Peter Laings Fight Battle of Bushire, Persian War of 1856

      In the summer I read a book, "The War for a Persian Lady", which was a history of the Anglo-Persian War of 1856. I thought that it had the making of a good wargame.  I also had bought some Peter Laing Indian Mutiny figures, which seemed well suited for this war.

     A couple of months ago it was time to use this campaign to fight a wargame. It would be loosely based on the Battle of Bushire, the first battle of the campaign which was fought after the initial naval landing. The army had the support of the navy in the real battle; this fight they were not so fortunate.

    Why this report was not added earlier I cannot say, and some of the battle might have slipped out of my memory.

Persians on the left behind fortifications; the British on the right.

The British artillery start taking hits before they can even get in range.

Both British batteries are hit.

The British close in on the Persian defenses.

However, they start taking heavy losses.

One unit of British cavalry attacked the Persians right flank, trying to take the pressure off  the infantry.

The cavalry forces back the Persian guns. They continue down the fortifications.

They succeed in pushing back the infantry unit, buying time for the advancing infantry.

Meanwhile on the Persian right flank, the British infantry have forced back the other Persian guns and gain a foothold in the fortifications.

At this point in the battle things look promising for the British.

The British cavalry pays the supreme price. However the Persians concentrate their fire on the cavalry, allowing the infantry to advance to the walls.

On the Persian right, the Persian guns break the British unit that broke through their defenses (notice on the upper right the single infantryman retreating; he was forced to retreat 2 hexes.

With the British cavalry gone, the Persian turn their attention on the infantry.

The British is breaking through in several places, their artillery is leapfrogging forward to give support to the infantry.

The Persian cavalry moves forward, surrounding one company of British infantry, while  more cavalry push back another company.

One Persian infantry unit brings the British guns under fire, and at extreme range eliminates the battery!

On the Persian right, the British takes the Persian battery and forces the Persian infantry to retreat.

A close up of the action on the Persian right.

Meanwhile, the British infantry assaults the Persian battery, who loses 50% of their strength. The Persian cavalry also starts taking casualties.

However, the Persian cavalry wipes out the British in front of it. The artillery  causes severe losses on the other unit. who falls back. At this point the Persian infantry attacks and eliminates the last of that unit.

On the Persian right the Persian counter attack clears most of the British from the fortifications.  The British have suffered too many casualties and are forced to retreat.

Of course, in the real battle the Persians were poorly led and didn't put up such a fight. Also, in this game the forces were just about even; stacking the odds against the British as they were forced to assault fortifications.

Battle Maps of the Persian War of 1856

There seems to be some interest in the Persian War of 1856. I scanned the maps showing the battles from the Persian campaign of 1856. I think this will give a good idea of the potential of this war for gaming. These maps come from the book "The War for a Persian Lady".

The landing and battle of Bushire.

The expedition against the Persian Army leading to the battle of Khoosh-ab.

The opposing forces at the battle of Khoosh-ab.

The naval attack on the town of Mohammeran.

Persian War of 1856

       Among the discarded books I found was one titled  "The War for a Persian Lady" by Barbara English.  I was ready to throw it in the trash when I took a second look.  I decided to keep it and just finished reading it. At first it seemed like it had great war-game potential. The British fighting the exotic Persian Army in 1856. With battles named Bushire, Khoosh-ab and Mohammerah, it just screams "war-game me!" However the battles themselves were little more than skirmishes with the Persian Army breaking quickly once the shooting started. Battle deaths for the British forces were next to nothing and even the Persian Army lost less than a thousand dead in each of the battles.

      Still, this campaign could be the basis for a good war-game. I think my Peter Laing Napoleonic Egyptian forces would be ideal for this war. Peter Laing Indian Mutiny would fit the bill for the British forces, as all the troops who fought in this war were deployed from India. In fact, as the Persian War was winding down the Indian Mutiny started and the forces in Persia were rushed back to India. It would be a simple "what if" the Persian Army was commanded by an inspirational General that the army respected?

Cover of the book. Sadly, I believe I'm the only person who opened and read this book in 38 years.

Some Peter Laing "Persians" to resist the British invasion.