ACW Campaign: Climactic battle

Robbie and John paid another visit this week to fight what might well have been (but wasn't) the final battle of my mini ACW campaign. The Union army under John had pushed south and were strung out  with their lead elements holding a position near the town of Crawleyside. The entire Confederate Army of the Apeninnes launched themselves at the Union troops in a do or die attempt to drive the Grand Army of the Northumberland out of the valley. Robbie's Confederate persona was deemed sufficiently recovered to resume command. John commanded the Union army, ably aided by myself.

The forces were quite well matched (theoretically) as the Confederates had three strong brigades of veteran infantry against the Unions four brigades of which two were classed as 'Green' or otherwise generally useless, while the other two were rated veterans. There was almost parity in artillery although the Union cavalry fielded two weak regiments to one Confederate one.

The start of the battle (which was to last 14 moves before night fell) saw one Union brigade deployed on Polly's Hill (above) and another in reserve to their rear. Neither were allowed to move in turn 1, and the brigade on the hill wasn't allowed to move until turn 3. The Confederates' first brigade entered the game in turn 1 in the centre of their baseline. The remainder would arrive along the road towards the far end of the table, just out of shot in the picture above. The Confederates had to capture either Polly's Hill or the line of walls on Sandy Ridge, and of course get the better of the Union army. The Union objectives were to hold both the named objectives and defeat the Rebs! No small order then!

The leading Confederate brigade quickly marched across the table and took up positions along a fence line in the centre.

The remainder of the Confederate forces start arriving (in the back ground) while Robbie extended his line to the left.

Robbie being thoughtful as John deploys is veteran reinforcements right where they would be the most useful in foiling Robbie's plans.

The Confederate centre as seen from Polly's Hill.

In the centre the Union reinforcements are soon exchanging shots with the Rebs in the centre.

One brigade of Confederates made straight for Sandy Ridge and tried to turn the Union flank. Robbie threw a blunder so the troops above went a bit further  than was planned!

Yet more Confederates and their artillery arrive.

John pushed forwards in the centre.

The Confederate centre.

A furious melee began in the centre.

The Union brigade on Polly's Hill finally advanced to the road.

The Texans charged home against the green Union troops, who's closing fire was completely ineffective.....

In the centre the Confederates had pulled back and a hole appeared in the union line when one of Johns regiments broke. The Union cavalry was rushed forward to plug the gap, where they took heavy casualties and were eventually forced back.

Robbie chanced his sole unit of cavalry, who drove off a green battalion of Union troops and then found themselves on the flank of the Union brigade holding Polly's Hill.

The Confederates in the centre consolidating their position (i.e. plugging a few holes where units had been driven back 'whipped')

The Union 'Irish' brigade advancing through the woods on Sandy Ridge having seen off the Confederate attack. The Confederates are now lining the wall attempting to rally.

The far left of the Union line. The artillery shells Robbie's cavalry and a battalion of Texans storms up the hill to try and drive off yet another green regiment of boys in blue. My other brigade had started to advance to fill the gap in the front but when I threw a blunder withdrew two moves taking some of it off the table!

On the opposite flank the Irish close with the remains of Robbie's brigade holding the wall in the woods.

The Confederates in the centre pour a withering fire on the Union troops to their front.

With the exception of the Zouave regiment all of the Union troops on this flank are green untested generally pretty poor. 

My reserve brigade finally gets (almost) into action. Robbie's cavalry managed to hit another of my green units in the rear!

Newly arrived and just in time to be charged in the flank by the victorious Texans who had broken the regiment facing them in the previous turn.

Robbie's Texans charged down the road into the flank of one of my unreliable green regiments. They actually held for a turn before breaking. It was at roughly this time that the Union C-in-C copped a stray bullet from a Reb sniper and was killed on the spot.

The position on the Confederate left was looking a bit sticky as the Union Irish brigade surged forward, driving all before them.

To add insult to injury, John's remaining cavalry unit managed to ride around the Confederate flank and appear in their rear!

The Confederate centre holds firm.

With the Union troops on the Confederate right disposed of (both brigades were broken) Robbie switched his troops to reinforce his centre.

The Confederate C-in-C urging the Texans on.

The Confederate left still under intense pressure.

It was at this point that I called time as we had reached the end of turn 14. The Confederates certainly had the best of the battle and none of their brigades were out of action. The Union army on the other hand had lost five regiments broken, two entire brigades had been shattered and their C-in-C was dead. It was a fiercely fought battle played at a quick pace as we managed the 14 turns in a little under 4 hours (excluding lunch). Robbie's aggressive tactics worked well and the dice rolled badly for the Union, and my ineptitude at getting my entire command whipped or broken didn't really help. Technically the battle was indecisive but as the Confederates had captured Polly's Hill a minor victory seemed an appropriate result. However, the campaign will go on as we have yet to have a decisive victory by either side that would decide who would hold the Durham Valley.

