"Turning the Flank" An ACW Scenario

 OK this, my friends, is going to be a BIG post - and not because I am about to write anything deep and meaningful! Our Sunday game involved around 40 battalions per side plus cavalry and artillery, and ran for about six hours almost non stop. 

There was a lot of action and a lot of very nice figures on the table (none mine I hasten to add, so I cannot be accused of a partisan judgement on that score!) As I saved the images from my phone to the laptop to do this blog post, I noted with some amazement that there is a total of EIGHTY NINE (89) pics of the game. 

So, a brief outline of the scenario. Rick started the game on the table in command of a Union Cavalry Brigade. The rest of the Union players - Adrian, Julian and I - rolled to see where we would arrive (by road only). For the Rebs, Nicks started on the table and Paul, Mark and Chris arrived on move one. The Union reinforcements arrived on move two. 

The basic idea was, Ricks Brigade was the farthest outpost unit on the left flank of a larger Union Army. The Rebs were attempting to outflank the army, and Julian. Adrian and I commanded forces dispatched pell-mell by the Union commander to hold the line on his flank and prevent the Rebs from turning it.

So on to the picture fest - I may not add a notation to every image - I will see how I go!

I entered by the central road, with three brigades and a couple of guns. Ricks position was to the top of this image

Ricks cavalry brigade was allowed to deploy anywhere inside the area marked with the yellow dots

A couple of "eye candy" shots of Nicks beautifully painted Confederates

First blood to the Union!

Tha cavalry redeploy to meet the Rebel advance

On the other flank, Reb cavalry commanded by Mark spur forwards

My three brigades split off in different directions to hold the vital crossroads

The Rebs advance on all fronts!

From the far road to our extreme left, six brigades, commanded by Julian and Adrian, arrive on the table

Three units of Nicks Confederates blast one hapless cavalry unit

One round of firing - and they went to the worst possible grading - shaken with 6 casualties!

Union dispositions to face the Rebel advance from our right, cavalry picquets backed up by one of my infantry brigades

My second brigade faces ahead, as the third scrambles to take up position on their left, sheltering behind the fence line, and countless Confederate infantry hove into view1

Paul's massed Rebel infantry move up to reinforce Mark on their right (our left) flank

Massed Confederates 

My brave Union boys are in position to take on the advancing host!

Rebs on our right flank clash with the cavalry picquets

In the centre, Chris's juggernaut slowly shakes out into attack formation

While to his right, Mark and Paul close in on Julian and Adrian

My brigadier directs deployment of his brigade as Paul's troops appear in the distance "Line the fences, boys, and give 'em hell...!"

As Chris's troops gradually draw close to the centre of our position

The cavalry picquets await Nicks advance

And here it comes! Mark has made an interesting change to his "skirmisher" rules. The attacker cannot put actual casualties on skirmishers. If an unsaved casualty is scored, a white marker is put on the unit. If a second white marker is caused subsequently, the skirmish unit can retire. When it retires the white markers are removed. In this way, skirmishers can be a nuisance but can't hang around for half the game, causing damage out of all proportion to their size. It seemed to work very well. The only way to "kill" skirmishers is catch them in hand-to-hand combat - but generally, they will always fall back before the attacker has an opportunity to do this.

My third brigade now fully deployed on the fence lined roadway - and not a moment too soon!

The cavalry remount and retire as Nick marches forwards towards my first brigades' positions

Nick finished off Ricks horse battery

One of Nicks brigades attempts to push through against my first brigade

Adrian deploys his infantry to counter Marks Reb cavalry...

......while Julian advances "to the sound of the guns"

A thin grey line of Paul's Rebs deployed against Julian and Adrian

My two brigades in the centre face Paul (above) and Chris (below)

And Nick on the right flank (above)!

As reinforcements stream in from our left flank

Adrians infantry deploy to push back the cheeky Reb horsemen

Chris continues to deploy in the centre

And Nick advances to meet him as the cavalry brigade pulls back towards my position in the Union centre

The centre from the Confederate perspective

Dismounted Reb cav make things hard for the Union infantry on our left flank

Our esteemed host Barry in appropriate attire!

The cavalry beats a hasty retreat through my lines

As three battalions advance over the fence line and take the fight to Nicks Rebs

There are an AWFUL lot of Rebs out there, Billy!

Cavalry picquets and their horse holders still playing a delaying role against Nicks forces to our right

Nicks gun battery on the high ground looks down on a target rich environment - fortunately for me (in particular) they did not seem to have their eye in today!

Action on our right between Adrian/Julian and Mark/Paul

The Rebs are almost at my line in the centre of the field

And the casualties start to mount on both sides

My right flank brigade pulls back to the road they entered on, with Julian's reinforcements in support to their rear

A couple of general views of the centre of the table

View down the length of the field from Julian and Adrians end (our left flank)

Paul's assault on Adrian above and me below

Action in the centre viewed from the Rebel side of the table

The fight for the crossroads was hot and bloody work....

.... but gradually....

.... the superior Confederate numbers started to tell

The clash at the crossroads

The brigadier points out the blindingly obvious tactical problem! Thank you, Sir!

Fight on the left between Paul and Julian

Now the Rebs charge the guns.......

As Chris and Nick combine on our right flank 

Julian moves to plug the gap in our line

And the gunners win the fight, destroying another Reb unit

More "eye candy" shots of Nicks troops advancing

The remnants of my first brigade line the road to meet Nicks advance

The Union cavalry charge in the last turn of the game!

And this is where we called it.

Phew, that was fast and furious for about five of the six hours play - a great game thanks to Marks well thought out scenario. We had more or less fought each other to a draw - that was Marks analysis anyway - and he was the "umpire" as well as playing a supporting role in charge of the Confederate cavalry. 

I would have put it at maybe 60/40 in favour of the Rebs, but it could still have gone either way - and given the strategic aim was to turn the Union flank - the Confederates were still some way off from achieving this, which is why Mark adjudicated the result as he did. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about it as much as we all enjoyed playing in it. It's one of the best "big" ACW games I have been involved in to be honest - I quite often find them a bit unsatisfying, but this one was a goodie!

Thanks for taking time to work your way through all the images and extra special thanks to everyone who leaves a comment!