Meandering along in The Valley, 1862

A return to the ACW for the most recent game here in GHQ and another tussle for advantage in the loose campaign of connected battles set in The Valley. Once more Ol' Useless S Bykleigh attempts to improve his faltering reputation and overcome his Reb nemesis, "Railfence Robinson"! The dramatis personae ~

"Railfence Robinson" scourge of the Union!

Useless S Bykleigh, hero of many a defeat!

The tabletop battlefield here in GHQ: the Rebs advance from nearest the camera: with two brigades of infantry and a supporting battery of Napoleons; the Union from the far side, again with two brigades of infantry and a supporting battery, of Whitworth rifled artillery pieces in their case. Both sides have reserves expected to arrive sometime after Turn 3. The game length is set at 12 Turns using Black Powder Mk2 rules with some additions from the Glory Hallelujah supplement.  On to the unfolding action through means of the usual annotated photomontage ~

Looking along the Rebel lines, the Turnpike in the distance giving the Rebs an opportunity for a rapid advance. Their supporting battery poised to pound any foolhardy Union advance!

The Union disposition is more compact, relying on the wooded terrain to cover their right as they advance to deny the Rebs control of the Turnpike.

The Union advance is slower than Ol' Useless desired in Turn 1...

...while the Rebs make good use of the firm going along the Turnpike!

Plans seldom survive first contact with the enemy! In Turn 2 the Union brigade on their left encounters Rebs advancing smartly down the Turnpike before all the regiments are in position. The brigade on their right is diverted to cover a threat they had not expected. Confusion of orders slows down their redeployment. 

The Rebs have advanced confidently on their left, maintaining the brigade's cohesion. The leading regiment on the Turnpike runs into the advancing Union before they can deploy into line. A brisk but uneven firefight sees the Rebs shaken by losses.

Their supporting regiments in the brigade are not able to immediately offer support, being some distance in their rear. Perhaps they stopped to draw water from the old well?

Turn 3 sees the battle lines shaking out. Both sides are getting into position to engage the enemy all along the front line, though the Rebs on their left are not yet fully deployed. Coming under fire their ranks are somewhat depleted and disordered.

Union troops pour volleys into the advancing Rebs on their left. Losses and disorder have hampered the Rebs getting into firing lines.

The 55th New York hammer the Rebs' leading column on the Turnpike. Losses are severe and they break, retiring  to the rear Whipped! First blood to the Union!

The expected reinforcements for neither side arrived in Turn 4! In Turn 5 the Union gained three regiments, arriving on their left flank where they might be able to add weight to the Union's efforts to throw back the Rebs.

As firefights errupt all along the lines you can see in the far distance only one Reb regiment from their expected reinforcements has arrived in Turn 4! In this portion of the battlefield Ol' Useless feels he may be getting the upper hand.

Despite losses and disorder though the Rebs are steadily shaking out into line and begining to hurt the Union troops in their turn. Where are the reinforcements though is their most urgent question?

Neither side has gained a decisive advantage, despite exchanging repeated volleys at close range. Both armies are suffering far fewer losses than expected, prolonging the firefights and detering either side from closing with the cold steel!

The Union battery of rifled pieces roars out time and again causing some disorder but inflicting no losses on the enemy!

The Reb battery of Napoleons answers back, again to little effect. Retraining must be high on the agenda of both formations when the battle is done!

The Rebs are unable to shake the resolve of the boys in blue, despite trading volley for volley with them. Losses mount for both sides but neither gives way.

Union regiments on their right emerge from the woods to surprise the Rebs and threaten to turn their flank. They respond by refusing their flank as the Union take too long to close and loose the element of surprise. 

Union losses are mounting and one regiment breaks, falling back Whipped for two moves and exposing a gap in the lines as a result. Can the Rebs take advantage of this Turn of events?

Fighting is at Close quarters on the Reb right. Their volleys have the desired effect in halting the Union advance in its tracks!

On the Reb right more reinforcements have arrived and waves of troops stand ready to close with the thin Union line where the boys are clinging on despite losses!

The thin blue line! The Union left is under great pressure but stubbornly clings to the fence lines, trading volley for volley with the enemy! Another regiment can hold its position no longer, falling back Whipped. Where are the reinforcements needed to shore up the line?

