Battle of Savages Station - ACW Game using Kalistra Rules

On Wednesday evening Julian, John and I caught up for an ACW game using Julian's troops.

The scenario he had picked was Savage's Station - a rearguard action by the Union during the peninsula campaign.

I took command of the Union and J&J were the Confederates

The number of troops on each side was roughly equal and to win, the CSA had to have at least two units on my base line or have killed six units.

I initially had a nice solid line but made a couple of glaring tactical errors that led to my defeat.

Firstly, I thought I was in the 17th or 18th century and charged one of John's infantry units frontally with a regiment of cavalry - that didn't go well!

Secondly, I started messing around redeploying my left flank when Julian was advancing through the woods and this really stuffed things up. I had forgotten that in these rules BOTH sides fire infantry each turn, so I should have just stood still and slugged it out. My redeployment meant a couple of units were out of line and Julian was able to get three firing onto one at a critical moment.

The third issue was not tactical, it was just luck...my dice rolling was average at the best EG I had a couple of charges late in the game when my elite Zouaves rolled 4 dice against 2 for Julian's shaken defenders - I needed to score a 4 on a 10 sided dice and Julian needed a 7 - and TWICE I rolled one hit to his one hit!

Anyway, it was all done in the best possible taste ...but I got a severe thrashing!

Here are the images - not as nice as the ones at Tarawera due to Julian's dodgy mood lighting - all very well for romantic dinner parties but crap for taking pictures of toy soldiers.....

 Initial deployment - Union on the right. The Rebs had an "armoured train" firing as one artillery piece

The CSA deployment and the "armoured train" on the rail track!

One of the two Union batteries

 The right flank of the Union force deploys - the ill fated cavalry advance can be seen in the upper right

The CSA left commanded by John

 The three regiment CSA cavalry brigade on the right - part of Julian's command

 The Union cavalry on my right make their ill conceived charge

 The two forces face off across no mans land

 Above and below - the Union charge from both sides

As a result of my example, Julian's cavalry hastily dismounted and advance to contact on foot!

 The remnants of my second cavalry unit where they retreated to on the back line

 Julian's infantry advance on the CSA right/Union left wing - these three units put their combined fire power onto the single Union regiment seen in the shot

John's CSA infantry advance against my right wing

The situation in the centre of the field

 The units I mistakenly redeployed to "refuse" the flank - I should have left them in line to fire as the Rebs advanced......

The two elite units of Zouaves in the centre

My last attempt to salvage something from the disaster - three units charge the advancing CSA - the elite Zoauves against a shaken regular unit FAILED to win the combat ...GGGRRRRR!

The action has not developed much on my right wing

 My right wing unit charges John's shaken infantry unit and drove them back

But now its three to one and no way of stopping the CSA getting to the base line

Action in the centre - my Zouaves did push back two units of Rebs - one which routed 6 hexes - right to the very edge of the table - top centre behind the hill!

But it was all to no avail - Julian had also put himself in a position to walk any number of units up to the Union table edge.

A fun game but my poor dice rolling was a LITTLE bit frustrating!