Eureka Gendarmes #2 - Herzog von Hessen

    This is the second unit of Gendarmes by Essex that I purchased as part of their 100 club 10+ years ago; there remains lead for 3 more such units! 

This unit is named for another fallen  wargames freind, Peter Hess.

Peter was an active promoter of Pike and Shot/Renaissance era miniature wargames, and usually could be found running one or more .large games from Renaissance history at every Historicon. 

I played in one of his games from the Swiss Burgundian Wars (I believe it was Morat, June 11, 1476), and enjoyed it immensely. 

Subsequently, Peter played in one of my Hussite Wars games using my Own Band of Brothers, 2nd edition rules. The back and forth battle over the Wagenburg was tense, and Peter said it was one of the most fun games he had ever played in. 

For Historicon 2009, Peter sponsored a series of game for the 500th Anniversary of the Battle of Agnadello, April 1509, subtitled "500 years of Obscurity". The Battle was run with multiple times, each with a different set of rules; I ran the version played with Band of Brothers, 2nd edition. If I recall correctly, as happened historically, the French prevailed in every case. That year a group of 6 of us also ran 6 battles from the 1809 campaign Razyn, Teugen-Hausen, Eggmuhl, Aspern-Essling, Wagram, and Hof (in Saxony - Jerome's Westphalians, etc vs various rebel factions supported by Kienmayer's Austrians). 

I was shocked to learn of Peter's passing less than a year later, he had no signs of ill health whatsoever in 2009. 

Peter used "Hessians@aol" as his email, so this flamboyant unit is named in honor of him.