They are arriving in the nick of time in Turn 9 is the answer! Volleys crash out from both sides of the fence line. Shells soar over the masses of troops, but neither side will flinch and give way to the enemy.

The Union advance on their right has forfeited the element of surprise and allowed the Rebs to reform and reposition their flanking regiments.

In the Union centre the Rebs finally drive back the regiments which have clung on so tenacious. In Turn 10 it seems that the tide of fortune has switched to the Reb cause...

They are unable to exploit the yawning gap due to the disorder and losses in their ranks. Ol' Useless rushes to plug the line and the opportunity is lost. Turn 11 sees no sign of either side breaking, though losses have mounted steadily and disorder is widespread.

Turn 12 sees night falling on the exhausted men in the ranks of both armies. The Union can claim a very narrow win in the end as the Turn concludes with two Reb brigades retiring Whipped to one Union brigade. 

A hard fought encounter and a highly enjoyable way to spend a few hours with a friend. Not to mention the excellent lunch laid on by Sue. Next up should be an AWI game with Paul providing the opposition on Thursday week. Meanwhile, back to painting more Württemberg-Oels Dragoons for the Danes in the War of the Spanish Succession project. 

New Additions in GHQ

Sue and I were away in Shropshire for a couple of days last week. One stop we made was in Church Stretton, for tea and cake in Berry's and a mooch in the Antique Centre. In one cabinet were some painted 28mm Napoleonic figures, mostly Generals and such, but including these shown below. Only a couple of pounds, probably reflecting the unusual paint job. The pictures are in monochrome so the colours don't distract the eye ~

This chap has "Fed up" engraved on the underside of his base.

These bandsmen carrying a wounded comrade are a two piece set. Nothing on their bases to reveal their origins.

Any ideas of their origins gentle reader would be of interest. Once they are stripped I expect to repaint them for my FRW project. 

Then on Sunday I made the very short trip to WV Active, at Aldersley Leisure Village, Wolverhampton, the site of the late lamented WMMS these past few years, to cast my eye over the tabletop sale! Arriving 45 minutes after the doors opened the queue was still Partizanesque! Once inside there were acres of trader tables, buying and selling, mostly for the gnome botherer fraternity I must say. There were however a pleasing number of historical wargames focused sellers, including job lots of boxed Hincliffe figures sold by the crate! I spent £27.50 on these items ~

Two painted Hovels resin ACW buildings @ £5.00 each; three handmade corn fields @ £5.00 each for the smaller ones and £7.50 for the larger one; and 50p on a resin print minefield for William, which I didn't photograph. The admission was £4.00 before 12.00, but free thereafter. Folk were still going in when I left about 12.15pm. 

One feature worthy of comment I thought on reflection was the number of 3D printed terrain and building items being sold on 3 or 4 tables. Again mostly Fantasy oriented but enough to interest the Historical gamer too. I discussed explosion markers with one such trader, Gatehouse Gaming UK from Yorkshire, and was informed they'd be on his site on Tuesday ~

www.gatehousegamingukshop.co.uk

Besides scatter terrain of all shapes and sizes they offered pots of myriad basing materials, paints, Gamers' Grass products and more. Their flyer gives a run down if you are interested. Afterwards I regretted not buying the pack of scruffy dogs that had taken my eye!

If there is another such tabletop sale held there in future I shall make sure it is on my calendar and that I attend if possible.

The Battle of Rutherford's Farm, July 20th 1864

Phil pointed out to me that he and I had not played an ACW game for several months, so time to put that right. The Battle of Rutherford's Farm, fought on 20th July 1864, as a small action during Early's campaign in the Shennandoah Valley is the basis that the following game is rooted in. A quick Internet search has produced these two maps of the battle ~

The Battle of Rutherford's Farm {also known as both Carter's Farm and Stephenson's Depot} was a small engagement between Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur and Union forces under Brig. Gen. William W. Averell on July 20, 1864, in Frederick County, Virginia as part of Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Valley Campaign. Taking these as a reference and acknowledging the need to produce a compact tabletop battlefield I came up with the layout pictured below before the troops are placed in their initial positions ~

I set the game length at 10 Turns as despite the action not beginning until 4.00pm I reasoned long summer daylight hours might result in a late finish! Both sides believed they had the advantage over their opponent and so in our game both must attack and we will see what unfolds. If the Union have not broken the Rebs by the end of Turn 10 then they have lost, the Rebs retiring unbeaten. The Confederates enter along the turnpike nearest the camera, the Federals from the far right corner! Phil as Ramseur commanded the Rebs, yours truly as Averell the Union! As is my wont, without any further blathering, on to the annotated photomontage carrying you down into the unfolding drama ~

The Union win the dice off for Initiative and in the first move Averell leads his men cautiously forward. These figures are proxying for his West Virginia and Ohio regiments.

