Wednesday, November 24, 2021

ACW 15mm

Union: Jim & SteveJ
CSA: Mark & Mitch
Both sides had 6 brigades of 6 regiments of inf & 1 brigade of 4 regs of cavalry.  The union had 6 guns to the CSA's 4, but the CSA had a Stubborn rule allowig them to take more casulties before breaking.
Deployment was simultaneous with troops out of sight of not put on the table.  (Areas of dead ground were marked with a numbered card & the troops in those areas were kept off table with a corrsponding card face down).
Rules: Camp Cromwell house rules.

View from the Union side.  Most troops still out so sight of the enemy so not on table.
Both sides have now advanced troops into sight on the their right flanks.
The Union are deploying their left in defensive terrain.
The CSA are pulling their left back to a line on the ridge & the creek.  
After a pause for their artillery to silence the CSA battery on the ridge, the Union right is advancing. behind a skimish screen. A skirmish fight is going on on the left.
On the far flank the Union left has fallen back in the wood to a new line in the fenced fields.
On this flank dismounted CSA cavalry have crossed the creek to flank the Union infantry, but Union cavalry have moved up & dimounted to counter the move.
In the centre, the Union skirmishers have fallen back as the main line advances into musket range. 
On the far flank the CSA have had second thoughts about attacking the Union defense in the fields & have called off their attack there.  In the centre the fire fight continues along the line.
The Union have taken significant casualties, but the CSA have fared worse with their centre falling back before the Union advance.   

At 10 o'clock real time, time was called.  The Richmond Times will spin a victory out of holding off until nightfall, while the Washington Post will trumpet a great victory with the Union army forcing the CSA to slink off under the cover of darkness. 

So why did the Union win?  The Union left used the woods & farm terrain to keep 3 brigades of CSA infantry busy with just 2.  This gave the Union a 4 to 3 advantage in the centre.  The CSA had a ridge & river line to defend, but their line was compromised by the angle in the their line allowing converging fire.  A steady Union advance relying on musket & artillery fire rather than the bayonet won the day .

1 comment:

James Fisher said...

Holding with the left and reinforcing the right certainly created an impressive 'right hook' for the Union. The power of the defence is demonstrated in that it could not break through in the time available. Interesting that the Union used some troops deployed as skirmishers.
Regards, James