Battle Report - Bull Run

Over the weekend, Will came to visit with the intention of getting some soldiers on the table and playing a game or two.  As it happened, we managed three games.

The first was the battle of Bull Run 21 July 1861, based upon the Command and Colors scenario, which is focussed upon the action around Henry Hill house. The rules used were from 'Battle Cry, minus the cards:

The troops were set out in accordance with the map, essentially with the Confederates advancing behind the ridge under Jackson, with Stuart's cavalry on their left.  The Union forces in greater number were arrayed in a long line behind Henry Hill House. This is the table at the start up:

The battle began with my Union forces beginning to advance towards the ridge, while Will moved troops on to the ridge along with some artillery.  The Confederate opening volleys cut into the Union lines:

Now, Will is a Napoleonic buff and is unfamiliar with ACW tactics and firepower.  He seriously underestimated the weapon rages and effect of 1860s weapons.  His regiments on the ridge became very exposed and suffered appalling casualties.  His artillerymen were felled and worst of all, General Jackson is shot off his horse.  The Union sweeps the ridge clean of the Confederates.

Despite several counter attacks, the devastating fire from the Union reduce the grey lines even further.

Will tries to outflank the Union forces by using his cavalry that sweep around the Union right:

They are met by Union artillery fire and a counter attack bu Union horsemen.  Charging uphill the Confederate cavalry is checked, suffering severe casualties and forced back:

In the following turn the Confederate cavalry suffer more casualties and General Jeb Stuart falls.

It is over.  After the quickest game we have fought, having lost both Generals the rebels crumble and run for it. A decisive Union victory is recorded at 6-1, although several of the Union regiments are severely battered. However, the lessons have been learned and Will agrees to a rematch, swapping sides. 

Battle Report - 1st Bull Run 1861

 Today Bob Black paid us a visit today along with his wife. As well as having a thoroughly good chat over lunch we managed to play a short sharp wargame.  The chosen action was 1st Bull Run from the American Civil War based upon the C&C Battlecry scenario:

The troops were laid out as per the map.  I used my old Airfix figures on a 5" hex grid board.  Some views of the battle field, which covers the terrain from around Henry House to the ridge which was to be held by Gen 'Stonewall' Jackson:

Bob took command of the Union forces and I the rebels. He began with an aggresive move against the rebel right flank with four regiments swinging around to his left

At the same time he moved two more regiments up the centre, I assumed to prevent reinforcement to the right, and he moved his Sharpshooters onto a small hill.  The Sharpshooters were quickly forced back, but the centre was now under threat too:

The rebels decided to hold firm and remain on the reverse slope of the ridge and countered the threat to the right flank with volleys of musket fire, also moving their artillery onto the ridge:

Initially the rebel fire did great damage to the union ranks, destroying one Union unit, but now in range, the Union troops began to cause significant damage to the grey ranks as one rebel unit collapsed and was destroyed.  It looked like the Union troops would sweep around the flank; however at just the right moment Jackson leads a unit and plugs the gap.  A combination of artillery and small arms fire checks the Union advance:

The action now shifts to the Centre as two Union units reach the crest of the ridge and are met with devastating short range volleys that quickly decimate one unit and force the other into retreat:

Back over on the rebel right the Union forces push forward again and another rebel regiment collapses; however, Gen Jeb Stuart rushes around to the right flank with a cavalry unit in an attempt to check the attack:

The cavalry charge into the flank of the nearest Union regiment, while artillery and musket fire hammer the other units:

At the same time two rebel regiments advance onto the crest of the ridge and pour fire into the Union infantry below. Another Union regiment is destroyed.  

 

With this action and the collapse of the Union flank attack the battle is over.  The score is 6 - 2 to the rebels after a very enjoyable and hard fought action.

It was great to have a human opponent too.  I am sure Bob will be back to gain revenge!

McPherson's Ridge - A Battlecry Game

I very much enjoyed my last ACW game using my Spencer Smith figures and have always fancied having a go at some Gettysburg actions.  I decided to try out one of the Battlecry scenarios, albeit one of the unofficial games. This time I used my old Airfix armies.

