | 12 | 12 | 24 | PRNS-006 Cavalry in Braided Jackets w/sabers | 2 Squadrons | ||
| American | Frontier Dragoons | 6 | 12 | 12 | 24 | PRNS-004 Cavalry in Short Coats w/sabers (although really should have lapels) | 2 Squadrons | ||
| American | Chiloe Battalion | 8 | 24 | 24 |
Fantassin EN-17 Spanish Infantry with French Style Shako Fantassin EN-22a Spanish Infantry Command (shako) |
Blue uniform with red facings. Use two stands for the Valdivia Battalion. | |||
| Spanish | Talavera Regiment | 8 | 24 | 24 | Ditto | Blue uniform with buff and red facings. | |||
| American | Los Angeles Regiment (Chillan Regiment) | 8 | 24 | 24 | RNSU-001 Royalist Infantry 1818-24 UNIT PACK | White uniform. Appears in phase 1 as part of Chacabuco What if from the Liberators Supplement. Was key part of Talcahuano garrison. | |||
Royalist Ad Hoc Skirmisher Battalion (250-regular)
John Fletcher says …
At the historical battle the Royalists formed a screening detachment who started the battle on the heights from which the Patriot army descends. O’Higgins’s division chased this detachment down the slopes, so quickly that they lost their 2 gun artillery section. What became of this detachment is a mystery as they simply vanish from accounts after O’Higgins cleared the heights and ran into the main Royalist line (the start of the game scenario). Did they keep on running, did they take a position in the line or did they rejoin their parent unit(s)? Anyhow, I thought I’d give players the option of having it or not as they desired.