Phil as Ramseur is equally cautious it seems with only two North Carolina regiments advancing along the turnpike! 

Two Union regiments (from Ohio in the battle) are thrown out on the Union left to deny the turnpike to the Rebs and flank their advance. 

The three remaining regiments (from West Virginia in the battle) form into firing lines along the fence line.

As the Ohio boys make heavy going of deployment on the Union left Ramseur sees his North Carolina boys advancing with elan along the turnpike. Can they catch the Federals before they deploy into firing line?

The leading regiments closes with the boys in blue! If they can sweep away the troops on the Union left they can swing inward and roll up the whole line!

It will be a close run action as more Rebs are fastening forward to add weight to the attack.

In their centre though the remaining Rebs are making slow progress along the turnpike as it crosses the run.

The boys from Ohio have shaken out from column into firing line as the Reb advance has slowed. They pour a volley into the hesitant lead regiment!

As the Reb attack on the Union left falters they find themselves flanked by a third Union regiments which boldly advances sensing a real opportunity to destroy the enemy attack. Just in time the second Reb regiment shakes out into firing line behind the fencing along the turnpike.

The remaining West Virginia boys are cautiously holding position on the right hoping for support from their cavalry to smash the Reb left flank.

An overview of the developing situation around Rutherford's Farm shows casualties mounting for both sides as the most forward of the West Virginia regiments finds itself flanked by the Rebs in turn.

The remaining regiments are reluctant to advance on the Rebs, leaving their comrades to face fire on three faces! Surely that can't end well for their now isolated fellows?

Too late they find themselves in turn flanked by more Rebs as they advance on the Reb left. Cavalry arrives, but for the Rebs not for the Union!

In the nick of time the Union cavalry charges down the lane, allowing the exposed Union infantry to draw back.  If they can triumph in the ensuing melees the Reb left will be swept away and victory assured!

Disaster! The North Carolina boys beat off the Union cavalry charging them despite losses. The cavalry's morale collapses as a consequence and they flee in rout!

The second Reb cavalry unit wins its melee with the Union cavalry and force them to fall back in Disorder! This allows the Reb infantry to form firing line across the flank of the now Disordered Union infantry lines.

Momentum is swinging back towards Ramseur's Rebs as the Union advance halts in Disorder as casualties mount.

Things go better for Averell on his left with the Reb infantry attack along the turnpike halted decisively. Ominously though the arrival of Reb cavalry tasked with covering the attack may expose his men to enfilade fire.

Back on the Reb left the cavalry, having seen off their Union opponents, dismount to add their fire to the weight of lead pouring into the exposed Union right flank.

The Union line, having stood as long as it could under the mounting weight of  Reb fire, suddenly finds the centre unit giving way and falling back Disordered! Averell can only look on in dismay!

At last Ramseur sees his artillery deploy to fire along the line of the turnpike to further disrupt the Union left. The tide of fortune is swinging back in his favour.

Their fire disorders one Union regiment which falls back as its Morale wavers. Suddenly the remaining Ohio boys find themselves exposed to fire from the front and flank!

The famed Rebel Yell breaks out as the wavering Union infantry defending Rutherford's Farm find themselves charged by the buoyant Rebs. They are Shaken and give way under the force of the Reb assault!

The coup de grace to Averell's command is delivered by a devastating artillery barrage which breaks the Ohio regiment on the Union left. With his command in tatters he must draw back and save what he can of them. Ramseur has achieved Early's objective of holding up the Union advance allowing stores and the wounded to be evacuated southward.

A fine game we thought, nicely balanced throughout and well served by the usual Black Powder twists and turns. By the end of Turn 8 incase obvious that Averell had lost, so we called a halt just in time for the bacon, brie and cranberry Sue had prepared for lunch!