Huguenots and the Battle of the Boyne

[Captain of Dragoons]

Currently reading '1690 Battle of the Boyne' by Padraig Lenihan great book. He mentions that their were four Huguenot infantry regiments at the Boyne and I believe two of horse. Does anybody know the title/colonels names of the Huguenot Horse and what their strenght would be in terms of numbers of sqns.

I am also reading Iain Gale's 'Man of Honour', so far it is a good read. It's hard to find historical fiction for this period.

Hey Barry, the Battle of the Boyne is my fav battle for this period (I know Neerwinden is yours), any chance of a Boyne scenario in ULB v5. It must soon be read to be printed.

[barr7430]

Ed,

they were called the Duke of Schomberg's Horse (395 men probably in 3 or four squadrons)

The foot were :

De Melonieres
Du Cambon
Le Caillemotte

All between 550-620 men/no pikes.

The Boyne is also a battle in which I have a lot of interest. In the past, political correctness (and a desire to maintain my face in the shape it currently assumes) has prevented me from demoing this game in Scotland.
Perhaps a little hard for those outside of the Scotland - Eire- Ulster triangle to understand but it may have the equivalent effect of :

1. Asking P-Diddy to be the after dinner entertainment at the Mississippi State Klan awards for Klanster of the Year

OR

2. Waving the Stars & Stripes after curfew in downtown Baghdad

OR

3. Holding the British Fascist Party's Annual Summer away day in down town Tel Aviv...

Hope you are getting the idea

You may(in some bizarre way) offend SOMEONE of SOME PERSUASION who builds their whole life around archane bigotries but who have not one single idea why the believe what they believe doing so only because they are copying what mummy and daddy did in the generation before..

RANT OVER...

Anyway, still thinking about doing the Boyne at a show ... and spookily, it was actually my initial choice for a scenario to be included in ULB but I passed it over for something larger..... you never know, there is still time... now, where's Clarence

OH... C L A R E N C E !!!

[Captain of Dragoons]

I see...

I was born and rasied in St. John's, Newfoundland. Newfoundland being Canada's youngest province (joined 1949) but England's oldest colony. In Newfoundland we have 50/50 Irish to English, Welsh and Scots descent. And 50/50 Catholic to Anglian, United, etc. I'm proud to say we have never had the problems based on sectarism and religion like the old countries. Except during Hockey Games (LOL).

Intersting though during King William's War as it is called on this side of the pond a French general named Iberville crossed overland in the dead of winter from the French port of Placentia and attacked the English port of St. John's defeating a fishermen Militia. He then proceeded up the coast buring English fishing villiages until stopped at Carboneer. Along the way though he picked up about 1500 to 2000 Irish 'volunteers'. So I guess in Newfoundland we had are own verison of the Irish Brigade in the service of France (LOL).

cheers

Edward

[Clibinarium]

I've long been interested in the War of the Two Kings. Being a Catholic in Northern Ireland, its something that I've had to keep under my metaphorical hat though!
The battle of the Boyne is perhaps the best known battle in the culture here, no matter what background you are from. Few, if any battles are so long remembered. Aughrim, just a year later and perhaps as important, is likely to draw blank stares from most people.

It is an iconic battle, but its little understood. The battle gives the famous date, but the cultural significance is bound up in events since then, the intricisies of the Late 17th Century are lost in people's perceptions of victory or defeat, and modern politics doesn't like anything more complicated than Green-vs-Orange. That's why you sometimes hear of ideas like James' army being made up of Republicans, or that the Pope had to run for his life. Political baggage will undoubtedly give rise to some of the reactions Barry mentions.

On the subject of Aughrim, I recall going to a show in Dublin, and a couple of guys from the North put on an Aughrim game. As far as I know they got on fine, I don't think there was any problem. Maybe the general ignorance mentioned above accounts for that though

[barr7430]

I am sure that you are right C!
The Boyne was done about 15 years ago by my friends Cummings,Maxwell & Mclean at a show in England but it did not receive anything but praise... and rightly so
You will always get a Nutter though, somewhere
I have heard a few comments now and again. I once put on demo wargame of a hypothetical landing of William of Orange on the Medway in 1688. One of the players was a Church of Scotland Minister who was introduced to me by another Church of Scotland Minister with whom I occasionally wargamed. Minister #1 was rather mild mannered and 'catholic' in his wargaming tastes. Minister #2 whom I had never met before that day proved to be neither catholic in his tastes or in his religious leanings He started mouthing some rather unchristian things at the table with a strong flavour of citrus..
Oh dear thought I (do I have to listen to this for 6 hours??) ... needless to say, I have thankfully never met Reverend Deux since then. My aversion to this kind of potential future controversy at a wargames table may well be partly rooted in this rather unpleasant experience... However, the Boyne was far from being a rout. When examined objectively the untested volunteer Jacobite army did rather well against an overwhelmingly professional European Army, superior in numbers, equipment, cannon and training.

Unfortunately very few want to read beyond the 'tabloid type' headlines of
Jimmy 0- Billy 1 (away win)

[Clibinarium]

That's interesting Barry; wargaming Ministers is a surprise in itself! What was the nature of his objection; was he upset that the game subject itself, or did he have a problem with the "other side"?

I agree with you on the Boyne, the afair was always going to be a defeat for James, and some Regts acquited themselves well. The Horse did especially well. Aughrim is a closer run battle, and it seems to me was very nearly a Jacobite victory (but only in the sense that they might have held the field, 'on to Dublin' was pretty unlikely!)

[barr7430]

The Minister was a little sinister in his comments (but not in the left footed sense!!!)

He obviously had issues with the Jacobites on religious grounds

Glad I have never met him again as I am bigoted against bigots