Bloody Aughrim July 12, 1691 - refought by the LoA Part 6 - The pre match view

Gerry Donohoe and Toggy Bob Talbot (The Williamites)

Having provided such a lot of background information in the first few parts of this article I just wanted to give a final pre battle perspective from the point of view of the players. Despite years of being interested in the period, painting and collecting the models and fighting numerous games, none of us had ever re fought Aughrim before!

I found that fact pretty amazing in itself. It is a far more interesting battle than the Boyne and very evenly matched. I had seen it demoed at a show by Nick Buxey and Tim Whitworth but had myself never flung the dice in anger.

O'Brien's Horse watch as friendly infantry break across their front

We were all really looking forward to it. I wanted to play on the Jacobite side and Dave O'Brien took command of the Jacobite right whilst I controlled the left. Toggy Bob Talbot took the Williamite right so played opposite me whilst Gerry Donohoe took the Williamite left attacking the Attibrasil end of Kilcommodan hill.

We agreed not to run a total blow by blow refight of history (a bit predictable and unlikely to be motivational for us Jacobites) but rather to let the battle unfold as the player's decided.

This meant no pre ordained beheading of St Ruhe, no running out of ammo at the wrong time, no command paralysis by divine intervention and no General Mackay walks the causeway on his Jack Jones.  Our approach assumed the beginning of the battle early in the summer morning with the whole affair running its course over a long and bloody day.

Barry Hilton (on the right!:)) Emma didn't support her father in this refight!

We did however ensure St Ruhe was attached to many units under artillery fire! As will unfold in the telling of the tale, the overall form of our re-fight ran hugely close to history in many aspects (uncannily so we thought).