I picked a scenario that covers the first few hours of the Battle of Gettysburg when the Confederates from the leading brigades of Heth's Division run into the hasty defence set up by Buford's cavalry.  Here is an overview of the battlefield, the Confederates are at the top working their way across Willoughby Run, with Buford's cavalry brigades sitting on McPherson's Ridge, supported by a battery of guns.  Federal reinforcements can be seen moving down from Seminary Ridge at the bottom:

Initially the two Federal cavalry brigades of Gamble and Devin will have to hold the line until infantry support arrives. The Confederate attack begins with Davis's Brigade crossing the stream towards Devin, although one regiment is quickly sent packing by carbine fire near the bridge:

Despite causing some casualties Davis is unable to push Devin off the ridge and all the time the reinforcing Federal infantry is closing in:
 

Heth changes tack and orders Archer to send his troops into the Federal left flank, and three regiments wade Willoughby Run and advance up the slope:

 The rebels have a little more success on this flank as they have some cover from the Federal guns.  After a bitter firefight they force Gamble's men off the ridge and it becomes a race to see who can gain the ridge crest first:

The Confederates manage to capture this end of the ridge, but the federal artillery, despite heavy casualties, and Gamble's cavalry, who have now rallied, continue to pour fire into the grey ranks. The battle on the ridge ebbs and flows for a while, but eventually the Confederates consolidate their position.

On the opposite flank Davis launches a second attack against Devin and once again is pushed back by cavalry carbine fire:

At this point the first Federal reinforcements arrive and this end of the ridge is held:

Back over on the Federal left reinforcements are also arriving:

Also, the stubborn Federal artillery fights on at close quarters, but is eventually overun:

Gamble's Brigade, now rallied advances once more and engaes the Confederates on the ridge, unfortunately they are destroyed. Gamble is hit and falls from his horse.

 

Attention now shifts back to the Federal right, with Confederate regiments sweeping around the flank:

The last of Buford's cavalry are swept aside and Devin falls with them. The Confederates now control the entire length of McPherson's Ridge, earning vital victory points, which when added to the two lost Federal generals was enough to give the Confederacy victory - the final tally 5 -2.

This game worked well.  I played it with full Battlecry rules.  despite some rotten cards for the Confederates they managed to win the day.

 

 

Day 10 Siege of Sevastopol - The British Assault

After a further drenching of the siege lines the rain finally stops and amid huge political pressure from London, Raglan gives orders for the British 2nd Division to assault the Redan, following a three hour preparatory bombardment.  The British begin their preparations; however, the weather changes again and the morning is greeted by a thick blanket of fog that has rolled in off the Black Sea. The British gunners advise Raglan to postpone the attack as they will not be able to fire the guns.  The infantry commanders, keen to at last get to grips with the Russians, having been humiliated by the French for their inaction, urge Raglan to order the attack. The British commanders feel that the fog would allow the infantry to reach the Russian defences unseen. Raglan orders the assault.

At 7am the British leave the protection of the trenches and begin to move forward:

However, by 8am the British are still trying to organise themselves with the added confusion of trying to form a Division into line in dense fog, without alerting the Russians in the Redan.

But; the Russians had not been idle and, by taking advantage of the poor visibility, they manage to stealthily move four Regiments out of the Malakoff, towards the unsuspecting French. As the British are dressing their lines the unsuspecting French and Sardinians in the Mamalon see a surging mass of grey coated infantry rapidly advancing towards them:

The allies face a dilemma - do they use their command points to support the British attack, or the French defence.  The hard fought for Mamelon must not fall and so main effort becomes the French defence.

The Russian assault quickly overwhelms the forward French defenders and a Caucasian regiment pours into the Mamelon defences:

A second Russian regiment pushes forwards and the Sardinian defenders collapse. The Russians take the Mamelon:

On the other side of the field the British begin to advance, but at 9am the fog begins to lift giving the Russian gunners a juicy target, with a whole division spread out across the open ground. The allied staff on the home ridge witness carnage as shot and shell plough through the British lines. One Regiment halts and pulls back in confusion.

To their right the allied commanders can hear the crackle of musketry and emerging from the smoke is a steady stream of allied soldiers fleeing the Mamelon. A Russian flag can be seen flying from the ramparts.

