I always plan a new project for Enfilade. My project for 2024 is Camerone, the slaughter of the 3rd Company of the 2nd Foreign Legion battalion in Mexico. It is celebrated by the Foreign Legion to this day and was a remarkable example of heroic if forlorn defenses that ranks up there with Thermopylae and the 300 Spartans. Except there were only about 49 functional Legionnaires and not quite the entire Mexican army. It just seemed that way.

I am very drawn to Camerone. I am fortunate to have a copy of James W. Ryan’s “just the facts Ma’am” account of the battle. I’ve read and re-read it several times. I find the Legionnaires and the Mexicans under General Milan both quite sympathetic characters. One group just trying to do their difficult job, the other trying to free their country from foreign occupation.

I’ll do all the work for the project myself. It isn’t gigantic and I have a lot of the stuff already, meaning I have the figures. Many of the Mexicans are already painted, and I’ve finished about half of the French. The Hacienda, its walls and oubuildings will need some work, but I don’t think it will be overwhelming.

I have done Camerone before. The first time was probably 25 years ago. I had a mix of early Wargames/Guernsey Foundry figures with some Old Glory guys thrown in for good measure. I used the old Warpaint rules that I wish I still had.

I did it again in the early 2000’s with. This time I used some of my figures and some belonging to another gamer. In this case it was his game to run and we used the Wooden Hand of Captain Danjou by Howard Whitehouse. Fun set of rules. I can’t quite remember how it turned out.

The Whitehouse rules would prefer to do singly mounted figures. I will do that for the French, using the excellent Foundry French Foreign Legion/Filibuster figures from their Old West Range. The faceless, nameless Mexicans are a bit trickier. I have many Mexican figures from my Maximilian project mounted as 12 figure units for Rebels and Patriots. I think I’m going to paint up singles to easily make change for those two and three figure stands I have. The Mexicans will be a mix of the original Aly Morrison figures from Wargames Foundry. I also have some of the more recent, hence larger, Mexican figures from the Old West Range. Finally, there will be mounted and foot figures from Gringo 40’s which sizewise compare well with the Old West figures.

I’m going to use the Whitehouse rules again. I’ve spent some time reviewing the rules and there are lots of opportunity for fun and some ad hoc rules-making if players are interested. The French fight as individuals, while the Mexicans are faceless and recycled. In many respects it is like Rorke’s Drift or the Alamo. We remember the bravery of Chard, Bromhead and their men, but Captain Danjou’s wooden hand rates right up there with them. Wonder why there was never a great movie made about Camerone during the 50’s and 60’s?