Hold the line boys!

 

Sunday saw Tom and I playing a game of American Civil War using the Pickett's Charge rules from Too Fat Lardies.

I'd set out some terrain and had a simple scenario, the Confederates had twelve regiments of infantry and two small batteries of guns attacking against a Union force of ten regiments of infantry and a single (larger) battery of guns.

The Confederates started with two of their three brigades on table, while the Union held the fence line with only a single brigade. Could the Confederates repulse the Union troops before the line could be strengthened? Off table brigades only get an ADC on a 5 and it takes two ADC's to release off table reserves the Union could never be sure when they would see their reinforcements.

Tom took the Union and I took the Confederates, of course on the first turn he rolled well enough to see a brigade of reserves committed, but as at this stage the Confederate attack was undeveloped he wisely took an Artillery Assault instead.

The Confederates kept up a steady advance while the Union artillery attempted to disrupt the attack. Leaving the rifles in support the Napoleons were dragged up into close range of the Union line.

As the Confederate forces closed on the fence line a firefight started along the line, but both sides suffered terribly from fire discipline.

Eventually on my right the Confederates launched a bayonet charge, most of the Union troops held, but on my extreme right, we a-whooped and a-hollered to such an effect that the Union forces retreated and we held a section of the fence line. Unfortunately, by this stage the Union reinforcements were streaming in.

Despite gaining the fence line, my brigade on the right was subjected to withering fire and eventually collapsed, the troops in my third brigade were cautiously advancing, but needed to be in the right place at the right time, they wern't!

Along the line, all the Union forces that had originally held the fence were destroyed or forced back, but the fresh troops arrived to take their place, as the last Union brigade arrived on the Confederate left it was time for Johnny Reb to retreat from the field in some disarray.

Tom has also done a great report with loads more pictures over on his blog.