Over at the Mamelon Sardinian troops mount a counter-attack and a regiment of Bersagleri force their way into the defences, crushing the Caucasians:

The Allies gain a toehold in the Mamelon once more, but the Russians again break through and the Sardinians are ejected:

Over on the left, the British have reorganised and advance steadily towards the Russian lines, as cannon fire continues the mow down their ranks:

Once again on the right the allies attempt to mount a counter-attack against the growing number of Russians in the Mamelon, and have some success initially:

But the exhausted French and Sardinians are spent and now outnumbered. Fighting uphill against the buoyant Russians becomes futile. Soon their is just a single French unit remaining:

Although causing some damage to the Russians the French unit is unable to hold on and is soon heading for the rear. The Mamelon has been lost!

On the left the British assault reaches the walls and a highland regiment smashes into the forward defences pushing the Russians out.

With a cheer the British surge forward, but they are caught in a deadly crossfire and soon the highlanders are no more and canister and musket balls cut into the following ranks:

It becomes evident to the British commanders that this assault cannot succeed and the order is given to withdraw.

As the evening sets in the allies lick their wounds and take stock of the situation. They have lost the Mamelon and there are insufficient troops to retake it, without significant reinforcement. The British 2nd Division failed in its attempt to take the Redan losing half of its strength.

Amid the political row during the following days and cries for commanders heads to roll, Raglan and Pelissier resist pressure to mount another futile assault, but decide to reorganise and bring up additional men and guns - but there will be no attack for several weeks.

This phase of the siege draws to a conclusion and it is a resounding Russian success, having recaptured the Mamelon and destroyed most of the allied forces on the right and having given the British a bloody nose on the left.

As a game this battle was very enjoyable, being broken down into short daily chunks.  The mechanisms worked well and allowed a complicated campaign to be played out without becoming bogged down in the detail.  At the end I think the result was a fair reflection of reality and the limited command and resupply points mimicked the inept command and logistics evident in the Crimea.

There is scope for a second attempt at a later date.

Days 7 & 8 Siege of Sevastopol

I have included days 7 and 8 together as so little has happened. On day 7 the weather changed to rain, which lasted until noon. The British guns banged away for most of the remaining day causing minimal damage to the Russians, with the infantry in the forward positions taking some casualties. As dusk drew in the guns fell silent as ammunition was used up. That night with the boggy wet roads the Allied supply score was a poor 2, meaning that there would be insufficient ammunition for a full day next morning.

The Russians decided to sit tight, conserving ammunition for the inevitable assault on the Redan. Resupply was used to bring up more fresh troops.

Day 8 was supposed to have been another day of bombardment, but continued rain and supply problems reduced this to just two batteries firing sporadically throughout the day.  The allied commanders met that evening and determined that the assault must begin soon and that further ammunition supplies would be conserved to support the attack.

The allies rolled a 4 for resupply, which did not provide enough for all batteries to be supplied.

Day 6 Siege of Sevastopol - Action before the Redan

Having agreed that the British should begin operations against the Redan, during the night the guns are resupplied and orders given for a major bombardment of the forward Russian defences forward of the Redan. The aim is to target the infantry to weaken them prior to the assault.

With preparations in place a roll for weather is made and a score of ONE means that days of sunny weather end as fog has come down during the early morning, masking the guns and and delaying the bombardment. A roll of the D10 sees the fog clearing after six hours, around 2pm.  This has seriously disrupted the British plans for the day.

However, the British use the cover of the fog to move some skirmishers from the Rifle Brigade forward. As the fog lifts the crackle of musketry breaks the silence, followed by the roar of the guns.

The British riflemen engage in a brisk firefight with the Russians behind the defences, with minimal success. The Russians return fire and some of the Greenjackets begin to fall:

The next turn is better for the British, with sufficient action points most of the guns open fire, including the heavy mortars:

The combined heavy artillery and rifle fire causes one of the Russian regiments serious casualties and next turn, further casualties force it to rout off the field.

In a counter move the Russians deploy a Jaeger regiment which begins pouring fire into the left hand rifle battalion, causing heavy casualties and forcing it to retreat:

As dusk nears the exchange of fire continues, but the British casualties mount and soon the second Rifle battalion is forced off the field.  With visibility reduced the firing stops and both sides assess the damage. There is no clear winner, although British casualties are higher, at around 300, and so the Russians probably came off on top.