PS: ACW buffs among the readership may well recognise this battle, which I have (loosely) based on Kernstown fought during the Shenandoah Valley campaign.

ACW Campaign: The Battle of Auckland Junction (Glory Haleluja!)

Paul made it up to the frontier for this week's game, the next in my mini campaign in the fictional Durham Valley set during 1862.

Last time Union forces finally gained a foothold in the valley after wrestling Stanhope Tavern and the vital supply route into the valley from the Confederate forces. These had put up a magnificent resistance and then executed a swift withdrawal in the face of the much bloodied Union Army of the Northumberland under Major General 'Bloody John' O'Reidy. The Confederate commander directed the battle from his litter as he was still recovering from a wound received a week earlier. His successor Lt. General Thomson van Paulus, had been 'otherwise engaged' at the time of the battle but appeared to take over command as the Confederates slipped away towards the important railhead of Auckland Junction.

I threw a few dice to see if the Confederates would all retreat in the same direction and unfortunately only the Texans and one of the veteran brigades withdrew on Auckland Junction. The cavalry and the freshly raised brigades were nearby but the other brigade has taken a more easterly route and was too far away to offer any support. No further reinforcements were available at this time.

The Union forces had pursued the retreating Confederate army, splitting into two corps in order to try and catch the enemy between them. Major General O'Reidy took the northern force that ended up pursuing but single brigade of Confederates, while the previously disgraced Major General Ashton Collins was, as next senior, reluctantly given command of the southern corps. Collins' forces moved slowly and arrived at Auckland Junction piecemeal. The cavalry and a brigade of rather dubious quality 'green' troops were first on the scene, the former approaching the town down the railway line while the infantry appeared to the west. There was no sign of the remainder of the Union force. The Confederates decided to stay put and await the Union attack. The cavalry dismounted and began to skirmish with the troops holding the town, while the infantry brigade moved (swept it wasn't as that implies some speed, which was sadly lacking!) around the Confederate left flank.

 The battlefield looking south. Union cavalry skirmishing in front of Auckland Junction. In the far distance a brigade of infantry advances down the road.

 Confederate defenders of Auckland Junction.

 The leading Union troops break down into skirmish order and occupy the orchard.

 More Union troops pour (more like dribble) onto the battlefield.

 Zouaves advancing in the centre with elements of the 'Iron Brigade" in the distance.

 The Union attack on the Confederate left is stalled by the arrival of the their cavalry. The Union troops are badly shaken and with three out of four regiments 'whipped' the brigade pulls back broken.

 The 'Iron Brigade' in the centre unable to make any progress against the dug in Rebs!

 The Union right in disarray! And out of the battle!

 In the centre the Zouaves take a hammering and fail a break test, becoming 'whipped'. The rest of their brigade and the dismounted cavalry trade shots with the Confederates, now reinforced by a freshly raised brigade. The Union troops get the worst of the exchange and the dismounted cavalry are broken and obliged to pull back.

 More Union troops push towards the Confederates in the town.

 Meanwhile, my remaining troops had been making very slow progress through the woods before bursting out of them onto the Confederate right flank. They surged forward, taking heavy fire, but slowly gained the upper hand, forcing the Rebs (who were mainly freshly raised) back and overrunning a battery of artillery.

 The Confederate right pulls back.

 The Union centre is unable to make any progress towards the town and grinds to a halt. The bungling Union commander Major General Ashton Collins is mortally wounded by a stray shot (but from which direction?)

 The whipped Union right, going nowhere.

 The Confederate defenders are being slowly worn down by Union artillery fire.

 Hanging on, despite being disordered and one casualty short of being shaken.

 The Iron Brigade supported by artillery poised to make another attack on the weakened Reb defenders.

 Back on the other flank the Union troops continue to push their enemy back.

 The Iron Brigade assault the town. Closing fire from the defenders is ineffective and in the melee they are broken.

 The Union left sweeps along the Rebs lining the fence line and breaks them.

A counter attack by the Confederates to try and eject the Union troops from the town is shattered.

We had to finish the game early but I played out the last couple of moves myself to see if the Union attack would succeed or not.  Fortunately it did better than I could have hoped for. Paul and I had fully expected the attack on the Union left to succeed and roll up the Confederate flank, but the collapse of the garrison was an unexpected bonus.

The Confederates were able to extricate their battered forces, covered by their cavalry. The Union troops were in no state to pursue so busied themselves looting Auckland Junction. 

Again the new rules in the supplement worked well. It wasn't the most exciting game for Paul as the defender but it was a pleasant way to spend a very rainy July day.

I now need to decided what course the campaign will take.